Hotel Chain Relocates

A holding of private equity firm The Blackstone Group,L.P.,Hilton Hotels,is moving its headquarters from pricey Beverly Hills,California,to Washington,D.C. suburb Tysons Corner,Virginia.Hilton has signed a lease for 100,000 square feet of a 300,000 square foot office building called Park Place II.The property is owned by B.F.Saul and is 17% leased.The move from Beverly Hills was announced in January,and should be accomplished by autumn 2009.Stephen Schwarzman is Blackstone co-founder and CEO.

A Broader Resolve

The uncompromising core of the Taliban and al-Qaida militants must be defeated,President Obama insisted.We will also work on a reconciliation process in every Afghan province.We will set clear markers to measure progress,and hold ourselves accountable.None of these steps will be easy;nor can they be undertaken by the U.S. alone.What's at stake is the very notion that free nations can come together for the common security.We will seek not simply troops from our allies,but a commitment to civilian action as well.We seek a broader coalition,incuding Russia,China and Central Asia.Nearly 700 Americans have died in the war,plus troops from 20 other nations.The USA did not choose to fight a war in Afghanistan.Most of the blood on al-Qaida's hands is the blood of Muslims.The road ahead will be long.We will use all the elements of our national power to defeat al-Qaida and defend our allies,Mr.Obama promised.

A Shift In Tone

Our military push will secure the August elections in Afghanistan,Mr.Obama pointed out.At the same time,we will shift emphasis to training Afghan security forces.The additional U.S. troops,to eventually total an augmentation of 21,000,have already increased our training capacity.Every American unit will be partnered with an Afghan unit in this push to turn security over to Afghan forces.The Afghan economy is undercut by a booming narcotics trade.We need to send more agriculture specialists,engineers and lawyers.There must be a substantial increase in civilians on the ground from us and our allies,as well as the UN.Our efforts will fail if we don't invest in the Afghans' future.Aid saves us an enormous amount of money in the long run,the President explained.

What Al-Qaida Brings

Al-Qaida offers the people of Pakistan nothing but destruction,President Obama stated.We support legislation authorizing 1.5 billion dollars of aid to Pakistan every year for the next five years.The creation of opportunity zones in the border region is a down payment on our own future.We must isolate al-Qaida from the Pakistani people.We will launch a standing trilateral dialogue between the United States,Pakistan and Afghanistan,to include intelligence-sharing.We must reverse the Taliban's gains.Our allies have borne a heavy burden.Now we must make a commitment that will accomplish our goals,Mr.Obama feels.

Who Obama Is:Commander-in-Chief

In a major address last week,President Barack Obama set out his strategy for the war in Afghanistan,which will be a central topic of the NATO summit the President will attend in Europe April 3-4.If anyone considered him a pacifist,they will have to reconsider in light of his firm position,which Senator John McCain(R-Arizona),his opponent in the recent election,described as a good plan.The situation in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly perilous,President Obama warned.If the Afghan government falls,the country will again be a base for al-Qaida attacks on America.The al-Qaida leadership uses the Pakistan frontier with Afghanistan to train and launch attacks.This is an international security concern of the highest order.The safety of people around the world is at stake.Afghanistan would be cast into the shadow of perpetual violence.I want the American people to understand we have a clear goal:to disrupt,dismantle and defeat al-Qaida.We must recognize the fundamental connection between Pakistan and Afghanistan.The terrorists within Pakistan's borders are a grave threat to Pakistan.They are a cancer that threatens to kill Pakistan from within.Military assistance to Pakistan is essential.To help Pakistan with the economic crisis,there must be International Monetary Fund and World Bank assistance.We must stand for lasting opportunity in Pakistan,the President held.

Health Uncle:How the Brain Ages

Beyond age 50,our brains become less impressionable.They do not encode new information as readily.This tends to make things harder to remember.It's long been said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.Actually,you can;it's just more difficult.On the other hand,these older brains are better at organizing the information they have encoded.This is the wisdom factor.And our brains can be supported in their challenges by decreasing stress,while increasing exercise and sleep.Exercise improves the connections between nerve cells that are essential for memory.Stress hampers concentration,making less responsive older brains even more opaque.And tiredness has the same effect as stress on the brain.Consider taking a walk and a good nap afterward.This will help reduce stress and improve your memory.

EU Prepares for London

The European Union held a summit in Brussels,Belgium recently to prepare for the G20 summit in London in a few weeks' time.The EU pledged 100 billion dollars to the International Monetary Fund's reserves;seven billion to EU projects; and 68 million to non-EU members.It urged the U.S. and others to join in doubling the IMF's reserves to 500 billion dollars.President Obama will attend the G20 summit and the NATO 60th anniversary summit on April 3-4.The G20 is a group of the largest economies and emerging markets.NATO,the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is the Euro-American defense alliance.