This is the time of year when I get caught up on records I missed and my old

new record of the moment is Bright Eyes‘ Cassadaga, released this past

spring.

This is an enchanted record. A confessional, grandiose, oratorical, piece of

Americana that mixes the pretentious and the personal in the grand,

Whitmanesque tradition. It’s full of fiddle hooks, great choruses, and

romance in the old school sense.

It’s a record about spiritual renewal named after a century old camp of

psychics in central Florida to which our hero has limped after a doomed

affair with an older woman (”She said I kissed her different/That all the men

her age are mean”) ends with an abortion (”Since the operation I heard you’re

breathing just for one”) and a stint in rehab (Cleanse Song).
Well I went back by rented Cadillac and company jet
Like a newly orphaned refugee retracing my steps
All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead
They said, “You’d better look alive”
And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps
In the Black Hills, the Badlands, the calloused East
I buried my ballast. I made my peace.
Heard Four Winds, leveling the pines

The record alternates between rockers that wheel and lurch on their way to

soaring choruses, apparently the work of bass player/guitarist Mike Mogis

(think: Rolling Thunder Review) and chamber folk songs intricately

orchestrated with woodwinds and percussion by pianist Nate Walcott (think:

Five Leaves Left).

But the album’s best music comes from the tumbling overflow of words that

pour out of singer-songwriter Conor Oberst’s mouth. Like early Springsteen,

classic Bob Dylan, or hell, ol’ Walt himself, Oberst harnesses words for

their flow as much as for their meanings, a flow which Oberst achieves

through internal rhyme and layers with vivid images:

I keep looking for that blindfold faith
lighting candles to a cynical saint
who wants the last laugh at the fly trapped in the windowsill tape

or, later, in Classic Cars:

I made a new cast of the death mask that’s gonna cover my face

Great lines linger in the mind as much as great hooks do (”the whole world

loves you if you’re a chic chameleon,” “I felt nauseous with the truth,”

“never trust a heart so bent it can’t break”), but there are hooks a plenty

(Cleanse Song is as irresistible as Donovan’s There Is a Mountain), and nice

melodies too for a folk rock album.

I’m told this is the most polished album of Conor Oberst’s career. It’s a

career I haven’t followed. But that’s not unusual, I usually don’t pick up

precocious indie rockers until they cast off the lo-fi and make a higher-fi,

more mainstream move. Maybe it sounds like selling out to some, but it sounds

like buying in to me. At least, I’m buy in. Great album.

Wish everybody happy prosperous New Year. Wish for peace stability in the world.

Happy New Year to my friend Ric, Wish that Rick will finish and publish his first book.

Happy New Year to Doug who is trying to achieve his goal of fame and fortune as his articles started getting published.

Happy New Year to Curtis and wish him to graduate with good grades and have successful career.

Happy New Year to my Iranian friend wish that there will be no war.

Happy New Year to ClapSo and wish his son safe return from Iraq.

Happy New Year to the people of World.

Bilawal Bhutto will get important position in PPP.

Bilawal Bhutto eldest son will get the important position in PPP according to Benazir Bhutto will. This was very much expected that the control of the party will be remain in Bhutto family. I don’t have much information about Bilawal Bhutto who look like a teenager. Asif Zardari might be his close adviser with dealing with the political decisions. PPP who claim to be the champion of democracy don’t follow the democratic rules within their own party. The PPP is Bhutto family dynasty to rule over poor people of Pakistan by fooling them with slogans.

This will continue next weekend……….

News is now confirmed. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been named the new Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party. His father, Benazir’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari will be the co-Chairman.

We had earlier posted a story suggesting that Bilawal Zardari had already been confirmed as the new PPP Chairperson. Realizing that at that point it had not been confirmed, we then took this post off and replaced it with a note of apology saying that this news was not yet confirmed. Given that Bilawal Bhutto as PPP Chairperson was clearly a possibility (either immediately or in the near future) and that a number of still-relevant comments had been made, we then merged the two posts (including relevant comments) but with appropriate changes in the original post to reflect the fact that as of this writing this was a ‘likelihood’ and not a confirmation. It now turns out that our original sources were correct and Bilawal has been named Chairman.]
Seemingly credible reports suggest that Bilawal Zardari, Benazir Bhutto’s 19-year old son, now a student at Oxford University, is being considered as the new PPP Chairperson to succeed his mother - and before that his grandmother and grandfather. Later today he will read out a testament from Benazir Bhutto outlining the future of the party.

