Germany on Huffington Posttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/tag/germanyHuffington Post PHOTOS: Germans, Geishas, And Graffiti: Highlights This Weekhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/04/highlights-this-week_n_871074.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
It's been a busy week here of the Huffington Post Arts Page: Steve Martin was duped by a German forgery ring, a musical version of Rocky was announced and a graffiti art proposal made women across the world swoon. These were our highlights, what were yours?<br />
<br />
<br />
<HH--236SLIDEPOLLAJAX--28018--HH>
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/steve-martin">Steve Martin</a>, <a href="/tag/art">Art</a>, <a href="/tag/video">Video</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/crime">Crime</a>, <a href="/tag/highlights">Highlights</a>, <a href="/tag/graffiti">Graffiti</a>, <a href="/tag/musicals">Musicals</a>, <a href="/tag/animals">Animals</a>, <a href="/tag/sylvester-stallone">Sylvester Stallone</a>, <a href="/tag/celebrities">Celebrities</a>, <a href="/tag/world-news">World News</a>, <a href="/arts">Arts News</a></p>
E. Coli Outbreak Could Be Deadliest Everhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/03/e-coli-outbreak-germany-deadliest-ever_n_870802.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
<a href="http://www.reuters.com" target="_hplink"><img src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/211216/REUTERS-LOGO.jpg"></a><br />
<br />
BERLIN/LONDON (Reuters) – Racing to curb the spread of a killer food bug, Germany set up a national task force on Friday to hunt down the source of a highly toxic strain of E.coli that killed 17 people and sounded alarms around the world.<br />
<br />
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, engaged in a trade row with the European Union after Moscow banned imports of raw fruit and vegetables from the bloc, heightened the drama, saying he would not "poison" Russians by lifting the embargo.<br />
<br />
Repeating warnings to Germans not eat salad vegetables -- rattling farmers and stores just as they hit high season -- health officials said they recorded 199 new cases of the rare, highly toxic strain of the infection in the past two days.<br />
<br />
That took the total of those infected since it was detected in early May to 1,733 -- making it possibly the deadliest ever outbreak -- and suggesting it was spreading as fast as ever.<br />
<br />
Scientists struggled to pinpoint the contamination, assumed to be poor hygiene at a farm, in transit, a shop or food outlet.<br />
<br />
Health institutes across Europe have tried to reassure the public by stressing that E.coli, a frequent cause of food poisoning, can generally be tackled by washing vegetables and by washing hands before eating to reduce the risk of bacteria being passed on from the feces of an infected person.<br />
<br />
The resistance of the strain to some antibiotics and the failure to find the source of the outbreak, made harder by the nature of salads to include a variety of produce from different producers, has raised concerns, however.<br />
<br />
Responding to EU calls that Russia lift Thursday's ban on imports and respect the principle of free trade, Putin said: "We cannot poison our people for the sake of some spirit."<br />
<br />
FIRST OUTBREAK<br />
<br />
Germany is at the center of the outbreak but people have also become ill in 10 other European countries and the United States, probably from eating lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers or other raw salad vegetables in Germany. The region around the northern city of Hamburg is at the epicenter of the sickness.<br />
<br />
The World Health Organization said the strain was a rare one, seen in humans before, but never in this kind of outbreak.<br />
<br />
E.coli bacteria themselves are harmless. But the strain that is making people sick in Europe has the ability to stick to intestinal walls where it pumps out toxins, sometimes causing severe bloody diarrhea and kidney problems.<br />
<br />
A government spokesman said Chancellor Angela Merkel was setting up an E. coli task force and has talked to Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez-Zapatero about the impact on Spanish farmers, who were initially blamed for contamination.<br />
<br />
The outbreak has put strains on trade relations, with Russia drawing EU criticism after banning raw vegetable imports from Europe and accusing Brussels of failing to handle the crisis.<br />
<br />
Spanish officials have said they might seek compensation from Germany after German officials went back on initial reports that the source might be cucumbers imported from Spain.<br />
<br />
Beyond Germany, people have also become ill in Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and United States.<br />
<br />
"All these cases except two are in people who reside in or had recently visited northern Germany during the incubation period for the infection -- typically 3 to 4 days post-exposure -- or in one case, had contact with a visitor from northern Germany," the WHO said in a statement.<br />
<br />
WORST EVER<br />
<br />
Robert Tauxe of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has been working with German health officials since last week, said the strain was likely the most deadly yet in terms of the number of deaths recorded.<br />
<br />
"I believe it is," he told Reuters. He said it was unclear how the bacteria became so resistant.<br />
<br />
The European Union's envoy to Moscow said Russia's ban on was unjustified and contradicted World Trade Organization rules.<br />
<br />
Fernando Valenzuela also repeated the call from the 27-nation bloc for the lifting of the ban and said he hoped the situation would be "resolved" within days.<br />
<br />
Valenzuela expressed surprise that Russia would impose a ban, the breadth of which he said goes against WTO rules at a time when Moscow is pressing to join the world trade body.<br />
<br />
EU countries exported 594 million euros ($853 million) worth of vegetables to Russia last year while EU imports of vegetables from Russia were just 29 million euros, EU data show.<br />
<br />
"WASH AND WASH"<br />
<br />
The outbreak is causing bad infections and in a number of cases, complications affecting blood and kidneys. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which frequently leads to kidney failure and can kill, has been diagnosed in hundreds of the cases.<br />
<br />
Many patients have gone into hospital, with several needing intensive care, including dialysis due to kidney complications.<br />
<br />
E.coli infections can spread from person to person but only by what is known as the fecal-oral route.<br />
<br />
"I wash and wash and wash my vegetables. You can't stop eating them but I have children and so I'm buying only safe produce and cooking them," said Max Fehrer, a 43-year-old computer programer who was shopping in Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood on his way to work on Friday.<br />
<br />
The strain is part of a class of bacteria known as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli or STEC that produces a poison known as the shiga toxin.<br />
<br />
"The immediate public health problem is the identification of the source of infection so that it can be controlled," said Robert Hall, an expert on communicable disease control in Victoria, Australia.<br />
<br />
He said this is done with a combination of epidemiological, microbiological and environmental investigations: "These are all highly skilled tasks that need to be done rapidly and are nearly always done in a glare of publicity."<br />
<br />
In Moscow, shops prepared to dump EU vegetables and consumers expressed a mixture of scorn and pride at the ban. But some disagreed strongly, saying the threat was exaggerated.<br />
<br />
"I am not afraid of buying vegetables from any country here," said pensioner Vyacheslav Yegorov, carrying a shopping basket filled with grapes and fresh vegetables.<br />
<br />
(Additional reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago, Steve Gutterman in Moscow, and Stephen Brown, Annika Breidthardt and Cristiaan Hetzner in Berlin; Writing by Kate Kelland; editing by Alastair Macdonald)<br />
<br />
($1=.6962 Euro)<br />
<br />
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. <a href="http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/media/brand_guidelines/legal_notice/" target="_hplink">Click for Restrictions</a>.<br />
<br />
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/food-safety">Food Safety</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli-strain">E. Coli Strain</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli-europe">E. Coli Europe</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli-recall">E. Coli Recall</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/world-newsdepressing">World News@Depressing</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli-outbreak">E. Coli Outbreak</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli">E. Coli</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: 'Green News Report' - June 2, 2011http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman-and-desi-doyen/green-news-report---june_b_870593.htmlBrad Friedman and Desi Doyenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman-and-desi-doyen/
<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=324031097"><img src="http://www.BradBlog.com/Images/SubscribeFREEWithITunes_Border4_small.gif" valign="middle" hspace="3" border="0"></a><br />
<br />
<strong>TWITTER:</strong> @<a href="http://Twitter.com/GreenNewsReport">GreenNewsReport</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>The 'GNR' is also now available on your cell phone via <a href="http://landing.stitcher.com/?srcid=266">Stitcher Radio's mobile app</a>!</i>.<br />
<strong>IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT:</strong> Obama nominates a 'radical environmentalist' for Commerce Secretary?!?; FDA sued over antibiotic-resistant superbugs; No wildlands for YOU!; Killer cucumbers; <i>PLUS:</i> The Arctic is melting (<em>see photo at right</em>), yet the media is obsessed with Weiner (<em>see photo everywhere else</em>) ... All that and more in today's Green News Report!...<br />
<br />
<blockquote><a href="http://GreenNews.BradBlog.com"><img src="http://bradblog.com/images/GNR_ArcticPermafrostMelt_HouseTipping.jpg"></a>Listen online here, or <a href="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/GNR_060211.mp3"><i>Download MP3</a> (6 mins)...</i><script language="JavaScript" src="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/audio-player.js"></script><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/player.swf"><br />
<param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&bg=0xf8f8f8&leftbg=0x5ADA04&lefticon=0x666666&rightbg=0x2F7B02&rightbghover=0xD4F907&righticon=0xFFFF7C&righticonhover=0x2F7B02&text=0x07400B&slider=0x2F42F7&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0xD4F907&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/GNR_060211.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object><table style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><tr><td><br />
Link:</td><td><input style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" size="45" value="http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8552" onClick="javascript:this.select();" onChange="javascript:this.value='http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8552" /></td></tr><br />
<tr><td>Embed:</td><td><input style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" size="45" value="<div style="margin-top:15px;margin-bottom:15px; background: url('http://www.bradblog.com/images/GNR_EmbedGraphic.png') top left no-repeat;width:400px;height:120px;"><div style="padding-left:80px;padding-top:5px;font-family:times new roman, times, serif;font-size:12px;"><b>'Green News Report' w/ Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen</b><br /><i>June 2, 2011</i><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/player.swf" height="24" width="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="bg=0xf8f8f8&leftbg=0x5ADA04&lefticon=0x666666&rightbg=0x2F7B02&rightbghover=0xD4F907&righticon=0xFFFF7C&righticonhover=0x2F7B02&text=0x07400B&slider=0x2F42F7&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0xD4F907&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/GNR_060211.mp3" scale="showall" name="index" /><br />Click to listen (or <a href="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/GNR_060211.mp3">download</a>)<br /><i>More info on today's report <a href="http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8552">here...</a></i></div></div>" onClick="javascript:this.select();" onChange="javascript:this.value=''" /></td></tr></table></blockquote><br />
<br />
Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail? Drop us a line at <a href="mailto:GreenNews@BradBlog.com">GreenNews@BradBlog.com</a> or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at <a href="http://GreenNews.BradBlog.com">GreenNews.BradBlog.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<strong>IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA'</strong> (<em>see links below</em>): Palin: Gas Prices Are So High We Might Not Finish Our PAC-Funded Vacation; Canadian government deliberately left oilsands data out of UN report; Ice melt to close off Arctic's interior; Corexit Makes Oil Spills Worse; Oil industry slams EPA's regulatory review; How does oil speculation raise gas prices?; 3 CA Condors Die of Lead Poisoning; Philly Moves Ahead With 25-Year Water Management Plan; Stores Stock New Bulbs for the Light Switch; P&G to develop 100% bio ingredients; Energy efficiency is THE core climate solution ... <em>PLUS</em>: The Right's Environmental Wish List ...<br />
<br />
<em>'Green News Report' is heard on many fine radio stations around the country. For additional info on stories we covered today, plus today's <em>'Green News Extra'</em>, please click right <a href="http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8552">here</a>...
