Glenn Beck and violenceMilbank: Trouble can happen when the wrong words get into the wrong hands.Read Article

 From the Los Angeles Times A divided congressional delegation may hinder help for California Democrats are pushing for federal loan guarantees while Republicans are opposed, leaving Congress' largest delegation with little power to persuade the White House to come to the state's rescue.  By Richard Simon

May 22, 2009

Reporting from Washington — California has by far the largest delegation in Congress, almost 10% of the membership. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, is a Californian, as are five of its committees' chairs -- a collection of powerful positions unmatched by any state. The state's two senators chair important committees, and one holds a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee.

And in terms of electoral politics, California has been among the most reliably Democratic major states, as well as by far the party's most generous source of campaign cash.

So in California's hour of need -- facing a financial crunch so severe that the state is poised to release convicted criminals and close classrooms early -- how can Washington seem to be turning an unsympathetic ear to its appeal for help?

Especially when almost all of Washington's major power centers are controlled by Democrats?

The Obama White House insists that its response to California's fiscal crisis in no way resembles the tabloid headline when President Gerald R. Ford refused to bail out New York City in 1975: "Ford to City: Drop Dead." But the reaction to a second day of appeals for federal loan guarantees was less than enthusiastic -- from the White House or Capitol Hill.

And two major reasons for the tepid response emerged:

First, California's representation in Congress may be huge, but it is famously fractious. On Thursday, the state's 52 sitting House members (one seat is vacant) were once again split -- mostly along party lines.

Second, the state is joining a long line of supplicants -- including bankers, stockbrokers, insurance companies and Detroit automakers who had already tried the capital's patience and stirred a backlash among voters.

Plainly sensing it was in a bind, the Obama administration was almost plaintive in outlining the obstacles to offering loan guarantees. In addition to technical and legal problems, it said, how could it backstop one state and not all the others -- most of which are financially pinched as well?

At the same time, said White House senior advisor David Axelrod, "Obviously the situation in California is serious. There are crises of different proportions in different states, and California obviously is at the front of the list. We want to do everything we can to help, and we are."

Meanwhile, in Congress, California Democrats were pushing for federal intervention while Republicans opposed it.

"As goes the economy in California, so goes the economy in…

Donna Karan's travelling life The New York designer on multi-tasking mid-air, delving into Africa, shopping globally, and packing the perfect tote.   Interview by Lisa Grainger
Last Updated: 3:13PM GMT 09 Mar 2009 Donna Karan has marvelled at the body adornments of tribes in the Omo Delta, Ethiopia And loved shops like La Porte d'Or, and El Abidi Nasser Eddine in Marrakesh Photo: GETTY Fashion designer Donna Karan made her name in the 80s with “the body”, a leotard-like jersey one-piece top designed to give women a smooth silhouette. Still in production, it heralded a golden-touch career dedicated to producing clothes that combine glamour, comfort and practicality. Global success has brought her the luxury of travelling to the remotest corners of the world – which in turn has inspired her recent fund-raising venture. How often do you travel? A lot – like once or twice a month. For business, mainly to Italy, France and London. For inspiration, to more exotic places, like Africa and Dubai, where I’ve recently been. For skiing, Sun Valley. And for family holidays, Parrot Cay, where I built a home big enough to accommodate all of us [an eight-bedroom property which can be rented at £10,000 a night via www.thevillabook.com ], and where I hold yoga retreats whenever my friends and I can get away. The best airline in the world? Emirates. I flew with them to Dubai, and adored the private cabin and shower in first class. Where in the world would you like your next holiday to be? Ideally, I’d like to take a boat ride around the world. But it’s a question of finding the time. Your favourite holiday destination? Parrot Cay and Sun Valley. When you live in a city like I do, you really crave communing with nature and time out. I’m the first to schedule massages, yoga classes and meditation time. To me, a real holiday is when you can indulge the senses and enjoy family and friends without time constraints. That is the ultimate luxury. A lover of luxury or simplicity? I love them equally: a pizza and caviar, a taxi and a limousine. They’re just different experiences. Luxurious things you love? Travelling around the world. Staying in beautiful locations. Sailing. And flying privately. Simple things you love? That’s easy. Beach walks. Hikes in the mountains. Anything that’s nature-related. The most glamorous room you have ever stayed in? My bedroom. I designed it to be the most fabulous place on earth. It overlooks Central Park, has a wrap-around terrace, a generous bathtub and a spa room for yoga and massages. I could say the same thing about the bedroom in my East Hampton house and Parrot Cay, too. I love being home! The most remote places you’ve been? Ethiopia and India. It’s only when you go to a distant, untouched place that you can experience the magic of the world’s vanishing cultures. The more I travel, the more passionate I am about preserving…

Science and faith: the conflict A new film opening at the Cambridge Science Festival this evening attempts to demonstrate that the divide between religion and science is not as great as it has been portrayed.   By Richard Gray
Last Updated: 12:12PM GMT 16 Mar 2009 Charles Darwin: the conflict between science and religion continues Brain-scanning experiments carried out by scientists last week revealed that religious faith is embedded deep within key parts of the brain. This suggests that belief in a higher power evolved at some early point in human history. Scientists argued that it explained the widespread nature of religion among human cultures, but the findings also highlighted a growing tendency for science to be used as a way of attacking religion. It comes at a time when the gulf between science and religion could not seem any wider. As the scientific community celebrates 200 years since the birth of Charles Darwin in 2009, and 150 years since the publication of his famous work that explained how life evolved on Earth, the conflict between religion and science seems to be escalating. Darwin's own life could be seen as almost synonymous with the battle that is now raging between faith and science. As a student he joined Cambridge University with the intention of studying to become a clergyman, but found himself distracted by an interest in collecting beetles. His hobby led him to become the greatest naturalist of all time. But throughout his life he struggled to reconcile his religious views with his theories on evolution through natural selection. Today, many leading scientists who hold religious beliefs now face a similar internal struggle as they wrestle with mounting scientific evidence that forces them continually to reassess their view of the Bible. The mounting debate over evolution and creationism has now left many people asking whether science and religion can ever coexist, or even if scientific research will eventually bring an end to religious belief entirely. This week, however, leading scientists will debate the issue at the Cambridge Science Festival at the premiere of a new film that attempts to demonstrate that the divide between religion and science is not as great as it has been portrayed. A growing number of scientists who also hold religious beliefs are now speaking out against the growing antagonism that is emerging between scientists and members of the religious community in many parts of the world. "The perceived conflict between religion and science belongs much more to the current millennium than any time in the past," said Dr Denis Alexander, a committed Christian and a biochemist at Cambridge University (until last year when he became director of the university's Faraday Institute for Science and Religion). "I think some of the polarisation of faith and secular society following 9/11, combined with the last US administration, goaded the new atheists, like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, to start a campaign attacking religion. "Their strategy has been to use science like evolution in an ideological…

  Some Democrats keep their distance from Obama"The candidates are positioning themselves as independent voices no less frustrated with the Obama administration than people back home." Read Article