Obama addresses the why of the spill and the how, where and when of the cleanup. He also gives a new boost to his campaign call for independence from fossil fuels. The appearance was not as presidential as some had hoped for, but Obama shows a level head.

From The Art of Worldly Wisdom, 1637, by Baltasar Gracián, a Spanish Jesuit priest:

1. Be common in nothing.
2. Make people depend on you.
3. Cultivate relationships with those who can teach you.
4. Post yourself in the center of things.
5. Knowledge has a purpose.
6. Know how to take a hint.
7. Be a person of integrity.
8. Have a reputation for being gracious.
9. Know how to withdraw.
10. Know your strongest quality.
11. Think things over, especially those that are most important.
12. Gain people’s goodwill.
13. Never exaggerate.
14. Use, but do not abuse, cunning.
15. Never lose your self-respect.
16. Never be upset.
17. Look into the interior of things.
18. See to it that things end well.
19. Know how to say “no.”
20. Do not vacillate.
21. Do not be unapproachable.
22. Do not always be joking.
23. Drain nothing to the dregs, neither good nor bad.
24. Keep expectations alive.
25. Obtain and preserve a reputation.
26. Do not parade your position.
27. Show no self satisfaction.
28. The shortest path to greatness is along with others.
29. Have the art of conversation.
30. Live practically.
31. Avoid affectation.
32. Get used to the failings of those around you.
33. Have friends.
34. Think beforehand.
35. Do and be seen doing.
36. Do not take payment in politeness.
37. Find the good in a thing at once.
38. Do not be a bore.
39. Be able to stomach big slices of luck.
40. Be a person without illusions.
41. Do not wait till you are a setting sun.
42. Make yourself sought after.
43. Do not hold your views too firmly.
44. Do not be a slave of first impressions.
45. Always act as if others were watching.
46. Know how to get your price for things.
47. Do not believe, or like, lightly.
48. Select your friends.
49. Do not make mistakes about character.
50. Be careful in speaking.
51. Know your pet faults.
52. Distinguish people of words from people of deeds.
53. Know how to relay on yourself.
54. Act sometimes on second thought, sometimes on first impulse.
55. In all things, keep something in reserve.
56. Never contend with someone who has something to lose.
57. Do not live in a hurry.
58. Have knowledge, or know those who do.
59. Trust your heart.
60. Reticence is the seal of capacity.
61. A grain of boldness is everything.
62. Do not carry fools on your back.
63. Recognize faults, however highly placed.
64. Be the bearer of praise.
65. Find consolation of all things.
66. Adapt yourself to those around you.
67. A peaceful life is a long life.
68. Watch out for people who begin with another’s concern to end with their own.
69. Have reasonable views of yourself and your affairs.
70. Know how to appreciate.
71. Do not waste influence.
72. Know how to transplant yourself.
73. Find your proper place by merit, not by presumption.
74. Leave something to wish for.
75. Words and deeds make the perfect person.
76. Know the great people of your age.
77. Attempt easy tasks as if they were difficult and difficult as if they were easy.
78. Do not turn one blunder into two.
79. Be expressive.
80. Never act from obstinacy but from knowledge.
81. Do not seize occasions to embarrass yourself or others.
82. Reserve is proof of prudence.
83. Do not be inaccessible.
84. Plan out your life wisely.
85. Open your eyes early.
86. Never let things be seen half-finished.
87. Know how to ask.
88. Have original and out-of-the-way views.
89. Know a little more, live a little less.
90. Do not explain too much.
91. Do good a little at a time, but often.
92. Go prepared.
93. Never let matters come to a breaking point.
94. Be able to forget.
95. Have no careless days.
96. Set difficult tasks for those under you.
97. Know how to renew you character, both with nature and with art.
98. Find favor with people of good sense.
99. Have the gift of discovery.
100. Know how to test people.
101. In times of prosperity, prepare for adversity.

Can You Do This 1 ? – Click here for more amazing videos

Wow. What a terrible day. In all my life, I’ve never idolized anyone more than I did Michael Jackson when I was a kid, nor have I ever lusted after anyone more than I lusted after Farrah Fawcett when I was little more than a kid. Today we lost them both.

A lot can be said of Jackson’s eccentricity, but I’ve never seen anyone work harder. I had the honor of serving him and his dedicated music production team in the mid-90s during a fevered recording stint as he attempted to hold on to a greatness that eventually eluded him. The result of that effort was the album “HIStory,” a two-disc set of greatest hits and new material that became a footnote in the greater history of a man who was once the biggest star in the world.

As for Farrah, it was all about the poster. I had one. There was one in almost every dorm room at my boarding school. It hung on the backs of doors, on walls, inside closets and on ceilings above beds. The hair. The teeth. The nipples. Even the autograph. She taught me a lot, and I still have this Oedipus thing against Lee Majors.

Photos: Michale Jackson by Henry Ditz, Corbis; Farrah Fawcett by who knows.

Check out this clip. The story was on Wanda and what she had to say about Michelle Obama. To me, the story of this clip is Leno’s reaction.

CARIBOU ON EAST FRANKLIN ST., CHAPEL HILL, NC – “I didn’t come here to debate the past,” said President Obama at a gathering of Western Hemisphere leaders on Friday. “I came here to deal with the future.”