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/gas-prices">Gas Prices</a>, <a href="/tag/green-jobs">Green Jobs</a>, <a href="/tag/epa">Epa</a>, <a href="/tag/renewable-energy">Renewable Energy</a>, <a href="/tag/regulation">Regulation</a>, <a href="/tag/green-business">Green Business</a>, <a href="/tag/nuclear">Nuclear</a>, <a href="/tag/green-news-report">Green News Report</a>, <a href="/tag/fda">Fda</a>, <a href="/tag/pollution">Pollution</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli">E. Coli</a>, <a href="/tag/libya">Libya</a>, <a href="/tag/drought">Drought</a>, <a href="/tag/electricity">Electricity</a>, <a href="/tag/new-jersey">New Jersey</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/fossil-fuels">Fossil Fuels</a>, <a href="/tag/big-oil">Big Oil</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/japan-nuclear-reactor">Japan Nuclear Reactor</a>, <a href="/tag/greenhouse-gases">Greenhouse Gases</a>, <a href="/tag/plastic">Plastic</a>, <a href="/tag/gop">Gop</a>, <a href="/tag/climate-change-denial">Climate Change Denial</a>, <a href="/tag/climate-change">Climate Change</a>, <a href="/tag/tornadoes">Tornadoes</a>, <a href="/tag/global-warming-deniers">Global Warming Deniers</a>, <a href="/tag/solar-power">Solar Power</a>, <a href="/tag/global-warming">Global Warming</a>, <a href="/tag/energy">Energy</a>, <a href="/tag/clean-energy-jobs">Clean Energy Jobs</a>, <a href="/tag/fema">Fema</a>, <a href="/tag/water-crisis">Water Crisis.</a>, <a href="/tag/fukushima">Fukushima</a>, <a href="/tag/environmentalists">Environmentalists</a>, <a href="/tag/nuclear-power">Nuclear Power</a>, <a href="/tag/iea">Iea</a>, <a href="/tag/environmentalism">Environmentalism</a>, <a href="/tag/subsidies">Subsidies</a>, <a href="/tag/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a>, <a href="/tag/toxic-chemicals">Toxic Chemicals</a>, <a href="/tag/energy-efficiency">Energy Efficiency</a>, <a href="/tag/japan-earthquake">Japan Earthquake</a>, <a href="/tag/carbon-tax">Carbon Tax</a>, <a href="/tag/brad-blog">BRAD BLOG</a>, <a href="/tag/water">Water</a>, <a href="/tag/smart-grid">Smart Grid</a>, <a href="/tag/noaa">Noaa</a>, <a href="/tag/green-news">Green News</a>, <a href="/tag/sustainability">Sustainability</a>, <a href="/tag/food">Food</a>, <a href="/tag/food-safety">Food Safety</a>, <a href="/tag/international-energy-agency">International Energy Agency</a>, <a href="/tag/endangered-species">Endangered Species</a>, <a href="/tag/joplin-tornado">Joplin Tornado</a>, <a href="/tag/japan">Japan</a>, <a href="/tag/greenhouse-gas-emissions">Greenhouse Gas Emissions</a>, <a href="/tag/extreme-weather">Extreme Weather</a>, <a href="/green">Green News</a></p>
'Rocky''s Next Big Fight: Broadway?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/02/rocky-musical-is-being-wr_n_870012.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
You might have thought Rocky was down for the count, but a new musical in the works might get him saved by the bell. Tony Award-winning song writing team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty ("Ragtime") are working with Thomas Meehan on a musical adaptation of the 1976 Best Picture Academy Award winner "Rocky". The goal is to have a production in Germany underway in 2012 and get the show on Broadway by the spring of 2013.<br />
<br />
A private reading of the show was held in New York in April and was said to be well-received. The reading was held by the creators and producers, including "Rocky" star and screenwriter Sylvester Stallone. Stallone approached the producing team of Meehan and Barbara Darwall about a musical version of the hit film about eight years ago. Stallone will be involved as an artistic partner rather than as a potential actor. The show itself will be a small-orchestra, small-cast production with only five principle characters and a plot that follows the first "Rocky" movie. Meehan has been behind "Hairspray," "The Producers," and "Annie" and said of the "Rocky" musical:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>At first I thought, all the world needs is a 'Rocky' musical," Mr. Meehan said. "But then I looked at the film. I thought it had beautiful construction and such high emotion, and it was a natural musical: There is a David and Goliath story, a Cinderella story, a love story between two outcasts. It's less about boxing than about finding self-respect and finding your soul mate.</blockquote><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/lynn-ahrens">Lynn Ahrens</a>, <a href="/tag/broadway">Broadway</a>, <a href="/tag/theater">Theater</a>, <a href="/tag/musicals">Musicals</a>, <a href="/tag/stephen-flaherty">Stephen Flaherty</a>, <a href="/tag/movies">Movies</a>, <a href="/tag/rocky">Rocky</a>, <a href="/tag/new-york">New York</a>, <a href="/tag/new-york-city">New York City</a>, <a href="/tag/sylvester-stallone">Sylvester Stallone</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/theatre">Theatre</a>, <a href="/tag/barbara-darwall">Barbara Darwall</a>, <a href="/tag/thomas-meehan">Thomas Meehan</a>, <a href="/tag/rocky-the-musical">Rocky the Musical</a>, <a href="/tag/celebrities">Celebrities</a>, <a href="/arts">Arts News</a></p>
Smoking Gun In E. Coli Outbreak Difficult To Track Downhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/e-coli-outbreak-smoking-gun_n_870068.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
BERLIN — European health officials tracking one of the worst E. coli outbreaks on record might never know where it came from. It's a sad fact of life in food poisoning cases: There often is no smoking gun.<br />
<br />
The germ has sickened more than 1,500 people, mostly in Germany. Most patients who have been interviewed said they ate lettuce, tomatoes or cucumbers, but officials testing produce across the continent have yet to find any vegetables with the particular strain involved.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/food-poisoning">Food Poisoning</a>, <a href="/tag/world-health-organization">World Health Organization</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli-outbreak">E. Coli Outbreak</a>, <a href="/tag/food">Food</a>, <a href="/tag/kidney-failure">Kidney Failure</a>, <a href="/tag/europe">Europe</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli">E. Coli</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
PHOTO: Steve Martin Victim Of Art Fraud (UPDATE)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/steve-martin-victim-of-ge_n_869822.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
Steve Martin has had a varied career as an actor, writer, comedian, SNL host, musician, and art lover, but he's probably not too happy to add 'victim' to that list. <br />
<br />
The perpetrator was allegedly a German art forgery ring that's been in operation since the 1990s. A painting that was in Martin's possession from July 2004 to February 2006 was recently discovered to be a fake, and may have been the German ring's handiwork. Martin bought the painting for €700,000 at the Cazeau-Béraudière Gallery in Paris and sold it at a Christie's auction to a Swiss businesswoman for €500,000.<br />
<br />
<em>Read more below</em>.<br />
<img src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/284954/FORGERY.jpg"><br />
<br />
The painting in question was "Lanscape With Horses" (1915), above, by Heinrich Campendonk. Martin sold the painting long before it was determined to be a fake, and has not been accused of any wrongdoing. <br />
<br />
Investigators said that the painting was most likely created by Wolfgang Beltracchi, the accused leader of a forgery ring that included his wife, sister-in-law and another accused forger Otto Schulte-Kellinghaus. Beltracchi's forgery ring is suspected of producing paintings attributed to Campendonk, Fernand Léger, Max Ernst and others. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-06-01/steve-martins-campendonk-painting-art-forgery-scandal/#" target="_hplink">The Daily Beast reports</a>:<br />
<blockquote>After forging each painting, the clan would fabricate its provenance—its history of ownership. In the case of Martin's painting, the forgers said it had come from the collection of Werner Jägers, a German businessman who happens to be the grandfather of Beltracchi's wife. The provenance allegedly states that Jägers acquired paintings from art dealer Alfred Flechtheim and hid them from the Nazis during World War II. The forgers allegedly sold many of their paintings to French galleries, including to Cazeau-Béraudière, where Martin bought his work.</blockquote><br />
<br />
Martin commented on the duplicity via his <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/STEVEMARTINTOGO" target="_hplink">twitter</a> with his signature humor, saying "I was also once duped by a German vegetarian salad that was loaded with ham."