Repeating what is now being widely reported, but in more detail, a report from Christina Lamb and Dean Nelson of The Times (London) details:

BENAZIR BHUTTO’S 19-year-old son Bilawal will be thrust into a dangerous spotlight today as Pakistan’s most powerful political dynasty prepares to pass the baton to the next generation. Bilawal, a first-year undergraduate at Oxford University, is the heir to a blood-soaked legacy. He lost his mother to an assassin on Thursday; his uncles both died in suspicious circumstances; and his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was hanged in 1979 after being deposed from power….

At 3pm today Pakistan time Bilawal will read out his dead mother’s political testament to leaders of the Pakistan People’s party (PPP), which his grandfather founded and the family has always controlled. “They have to show his face to reassure the party that there will be another Bhutto leader in the future,” a diplomat said. Bilawal is expected to play a leading role in the campaign for elections, still scheduled for January 8 despite the riots that have followed the assassination. But he will return to his studies at Christ Church early next year. Under Pakistani law, parliamentary candidates must be at least 25 years old.

Benazir Bhutto wanted Bilawal to complete his education before becoming involved in politics. Although she would have liked him to lead the party, she did not want him to feel compelled to do so or to make the kind of sacrifices that she had to make when her father was executed. Her widowed husband, Asif Ali Zardari, will make a bid today to lead the PPP in order to keep power firmly in the hands of the Bhutto family and to ensure that Bilawal can eventually inherit his mother’s political mantle.

Party leaders grieving for her began discussing the succession last night. The talks took place in Bhutto’s ancestral home at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, where she was buried on Friday in the mausoleum that she built for her late father. Early this morning 10 villagers were keeping vigil by her grave, reciting the Koran. There were two fresh wreaths from the new army chief General Ashfaq Kayani.

…The prospect of Zardari returning to frontline politics has horrified several members of the PPP central executive, who blame him for embroiling Bhutto’s two short-lived governments in corruption allegations. Zardari became known as Mr Ten Per Cent because of widespread allegations that he received kickbacks on government contracts. Many in the party would prefer to see the PPP taken over by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, head of another feudal family, who ran the party while Bhutto was in exile.

If, indeed, he becomes the Chairman - now or in the near future, nominally or actually - the Bhutto family legacy will continue. While the last name changes - as it did in India when Jawaharlal Nehru’s daughter Indira Gandhi took over - the reins of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will remain in the Bhutto clan.

I must confess that my own immediate feelings on this are rather mixed.

I do not think this is a burden (given the weight of the responsibilities or the dangers) to be thrust on one so young. I have never met Bilawal but hear from those who have that he is an impressive young man. I have no doubts that he is but it is neither fair on him nor the party nor the cause of democracy for this to happen at this moment or in this way. More that that, I wish (even though I know it was unlikely) that the Party would open up its leadership and internal democracy process. Also, there is the fear that if he is anointed many will try to manipulate him and he will be turned into a “puppet prince.” I do hope that none of this will happen.

If indeed a role is thrust upon him, even as a figure head whose appointment is meant to hold the party together, this is clearly a big responsibility. It is probably something that he probably anticipated in his future. His mother clearly did. But probably not as soon as this and certainly not in these tragic circumstances.

Whatever happens in the next hours I wish young Bilawal the best. This must be an immensely trying time for him. Whatever happens, I hope and wish and pray that even if he comes to this position because some consider it to be his ‘ancestaral right’ that he will think always of what is good for Pakistan. That he will remember that this is not a privilidge but also a responsibility. There are, of coruse, grave dangers that come with the mantle that some might want him to take on. And I pray earnestly that his fate will not be that of his mother and grandfather.

Finally, no matter what is decided, I pray that he will be guided by the purity, optimism and ideals of youth and not by the self-serving interests of those many who will flood to ‘advise’ him. Leadership is to be judged not only by what leaders do but by who advise they seek and listen to.

My advise to him - not that he asked - is that he should listen always to his heart and mind, well before he listens to anyone around him. Let him be guided by his own idealism, rather than the political ‘pragmatism’ of those who will soon (if they have not already) surround him. Let him follow that which was best in Benazir Bhutto and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and avoid their follies.

A New Year’s Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project

or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as

advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go

into effect on New Year’s Day and remain until the set goal has been

achieved, although many resolutions go unachieved and are often broken fairly

shortly after they are set.

