Sunday, August 2, 2009

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Mark Goulston, M.D.: Gates, Crowley, Biden and Obama: A Teachable Moment? Top
"When the student is ready, the teacher appears" - Chinese proverb Teachable moment at the beer fest in the White House Rose Garden? I'm not sure that the student(s) were ready, so I'm not sure what exactly they learned. I've been thinking about what constitutes a teachable moment. It seems to me that it occurs when a student is genuinely motivated to listen and learn with an informed, but open mind. Psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion explained that "listening without memory or desire" is the purest and most open form of listening. When we listen with memory, we listen with an old agenda that we are trying to fit the other person into; when we listen with desire, we listen with a new agenda where we are trying to to do the same thing, In neither case are we listening to the other person. It is hard to imagine that either Gates or Crowley listened to each other without either an old or new agenda. If they could have, they may have each learned that the other was acting more from "fearful aggression" than from pure malevolence. Fearful aggression occurs in many decent people when in a state of fear they react with hostility. It's a very primitive "fight or flight" response that not only lower animals, but humans react with to a perceived threat or assault. It would be easy to see how both Gates and Crowley reacted in this way and how Obama's initial reaction to the incident was a manifestation of his "fearful aggression." (On a tangent, it was the "fearful aggression" of Hilary Clinton and John McCain that may have lost them the Presidential primary and general election). In truth, what maintains the walls between races, generations, genders and globally between nations is more "fearful aggression" than true hostility. If instead of reacting in a reflexly aggressive way when we feel under attack, we could pause, take a deep breath (or as many as we need), ask the other person what they meant by what they said, take the further step of asking them what we had done that in their eyes had provoked such a response and then correct the misunderstandings, there's no telling how many situations we might prevent from escalating out of control. More on Barack Obama
 
Ryan O'Neal: I Hit On My Daughter Tatum At Farrah's Funeral Top
Vanity Fair has split September covers - Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett - and the explosive Fawcett article by Leslie Bennetts offers a remarkable, on-the-record example of the father-daughter dynamic between Farrah's on-off lover Ryan O'Neal and his daughter Tatum, as well as insight into his relationship with Farrah. O'Neal spoke to Bennetts and characterized himself as "a hopeless father." He offered the below example from Farrah's funeral as a reason why: "I had just put the casket in the hearse and I was watching it drive away when a beautiful blonde woman comes up and embraces me," Ryan told me. "I said to her, 'You have a drink on you? You have a car?' She said, 'Daddy, it's me--Tatum!' I was just trying to be funny with a strange Swedish woman, and it's my daughter. It's so sick." "That's our relationship in a nutshell," Tatum said when I asked her about it. "You make of it what you will." She sighed. "It had been a few years since we'd seen each other, and he was always a ladies' man, a bon vivant." Ryan also talks about the demise of his relationship with Farrah in 1998, when the pair initially split. He cites Farrah's menopause and talks about subsequently bedding a much-younger woman. The whole article is not online, but the issue is on newsstands Wednesday in New York and LA, and a few more remarkable excerpts are here on Vanity Fair's website . Get HuffPost Entertainment On Facebook and Twitter! More on Farrah Fawcett
 
World Oil Supplies Are Running Out Fast Top
The world is heading for a catastrophic energy crunch that could cripple a global economic recovery because most of the major oil fields in the world have passed their peak production, a leading energy economist has warned.
 
