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CHICAGO - When President-elect Barack Obama heads home for a break from the White House, he won't go to a sprawling ranch or private seaside compound.
Obama will come back to a crowded city neighborhood, creating different security challenges for the Secret Service and perhaps headaches for his neighbors.
By DEANNA BELLANDI Associated Press Writer
He also rejected Republican attempts to link Obama to the scandal surrounding Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mike Duncan, has accused Obama of not fully addressing contacts with Blagojevich concerning the Senate seat vacated by Obama.
The Associated Press
President George W. Bush ducked a pair of shoes hurled at his head - one shoe after the other - in the middle of a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The Associated Press
As commissioner of the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Donovan, 42, has received widespread acclaim for his leadership of an effort to add 165,000 reasonably priced homes to New York's ultra-expensive housing stock by 2013.
By VERENA DOBNIK Associated Press Writer
The changes, which will go into effect in about 30 days, were completed in just four months. But they could take Obama much longer to reverse.
By DINA CAPPIELLO Associated Press Writer
Questions are being raised about last Saturday's event for Blagojevich because Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s brother, Jonathan, was among those attending. The Indian community has a long history of supporting the Jackson family's political aspirations, and the congressman has been clear about his interest in succeeding Obama.
By ADAM GOLDMAN and RICHARD T. PIENCIAK Associated Press Writers
In a statement read Friday by his attorney, former Gov. James Thompson, Ryan says his "performance in office was less than my best and for that I am sorry."
The Associated Press
The skull was severed from its owner sometime before the Roman invasion of Britain and found in a muddy pit during a dig at the University of York in northern England this fall, according to Richard Hall, a director of York Archaeological Trust.
Finds officer Rachel Cubbitt realized the skull might contain a brain when she felt something move inside the cranium as she was cleaning it, Hall said. She looked through the skull's base and spotted an unusual yellow substance inside. Scans at York Hospital confirmed the presence of brain tissue.
Hall said it was unclear just how much of the brain had survived, saying the tissue had apparently contracted over the years. Parts of the brain have been tentatively identified, but more research was needed, he said.
He said it was a mystery why the skull was buried separately from its body, suggesting human sacrifice and ritual burial as possible explanations.
The existence of a brain where no other soft tissues have survived is extremely rare, according to Sonia O'Connor, an archaeological researcher at the University of Bradford in northern England who helped authenticate the discovery.
"This brain is particularly exciting because it is very well preserved, even though it is the oldest recorded find of this type in the U.K., and one of the earliest worldwide," she said.
The old brain is unlikely to yield new neurological insights because human brains aren't thought to have changed much over the past 2,000 years, according to Chris Gosden, a professor of archaeology at Oxford University unconnected with the find.
He confirmed it was the oldest brain found in Britain. He noted that far older preserved brains, thought to be approximately 8,000 years old, were found in 1986 when dozens of intact human skulls were uncovered buried in a peat bog in Windover Farms in Florida.
"It's a real freak of preservation to have a brain and nothing else," Gosden said. "The fact that there's any brain there at all is quite amazing."
Hall said the brain found at York University was being kept in its skull in an environmentally controlled storage facility for further study.
By RAPHAEL G. SATTER Associated Press Writer
3:12 p.m. CHICAGO—The White House has turned down a request from the family of President-elect Barack Obama to move into Blair House in early January so that his daughters can start school on January 5.The Obamas were told that Blair House, where incoming presidents usually stay in the five days before Inauguration Day, is booked in early January, a spokesperson to the Obama transition said. “We explored the idea so that the girls could start school on schedule,’ the spokesperson said. “But, there were previously scheduled events and guests that couldn’t be displaced.”
It remained unclear who on Bushes guest list outranked the incoming President.
Vatican Issues Updated Prohibtions on Reproductive Technologies
Nothing much new here, but the document, Dignitas Personae, according to Reuters, has ruled the following reproductive techniques as immoral:
-- in vitro fertilization.
-- research in and use of embryonic stem cells.
-- post-fertilization birth control methods such as morning after pills, the so-called abortion pill RU-486 (mifepristone) and the inter-uterine device (IUD).
-- surrogate motherhood.
-- human cloning, both reproductive and therapeutic.
-- hybrid cloning using animal oocytes (immature female germ cells) to reprogram the nuclei of human somatic cells.
-- freezing embryos or oocytes for use in artificial fertilization.
-- pre-implantation diagnosis of embryos to avoid genetic defects or select for gender or other qualities.