Many New Year resolutions in the Western world involve maintaining peak

vitality, physical fitness, or appearance. For example, one person’s goal

might be to reduce or to eliminate intake of alcohol, tobacco, or

recreational drugs. The most common new year’s resolution is weight loss. A

student may make a resolution to stay focused in class or to complete all of

his assignments. Resolutions to eat sensibly or increase exercise are also

quite common.

More socio-centric examples include resolutions to donate to the poor more

often, to become more assertive, or to become more economically or

environmentally responsible. People may act similarly during the Christian

fasting period of Lent, though the motive behind this holiday is more of

sacrifice than of responsibility.

The new year resolution is one example of the rolling forecast-method of

planning. According to this method, plans are established at regular short or

medium-term time intervals, when only a rough long-term plan exists.

It is asserted that the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions dates back

to the Babylonians. Babylonians, from historical records, are the first one

to fest New Year and also are known to have set New Year resolutions. The

most common of their resolutions was said to be “to return the borrowed farm

equipment”.

NAUDERO, Pakistan - Benazir Bhutto’s 19-year-old son was chosen Sunday to

succeed her as chairman of her opposition party, extending Pakistan’s most

famous political dynasty but leaving the real power to her husband, who will

serve as co-chairman.

Both major opposition parties also decided to run in upcoming elections,

apparently ending the threat of a wholesale boycott as Pakistan struggles to

move to full democracy after years of military rule.

Earlier, a spokesman for the country’s ruling party said the Jan. 8 vote may

be delayed up to four months, saying the parliamentary elections would lose

credibility if held as scheduled. He expected a formal announcement within 24

hours.

“How long the postponement will be for will up to the Election Commission,”

he told The Associated Press. “I think we are looking at a delay of a few

weeks … of up to three or four months.”

Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party central executive committee met privately to

choose her successor three days after the two-time prime minister was

assassinated in a suicide attack that thrust the volatile Islamic nation

deeper into crisis.

Her son, Bilawal Zardari, a student with no experience in politics, said he

would remain at Oxford University, leaving his father, Asif Ali Zardari, who

was officially designated co-chairman, as the effective leader of the

country’s largest political party.

“The party’s long struggle for democracy will continue with renewed vigor,”

Bilawal told a news conference. “My mother always said democracy is the best

revenge.”

Supporters chanted, “Benazir, princess of heaven” and “Bilawal, move ahead.

We are with you.”

Bilawal said that Zardari would “take care” of the party while he continued

his studies. Zardari then told reporters to direct questions at him, saying

his son was at a “tender age.”

Zardari, who spent eight years under detention on corruption charges in

Pakistan before his release in late 2004, is a party powerbroker who served

as environment minister in Bhutto’s second government. He has denied the

charges of large-scale graft during his wife’s rule.

He immediately announced the group’s participation in the elections but said

that another party leader, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, would likely be their

candidate for prime minister if they won.

Zardari appealed to the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to drop

plans to boycott the polls — planned for Jan. 8 but anticipated by many to be

delayed following the assassination.

Sadiq ul-Farooq, a senior member of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N party

said it had now agreed to run. “Since the Pakistan People’s Party has taken

this decision, we will also contest,” he said.

The government has blamed an al-Qaida-linked militant for the murder of

Bhutto but her party disputes that and claims elements in the Pakistan Muslim

League-Q — the ruling party that supports President Pervez Musharraf — could

have been behind the slaying.

Zardari repeatedly called the ruling party the “killer league.”

He also rejected as “lies” the government’s account of how his wife died,

amid a dispute over whether she was shot to death or killed by the force of

the suicide blast that struck her vehicle as she left a campaign rally on

Thursday.

Zardari appealed to the United Nations and British government to help

investigate the crime. He said the party wanted a U.N. investigation like the

one probing the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik

Hariri.

Zardari also urged supporters who have rioted across Pakistan since Bhutto

was slain to show restraint. The violence has left more than 40 people dead.

“We will avenge the murder of Bhutto through the democratic process after

winning the elections,” he said.

“God willing, when it is the Peoples Party’s reign, when the Peoples Party

government is formed, then we would have taken revenge for Bibi’s blood and

that blood would not have gone waste,” Zardari said, referring to his late

wife by her nickname.