Roubini: Recession Won't End Until End Of The Year Top
The global economy is still in a recession that won't end until the end of the year, said Nouriel Roubini, the New York University economist who predicted the global financial crisis. More on The Recession
 
Trina Thompson: Unemployed Woman Sues College For Tuition Top
NEW YORK — A New York City woman who says she can't find a job is suing the college where she earned a bachelor's degree. Trina Thompson filed a lawsuit last week against Monroe College in Bronx Supreme Court. The 27-year-old is seeking the $70,000 she spent on tuition. Thompson says she's been unable to find gainful employment since she received her information technology degree in April. She says the Bronx school's Office of Career Advancement hasn't provided her with the leads and career advice it promises. Monroe College spokesman Gary Axelbank says Thompson's lawsuit is completely without merit. The college insists it helps its graduates find jobs. ___ Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com
 
David A. Harris: Comical Posturing on Israel Top
We've seen a growing chorus of voices recently questioning the direction of American foreign policy when it comes to Israel. A number of these voices -- including some recent editorials -- appear disconnected from the facts; they seem to ignore President Obama's commitment in word and deed to our strong U.S.-Israel relationship as this administration thoughtfully pursues peace. But others willfully and hypocritically distort this administration's stance on Israel to drive a wedge in the Jewish community, and to peel off support from this overwhelmingly Democratic voting demographic. And that just makes me crazy. Enter Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Jim Jordan (R-OH). They circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter this week expressing their supposed "deep concerns" about President Obama's commitment to foreign aid for Israel, which has regularly been deemed a key vote by the American Jewish community. In total, 23 House Republicans signed the letter. The only problem? Like more than half of House Republicans, just a few weeks ago these two voted against foreign aid, including $2.2 billion in aid to Israel -- a measure which the administration supported, along with 95 percent of House Democrats. So they're hypocritically circulating heart-wrenching "Dear Colleague" letters, warning the President darkly that on his watch, "foreign assistance to Israel may be in danger." Yet most of the Republicans signing the letter just got done doing their best to kill the bill. It is in fact comically hypocritical; do they think nobody is watching or keeping track? As it so happens, the very voting block they're cynically targeting -- the American Jewish community -- does notice these things. Between votes and letters like these and the broad common ground between most American Jews and the policies of House and Senate Democrats and this White House, it's no surprise that Jews continue voting so reliably for Democrats. It's also no surprise that of the dozens of members of Congress who are Jewish, only one is Republican -- Eric Cantor (R-VA). He told the Israeli English-language newspaper Haaretz this weekend, "My sense is that we need the Sarah Palins, Dick Cheneys, Rush Limbaughs, the Colin Powells.... We need all of them." Keep talking, Mr. Cantor. You're just helping to keep Jews pulling the lever for Democrats. This is crossposted on Politico's Arena. More on Barack Obama
 
Leaf: Nissan Unveils New Electric Car Top
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn drove quietly out of the Japanese automaker's soon-to-open headquarters Sunday in the first public viewing of its new zero-emission vehicle. It was the first time the external design was shown of Nissan Motor Co.'s environmentally friendly electric automobile, set to go on sale in Japan, the U.S. and Europe next year. The blue hatchback had a sporty design and a recharging opening in the front. Designer Shiro Nakamura said the vehicle was designed to avoid a stereotypical futuristic design. "This is not a niche car," he said. "We didn't make it unusual looking. It had to be a real car." Nissan has promised that the Leaf, which goes into mass-production as a global model in 2012, will be about the same price as a gas-engine car such as the 1.5 million yen ($15,000) Tiida, which sells abroad as the Versa, starting at about $10,000. Ghosn drove out on stage with former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi sitting next to him, and with a Yokohama governor and mayor in the rear seats. "This car represents a real breakthrough," Ghosn told reporters and guests at a showroom in the new headquarters. He said the new car and new office building in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, marked two fresh starts for Nissan, which hopes to take the lead in zero-emission vehicles. Nissan, which has an alliance with Renault SA of France, has fallen behind Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. in gas-electric hybrids that have become increasingly popular recently. Nissan said the new 22-story headquarters was designed to be sufficiantly energy efficient to qualify as one of the most ecological buildings in Japan. The company, which is losing money amid the global downturn, is selling its old Tokyo headquarters as part of efforts to cut costs. Koizumi said environmentally friendly auto technology is key to Japan's economic growth. "It was so unexpectedly smooth and quiet," he said after getting out of the car. "I am sure this car is going to be popular."
 
