CNN, by Staff Posted By: Photoonist- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:24:03 GMT A Lebanese man charged with sorcery and sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia is scheduled to be beheaded on Friday, the man's lawyer said Wednesday. (Snip) Sibat is the former host of a popular call'in show that aired on Beirut'based satellite TV channel ''Sheherazade.'' According to his lawyer, Sibat would predict the future on his show and give out advice to his audience. El Khansa told CNN her client was arrested by Saudi Arabia's religious police (known as the Mutawa'een) and charged with sorcery while visiting the country in May 2008.

Salon, by Glenn Greenwald Posted By: GaGardener- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:23:31 GMT The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz reports that "the White House has practically been overrun by journalists pumping top officials for behind'the'scenes details for a growing roster of behind'the'scenes books. (Snip) Even Kurtz recognizes the extreme conflict that poses to their "journalism": Such contracts have caused high'level grumbling about reporters cashing in on their connections. . . .When it comes to pursuing sources, the authors who work for major news organizations have a key advantage. They are in regular touch with Obama aides for their day jobs and can obtain tidbits by agreeing to embargo them until their books come out.

Washington Post, by Howard Kurtz Posted By: JoniTx- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:19:03 GMT The White House has practically been overrun by journalists pumping top officials for behind'the'scenes details for a growing roster of behind'the'scenes books. The blitz has created complications for presidential aides, who have a country to run, and frustrations for the authors, who are clamoring for face time with their sources. One White House official calls the mounting demands "a pain" in the posterior, saying: "We try to engage when we can. No one is getting as much time as they want." With the publishing world nourishing a deep appetite for all things Obama, those working on such books

BBC News, by Staff Posted By: starbaby- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:15:40 GMT Few are laughing in Australia following Robin Williams' joke that its people are "basically English rednecks". His remarks, made on The Late Show with David Letterman, prompted Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to respond on a Sydney radio show. "I think Robin Williams should go and spend a little time in Alabama before he frames comments about people being particularly redneck," said Mr Rudd.

Reason Magazine, by David Harsanyi Posted By: teddyd49- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:14:54 GMT Mitt Romney not only possesses an air of real'world know'how but also has mucho smarts. I've been a reluctant apologist for him for years now. (snip) Yet, notwithstanding his many attributes and my own nagging man crush, it has become evident that Romney's is a hopeless quest for the presidency. It is possible to see—if one dares to dream—some authentic fiscal conservative emerging to take a shot at the presidency in 2012. Though Romney has the required drive, intellect, and temperament, he is wrong on the fundamental ideological question of this time: health care.

CBS News, by Stephanie Condon Posted By: Photoonist- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:13:27 GMT At the same time the White House is opening up to offshore oil and natural gas drilling, the Obama administration is backing away from ''cap and trade,'' a market'based plan to limit the nation's carbon output '' or at least that particular language used to describe the plan. ''I think the term 'cap and trade' is not in the lexicon anymore,'' Interior Secretary Ken Salazar (Snip) President Obama is advocating for the creation of a comprehensive energy plan, and the Senate is currently working on legislation that will address energy independence,

Associated Press, by Paul Elias Posted By: Clark Kent- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:09:07 GMT A federal judge ruled Wednesday that government investigators illegally wiretapped the phone conversations of an Islamic charity and two American lawyers without a search warrant. U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker said the plaintiffs have provided enough evidence to show "they were subjected to warrantless electronic surveillance." At issue was a 2006 lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's so'called Terrorist Surveillance Program. The lawsuit was filed by the Ashland, Ore., branch of the Saudi'based Al'Haramain Islamic Foundation and two American lawyers Wendell Belew and Asim Ghafoor.

CBS News, by Peter King Posted By: Photoonist- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:09:00 GMT The NBA remains the sports leader for race and gender hiring on the court and in the front office, reports CBS Radio News correspondent Peter King. The annual report card from the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida says the league gets the only combined A's for both categories ' with high percentages of women and people of color working in the league and team front offices. And on the court, about 40 percent of the head coaches and assistants were minorities.

Christian Science Monitor, by Mark Trumbull Posted By: GaGardener- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:07:17 GMT Why is President Obama focusing Wednesday on promoting family'friendly workplaces? It's a fair question to ask, given all the other agenda items on the president's plate. (Snip) But he also convened a White House forum – with a lunchtime address by first lady Michelle Obama – to promote greater availability of work patterns such as telecommuting, flexible scheduling, and nonstandard hours (including job sharing and part'year work).

Boston Herald, by Christine McConville Posted By: JoniTx- Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:06:52 GMT Cape Wind, the controversial wind power project proposed for Nantucket Sound, will purchase its 130 industrial turbines from Siemens Energy Inc., the developers said today.The agreement ”represents a major step forward to jumpstarting the American offshore wind industry and increasing energy independence, creating a healthier environment while producing hundreds of green energy jobs,” Cape Wind President Jim Gordon said in a press release that announced the deal.Gordon said Siemens, a German company, will open a U.S. Offshore Wind office in Boston in June.