LAS VEGAS – After six years of near misses and strange twists and turns in

negotiations, Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva finally faced each other in a

mixed martial arts bout Saturday.

It was worth the wait.

MMA fans had been teased for years by the prospect of a showdown between two

men who rank among the greatest light heavyweights in the sport’s history.

There was the time when Liddell traveled to Japan to meet Silva in a bout in

a Pride Fighting Championship tournament. One round before they were

scheduled to meet, Liddell was beaten by Quinton Jackson.

And then there was the time when Pride officials brought Silva to Las Vegas,

where UFC officials were so confident they had a deal in place that they

brought Silva into the cage to face Liddell during one of its biggest

pay-per-views in its history to that point. But the fight didn’t occur when

negotiations crumbled.

There were many other snags in negotiations, both before and after, that at

times it seemed the bout would never occur.

On Saturday, though, Liddell and Silva showed in a shootout for the ages why

fans had been salivating at the prospect of seeing the sluggers locked in a

cage together.

“Wasn’t that incredible?” a bug-eyed UFC president Dana White exclaimed as he

hugged just about everyone he bumped into in Liddell’s joyous locker room.

It was perhaps fitting that in a battle between two men where the unexpected

always ruled, the unexpected occurred in their finest hour Saturday when the

bout went to a decision instead of ending in the predictable knockout.

Liddell won a unanimous verdict and regained much of the mojo he’d lost in

back-to-back defeats, to Jackson at UFC 71 and Keith Jardine at UFC 76.

Judges Adalaide Byrd and Dave Hagen each had it 30-27, giving all three

rounds to the 38-year-old former champion. Tony Weeks scored it 29-28, giving

Silva the second round.

In a fight that was one of the best of recent times, Liddell had just a

little more of everything and pulled out a victory in a bout that had the

sellout crowd of 11,075 roaring from start to finish. And it was a Liddell

not seen much in recent years.

The one-time collegiate wrestling star at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo had become

one-dimensional in recent years, eschewing his wrestling and ground skills,

instead relying upon his vaunted power. But he took Silva down twice – “It

was easy. Really easy,” Liddell said – and worked the former Pride champion

over from the ground. One of the benefits of the takedown was that he was

able to dole out punishment as Silva was getting up.

It was, Liddell said, a way to give Silva more to worry about than just

defending the right. The plan worked to perfection, as Silva was never able

to open up on Liddell like he’d done on so many opponents en route to

becoming one of the biggest names in the history of the now-defunct Pride

Fighting Championship.

Liddell applied the cherry on top of the sundae late in the third when he

unleashed a spinning back fist that caught Silva on top of the head. Though

the punch didn’t land flush, it seemed to startle Silva. He backed to the

cage and Liddell landed three rights that nearly put him out on his feet.

Silva was bleeding, from his ear from a cut above his eye, and barely kept

his balance.

“I’ll tell you what, he takes a lot better shot than I thought he could,”

Liddell said. “I hit him with a lot of right hands and I kept thinking he’d

go (down), but he recovered fast. He was right there. That was really

impressive.”

Silva, who was taken to a local hospital after the fight, hit Liddell with

punches that most times would have ended the fight. But Liddell, who is known

for the strength of his chin, stood up to them repeatedly and came back

firing.

Liddell said he was never in danger of going down, but said he was quite

aware of the danger Silva posed.

“I was never what I would say was buzzed,” Liddell said, sitting on a bench

in his locker room moments after the win. “But he hit me with a couple of

really good shots where I’d say, ‘Damn, this guy can punch.’ I couldn’t just

rush in there on him.”

The win was among the sweetest of Liddell’s illustrious career. He had been

angry at many of the Pride fans who had taunted him for not having fought

Silva.

Liddell had always wanted the fight, desperately, but because the men were in

different organizations it couldn’t be made. The taunts finally got to the

normally unflappable Liddell after a while.

“I never had anything against Wanderlei, but it was those Pride fans who got

me,” Liddell said. “They’re getting on me about not fighting the guy. I’m

like, ‘I’m in UFC and he’s in Pride. What do you want me to do?’ I would have

fought him in the backyard if I could have.”

But MMA fans are fortunate it happened before a sellout crowd and what

figures to be a large pay-per-view audience, despite the competition from the

New England Patriots’ bid for a perfect record on free television.

If it’s not the fight of the year, the fight that beats it out for that honor

will clearly have been one for the history books.