Obama Admin Considering Cutting Off Iran's Gasoline Imports If Nuke Talks Rejected Top
The Obama administration is talking with allies and Congress about the possibility of imposing an extreme economic sanction against Iran if it fails to respond to President Obama's offer to negotiate on its nuclear program: cutting off the country's imports of gasoline and other refined oil products. More on Iran
 
Jeff Biggers: This Little (Coal-Fired) Light of Mine: Will President Heed 45 Million Prayers? Top
As the brilliant lights of the White House shine across Pennsylvania Avenue Monday evening, generated by a coal-fired plant that uses coal stripmined from devastating mountaintop removal operations in Appalachia, religious leaders and organizations representing over 45 million Americans from across the country will hold a special candlelight prayer vigil at 7pm in Lafayette Park. "The purpose of the rally is to remember the nearly 500 mountains already destroyed by mountaintop removal mining," according to Jordan Blevins, Assistant Director of the National Council of Church's Eco-Justice Office, and the sponsor of the event, "and to have people of faith call upon the federal government to end this destructive practice." This little coal-fired light of mine: Will President Barack Obama be listening to these prayers to end a mining practice that detonates millions of pounds of ammonium nitrate/fuel oil explosives every day in the Appalachian coalfields in order to scoop up only 5-7 percent of our national coal production? The National Council of Churches is the ecumenical voice of America's Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, historic African American and traditional peace churches, and represents over 45 million Americans in 100,000 congregations across the country. For more information on today's event, visit their Eco-Justice site: http://ecojustice.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/ending-mountaintop-removal/ August 3rd should be a national day of atonement for our sins against the American mountains and mountaineers. Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act in 1977, which President Jimmy Carter called "a disappointing effort" and a "watered down" bill, and unleashed one of the most egregious environmental violations in our nation's history. Carter's main concern with SMCRA's loopholes dealt with the atrocious political compromise engineered by Big Coal sycophants in Congress, which effectively granted federal recognition of mountaintop removal. Nearly four decades later, over 1.2 million acres of hardwood deciduous forests in our nation's carbon sink have been wiped, historic communities have been depopulated and left in ruin, and over 1,2o0 miles of waterways have been jammed with mining waste. For more history on Carter, SMCRA and the last 38 years of regulatory machinations and mountaintop removal mayhem, see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/jimmy-carters-next-urgent_b_240624.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/dear-mr-president-declare_b_202321.html Religious leaders and ecumenical organizations have been outspoken on mountaintop removal destruction for years. Over the past decade, six major denominations have issued anti-mountaintop removal resolutions of faith, stating that "the sanctity and sacredness of human life and the natural environment should not be destroyed in the name of corporate profit," and "mountaintop removal coal mining is devastating the environment, economies, people, and culture in Appalachia." Similar resolutions have been passed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the Unitarian Universalist Association, and the Religious Society of Friends. The Presbyterian Church of the United States declared: "WHEREAS, mountaintop removal coal mining destroys both the beauty and productive capacity of the land thus eliminating future or alternative economic opportunities for the families of Appalachia WHEREAS, God instructs us to "not defile the land where you live and where I dwell" (Numbers 35:34) [...]It is resolved that the 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA, urges state and federal agencies that regulate mining practices, as well as coal companies themselves, to abandon the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining and work to meet our nation's energy needs in a manner that is just, sustainable and consistent with Christian values." For more information on the resolutions, see: http://www.ilovemountains.org/resolutions Last spring, the West Virginia Council of Churches published a book of personal narratives about the human costs and human rights violations of mountaintop removal on coalfields residents. The booklet, "Mountain Tops Do Not Grow Back, Stories of Living in the Midst of Mountain Top Removal Strip Mining," can be read at: http://www.wvcc.org/docs/MountaintopsDoNotGrowBack.pdf Two years ago, the Catholic Committee of Appalachia and the Kentuckians for the Commonwealth sponsored a tour of mountaintop removal sites for several national evangelical leaders in the United States, and announced their intent to "pledge voice and vote against mountaintop removal. Our voices will retell the testimony we have heard and the destruction we have seen through our sermons, writings, and conversations." More information on the tour can be found here: http://www.kftc.org/our-work/canary-project/people-in-action/religious-leaders-mwt In 2004, Catholic Bishop Emeritus Walter Sullivan from Richmond, Virginia, the corporate home of mountaintop removal giant Massey Energy, toured the coalfields and released a statement: "The Church needs to stand with those who live lives of hopelessness and helplessness. The mountain culture and its way life are being destroyed. Thankfully, the Catholic Committee of Appalachia (CCA), under the direction of Sister Robbie Pentecost and the many Church workers in the area, are willing to stand up and be counted. "Mountain top removal" is just another example of profit taking preference over the lives of people, where the powerful wage a different kind of war against the powerless." The Christians for the Mountains (CFTM) organization was founded a few years ago as a a "network of persons committed to advocating that Christians and their churches recognize their God-given responsibility to live compatably and sustainably upon this earth God has created." CFTM has been active in organizing in events and campaigns in the coalfield region. See: http://christiansforthemountains.org/about/ Here's a clip from the Christians for the Mountains role in "Mountain Mourning," in the "Mountains Don't Grow Back" film documentary by B. J. Gudmundsson:
 