I’m not sure why I find the picture so puzzling. Is it Obama’s smile or Chavez’s? Am I a victim of prior US propaganda against Venezuela, or an armchair policy maker with a friend who lives outside Caracas telling me things are so bad, folks there may soon start eating each other?

Obama’s is a wry smile. He’s moves ahead of Chavez on just how US relations with Venuzuela will go, from which he obviously derives comfort and confidence. Chaves has the beaming smile of a litter runt that says simply, “Thanks for the recognition!”

The New York Times reports an exchange of “warm words” between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Cuba’s leader, Raúl Castro, a clear sign that the US is placing an emphasis on straightening out relations with our close neighbors, particularly in an age when nuclear nonproliferation is declining and home sites for nuclear launch silos are all about location, location, location.

Perhaps Obama and Chavez are genuinely happy to meet each other and hope for a friendship of sorts that could lead to good things.

New York Times photo / Pool photo by Mariamma Kambon

Today, a Tarheel is a national champion. The Tarheels of UNC handily defeated the Michigan State Spartans for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship in what was billed as talent vs. grit, with odds makers favoring talent by 7.5 points.

While last night’s 89-72 win was a crowning moment for Roy Williams and the UNC program, imagine what it mean for Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Danny Green, and Wayne Ellington, all of whom decided to return for this very moment. As a friend said today, the character of these young men is inspirational.

There are many legendary explanations for the history of the term “tarheel”: the ability to hold ground, reluctant secession, river fording. All were in play last night. The win ended one of the most dominant runs in NCAA tournament history, with an average victory of over 20 points per game. No more rivers to ford, and the feet are fine, thanks. As for the ability to hold ground and reluctant secession, well, Tarheel fans owe those returning players a debt of gratitude for giving them this moment.

Photo from the New York Times by Paul Sancya/Associated Press

VIDEO: TIMELAPSE SHOT OF VICTORY CELEBRATION ON CHAPEL HILL’S FRANKLIN STREET:

Timelapse: Franklin Street after the victory from The Daily Tar Heel on Vimeo.

He was poised, confident and inspiring, and he gave viewers the feeling that while we have a lot of hard work to do, we’ll make it through and our country will be as strong as ever. It’s a message you’d expect coming out of the White House, but you’d never expect its messenger, the president himself, to give it on a late-night talk show.

On the topic of the economy, and specifically AIG, it’s the dirty little secret that President Obama so candidly stated that seems to get overlooked most. “Most of the stuff that got us into trouble was perfectly legal,” he reminded Leno. “And that is a sign of how much we’ve got to change our laws.” He went on to explain in a simplified manner how credit default swaps brought down the house of cards for AIG and others, and he spoke of his short-term and long-term policies that he feels will put us on the right road to recovery.

On the personal side, his charm won the day. He finds flying on Air Force One pretty “cool,” and particularly likes it when the flight crew gives him “that jacket with the little seal.”

His comedic timing was impeccable. On the topic of pick-up basketball games at the White House, Leno wanted to know if they let him win. “Do they throw the game?” he asked.

President Obama gave an incredulous look and a studied pause, which brought a roar of laughter from the crowd. “I don’ think I get the hard fouls I used to,” he said.

He picks the UNC Tarheels to win the NCAA tournament. When Leno pointed out that North Carolina was a swing state, Obama implied that all of his Final Four picks come from swing states.

And finally, Leno’s burning question: “What about the dog?”

The dog is coming soon, Obama said, most definitely. Then added, “They say if you want a friend in Washngton, get a dog.”

WATCH OBAMA WITH LENO (NBC):

Photo Credit: Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

It’s a mess. Attitudes are changing, and I’m sure that the stress test the Treasury is putting the banks through has an analog in the halls of Congress. As for the bonuses, it’s as much media driven as it is a political smoke screen. Think about it: it’s a sensational representation of greed at the top and corruption within the system. But for politicians, it’s a different thing altogether.

Everyone knows there’s as much accountability in government as there is among the CEOs and their minions. And I hear politicians – Chuck Schumer, Barney Frank, John Boehner, Dodd, and even Obama – blaming politicians, some of them even themselves, every day. And they’re starting to look back not 8 years but 12 years or more as they stop using this “what we inherited” crap.

I was in corporate America for several years and I understand the nature of these compensation contracts. But their very legality points to the unconscionable nature of the greater crisis: Our laws don’t reflect our values.

My prediction: some of the as yet unnamed bonus recipients (but not many) will return their bonuses; Liddy, the CEO of AIG, who is a piece of milk toast standing behind not only the legality of the contracts but his company’s policy guideline that these bonuses are necessary to retain good people (are you kidding me?!), will be pushed to the brink of obstruction of justice when he appears before Congress, but he will cave and Cuomo and the Feds will get the names and info they requested; and finally, the bonus money that isn’t returned will instead be added to AIG’s bill to the American people. It’s the best we can hope for. That, and that the government doesn’t allow AIG to fail.

If you can, catch the U.S. governement’s publicity piece on 60 Minutes from Sunday. Bernanke gave the first-ever Fed Chairman interview, scared out of his skull, but had some interesting things to say. He is one of the country’s foremost authorities on the Great Depression.

WATCH 60 MINUTES (CBS, MARCH 15, 2009):