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/art-auction">Art Auction</a>, <a href="/tag/twitter">Twitter</a>, <a href="/tag/crime">Crime</a>, <a href="/tag/police">Police</a>, <a href="/tag/ferdinand-leger">Ferdinand Leger</a>, <a href="/tag/painting">Painting</a>, <a href="/tag/steve-martin">Steve Martin</a>, <a href="/tag/fraud">Fraud</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/heinrich-campendonk">Heinrich Campendonk</a>, <a href="/tag/art-forgery">Art Forgery</a>, <a href="/tag/saturday-night-live">Saturday Night Live</a>, <a href="/tag/art-market">Art Market</a>, <a href="/tag/max-ernst">Max Ernst</a>, <a href="/tag/art-collectors">Art Collectors</a>, <a href="/tag/celebrities">Celebrities</a>, <a href="/arts">Arts News</a></p>
Spain Considers Legal Action Against Germany Over E. Coli Allegationshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/spain-legal-action-e-coli-germany_n_869683.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
MADRID -- Spain's exports of fruit and vegetables have ground to a halt, causing major financial losses for farmers, due to Germany's now-retracted accusation that Spanish cucumbers were the source of the E. coli outbreak that killed more than a dozen people.<br />
<br />
A Spanish official said Wednesday that the government is considering legal action against German authorities for saying without proof that the bacteria had come from Spanish farms.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/germany-e-coli">Germany E. Coli</a>, <a href="/tag/spain">Spain</a>, <a href="/tag/spain-e-coli-legal-action">Spain E. Coli Legal Action</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli">E. Coli</a>, <a href="/tag/spain-e-coli">Spain E. Coli</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Amitai Etzioni: Advantage: Keynes?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amitai-etzioni/advantage-keynes_b_869627.htmlAmitai Etzionihttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/amitai-etzioni/
If you want to know what is going to happen next to your investments, the job and housing markets, and more generally to the economy, you may want to follow what is happening to the ideas of British economist John Maynard Keynes. Keynes argued that when economies are sputtering, the government must <em>increase </em>deficits, because its increased expenditures will stimulate the economy to better growth. (The time to slash government spending is when the economy is running at full clip.) This is the theory Presidents Bush and Obama, as well as the Federal Reserve, have followed. However, the anti-Keynesians have long maintained that cutting government expenditures is the course to follow -- because the more money that is left in private hands, the better for the economy. The Tea Party is full of anti-Keynesians, and these days, so is the GOP leadership in Congress.<br />
<br />
Recently in Europe, the anti-Keynesians seem to have won a round. When the conservative-led governments in the UK and Germany curtailed government spending and announced more cuts (note: the market is affected by what investors expect to happen next), the two countries' economies grew. Britain's government released an "austerity budget" of deep cuts, and soon thereafter (in the third quarter of 2010), its economy <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fcbfd0e8-e063-11df-99a3-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1O2jJnpBq" target="_hplink">grew</a> by 0.8%, surpassing predictions. <br />
<br />
Similarly, by late summer of 2010, after German chancellor Angela Merkel announced nearly <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-07/merkel-s-cabinet-backs-103-billion-budget-cut-plan.html" target="_hplink">$100 billion in cuts</a> from the budget by 2014, the economy was growing at a 9% annual rate, and unemployment had fallen to pre-crisis levels. In the <em>Weekly Standard</em>, Christopher Caldwell <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/germany-said-no_513319.html" target="_hplink">argued</a> that the German results showed that "something in our economic dogmas is probably false." David Brooks <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/opinion/27brooks.html?hp" target="_hplink">proclaimed</a> that the "early returns" of the "natural experiment" comparing American and German approaches suggested that the German approach was the correct one. <br />
<br />
These observers uncorked the champagne too early. Both economies are now sputtering. In January 2011, the British government released figures showing that the economy had <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704698004576103423094723718.html" target="_hplink">contracted</a> in the fourth quarter of 2010, defying predictions of growth and reigniting fears of a "double-dip" recession. In April, the IMF downgraded its UK growth forecast for the third time in a year. And in Germany, previously-rapid growth has slowed significantly, although it seems to be regaining speed in the last quarter.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the federal government has started cutting expenditures, and investors hear daily about many more cuts to come. Local and state governments are slashing their expenditures. The Federal Reserve is about to end the main part of its stimulating program in June. And U.S. economic growth <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/economic-growth-slows-to-18percent-in-first-months-of-2011/2011/04/28/AFsM2I5E_story.html" target="_hplink">slowed down</a> from 3.1% at the end of 2010 to 1.8% at the start of 2011. Another round for the Keynesians. <br />
<br />
Surveys reveal that economists tend to agree that the American economy will pick up pace again over the next months. If so, the anti-Keynesians will find a data point to support their agenda of more and bigger cuts in government expenditures. However, do not bet your last dollar on these predictions. At best, the economy may well continue merely to sputter along, growing a bit faster than in the first quarter, but still at a rather sluggish pace. In this case, the main point will not be that the Keynesians will win one more round -- but that we are following a wrongheaded economic policy that will cost us all plenty.<br />
<br />
As I see it, Congress and the White House would best now commit themselves to major deficit cutting measures -- to be automatically triggered only once unemployment falls below 7.5% or some such figure. This should be a policy both Keynesians and the anti-Keynesians could learn to love. <br />
<br />
<em>Amitai Etzioni is a University Professor at The George Washington University and the author of </em>The Moral Dimension<em> (The Free Press, 1988).</em>
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/economics">Economics</a>, <a href="/tag/keynesian-economics">Keynesian Economics</a>, <a href="/tag/john-maynard-keynes">John Maynard Keynes</a>, <a href="/tag/paul-auster">Paul Auster</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/austerity">Austerity</a>, <a href="/business">Business News</a></p>
Tina Gerhardt: Germany Phases Out Nuclear Energyhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/tina-gerhardt/germany-nuclear-energy_b_868830.htmlTina Gerhardthttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/tina-gerhardt/
Berlin, Germany -- On Saturday, over 200,000 <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110326/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_nuclear_protests" target="_hplink">protested</a> nuclear energy in over 20 cities in Germany. In Berlin alone, over 100,000 persons demonstrated.<br />
<br />
And on Monday, Angela Merkel <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/30/germany-nuclear-power-plant-shut-down_n_868786.html" target="_hplink">announced</a> a decision to phase out all nuclear energy in Germany by the end of 2022. It will, she underscored, by reliable, affordable and economical.<br />
<br />
She had appointed a panel of 17, including ministers, academics, politicians, businesspeople, to assess Germany's nuclear energy. This so-called Ethics Commission was charged with assessing Germany's nuclear energy usage on the basis of ethics, weighing whether or not nuclear energy should be used, given its known and unknown detrimental side effects. Ultimately, the Ethics Commission decided it was unethical to burden future generations with nuclear energy's hazardous waste. "A decade," the panel declared this weekend, "is enough" and called for her to end Germany's reliance on nuclear energy.<br />
<br />
Last fall, Merkel <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110530/ts_nm/us_germany_nuclear" target="_hplink">announced</a> that she would extend the lifespan of plants by 12 years on average.<br />
<br />
But she revised that position this past March as a result not only of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster in Japan and but also of the elections then upcoming in two German states.<br />
<br />
Widespread public opposition -- expressed among other things through consistent direct actions throughout Germany -- voiced opposition to nuclear energy. In Baden-Württemberg, one of the two states facing elections in late March, 60,000 people <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-europe-12724981" target="_hplink">demonstrated</a> against a nuclear power plant located there, forming a human chain from the city of Stuttgart to the reactor located 27 miles outside of town.<br />
<br />
A precedent for nuclear policy had been set in 2000, when the Alliance 90/The Greens -- a coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party -- announced a decision made in conjunction with the nuclear energy industry to phase out nuclear power plants by 2020.<br />
<br />
Germany's four leading nuclear energy firms -- Eon, RWE, EnBw and Swedish-based Vattenfall -- have announced a 180 degree turn, preparing a lawsuit last month against the German government's decision to idle seven of Germany's 17 nuclear power stations by 2022. It was filed by RWE.<br />
<br />
These four nuclear energy firms warned that Germany could face widespread winter blackouts, if Merkel phases out nuclear power, a finding that has been challenged by a recent study conducted by <a href="http://www.germanwatch.org/" target="_hplink">German Watch</a>. <br />
<br />
Harry Lehmann, General Director of the Environmental Planning and Sustainability Strategies at the Federal Environment Agency in Germany, also <a href="http://www.isusi.de/publications.html" target="_hplink">argues</a> that powering Germany's energy needs without nuclear energy is entirely feasible -- and by 2017. That is, four years before the 2022 phase out announced today by Merkel. <br />
<br />
When interviewed today for his response to Merkel's decision, Jürgen Trittin, chairman of the Alliance 90/The Greens, too, stated that 2017 was a viable date for winding down nuclear energy.<br />
<br />
Greenpeace Germany has upped the ante by <a href="http://www.greenpeace.de/themen/atomkraft/presseerklaerungen/artikel/greenpeace_aktivisten_auf_dem_brandenburger_tor_qjeder_tag_atomkraft_ist_einer_zu_vielq/" target="_hplink">demanding</a> an even more ambitious phase out in Germany by 2015. <br />
<br />
Merkel's decision could have a ripple effect for the nuclear industry worldwide, given that Germany is the largest developed country to phase out nuclear energy. Germany is the world's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/germany-to-phase-out-nuclear-power-by-2022-2011-5" target="_hplink">fifth largest</a> consumer of nuclear energy in terms of megawatts consumed, after the U.S., France, Japan and Russia.<br />
<br />
Additionally, Germany's retool could prove useful for a rethink of U.S. nuclear energy policy. According to the German Ministry of Energy, Germany draws 22% of its energy from nuclear power. The U.S, by contrast, <a href="http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=nuclear_use" target="_hplink">derives</a> about 8% of its energy from nuclear energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration. If Germany can manage a retool given a reliance over twice as high on nuclear energy, the U.S. should certainly be able to achieve it, given a lower percentage of nuclear.<br />
<br />
<em>Tina Gerhardt is an independent journalist who covers climate change. Her work has appeared in Alternet, Grist, Environment News Service, In These Times, The Progressive and The Nation, on GRIT tv, WBAI and the National Radio Project.</em>
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/nuclear-energy">Nuclear Energy</a>, <a href="/tag/renewable-energy">Renewable Energy</a>, <a href="/tag/clean-technology">Clean Technology</a>, <a href="/tag/fukushima">Fukushima</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/merkel">Merkel</a>, <a href="/tag/nuclear-power">Nuclear Power</a>, <a href="/green">Green News</a></p>
Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: 'Green News Report' - May 31, 2011http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman-and-desi-doyen/green-news-report---may-3_b_869386.htmlBrad Friedman and Desi Doyenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman-and-desi-doyen/
<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=324031097"><img src="http://www.BradBlog.com/Images/SubscribeFREEWithITunes_Border4_small.gif" valign="middle" hspace="3" border="0"></a><br />
<br />
<strong>TWITTER:</strong> @<a href="http://Twitter.com/GreenNewsReport">GreenNewsReport</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>The 'GNR' is also now available on your cell phone via <a href="http://landing.stitcher.com/?srcid=266">Stitcher Radio's mobile app</a>!</i>.<br />
<br />
<strong>IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT:</strong> Facing the aftermath of disaster in Joplin; Typhoon Songda hits Japan (Fukushima spared); Germany to dump <i>all</i> nukes; Rise of the emissions - now the highest on record; <i>PLUS:</i> Saudi Arabia <i>really wants</i> you to have lower gas prices ... All that and more in today's Green News Report!<br />
<br />
<blockquote><a href="http://GreenNews.BradBlog.com"><img src="http://bradblog.com/images/GNR_SarahPalin_RollingThunderEmissions_052911.jpg"></a>Listen online here, or <a href="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/GNR_053111.mp3"><i>Download MP3</a> (6 mins)...</i><script language="JavaScript" src="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/audio-player.js"></script><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/player.swf"><br />
<param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&bg=0xf8f8f8&leftbg=0x5ADA04&lefticon=0x666666&rightbg=0x2F7B02&rightbghover=0xD4F907&righticon=0xFFFF7C&righticonhover=0x2F7B02&text=0x07400B&slider=0x2F42F7&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0xD4F907&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/GNR_053111.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object><table style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><tr><td><br />
Link:</td><td><input style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" size="45" value="http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8546" onClick="javascript:this.select();" onChange="javascript:this.value='http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8546" /></td></tr><br />
<tr><td>Embed:</td><td><input style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" size="45" value="<div style="margin-top:15px;margin-bottom:15px; background: url('http://www.bradblog.com/images/GNR_EmbedGraphic.png') top left no-repeat;width:400px;height:120px;"><div style="padding-left:80px;padding-top:5px;font-family:times new roman, times, serif;font-size:12px;"><b>'Green News Report' w/ Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen</b><br /><i>May 31, 2011</i><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/player.swf" height="24" width="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="bg=0xf8f8f8&leftbg=0x5ADA04&lefticon=0x666666&rightbg=0x2F7B02&rightbghover=0xD4F907&righticon=0xFFFF7C&righticonhover=0x2F7B02&text=0x07400B&slider=0x2F42F7&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0xD4F907&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/GNR_053111.mp3" scale="showall" name="index" /><br />Click to listen (or <a href="http://www.bradblog.com/audio/greennews/GNR_053111.mp3">download</a>)<br /><i>More info on today's report <a href="http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8546">here...</a></i></div></div>" onClick="javascript:this.select();" onChange="javascript:this.value=''" /></td></tr></table></blockquote><br />
<br />
Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail? Drop us a line at <a href="mailto:GreenNews@BradBlog.com">GreenNews@BradBlog.com</a> or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at <a href="http://GreenNews.BradBlog.com">GreenNews.BradBlog.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<strong>IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA'</strong> (<em>see links below</em>): US won't protect threatened bluefin tuna; G8 calls for stricter nuke standards; IEA: Renewable elec. generation key to climate change; WA dismantles dams; African land grab could lead to water wars; Electrical "Micro-grids" could revolutionize US electricity production; Cate Blanchett defends 'vain' pro-carbon tax campaign; NJ: Polluters rewriting rules for site cleanup; Groundwater depletion detected from space; Food safety advocates decry GOP cuts to FDA; Germany: 15 Dead from food poisoning; Libya: Water Emerges As A Hidden Weapon; France's dry spring could lead to power blackouts ... <em>PLUS</em>: A Brief History of Plastic's Conquest of the World ...<br />
<br />
<em>'Green News Report' is heard on many fine radio stations around the country. For additional info on stories we covered today, plus today's <em>'Green News Extra'</em>, please click right <a href="http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8546">here</a>...
