By Frank James
Is Judge Sonia Sotomayor's diabetes a problem in terms of what would be a life-time appointment to the Supreme Court? In other words, might her disease significantly shorten her time on the court? They're somewhat indelicate questions, but people have been asking them.
The answer to those questions appears to be "not necessarily." And, according to a piece All Things Considered today, the answer may even be no, depending on how well she takes care of herself.
An excerpt from the web version of the piece:
Before the appointment, some in the blogosphere raised her health as an issue, noting that Supreme Court justices may serve for life -- often several decades.
But diabetes experts say that not all diabetics live shorter lives.
"To automatically jump to the conclusion that it's going to shorten her life span, of course, is not at all fair," says University of Washington endocrinologist Paul Robertson.
He says the shorter life span happens when some people with diabetes don't take care of themselves. With proper treatment, Sotomayor and others can live long lives.
"I think the pertinent question is how is she dealing with it, how's she taking care of it? Is she doing a good job?" says Robertson. "Those kinds of questions make sense because you'd ask the same questions of somebody with a chronic disease like heart disease or cancer or leukemia."
7:08 PM ET | 05-27-2009 | permalink
By Frank James
The Senate Judiciary Committee released its questionnaire for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court seat now occupied by Justice David Souter whose retirement from the court takes effect when the court's current term ends next month.
While it looks daunting, keep in mind she'll have a platoon of White House lawyers to help her fill it out.
Sotomayor Questionnaire Blank
6:30 PM ET | 05-27-2009 | permalink
By Frank James
"Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle poses with the film's child stars Rubina Ali, 9, right, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, left at a press conference in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, May 27, 2009. AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade
Life continues to imitate art in the case of the "Slumdog Millionaire" child actors who hail from a Mumbai slum.
When we last heard about them
Today, the film's director, Danny Boyle, met with the children and promised them new houses and more. But there was drama worthy of the movie.
As the Associated Press reports:
MUMBAI, India (AP) - The makers of "Slumdog Millionaire" have met in India with the film's two impoverished child stars -- at least, until the father of one child stormed out in anger.
Relations have grown tense between the filmmakers and the children's families since the movie's phenomenal success. It's grossed more than $326 million and earned eight Academy Awards. Meanwhile, the film's nine- and 10-year-old stars have continued living in their Mumbai
A documentary about what's happened to these kids since the movie could be as riveting as the film itself.
6:11 PM ET | 05-27-2009 | permalink
By Frank James
More bad news for the Mainstream Media -- the broadcast networks had their worst ratings last week during a so-called sweep period.
The Associated Press reports:
NEW YORK (AP) - NBC made history last week in the TV ratings - the kind it would like to forget.
You know it's bad when the "Nightly News" out performs NBC's entertainment shows. As an NPR colleague said when she learned the news, this is the kind of trouble not even Jay Leno's new prime-time show will be able to fix.
5:39 PM ET | 05-27-2009 | permalink
BY Frank James
Secretary of State HillaryClinton, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ali Aboul Gheit, speak to reporters during a State Department news conference, Wednesday, May 27, 2009.AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
Officials walked the tightrope of talking tough without trying to say anything that would further inflame the North Koreans.
In a media availability with her Egyptian counterpart, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked about North Korea. Saying the U.S. would like nothing more than the North Koreans to return to the negotiating table, her words sounded like the triumph of hope over experience.
Meanwhile, she tried to allay fears in Asia by reassuring its allies South Korea and Japan that the U.S. has their backs.
Here's her exchange with a reporter:
Q Thank you, Madame Secretary and Mr. Foreign Minister.
Madame Secretary, on North Korea, Pyongyang is threatening to go to war, with South Korea, over joining -- (off mike). Do you take those threats seriously. And how will the U.S. protect your ally, South Korea?
There are also reports that North Korea is restarting its reprocessing facility. Would that be a violation of the U.S. agreement, through the six-party talks? What should the consequences be?
CLINTON: ... With respect to North Korea, North Korea has made a choice. It has chosen to violate the specific language of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718. It has ignored the international community. It has abrogated the obligations it entered into through the six-party talks. And it continues to act in a provocative and belligerent manner toward its neighbors.