-- reduction of implanted embryos to prevent multiple births.
-- intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to overcome male fertility problems.
-- germ line cell therapy to modify genes transmitted to offspring.
-- genetic enhancement for purposes other than medical treatment.
-- use of human biological material of illicit origin, such as experimentation on human embryos.
Reuters also reports:
Saying life was sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, the document also defended the Roman Catholic Church's right to intervene on such matters.
"Wacko" is among the unscientific diagnoses suggested by many after prosecutors this week accused Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich of essentially trying to sell the president-elect's open U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder.
Delusional, grandiose and narcissistic are some of the official terms offered up by mental health specialists, who have their own theories.
"When hubris creeps through the door, judgment just flies out the window," said David Levy, a psychology professor at Pepperdine University's graduate school.
Assessing the embattled governor's state of mind has become a sort of parlor game as the enormity of the stunning allegations against him sinks in. Everyone seems to be wondering, was it lunacy, or just an extreme form of politics-as-usual?
"Blagojevich's defense lawyers might want to consider an insanity defense," wrote Mark Brown, a Chicago Sun-Times columnist. "He's utterly mad. Completely and totally off his rocker."
Not so fast, Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass said (any surprise the two papers differ?): "The pundits who make such diagnoses have never talked to a Chicago machine politician in their lives. How do they think Chicago politicians talk in private when they're muscling some other guy for cash? Like Helen Mirren playing the queen?"
Yet, even in a state where corruption seems to flow like water, the governor's alleged actions and words caught on tape stand out.
"These charges are absolutely stunning and it's because it's kind of transcended simple greed," said Cindi Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. "This is not like giving somebody a sewer inspector job. This is an abuse of public trust 100-fold."
Like rubberneckers drawn to a highway crash, Levy said he's been riveted by the developments.
"I'm really intrigued by this guy's brazenness," he said. "The recklessness is remarkable."
New York City therapist Jonathan Alpert said he was struck by "the grandiosity, the grand sense of self and entitlement," the arrogance.
Those traits are consistent with a mental condition called narcissistic personality disorder, he said. Its other symptoms can include taking advantage of others for personal gain and lack of empathy.
That could be a cynical job description for politicians. They are, after all, often lured to the job at least partly by the heady sense of power it promises. And Alpert said just having some of those behaviors doesn't guarantee mental illness.
But Chicago psychoanalyst Mark Smaller said Blagojevich's alleged behavior seems to have gone beyond bad judgment.
"This is somebody who knew he was being investigated, so you would think that would be the type of person" who wouldn't want to increase the probability of being caught, Smaller said.
Instead, according to the complaint against Blagojevich, he conspired to sell or trade Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat in recent weeks, knowing he was the target of a longtime federal probe of alleged pay-to-play politics.
Just a day before FBI agents arrested Blagojevich at his home Tuesday, he defiantly told reporters he didn't care about reports he was being secretly taped because his words were "always lawful."
Smaller said the self-destructiveness is stunning: "There's something going on here that doesn't look like normal political corruption."
Still, some experts suggest that being in a position of power can make people feel they are impervious to danger. Levy said there's no easy answer when it comes to Blagojevich.
"There really is no clear line between what's normal and pathological," he said.
By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer
The internal probe, which aides described as thorough, is looking to root out every contact between Obama's camp and Blagojevich's camp, according to the Obama camp. There was no clear timeline for the self-investigation to end, although Obama told reporters Thursday he would make the results public during "the next few days."
By PHILIP ELLIOTT Associated Press Writer
Sure, you get to cruise around in the presidential limo, but seldom can you stick your nose out to sniff the breeze. One chewing spree in the wrong room and you're in the doghouse for wrecking a national treasure.
The way everyone wants your attention, you'd think they elected you, too. You're supposed to act with decorum, no matter how pushy people are or what kind of mood you're in. Go a little loopy and you might get exiled to the ranch, like one of Ronald and Nancy Reagan's dogs. Get a little nippy like President George W. Bush's Barney and the meltdown footage is sure to hit the Internet.
Still, experts say President-elect Barack Obama and his family can find a pooch well-suited to the White House. The important thing is to realize there's no perfect dog - only the perfect dog for them. That means casting aside worry about offending anyone and searching for a dog that fits the job requirements.
"It's not the breed, and it's not even so much where it's from," said Patricia McConnell, an animal behaviorist and host of Wisconsin Public Radio's "Calling All Pets." What's important, she said, is that the Obamas set a good example by "picking a dog based on its behavioral as well as its physical health, from a credible, responsible place."