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/gas-prices">Gas Prices</a>, <a href="/tag/green-jobs">Green Jobs</a>, <a href="/tag/epa">Epa</a>, <a href="/tag/renewable-energy">Renewable Energy</a>, <a href="/tag/regulation">Regulation</a>, <a href="/tag/green-business">Green Business</a>, <a href="/tag/clean-energy">Clean Energy</a>, <a href="/tag/nuclear">Nuclear</a>, <a href="/tag/green-news-report">Green News Report</a>, <a href="/tag/fda">Fda</a>, <a href="/tag/pollution">Pollution</a>, <a href="/tag/water-crisis">Water Crisis</a>, <a href="/tag/eric-cantor">Eric Cantor</a>, <a href="/tag/fossil-fuels">Fossil Fuels</a>, <a href="/tag/big-oil">Big Oil</a>, <a href="/tag/japan-nuclear-reactor">Japan Nuclear Reactor</a>, <a href="/tag/gop">Gop</a>, <a href="/tag/climate-change">Climate Change</a>, <a href="/tag/climate-change-denial">Climate Change Denial</a>, <a href="/tag/tornadoes">Tornadoes</a>, <a href="/tag/global-warming-deniers">Global Warming Deniers</a>, <a href="/tag/solar-power">Solar Power</a>, <a href="/tag/global-warming">Global Warming</a>, <a href="/tag/energy">Energy</a>, <a href="/tag/clean-energy-jobs">Clean Energy Jobs</a>, <a href="/tag/fema">Fema</a>, <a href="/tag/fukushima">Fukushima</a>, <a href="/tag/environmentalists">Environmentalists</a>, <a href="/tag/nuclear-power">Nuclear Power</a>, <a href="/tag/environmentalism">Environmentalism</a>, <a href="/tag/subsidies">Subsidies</a>, <a href="/tag/toxic-chemicals">Toxic Chemicals</a>, <a href="/tag/energy-efficiency">Energy Efficiency</a>, <a href="/tag/japan-earthquake">Japan Earthquake</a>, <a href="/tag/carbon-tax">Carbon Tax</a>, <a href="/tag/brad-blog">BRAD BLOG</a>, <a href="/tag/water">Water</a>, <a href="/tag/noaa">Noaa</a>, <a href="/tag/green-news">Green News</a>, <a href="/tag/sustainability">Sustainability</a>, <a href="/tag/japan">Japan</a>, <a href="/tag/extreme-weather">Extreme Weather</a>, <a href="/tag/australia">Australia</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli">E. Coli</a>, <a href="/tag/cate-blanchett">Cate Blanchett</a>, <a href="/tag/new-jersey">New Jersey</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="/tag/greenhouse-gases">Greenhouse Gases</a>, <a href="/tag/africa">Africa</a>, <a href="/tag/plastic">Plastic</a>, <a href="/tag/bluefin-tuna">Bluefin Tuna</a>, <a href="/tag/iea">Iea</a>, <a href="/tag/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a>, <a href="/tag/food">Food</a>, <a href="/tag/international-energy-agency">International Energy Agency</a>, <a href="/tag/greenhouse-gas-emissions">Greenhouse Gas Emissions</a>, <a href="/tag/joplin-tornado">Joplin Tornado</a>, <a href="/tag/france">France</a>, <a href="/tag/fareed-zakaria">Fareed Zakaria</a>, <a href="/tag/libya">Libya</a>, <a href="/tag/drought">Drought</a>, <a href="/tag/electricity">Electricity</a>, <a href="/tag/smart-grid">Smart Grid</a>, <a href="/tag/fox-news">Fox News</a>, <a href="/tag/food-safety">Food Safety</a>, <a href="/tag/endangered-species">Endangered Species</a>, <a href="/green">Green News</a></p>
Iran Blocks German Chancellor's Plane En Route To India http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/31/angela-merkel-iran-india-flight_n_869034.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
BERLIN -- Iran set off a diplomatic row with Germany on Tuesday by closing its airspace to Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane as it flew to India and delaying her arrival there on an official visit.<br />
<br />
Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin to protest "the breach of international protocol," said Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/angela-merkel">Angela Merkel</a>, <a href="/tag/angela-merkel-india-flight-delayedyworld">Angela Merkel India Flight Delayed@Y:World</a>, <a href="/tag/angela-merkel-india-visit">Angela Merkel India Visit</a>, <a href="/tag/iran">Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/turkey">Turkey</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/guido-westerwelle">Guido Westerwelle</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Sigurd Neubauer: Did Netanyahu Attempt to Score Partisan Points Against Obama in Washington?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sigurd-neubauer/did-netanyahu-attempt-to-_b_867834.htmlSigurd Neubauerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/sigurd-neubauer/
Shortly after Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in at the Knesset as the Prime Minister of Israel, the veteran politician outlined his vision for how a two-state solution could be achieved. In a June 2009 policy address at Bar-Ilan University, Netanyahu said: "In my vision of peace, there are two free peoples living side by side in this small land, with good neighborly relations and mutual respect, each with its flag, anthem and government, with neither one threatening its neighbor's security and existence."<br />
<br />
Nearly two years later, the Netanyahu government is facing increasing international isolation over its perceived unwillingness to advance the stalled Middle East peace process. In particular, since assuming his premiership, Netanyahu has openly clashed with nearly every single Israeli ally from U.S. President Barack Obama to the leaders of Germany, France, Britain -- and King Abdullah of Jordan is refusing to meet with him. Moreover, as recently as two weeks ago, Russia's intelligence services (FSB) expelled a high-ranking Israeli embassy official in Moscow for alleged military espionage. The expulsion of Col. Menashe Vadim Liedman is yet another foreign policy setback, as Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is known for having spent significant diplomatic and personal capital on upgrading relations with Russia and former USSR countries.<br />
<br />
To make matters even worse, the fall of Hosni Mubarak adds another level of uncertainty as it is far from clear what kind of relations a new Egyptian regime will have with the Jewish state, and with Hamas and Iran in particular. Adding to Israel's regional isolation, Turkish Foreign Minister <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=govtt-work-on-all-scenarios-on-new-flotilla-says-fm-2011-05-27" target="_hplink">Ahmet Davutoglu</a> continues to make diplomatic strides towards neighboring countries while championing what he calls a foreign policy based on "strategic depth." In Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's eyes, mending ties with Syria, Iran and even Armenia is priority; somehow Israel does not fit into that vision. While relations with Ankara have steadily deteriorated since Israel's Gaza war in 2008-2009, a full-blown crisis triggered by last year's "Freedom Flotilla" has yet to be resolved. <br />
<br />
At the backdrop of Israel's regional isolation, and Netanyahu's strained relations with world leaders, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority (PA) has <a href="http://www.omantribune.com/index.php?page=news&id=92404&heading=Other%20Top%20Stories" target="_hplink">announced</a> his intentions to unilaterally declare statehood at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) this coming September. While the Palestinian initiative has repeatedly been rejected by President Obama, Israeli diplomats are playing "catch-up" to convince European states to vote "nay" at the UNGA. It is estimated that the large majority of non-Western nations at the UN, among the remaining 76 states will also vote in favor of the Palestinian bid, which leaves Israel with a little over 40 states whose vote is still open.<br />
<br />
By actively exploiting Israel's eroding international standing, Abbas' UN bid could arguably trigger the most significant crisis the Jewish state has faced since the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Added regional uncertainties prompted by the "Arab spring," could also spill over and into the Palestinian territories. In a worst case scenario, but not an unrealistic one, a third intifada could erupt this September unless a political solution to Abbas' UN bid is reached. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, European allies from British Prime Minister David Cameron to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have indicated that unless "significant progress" on the peace process are made, an "aye" vote could be cast at the UN. According to Israeli media reports, the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem is focusing on getting the support from the following five EU members: Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Spain.<br />
<br />
Given the looming crisis Israel is facing in September, it is rather surprising that Prime Minister Netanyahu chose to publicly confront President Obama's proposal that the baseline for a future Palestinian state would be the 1967 borders. While the president later sought to clarify his remarks in an address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Netanyahu declared in his own speech to the influential lobby group how he envisioned an agreement: "But I want to assure you of one thing. It must leave Israel with security. And therefore, Israel cannot return to the indefensible 1967 lines."<br />
<br />
Despite Netanyahu's uncompromising rhetoric in Washington on the issue related to the 1967 borders, <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2010/Joint_statement_PM_Netanyahu_US_Sec_Clinton_11-Nov-2010.htm" target="_hplink">a joint statement</a> issued with U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton on November 11, 2010 read:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>The Secretary reiterated that "the United States believes that through good-faith negotiations, the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state, based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements.</blockquote><br />
<br />
The Prime Minister's remarks, intentionally or not, caused many of Obama's most ardent critics to question whether the U.S. president is "fully committed to Israel's security." Either way, Netanyahu's AIPAC address followed nearly two days after Obama reassured the same audience: "The bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable and the U.S. commitment to Israel's security iron-clad. The relationship between our countries is so strong because it is rooted in both common values and common interests." <br />
<br />
Equally surprising, given Netanyahu's distinct honor and privilege to address the U.S. Congress, the Prime Minister arguably fell short of building international momentum against the Palestinian UN imitative by falling to reach Abbas an olive branch. Regardless, while the Premier listed impressive economic data resulting from unprecedented Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, Netanyahu possibly left the door open for finding a solution to one of the most contentious issues: Jerusalem. <br />
<br />
While both Netanyahu and Abbas are known for their strong and absolutist rhetoric in order to strengthen their domestic negotiating positions, the Israeli premier <a href="http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?ID=222087&R=R1" target="_hplink">said</a>: "Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel. I know that this is a difficult issue for Palestinians. But I believe with creativity and goodwill a solution can be found." <br />
<br />
Lastly, since assuming the presidency, Obama has arguably become the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sigurd-neubauer/how-president-obama-grew-_b_775355.html" target="_hplink">"best friend"</a> Israel could have by successfully coupling a new series of punitive sanctions against Iran with deepening bilateral defense cooperation. While the <a href="http://www.forward.com/workspace/assets/images/articles/060311_key_issues.jpg" target="_hplink">Forward's</a> own "fact-sheet" revealed near identical positions between the U.S. president and the Israeli premier on issues ranging from Iran to the Middle East peace process; it would be wise for Netanyahu to remember that Obama is his best, and perhaps only friend. Conservative republicans may feel more sympathetic towards Netanyahu's leadership style, but it would be foolish to lose liberal Americans by playing up partisan differences by publicly undercutting Obama's call for direct negotiations with Abbas.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/egypt">Egypt</a>, <a href="/tag/france">France</a>, <a href="/tag/palestinian-authority">Palestinian Authority</a>, <a href="/tag/turkey">Turkey</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/president-barack-obama">President Barack Obama</a>, <a href="/tag/prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu</a>, <a href="/tag/israel">Israel</a>, <a href="/tag/middle-east-peace-process">Middle East Peace Process</a>, <a href="/tag/britain">Britain</a>, <a href="/tag/israel-hamas">Israel Hamas</a>, <a href="/tag/intifada">Intifada</a>, <a href="/tag/syria">Syria</a>, <a href="/tag/mahmoud-abbas">Mahmoud Abbas</a>, <a href="/tag/king-abdullah">King Abdullah</a>, <a href="/tag/forward">Forward</a>, <a href="/tag/iran">Iran</a>, <a href="/tag/negotiations">Negotiations</a>, <a href="/tag/us-congress">U.S. Congress</a>, <a href="/tag/avigdor-lieberman">Avigdor Lieberman</a>, <a href="/tag/russia">Russia</a>, <a href="/tag/likud">Likud</a>, <a href="/tag/aipac">Aipac</a>, <a href="/tag/recep-tayyip-erdogan">Recep Tayyip Erdogan</a>, <a href="/tag/ahmed-davutoglu">Ahmed Davutoglu</a>, <a href="/tag/1967-borders">1967 Borders</a>, <a href="/tag/obama-aipac-speech">Obama AIPAC Speech</a>, <a href="/tag/un-general-assembly">UN General Assembly</a>, <a href="/tag/hosni-mubarak">Hosni Mubarak</a>, <a href="/tag/nicolas-sarkozy">Nicolas Sarkozy</a>, <a href="/tag/arab-spring">Arab Spring</a>, <a href="/tag/yom-kippur-war">Yom Kippur War</a>, <a href="/tag/angela-merkel">Angela Merkel</a>, <a href="/tag/david-cameron">David Cameron</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