There are consequences to such actions. In the United Nations as we speak, discussions are going on to add to the consequences that North Korea will face coming out of the latest behavior, with the intent to try to rein in the North Koreans and get them back into a framework where they are once again fulfilling their obligations and moving toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
But they have chosen the path they're on. And I'm very pleased that we have a unified international community, including China and Russia, in setting forth a very specific condemnation of North Korea and then working with us for a firm resolution going forward.
Continue reading "Obama Team On N. Korea: Talking Tough But Not Too Much" »
5:20 PM ET | 05-27-2009 | permalink
By Mark Memmott
There's much to recommend this afternoon if you're interested in Afghanistan.
-- NPR's Tom Bowman files his latest report from there . It's a look at the effort being made by U.S. forces to train the Afghan police in southern Helmand province.
"Building a professional Afghan National Police force is considered key to the war against the Taliban," Tom writes. But British army Lt. Col. Jasper De Quincy Adams and American military trainers "say they are two years behind in training the police. The war effort in Iraq diverted troops and money. Until now, most of the coalition's effort has been directed toward training and equipping the Afghan army."
Be sure to click on the photos from NPR's David Gilkey.
-- Then there's this story at CNN.com : "He Would Have Found bin Laden." It's a look back at Ahmad Shah Massoud, the "Lion of Panjshir."
Last Sept. 9 in the Panjshir Valley, a man held a sign with Massoud's image at a ceremony marking the commander's death. Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images
Zieba Shorish-Shamley, an Afghan native and founder of the Women's Alliance for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan, tells CNN that "if they (al-Qaida leaders) were hiding under a rock, he (Massoud) would have found them. He was that type of person. He would have found bin Laden."
Reading of Massoud always makes me think of a stoic man who became my friend during the half dozen trips I made to Afghanistan for USA TODAY in 2002 and 2003.
Dost Mohammad wasn't just USA TODAY's driver. He was a valued colleague and a constant presence -- hovering nearby as USA TODAY correspondents walked through crowded markets, checking out everyone we interviewed, watching the door of homes we were in. He was literally watching our backs. Once, as I climbed up the narrow staircases built into the cliffs of Bamiyan, Dost stayed just below me step-by-step. He was ready to catch me, and was strong enough to do it if he'd had to.
The only time I ever saw Dost with tears in his eyes is when I asked him about Massoud. Dost had been among the drivers in Massoud's camp. Mostly, he drove trucks and vehicles carrying lower-ranking Northern Alliance commanders. But he had seen Massoud many times, and would have followed the general anywhere.
When Massoud was killed, Dost wasn't in the camp. It was when I asked about that day that the tears started to well.
"I wish I had been there," he said, according to another friend, Ahmed, who was acting as our interpreter. "Maybe I could have stopped it."
When I gently pressed for more details about that day, Dost grew quiet and didn't say more. He was having trouble seeing and didn't want to be distracted. We were, after all, driving through Kabul's crowded streets. And he wanted to get us home safe.
4:03 PM ET | 05-27-2009 | permalink
Author James Patterson stands at a round pine table in a small second-floor office, where he mostly writes, in his home May 3, 2006, in Palm Beach, Fla. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
By Frank James
Best-selling writer James Patterson has written a lot of books, about 50,
But tens of millions of people have read them, especially at the beach if my unscientific survey is any guide.
All Things Considered host Michele Norris has an author interview
When people hear this, they give Patterson the distinct impression that they think his approach is somewhat odd. Not so, Patterson says. Think of his books the way you would think about TV shows.
Says Patterson:
"Because it's a little unusual in books, (people) get a little flaky about it. "If you think about it almost all television shows, some of which are quite good, are done by teams of writers. So it's not as unusual as people think it is."
Patterson tells Michele he also does a lot of first-hand research, especially when the location needing to be researched is someplace relaxing like Hawaii. On the other hand, if it's a South Bronx crack house, he sends a researcher who takes notes. Good move.