The search can take weeks or even months. McConnell and other experts advise a deliberate approach, avoiding impulsive decisions. A cuddly puppy with a red bow around its neck makes a cute Christmas gift, but soon the baby fat disappears and the new owners realize a dog is a lot of work, especially one ill-suited to their lifestyle.
Debate about the ideal Obama dog has become a hot topic for canine enthusiasts.
The search is complicated by daughter Malia's allergies. Depending on their severity, the family may need to consider only dogs with little or no shedding - or give up the idea of a dog altogether.
Allergies are just one consideration, said Cesar Millan, host of the National Geographic Channel program "The Dog Whisperer" and co-founder with his wife of a nonprofit foundation to help abused and abandoned dogs.
Another key question is how energetic a dog the Obamas want. Millan suggests a medium-energy dog would be just right. As a busy family, the Obamas may not have time to give a high-energy dog enough exercise, yet they also need a pet they can play with, ruling out a couch potato, he said.
Also, medium-energy dogs tend to be natural followers rather than pack leaders, making them easier for inexperienced dog owners like the Obamas to handle, Millan said. Such dogs tend to be more easygoing and less affected by rookie training mistakes.
"Since this is a brand new family raising a dog or rescuing a dog, the dog definitely is going to pick up on that," said Millan, who hopes to do an episode with the Obamas. "The dog doesn't know or is not going to know that he's going to live in the White House, that Mr. Obama is now the president of the United States. What he's going to know is how much common sense this family has" about dogs.
It's also important for a White House dog to be highly trainable, robust enough not to get trampled in all the hustle and bustle, and once at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., to get regular exercise, thorough socialization and proper training.
"You have to socialize the dog," said dog expert Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and author of "The Modern Dog." "But the dog also has to have his own place to go." It would be wise to set up several crates to which the dog can retreat when it needs a quiet place, he said.
One way the Obamas could stack the deck in their favor would be by selecting a breed generally known to have traits they want, then working with a reputable breeder.
Temperament trumps cuteness when picking a puppy, says Jack Volhard of Culpepper, Va., a professional dog trainer and co-author of "Dog Training for Dummies." He advises spending time with a litter when it's seven to eight weeks old. "Which puppies come to the children, are they relatively calm, are they not too excited about the process?"
The Obamas also should work with a breeder who will take the dog back if it doesn't work out, Volhard said.
The couple has said they'd like to get a dog from a pound or a breed rescue organization. That can be risky. Such dogs tend to have unknown histories and issues ranging from a lack of housebreaking to shyness or aggression.
And it can take days, weeks or even months for problem behavior to emerge. It may require careful management and long-term rehabilitation. Not every dog is cut out for the Oval Office.
If the Obamas are determined to adopt from a shelter or rescue group, they should have a professional help them choose, said Brother Christopher Savage, head trainer in the Monks of New Skete's dog board-and-train program in Cambridge, N.Y. "You can get a wonderful dog from a shelter, and it's a wonderful thing, but you have to really be going in with your eyes open," Savage said.
White House life can be demanding for a dog. People are always coming and going, many eager to schmooze. One of Bush's two Scottish terriers, Barney, is famous with children nationwide for his "Barneycam" holiday Web videos, but more recently he popped up in a clip on YouTube nipping a reporter who persisted in trying to get his attention. The Reagans' Bouvier des Flandres, a large, energetic dog named Lucky, was moved to their California ranch after becoming too rambunctious.
Whatever choice the Obamas make, it could set off a national scramble for such dogs, like the frenzy for Dalmatians after the release of the Disney movie "101 Dalmatians."
Trendiness usually isn't good for dogs. It can lead to ill-bred, poorly treated dogs as entrepreneurs scramble to churn puppies out before public interest fades. Shelters are full of young dogs discarded after the novelty wore off.
"Pick the right dog for you," Millan said. "Make a decision, a psychological decision, and then fall in love."
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By SHARON THEIMER Associated Press Writer
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SANTIAGO, Chile - Madonna is causing "crazy enthusiasm" and "impure thoughts" on her first concert visit to Chile, a prominent retired cardinal complained on Wednesday, as he paused in a tribute to a late dictator to denounce the pop star.
Roman Catholic Cardinal Jorge Medina criticized the flamboyant singer during his homily at a Mass in honor of the late dictator Augusto Pinochet, who oversaw the deaths of some 3,200 dissidents during his 1973-1990 rule.
The Associated Press