William Marler: E. coli Outbreak: Exporting Bill Marler to Germany or Japanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-marler/e-coli-outbreak-exporting_b_867819.htmlWilliam Marlerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-marler/
I received an email today from one of my many "fans" suggesting that it might well be a good idea to export me to some hot, dark location. I think the actual language was "Marler, go to hell!" <br />
<br />
It was unclear if it came from one of the hundreds of big companies that I have sued over the last two decades for poisoning their customers, or from some member of the "teat" party (cross between the tea party and proponents of raw milk). <br />
<br />
Thinking that hell might not be the best option, I thought of the hell that Germany and Japan have been going through over the past several weeks. In Germany there are more than 600 people sickened with E. coli O104:H4 and over 241 who have developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. As many as 5 are dead. They are in a living hell. <br />
<br />
Interestingly, the E. coli O104:H4 outbreak in Germany and the E. coli O111 outbreak last month in Japan (sickened nearly 100, many seriously, with 4 deaths) are in stark (but good) contrast to what seems to be a significant downturn in E. coli outbreaks in the United States.<br />
<br />
Sure, in 2009 we had outbreaks linked to cookie dough, JBS Swift beef and beef from Fairbanks Farms, and in 2010 there were outbreaks linked to National Steak and Poultry, romaine lettuce and Bravo Farms Cheese, and since the beginning of 2011 there have been small outbreaks from hazelnuts and bologna. However, either public health is so underfunded that they cannot catch an outbreak, or the food industry has finally taken my advice and are "putting me out of business." <br />
<br />
Of course, I am quite sure that the reason we are seeing fewer and smaller E. coli outbreaks in the United States are the 18 years that I hammered away at industry to "stop poisoning your customers." So, whether that is because I have sued them at every option, or the hundreds of food safety speeches I have given in the last two decades, the E. coli outbreak numbers in the United States are down, and that is a good thing.<br />
<br />
Perhaps being exported to Germany or Japan is an option?
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/food-safety">Food Safety</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/e-coli">E. Coli</a>, <a href="/tag/food-poisoning">Food Poisoning</a>, <a href="/tag/japan">Japan</a>, <a href="/food">Food News</a></p>
10 Countries With The Worst Income Inequalityhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/23/10-countries-with-worst-income-inequality_n_865869.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
Of all the effects of the economic crisis, perhaps one of the least visible, but most consequential has been the rising rate of income inequality around the world. <br />
<br />
A recent report, released by the Paris-based <a href="http://www.oecd.org/" target="_hplink">Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development</a> (OECD) and entitled "<a href="http://www.oecd.org/document/24/0,3746,en_21571361_44315115_2671576_1_1_1_1,00.html" target="_hplink">Society at a Glance 2011 - OECD Social Indicators</a>," shows exactly where the gap between rich and poor has grown widest. <br />
<br />
Based on a measurement known as the Gini coefficient, which rates countries from 0 to 1, where zero indicates perfect equality and one indicates all wealth goes to a single individual, the report finds growing rates of income inequality everywhere from Oceania to Scandinavia. Between the mid-1980s and late 2000s, the average Gini coefficient for OECD countries rose annually by an average of 0.3 percent, and now sits at 0.31.<br />
<br />
High rates of income inequality might be unsurprising in developing countries such as Portugal and Mexico. But countries with historically low levels of income inequality have experienced significant increases over the past decade, too, including Denmark, Sweden and Germany, the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/income-inequality-oecd-report-rising_n_857057.html" target="_hplink">OECD</a> recently reported.<br />
<br />
<em>Below are the nations with the worst income inequality according to the OECD.</em><br />
<br />
<HH--236SLIDEPOLLAJAX--24583--HH><br />
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/eurozone">Eurozone</a>, <a href="/tag/unemployment">Unemployment</a>, <a href="/tag/oceania">Oceania</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/inflation">Inflation</a>, <a href="/tag/income-inequality">Income Inequality</a>, <a href="/tag/mexico">Mexico</a>, <a href="/tag/portugal">Portugal</a>, <a href="/tag/sweden">Sweden</a>, <a href="/tag/oecd">Oecd</a>, <a href="/tag/denmark">Denmark</a>, <a href="/tag/gini-coefficient">Gini Coefficient</a>, <a href="/business">Business News</a></p>
Krugman: European Central Bank Not Facing 'Failure Of Its Fantasies'http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/23/europe-austerity-krugman-central-bank-greece_n_865435.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
I often complain, with reason, about the state of economic discussion in the United States. And the irresponsibility of certain politicians — like those Republicans claiming that defaulting on U.S. debt would be no big deal — is scary.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/us-debt">US Debt</a>, <a href="/tag/europe-austerity">Europe Austerity</a>, <a href="/tag/federal-reserve">Federal Reserve</a>, <a href="/tag/united-states">United States</a>, <a href="/tag/greece">Greece</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/european-central-bank">European Central Bank</a>, <a href="/tag/euro">Euro</a>, <a href="/business">Business News</a></p>
German Insurance Company's Office Sex Partyhttp://weirdnews.aol.com/2011/05/20/munich-re-german-insuranc_n_864636.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
Munich Re, one of the biggest insurance companies in the world, held a party for salesmen where they were rewarded with the services of prostitutes.<br />
<br />
A German business newspaper said the prostitutes had worn color-coded arm-bands designating their availability, and the women had their arms stamped after each service rendered.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/prostitution">Prostitution</a>, <a href="/tag/orgy">Orgy</a>, <a href="/tag/weird-animals">Weird Animals</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/munich">Munich</a>, <a href="/tag/munich-re">Munich Re</a>, <a href="/tag/ergo">Ergo</a>, <a href="/tag/budapest">Budapest</a>, <a href="/tag/sexorgy">Sex-Orgy</a>, <a href="/tag/hungary">Hungary</a>, <a href="/weird-news">Weird News News</a></p>
Maria Rodale: Is America a Third World Country?http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/is-america-a-third-world_b_864610.htmlMaria Rodalehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/
The other day I was talking to a dear friend of mine who had just returned from a business trip to China.<br />
<br />
"Coming back to America felt like returning to a Third World country," he said.<br />
<br />
I was momentarily stunned, because I'd had the exact same thought when returning from <a href="http://www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com/a-whirlwind-trip-to-germany/?cm_mmc=Huffington%20Post-_-MFCK-_-A%20Whirlwind%20Trip%20to%20Germany-_-random%20thoughts">Germany</a> a few months ago. In fact, I apologized to a few German women in the "bathroom" of Newark airport after we had gotten off the plane. America is certainly not putting her best foot forward in that airport.<br />
<br />
China and Germany are at much different phases in their development, so you can't just blame it on all the new growth in China. China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and it's now investing in infrastructure that takes it leaps and bounds ahead of the U.S. While Germany, also older than the U.S., shows a care of its basic human and cultural services that feels ahead of us.<br />
<br />
Then I thought about all those lists that we seem to be falling downward in:<br />
<br />
• Life expectancy: According to the CIA, we are number 50 in the world in terms of <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html" target="_blank">life expectancy</a>! Germany is number 27, and China is 95. But Hong Kong is number 8. And we are behind Bosnia and Herzegovina.<br />
<br />
• Infant mortality: <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html" target="_blank">We are number 47</a>--behind CUBA!!!!<br />
<br />
• Education: We spend as much on education, <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2206rank.html" target="_blank">as a percentage of our GDP</a>, as ETHIOPIA!<br />
<br />
We are a rare experiment in freedom. But will our freedom to bicker and argue and let extremists dominate the public discourse lead us down a dark path of repression and the destruction of what made us great to begin with--our care for each other and willingness to sacrifice for the greater good?<br />
<br />
While extreme conservatives hog the media spotlight with their charismatic, fear-based ignorance, we are falling behind, America! We have horrible health care, a huge deficit that even China doesn't want to fund, filled with "entitlements" that are mostly consumed by the energy and chemical companies that make us sick and benefit the most when our troops head off to war! Our patriotism has blinded us to the truth.<br />
<br />
I recently heard one politician in Washington (one of the better ones, actually) call the coal industry the "cold dark hand of death," controlling our investment in future clean and renewable energy. It was off the record, so I can't name names. But with the deficit that faces us now, we need to be armed with facts and responsibility, not emotional ideologies. Because the truth is, if you've ever left this country and returned, you see from the outside looking in that we aren't as great as we think we are, and definitely not as great as we used to be. We may not be a Third World country yet, but that seems to be the road we are heading down.<br />
<br />
<strong>Related Links:</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com/a-whirlwind-trip-to-germany/?cm_mmc=Huffington%20Post-_-MFCK-_-A%20Whirlwind%20Trip%20to%20Germany-_-random%20thoughts">A Whirlwind Trip to Germany</a> - Maria's Farm Country Kitchen<br />
<a href="http://www.rodale.com/contaminated-beef?cm_mmc=Huffington%20Post-_-MFCK-_-We%20Failed%20to%20Protect%20Your%20Beef-_-Rodale.com">U.S. Gov't: We Failed to Protect Your Beef</a> - Rodale.com<br />
<a href="http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2011/05/19/making-farm-fresh-food-available-to-all/">Making Farm Fresh Food Available to All </a>- Eat Drink Better<br />
<br />
<strong>For more from Maria Rodale, go to <a href="http://www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com/is-america-a-third-world-country/?cm_mmc=Huffington%20Post-_-MFCK-_-Is%20America%20A%20Third%20World%20Country-_-random%20thoughts" target="_hplink">www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com</a>.</strong>
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/maria-rodale">Maria Rodale</a>, <a href="/tag/united-states">United States</a>, <a href="/tag/us">U.S.</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/traveling">Traveling</a>, <a href="/politics">Politics News</a></p>