An exuberant Liddell, who had been derided for his partying ways, proved

conclusively he’s back in the mix.

“I want my title back,” Liddell said, grinning.

If he fights Jackson, who has beaten him twice, like he fought Silva on

Saturday, he’ll give himself a great opportunity to get it back. But this

night was not so much about one man’s quest for the belt as it was a

celebration of what the sport can be at its best.

“That,” White said, “is why I worked like a dog for seven years to get this

fight made. That was absolutely unreal.”
Kevin Iole covers boxing and mixed martial arts for Yahoo! Sports. Send Kevin

a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Local police said it was a typical holiday Grinch

tale: A home was broken into on Christmas Eve, and wrapped presents were

stolen off a kitchen table.

Little did they know the culprits were kids.

Authorities said Friday that a 9-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy used a

gift card to pick the lock on the back door of a home a block away. They then

took about $200 in wrapped presents that were located on a kitchen table,

including Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers CDs.

The couple who lived in the home returned from some Christmas Eve shopping to

find the house broken into, and the presents gone, South Brunswick police

Detective Jim Ryan said.

One of the children’s relatives who also lived in the neighborhood spoke with

the couple and realized the gifts matched some mysterious extra presents the

children appeared to receive on Christmas.

The relative contacted the children’s mother, who got the truth out of them

on Wednesday, and then contacted police.

“A 9- and 5-year-old would never be on our suspect list. For a burglary?

Maybe for taking a bike or something like that, but not for a burglary,” Ryan

said.

The children’s names were not released, and charges are not planned.

Working Without a Bachelor’s Degree Can Pay Off

Elizabeth Weiss McGolerick, ClassesUSAPrint Email
IM Bookmark del.icio.us
Digg Feel like the absence of a bachelor’s degree on your resume is forcing

you to settle for a second-rate job? With today’s myriad opportunities to

earn certificates and associate degrees, you can change your career, your

salary, and your life in just a short amount of time.

Check out these five high-paying careers — no bachelor’s degree required!

1. Dental Hygienist

Employment of dental hygienists is projected to grow much faster than average

for all occupations through 2014, ranking among the Bureau of Labor

Statistics’ list of fastest-growing occupations.

To practice in a dental office, hygienists must earn an associate degree or

certificate from a school accredited by the American Dental Association

Commission of Dental Accreditation. A base of biology, chemistry, and math

courses are advised, and program coursework will include clinical,

laboratory, and classroom instruction.

Median annual earnings: $58,350.

2. Fashion Designer

In this creative field, an inherent artistic ability and eye for detail,

color, balance, and proportion are necessary. Ingenuity is key, as are

sewing, pattern-making, and sketching abilities.

Designers usually hold at least a two-year associate degree in fashion design

or fine arts. They must be knowledgeable about textiles, ornamentation,

fabrics, and fashion trends, and exhibit communication and presentation

skills, problem-solving abilities, and the willingness to work occasional

long hours and travel to trade and fashion shows.

Median annual earnings: $55,840.

3. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

Also known as ultrasonographers, diagnostic medical sonographers can

specialize in obstetrics and gynecology, abdominal or breast sonography, or

neurosonography.

A strong background in math and science is recommended, as associate degree

coursework will include anatomy, physics, and physiology. A good bedside

manner enables the sonographer to explain complex procedures to patients and

reassure those who fear the health matters the testing may reveal.

Median annual earnings: $52,490.

4. Forensic Science Technician

You’ve seen the TV shows — these professionals collect and analyze physical

evidence and document laboratory methods and findings. Computer skills and

attention to detail are crucial as collection and processing of materials

must be spot-on to safeguard evidence.

Forensic science technicians should develop a strong base in math and science

as preparation for their associate degree, typically earned in applied

science or science-related technology. Coursework will include laboratory

work and hands-on learning. Once in the field, technicians can choose to

specialize in a certain type of analysis or examination.

Median annual earnings: $44,010.

5. Paralegal

Lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, but they often

delegate tasks to paralegals, also called legal assistants. Paralegals help

prepare for trials, hearings, and meetings; investigate facts; identify

appropriate laws and decisions; and, after analyzing and organizing

information, prepare and present reports of their findings.

Most paralegals have an associate degree in paralegal studies, however,

intensive certification programs are also available and can often be

completed in just a few months.

Median annual earnings: $39,130.

All salaries listed are median annual earnings based on 2004 data from the

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).