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Following a dramatic deterioration in official diplomatic channels between the US and Saudi Arabia when over the weekend the Saudis threatened the U.S. with dumping billions in Treasuries if Congress were to pass a bill probing into their alleged support of Sept 11 terrorists in the aftermath of last weekend's 60 Minutes report on the classified "28 pages" from the Septemeber 11 commission, moments ago the Obama administration made a stunning admission, when for the first time it revealed on the record that the Saudis were the original source of funding for Al Qaeda. As Politico reports, Obama's deputy national...

Here’s an interview that Donald Berwick, President Obama’s appointee charged with cutting $500 billion from Medicare, gave in October 2006: Effective leaders know their deficiencies. How do you address yours? I don’t feel like a leader, so it’s very hard for me to project myself into that situation. But inattention to detail is my biggest defect. I’m always leaning forward into something new. I can create a mess. Luckily, I have people who are willing to create the detail around the idea or, if they’re really smart, know which ideas to ignore. The second defect is more personal uncertainty than...

Motorists would be banned from using handheld cell phones - a problem blamed for thousands of vehicle crashes and fatalities - under a bill expected to be approved by the Legislature next week. Modeled after a New York City law, Senate Bill 1613 would fine drivers using handheld cell phones $20 for the first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses beginning Jan. 1, 2008. It would not apply to drivers using hands-free models and would exempt motorists using handheld cell phones in emergencies. And the legislation would remain in effect only until July 1, 2011, unless renewed. "Cell phones are...

14 April 2006 WOMAN LAY DEAD FOR 2 YEARS..WITH TV ON Grisly find as bedsit repossessed By MARTIN FRICKER A WOMAN lay dead in her front room for more than two years with the TV and radiator on, an inquest heard. Joyce Vincent’s skeletal remains were surrounded by unwrapped Christmas presents when they were found. A bowl of washing-up sat in the kitchen sink and the tragic 40-year-old’s fridge was full of items bearing a “best before” date of November 2003. Her corpse was so badly decomposed that dental records and a photo of her smiling were used for identification....

The lesson is, unless it's a real emergency, stay off the phone while driving! Why is that such a hard concept for so many to get? I first wrote about this problem in a March 2001 column titled, "Get Off The Phone," and things have gotten a lot worse since then. It seems that at least half of all drivers I see are on a cellphone these days, while sometimes drinking coffee or doing other things at the very same time. The study was done over a period of one year and kept track of 100 cars and drivers. Cellphones...

April 28, 2005 Ears Plugged? Keep Eyes Open, Subway's IPod Users Are Told By SEWELL CHAN llison Emmett, 26, a lawyer who lives in the West Village, has rules for riding the subway while listening to her iPod. "You keep it in your bag," she said. "You keep your bag in front of you. You keep your hand on it."Sarit Sela, 27, an administrator at Goldman Sachs who lives in Astoria, Queens, said she kept her iPod in a handbag, secured by a clip. "When I'm on the subway, I try not to change the music," she said.Both women...