Alexander Adler: Georg Baselitz: The Early Sixtieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-adler/georg-baselitz-early-sixties_b_864330.htmlAlexander Adlerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-adler/
<center>Georg Baselitz: The Early Sixties<br><br />
Through June 18, 2011<br><br />
Michael Werner <br><br />
4 East 77th Street, New York</center><br />
<br />
The after-life of Neo-Expression has become a divergent struggle between artists whose identities have changed and whose styles have morphed since they came to prominence, quickly branded in the late 1970s. Nowadays, however commercially viable, Fischl's nudes reek of nostalgia and Salle's most recent Rosenquistian juxtapositions evidence a point of creative stagnation. Many members of this movement have altogether abandoned their roles as torchbearers of the Avant-garde, rebels against minimalism, conceptualism, and pure-abstraction, while others have simply assumed alternate careers, most notably Schnabel whose success as a filmmaker is quite remarkable. And who's to blame them, stagnation would seem to be a fate worse than death. Of all those associated with Neo-Expressionism, only the Germans -- Kiefer, Baselitz, and Immendorf -- have most successfully continued to flourish and evolve as visual artists.<br />
<br />
Despite mixed critical reception of recent work, the quality of Baselitz's artistic output over the past fifty years remains unquestionably high. Since arising in the heat of controversy in 1963 when police confiscated works including "The Big Night Down The Drain" (1962-3) and "Naked Man" (1962) from a Berlin exhibition, Baselitz has received and deserved tremendous attention from the entire art establishment: galleries, museums, critics, and collectors alike. "Georg Baselitz: The Early Sixties" arrives at a peculiar moment in New York along with other, albeit more comprehensive, historical exhibitions in New York namely "Soutine/ Bacon" at Nahmad and "Picasso" at Gagosian. Werner limits his show to a tight selection of pictures from the 1960s, a series of important canvases and several works on paper including "Oberon" (1964), a fleshy gouache with a series of busts angled sideways almost functioning as an antecedent to his infamous fully inverted paintings, his "Hero" and "Fracture" series, executed later that decade. <br />
<br />
Significantly younger but born into the same war-torn state as fellow countrymen Max Pechstein and Otto Dix, among others, Baselitz' graphic imagery echoes his predecessors' more vivid and visually processed sense of trauma. However, elements of abstraction in this work parallel Baselitz's own age and inability, as a young child, to entirely assimilate what was happening around him from his birth through the gloom of the early post-war period. The sights, sounds, and surely events from this tumultuous time reverberate as the lingering effects of conflict clearly have plagued the artist throughout his career.<br />
<br />
The early pictures on display at Michael Werner reflect a distinctly German sensibility with what, in retrospect, is a clearly modern twist. "The Painting for the Fathers (Landscape for Father)" (1965) confronts a post-apocalyptic state of desolation. The eerie yellow background shimmers over the dead rotting below, darkening closer to the mutilated mass. Two skull-like constructions lay inert violated by pests and festering in the dim light. A long, thin arm extends out of third, smaller head on the left. The entire composition angled on a slant and densely painted strikes the viewer as a faint memory or impression of a period rather than an isolated event. <br />
<br />
Similar sentiments reign in "God's Cornucopia-I Am Unavoidable" (1964). The viewer begins at the outset of a march along an off-white path towards the horizon, towards a low-hanging light barely able to sustain its flame. The path, littered with what appear to be cornucopias, Christmas trees, and crosses, gives the impression of a pseudo-sardonic recollection or a somber journey. The reddish-pink blobs recall Guston's early influence on Baselitz but are relegated to the secondary by the presence of a semi-allegorical scene.<br />
<br />
Thematically, this assortment of paintings and drawings conjure up the same melancholic and foreboding tone, some violent, some anguished, others repressed, but all saturnine. Images such as "Untitled (Whip Woman)" (1964) recall a contorted figure, heart turned upside down. The brilliance of this small drawing emerges in its spatial depth and Pop allusions. It's this imagery, namely the heart, concurrent or predating Wesselman and Dine juxtaposed with a raw intensity and tonal harshness of palette indicative of the mid-century German mindset that allows Baselitz to bridge time so effectively. While the artist's independence of vision and lack of adherence to any singular theoretical or polemical doctrine is often emphasized by critics and historians alike, his imagined experience and weighted German identity remains at the foundation of his work. Baselitz' '60s paintings stand as a proud achievement and significant marker in the larger context of an ambiguous time. <br />
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/art-gallery">Art Gallery</a>, <a href="/tag/contemporary-art">Contemporary Art</a>, <a href="/tag/art">Art</a>, <a href="/tag/gallery">Gallery</a>, <a href="/tag/modern-art">Modern Art</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/art-history">Art History</a>, <a href="/tag/chelsea-art">Chelsea Art</a>, <a href="/tag/georg-baselitz">Georg Baselitz</a>, <a href="/tag/early-sixties">Early Sixties</a>, <a href="/tag/ny-around-town">NY Around Town</a>, <a href="/tag/michael-werner">Michael Werner</a>, <a href="/arts">Arts News</a></p>
Mason Inman: The Climate Post: U.K.'s "Greenest Government Ever" Charges Ahead With Nuclear Powerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mason-inman/the-climate-post-uks-gree_b_864266.htmlMason Inmanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mason-inman/
Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, has repeatedly pledged to create the "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/14/cameron-wants-greenest-government-ever" target="_hplink">greenest government ever</a>," and now the country has adopted a new, ambitious goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110517/wl_uk_afp/britainenvironmentclimate" target="_hplink">aiming by 2025 to slash them by half</a>, compared with 1990.<br />
<br />
The goal, agreed to by Cabinet ministers in the ruling coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, is in line with the legally binding targets the country adopted in 2008 when the Labor Party was in charge, for a 60 percent cut in emissions by 2030, and an 80 percent cut by 2050.<br />
<br />
The new target goes beyond European Union targets, and some in the industry are <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110517/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_climate_change" target="_hplink">pushing for the targets to be conditional</a>, depending on whether Europe as a whole sets similar goals. Much depends on how the figures are calculated; a study last year found that including emissions from Britain's imports would <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/08/carbon-emissions-carbonfootprints" target="_hplink">make their emissions the highest in Europe</a>.<br />
<br />
However, there is "<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/cautious-welcome-for-green-deal-to-slash-uks-carbon-emissions-2285578.html" target="_hplink">no clear agreement on how to achieve the target</a>," says <em>The Independent</em>. To help reach these goals, though, the U.K. plans to keep existing nuclear plants running, and will push ahead with plans to build more, after the country's nuclear watchdog group reported there was <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/18/britain-nuclear-safety-idUSLDE74H0RA20110518" target="_hplink">no reason to revise safety standards</a> in the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster. Energy minister Chris Huhne said, "We want to see new nuclear as part of a low carbon energy mix going forward, provided there is no public subsidy."<br />
<br />
<strong>Concerns about Nuclear Safety Raised, Dismissed</strong><br />
<br />
In Japan, a new assessment by power company TEPCO confirmed suspicions that one of the reactors did suffer a <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2011/s3215380.htm" target="_hplink">partial meltdown soon after the earthquake and tsunami</a>.<br />
<br />
The country has a long history of officials <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/world/asia/17japan.html?pagewanted=all" target="_hplink">concealing or ignoring dangers in the nuclear industry</a>, according to a <em>New York Times</em> investigation. Lawsuits stretching back nearly a decade tried to raise concern about safety standards. One of the plaintiffs, Yuichi Kaido of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, said of Fukushima: "This accident could have been prevented."<br />
<br />
The technical failures in the nuclear power plant -- especially emergency vents -- <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/world/asia/18japan.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=all" target="_hplink">raise concerns about the safety of U.S. nuclear plants</a>, another <em>New York Times</em> investigation says, rebutting American officials' statements that the U.S. plants aren't vulnerable to the kinds of problems that occurred in Japan.<br />
<br />
European countries other than the U.K., such as Germany and Italy, have paused plans for nuclear expansion, and shut down some plants. Some developing countries are pushing ahead with nuclear power, though. <a href="http://articles.boston.com/2011-05-18/news/29557123_1_darkhovin-nuclear-reactor-saeed-jalili" target="_hplink">Iran has brushed off warnings of earthquake dangers</a> and is continuing with plans for nuclear plants, the Associated Press reported, and <a href="http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/12/pm-gilani-inaugurates-chashma-2-nuclear-power-plant.html" target="_hplink">Pakistan opened a new nuclear power plant</a>, built with China's help.<br />
<br />
<strong>Driving in a Wedge</strong><br />
<br />
Nuclear power was one of several <a href="http://cmi.princeton.edu/wedges/" target="_hplink">"wedges" that could help the world counter climate change</a>, according to a popular way of thinking about emissions cuts developed in 2004 by two Princeton University professors. The approach was meant to break targets -- such as the U.K.'s emissions targets -- into a number of pieces, to see how quickly measures would have to be ramped up.<br />
<br />
But the study was misunderstood and the basic message distorted, one of the authors, Robert Socolow, told National Geographic News. "With some help from wedges, the world decided that dealing with global warming wasn't impossible, <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/05/110517-global-warming-scientist-concern/" target="_hplink">so it must be easy</a>," he said. "The intensity of belief that renewables and conservation would do the job approached religious." Nonetheless, he <a href="http://climateprogress.org/2011/05/18/socolow-wedges-deployment/" target="_hplink">stands by the general approach</a>, Socolow wrote in a comment to Climate Progress.<br />
<br />
<strong>Congressional Log Jam</strong><br />
<br />
Both Republicans and Democrats introduced major oil bills -- but neither managed to pass. Democrats introduced a bill to <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110518/ap_on_bi_ge/us_oil_tax_breaks" target="_hplink">end $2 billion in tax breaks for big oil companies</a>, a measure <a href="https://theclimatepost.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/new-budget-would-make-big-oil-pay-for-clean-energy/" target="_hplink">President Obama has been pushing for</a>. In Senate hearings, oil company executives were asked to defend the tax breaks -- eliciting what a <em>New York Times</em> editorial called "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/opinion/15sun1.html" target="_hplink">a big whine from Big Oil</a>."<br />
<br />
While Obama had urged that the money be put toward clean energy, the defeated bill would have put the extra revenue toward paying down federal debt. <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110518/ap_on_bi_ge/us_oil_tax_breaks" target="_hplink">A narrow majority voted for it</a>, but it needed 60 votes to advance.<br />
<br />
Republicans, on the other hand, supported a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/science/earth/19congress.html?partner=rss&emc=rss" target="_hplink">bill to allow more offshore drilling</a> and speed up the process for drilling permits. That bill was rejected with 42 to 57; it, too, needed 60 votes to advance.<br />
<br />
<strong>Commencement, Counter-Commencement</strong><br />
<br />
Rex Tillerson -- the CEO of Exxon, the world's biggest independent oil company -- was booked to speak at the commencement at Worcester Polytechnic Institute near Boston--but the choice was <a href="http://inkwellstrategies.com/commencement-speaker-watch-exxon-ceo-rex-tillerson-stirs-controversy-at-worcester-polytechnic-institute" target="_hplink">controversial with both faculty and staff</a>.<br />
<br />
Student protesters said Tillerson was not fit to speak at the commencement because of (among other things) Exxon's contributions to "a <a href="http://wpi2011.wordpress.com/against/" target="_hplink">disinformation campaign against global warming</a>."<br />
<br />
Rather than trying to block Tillerson's speech, however, students invited peak oil expert Richard Heinberg of the Post Carbon Institute to speak after Tillerson -- and some students <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/05/students-protest-exxon-chair.php" target="_hplink">walked out of the quad when Tillerson spoke</a>, returning to hear Heinberg afterward.<br />
<br />
<em><a href="http://theclimatepost.wordpress.com/" target="_hplink">The Climate Post</a> offers a rundown of the week in climate and energy news. It is produced each Thursday by <a href="http://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/" target="_hplink">Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions</a></em>.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/rex-tillerson">Rex Tillerson</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/us-senate">U.S. Senate</a>, <a href="/tag/oil-drilling">Oil Drilling</a>, <a href="/tag/peak-oil">Peak Oil</a>, <a href="/tag/united-kingdom">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="/tag/japan-nuclear-crisis">Japan Nuclear Crisis</a>, <a href="/tag/nuclear-power">Nuclear Power</a>, <a href="/tag/david-cameron">David Cameron</a>, <a href="/tag/oil-prices">Oil Prices</a>, <a href="/tag/european-union">European Union</a>, <a href="/tag/italy">Italy</a>, <a href="/tag/greenhouse-gas-emissions">Greenhouse Gas Emissions</a>, <a href="/tag/tepco">Tepco</a>, <a href="/tag/huhne">Huhne</a>, <a href="/tag/renewable-energy">Renewable Energy</a>, <a href="/tag/japan-tsunami-2011">Japan Tsunami 2011</a>, <a href="/green">Green News</a></p>
Family Separated In World War II Camp Reunites http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/family-reunited-world-war-ii-separation-_n_864092.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
BERLIN -- A man who was separated from his mother at the end of World War II and raised in New Zealand is meeting his German family for the first time after discovering his true identity.<br />
<br />
The International Tracing Service in the town of Bad Arolsen says it helped 69-year-old George Jaunzemis find his family, 66 years after he was separated from his mother at a Belgian displaced persons camp and adopted by another woman.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/world-war-ii-family-reunited">World War II Family Reunited</a>, <a href="/tag/latvia">Latvia</a>, <a href="/tag/adolf-hitler">Adolf Hitler</a>, <a href="/tag/george-jaunzemis">George Jaunzemis</a>, <a href="/tag/world-war-ii">World War II</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/new-zealand">New Zealand</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Eric Ehrmann: Brazil´s Biofuel Drama Goes Globalhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-ehrmann/brazils-biofuel-drama_b_863402.htmlEric Ehrmannhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-ehrmann/
Speculators hedging uncertainty in world energy markets are again making renewable fuels derived from corn, cane sugar and soybeans the drivers of <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110506-714117.html" target="_hplink">food price inflation</a>, just as they did on the eve of the 2008 economic crisis. <br />
<br />
With G-20 nations currently <a href="http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/55735/g20-to-tackle-food-prices-as-countries-reassure" target="_hplink">meeting in Buenos Aires</a> to discuss controlling volatile commodities, Brazil has dropped prices 25% on pure E-100 ethanol, claiming fresh supplies from the current cane sugar harvest are taking pressure off the market. But government efforts to get major gasoline companies to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-12/petrobras-distribution-unit-cuts-gasoline-prices-6-percent.html" target="_hplink">reduce prices</a> on gasoline-ethanol blends (E-18 and E-25) resulted in a cutback of only six percent. <br />
<br />
Two weeks ago pure E-100 sugar ethanol was selling at the pump for the equivalent of $5.61 a gallon at most filling stations in southern Brazil. Now, after intervention by the Dilma government, it sells for around $4.22 a gallon, what regular unleaded gasoline blended with subsidized corn ethanol sells for in Washington, D.C. <br />
<br />
While the move may slow efforts by speculators from taking over commodities markets controlled historically by supply and demand, it's unlikely to uncouple Brazil's huge food export economy from the politics and cycles of the oil market. In spite of the ethanol rollback, gasoline blended with ethanol costs on the average 2.89 <em>reais</em> per liter at the pump, the equivalent of $7.22 a gallon, three dollars more than what consumers pay inside the Beltway for regular or mid unleaded. Brazil can also elect to reduce its high taxes on gasoline and ethanol to help consumers on already tight budgets. But food price inflation remains a major issue that can <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/05/16/bloomberg1376-LLAF8M1A74E901-3J4NSL0KRIOB57GF2VPU0LJ9H2.DTL" target="_hplink">push inflation</a> above government projections by year's end. <br />
<br />
Brazilian sugar ethanol increased in price 123% last year, shadowing price hikes in barrel oil. World Bank president <a href="http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=134647&date=2011-05-05" target="_hplink">Robert Zoellick</a>, meanwhile, says world food prices have increased 36% over the past year and speculators hedging instability in oil nations factor into the rise. Couple that with a recent study by the <a href="http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/economy/food-inflation-must-be-tackledasia-adb_538633.html" target="_hplink">Asian Development Bank</a> indicating that each 10 percent rise in food prices puts an additional 64 million people into abject poverty, and Zoellick´s number quickly morphs into a group of 190 million marginalized, hungry humans, more than three times the population of France. <br />
<br />
Derivatives traders, hedge fund operators and banks, detached from the social costs of food price inflation, have no qualms about speculating. According to the <em>Daily Telegraph</em> of London,<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/8476157/Barclays-AGM-as-it-happened-April-272011.html" target="_hplink"> Barclays Bank</a> makes half a billion dollars a year speculating on food prices, and they are not the only bank who engages in such operations. <br />
<br />
Brazil's history developing the sugar ethanol industry is full of the triumphs and contradictions one finds in Larry Rohter´s<a href="http://www.brazilontherise.com/" target="_hplink"> bestselling book </a>on the land of the samba. When the military government opted for ethanol as the national fuel for automobiles back in 1976 it was not looking for a green solution or a biofuel. The<em> junta</em> viewed ethanol distilled from cane sugar as a national project to avoid dollar outlays for expensive foreign oil in the wake of price shocks that followed the Yom Kippur war. By 1985, with the transition to democracy well underway, 92% of the new cars sold in Brazil -- Fiats, Chevys and Volkswagens -- were built to run on E100.<br />
<br />
Now, Brazil finds itself sitting on what some say are the world's largest <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/apr/16/oil.brazil" target="_hplink">oil discoveries</a> in the past 100 years, and the emphasis has changed. Just one in four motorists prefer using pure E100 to gasoline blends even with the new flex motor vehicles that enable them to take advantage of the cheaper biofuel price.<br />
<br />
Moreover, studies indicate that E100 delivers less miles per gallon or kilometer and generates only about 70 percent of the power offered by gasoline blended with ethanol. E100 ethanol derived from cane sugar, however, has an energy balance seven times greater than subsidized American ethanol derived from corn. The energy balance represents the statistical relationship between the energy required to produce the biofuel and the amount of energy the fuel releases when ignited by the engine of a car or truck or generator. But you can Google or even Bing and find other studies and social media storytelling that say ethanol is more powerful than Popeye after eating a can of spinach.<br />
<br />
All of this reinforces the view of those who argue that biofuels and<a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/greatspeculations/2011/05/17/ethanol-isnt-worth-costlier-corn-flakes-and-tortillas/" target="_hplink"> US ethanol subsidies are a boondoggle</a> for global agribusiness and some US farmers. According to the US Congressional Budget Office, the amount it costs taxpayers to use corn ethanol to lower gasoline consumption by just one gallon is $1.78.<br />
<br />
High energy prices are pushing up food costs everywhere. In <a href="http://economicsnewspaper.com/policy/german/biofuel-food-could-be-more-expensive-because-e10-8194.html" target="_hplink">Germany </a>bread prices have jumped 15% this year, and the Federation of Food Producers blame biofuels and feed grain for pork, beef and dairy cattle. Demand for food in China has sparked double digit inflation for the past six months causing Beijing to acquire the soy production of an area in Brazil the size of Germany. And <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2011/05/123_87007.html" target="_hplink">South Korea</a>, a major China trade partner, is now starting to see food prices spiral. New census results in Brazil indicate that hunger is becoming a bigger problem; 16 million people are living in abject poverty on monthly incomes of less than $60.<br />
<br />
Brazil's biofuel drama is a reminder that solutions packaged in green wrappers fail to scale with billions facing starvation in the Americas, Africa and Asia. And while the biofuel economy has become too big and too noisy to fail the high degree of<em> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_deprivation" target="_hplink">relative deprivation</a></em> experienced by those it makes hungry make it all too tempting for them to trade their rice for a rifle. You don't need Twitter to hear about it... you can see it in the <em>favelas</em>, you see it in the emerging nation of Southern Sudan, and you see it along the borderlands of Cambodia and <a href="http://robertamsterdam.com/thailand/?p=681" target="_hplink">Thailand</a> right now. <br />
<br />
UPDATE 1: G-20 has downgraded meeting in Buenos Aires to workshop status and no unified substantive action to deal with food price inflation emerged at this gathering.<br />
<br />
UPDATE 2: In conference call I participated yesterday with Brazil Central Bank governor Tombini, the governor acknowledged food price inflation and fuel costs are major concerns and that they are now on a watchlist of a new committee that meets weekly to deal with inflation policy.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/robert-zoellick">Robert Zoellick</a>, <a href="/tag/corn-ethanol">Corn Ethanol</a>, <a href="/tag/international-monetary-fund">International Monetary Fund</a>, <a href="/tag/world-bank">World Bank</a>, <a href="/tag/flex-motor">Flex Motor</a>, <a href="/tag/commodities">Commodities</a>, <a href="/tag/brics">Brics</a>, <a href="/tag/hedge-funds">Hedge Funds</a>, <a href="/tag/china">China</a>, <a href="/tag/g20">G-20</a>, <a href="/tag/food-price-inflation">Food Price Inflation</a>, <a href="/tag/brazil">Brazil</a>, <a href="/tag/france">France</a>, <a href="/tag/barclays-bank">Barclays Bank</a>, <a href="/tag/biofuels">Biofuels</a>, <a href="/tag/argentina">Argentina</a>, <a href="/tag/ethanol">Ethanol</a>, <a href="/tag/sugar-ethanol">Sugar Ethanol</a>, <a href="/tag/derivatives">Derivatives</a>, <a href="/tag/larry-rohter">Larry Rohter</a>, <a href="/tag/brasil">Brasil</a>, <a href="/tag/brazil-biofuels">Brazil Biofuels</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Steve Kettmann: Bill Clinton Says He Followed Helmut Kohl's Leadhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-kettmann/bill-clinton-is-right_b_862876.htmlSteve Kettmannhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-kettmann/
I was on hand Monday night in Berlin with Angela Merkel and a tent full of luminaries to hear Bill Clinton <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Bill-Clinton-pays-tribute-to-Germany-s-Kohl-1381793.php" target="_hplink">give</a> former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl the night of his life, making a case for him as hands-down the most important European statesman of the second half of the 20th Century. Not to dismiss Kohl's flaws or failures, but all in all I say Bill Clinton is right. <br />
<br />
Kohl, 81, once so robust that his eating (and girth) were staples of TV comedians in Germany, looked waxy and weak, age and a litany of health problems giving him the look of a man whose obituaries we are going to be reading sooner rather than later. Kohl may not have much time left, but whatever time he does have will be suffused with pride based on the eloquent tribute Clinton paid to him on the occasion of Kohl being presented with the <a href="http://www.americanacademy.de/home/about-us/kissinger-prize/" target="_hplink">American Academy's Henry A. Kissinger Prize</a> (Henry the K. was on hand as well).<br />
<br />
<center><HH--PHOTO--BILL-CLINTON-KOHL--278850--HH></center><br />
<br />
Kohl, chancellor from 1982 to 1998, mentioned three times in his own remarks how amazing it was to have a former American president right there in a tent near the banks of the Großer Wannsee and, apparently overcome with emotion, he neglected even a passing mention of Germany's current chancellor, Merkel, even though she was seated nearby. <br />
<br />
Clinton's talk was anything but perfunctory. I have met the man many times and had many conversations with him. I have also caught many a Bill Clinton speech live, there in the room, and as familiar as much was, the head movements, the cadences, the off-the-cuff eloquence and deft use of repetition, the nugget of his talk was something altogether surprising.<br />
<br />
Clinton came right out and said that as president, he often leaned on Kohl's judgement. This is actually a somewhat startling admission, but on issues like giving money to Russia to bring troops home from the Baltics and the future of NATO, Kohl's perspective shaped Clinton's thinking in fundamental ways, Clinton revealed on Monday night.<br />
<br />
"All I had to do was follow Helmut Kohl's lead," Clinton said. "I can't tell you how many times I knew what the right thing was because of what he had already done."<br />
<br />
Such topics as bringing Soviet troops home from the Baltics might sound dusty and dull at this point. Not to me: I was in Vilnius, Lithuania, in the summer of 1992 and went inside the Parliament building to report an article for the <em>San Francisco Chronicle</em>, where I worked then. The Parliament was surrounded by barbed wire and Soviet tanks. Lithuania could never be free without housing being built back in Russia so these soldiers could be sent home. The money sent to Russia by Germany and the U.S. helped pay for peace -- and not everyone would have made that call, certainly not the Tea Party frauds good at jacking up nut jobs with speeches but not about thinking wisely about life in the real world.<br />
<br />
"The 21st century in Europe really began on his watch," Clinton declared. "It began with his (support) for German reunification, with his generous and determined support for a democratic Russia, for European unification politically and economically, for bringing other nations into NATO and defining a 21st Century mission for NATO, so that it didn't just become a hollow shell of people going to meetings and sharing platitudes, but actually an organization with a mission that helped make Europe united, whole, democratic and free for the first time since nation-states rose on the European continent. It had never happened before."<br />
<br />
I have lived in Berlin most of the time since 1999 and written a regular political column for the <em>Berliner Zeitung</em>, East Berlin's top daily, and can attest that Clinton was right to cast Kohl as a kind of forgotten man of German politics. I'm no fan of the Christian Democrats and center-right economic policy, but I do think that Kohl handled a period of decisive political shifts with more vision than he tends to get credit for showing.<br />
<br />
"Helmut Kohl has been a good personal friend to me and to the secretary of state, I have on good authority," Clinton said, drawing warm laughter with the reference to Hillary. "He's been a wonderful friend of Americans. But most of all he was a friend to the people who put him in office, the German people, and to young Germans who have been born since he left office and who may not even know who he is.<br />
<br />
"I ask those of you here never to allow anyone to take for granted the fact that at a pivotal moment in the history of Europe and the history of the world, Germany was called upon to answer five big questions and by great good fortune and good judgement a man who was big in more than physical stature answered all five correctly. Never take that for granted and never squander that legacy."<br />
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/boris-yeltsin">Boris Yeltsin</a>, <a href="/tag/bill-clinton">Bill Clinton</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/henry-kissinger">Henry Kissinger</a>, <a href="/tag/hillary-clinton-secretary-of-state">Hillary Clinton Secretary of State</a>, <a href="/tag/angela-merkel">Angela Merkel</a>, <a href="/tag/german-reunification">German Reunification</a>, <a href="/tag/helmut-kohl">Helmut Kohl</a>, <a href="/tag/cold-war">Cold War</a>, <a href="/tag/hillary-clinton">Hillary Clinton</a>, <a href="/tag/soviet-union">Soviet Union</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Man Says His HIV Is Curedhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/timothy-ray-brown-berlin-patient-video_n_862791.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
Back in December, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/hiv-cure-berlin-patient_n_796521.html" target="_hplink">word spread quickly</a> that the "Berlin Patient" Timothy Ray Brown had apparently been cured of HIV.<br />
<br />
Brown is in the news again, thanks to a fresh sit-down interview with <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/05/16/apparent-immunity-gene-cures-bay-area-man-of-aids/" target="_hplink">his local CBS affiliate</a>, now making the rounds (<strong>watch below</strong>).<br />
<br />
The 45-year-old who now lives in the San Francisco area <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/05/16/apparent-immunity-gene-cures-bay-area-man-of-aids/" target="_hplink">said matter-of-factly in the interview</a>, "I’m cured of HIV. I had HIV but I don’t anymore."<br />
<br />
Brown received a stem cell transplant in 2007 that apparently turned the HIV-positive man HIV-negative, according to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/hiv-cure-berlin-patient_n_796521.html" target="_hplink">a December report</a> in <em>Blood</em>. The research stated that tests "strongly suggest that cure of HIV infection has been achieved."<br />
<br />
Questions <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/05/16/apparent-immunity-gene-cures-bay-area-man-of-aids/" target="_hplink">remain</a> in the scientific community about whether the success can be replicated, though there is no doubt it has led to <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/332/6031/784.short" target="_hplink">a renewed interest</a> in an HIV cure. Some experts have cautioned HIV <a href="http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/15/stem-cell-transplant-cures-leukemia-patient-of-aids/" target="_hplink">could still be present</a> somewhere in Brown's blood.<br />
<br />
<b>WATCH:</b><br />
<br />
<script type='text/javascript' src='http://video.sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/global/video/videoplayer.js?rnd=248360;hostDomain=video.sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com;playerWidth=480;playerHeight=360;isShowIcon=true;clipId=5854260;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=News;advertisingZone=CBS.SF/worldnowplayer;enableAds=false;landingPage=http%253A%252F%252Fsanfrancisco.cbslocal.com%252Fcategory%252Fwatch-listen%252Fvideo-on-demand%252F;islandingPageoverride=false;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript'></script>
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/hivaids">HIV/AIDS</a>, <a href="/tag/aids-cure">Aids Cure</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/hiv-cure">HIV Cure</a>, <a href="/tag/berlin-patient">Berlin Patient</a>, <a href="/tag/timothy-ray-brown">Timothy Ray Brown</a>, <a href="/tag/timothy-ray-brown-interview">Timothy Ray Brown Interview</a>, <a href="/tag/berlin">Berlin</a>, <a href="/tag/timothy-ray-brown-video">Timothy Ray Brown Video</a>, <a href="/home">Home News</a></p>
Swedish Queen To Probe Father's Nazi Allegations http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/sweden-queen-silvia-nazi-father_n_862530.htmlThe Huffington Post News Teamhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/
STOCKHOLM -- Sweden's Queen Silvia is investigating her late father's activities in Germany and Brazil during World War II to clarify reports about possible ties to Nazis.<br />
<br />
Walther Sommerlath's alleged links with Germany's Nazi party were first reported in 2002 by Swedish media, which claimed he joined the party in 1934 and took over a business from a Jew in 1939 under unclear circumstances.
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/nazi-germany">Nazi Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/swedish-queen-silvia">Swedish Queen Silvia</a>, <a href="/tag/nazi">Nazi</a>, <a href="/tag/queen-sivlia">Queen Sivlia</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/jewish-life">Jewish Life</a>, <a href="/tag/adolf-hitler">Adolf Hitler</a>, <a href="/tag/world-war-ii">World War II</a>, <a href="/tag/sweden">Sweden</a>, <a href="/world">World News</a></p>
Brad Haskel: The Beastie Boys & The Blue Nun: Great Stories from Peter Sichelhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-haskel/the-beastie-boys-the-blue_b_861686.htmlBrad Haskelhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-haskel/
Peter M.F. Sichel, an iconic name in the wine industry, led no ordinary life. Born in 1922 in Mainz Germany, Peter was born into a family of wine merchants, which he is the fourth generation. At the outbreak of World War II, he along with his family members fled the Nazis to the Pyrenees. Peter was twelve.<br />
<br />
He was educated in England, and through some gratuitous connections was able to flee to the United States after completing his education. He joined the Army, and the CIA, where he ultimately became a bureau chief in Hong Kong. Peter left the CIA in 1959, an here in 2011 are a series of three "webisodes" that tell some of his story through World War II, the marketing of Blue Nun in his family business, and the unlikely chance encounter with the Beastie Boys. <br />
<br />
During a down time for German wines in the US , Peter was a clear and articulate champion for the wines of Germany. He has also been a lead voice for the wines of Bordeaux. However, he freely admits, he was never more famous than the time he did that "Beastie Boys Thing".<br />
<br />
<strong>Peter Sichel: The Family Business <em>The Wine Reporter</em></strong><br />
<br />
<iframe width="550" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YA5Te0CF8uY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<strong>Peter Sichel: Intelligence Decision <em>The Wine Reporter</em></strong><br />
<br />
<iframe width="550" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OWUvlyj1Kpk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<strong>Peter Sichel: Beastie Boys Revisited <em>The Wine Reporter</em></strong><br />
<br />
<iframe width="550" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A_NAHTLDpcM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<p>Read more: <a href="/tag/blue-nun">Blue Nun</a>, <a href="/tag/germany">Germany</a>, <a href="/tag/the-beastie-boys">The Beastie Boys</a>, <a href="/tag/cia">Cia</a>, <a href="/tag/peter-sichel">Peter Sichel</a>, <a href="/tag/bordeaux">Bordeaux</a>, <a href="/tag/check-your-head">Check Your Head</a>, <a href="/food">Food News</a></p>