Obama Planning 'August Offensive' Against Insurance Industry Top
With Republicans mobilizing against the proposed health care overhaul, President Obama, Congressional Democrats and leading advocacy groups are laying the groundwork for an August offensive against the insurance industry as part of a coordinated campaign to sell the public on the need for reform. More on Barack Obama
 
Russ Wellen: What if We Don't Want to be Greeted by Loved Ones at Death? Top
Conventional wisdom holds that fear of death is epidemic in the Western world. Whatever the truth of that, cultural commentators are all too willing to chalk it up to everything from our materialistic society to our isolation from one another. What's missing, though, is an honest acknowledgment that fear of death can be a rational response. If you break the fear down to its components parts, it suddenly starts to make sense. Prominent among our fears are eternal punishment and non-existence, not to mention the pain of the dying process. A fourth fear -- that of the unknown -- essentially incorporates the other three. Even those of us who believe we're destined for a better place can't deny that we're heading out essentially sight unseen. Not only aren't we shown a travelogue of our destination, we're provided with no travel brochures to leaf through. Guide books, such as the Tibetan Book of the Dead , are the exception, especially in the West. Nor is there a map or even an itinerary -- inexcusable omissions in the Information Age. Of course, there's always word of mouth. On Christianity's heaven: "God's crystal-clear light will fill heaven [which is] a city made of pure gold. ... Each of the twelve gates of the city will be made of pearl." On Islam's jannah: "[A state of bliss where you wear] costly robes, bracelets, [and] perfumes as [you] partake in exquisite banquets [and] recline on couches inlaid with gold or precious stones." (Note how I refrained from the cheap joke about houri, those translucent virgins used to entice suicide bombers.) But for those of us who fear death with its concomitant uncertainty about the afterlife, a life rope has been thrown to us. It comes in the form of the comforting notion that when we pass over we'll be greeted by loved ones. You didn't hear this from Christianity or Islam, though. True, you're assured that you'll see your family again upon your assimilation into the afterlife. However, you're gently but firmly reminded that heaven is all about God or Allah. You can be forgiven if that reminds you of a cult. What then is the source of the "greeted by loved ones" motif? In fact, it's a product of mediums -- one actually titled his book Never Say Goodbye -- and those who've had near-death experiences (NDEs), as well as those who believe in past lives. According to this belief, not only will you be reunited with your family, but, according to the NDEs of many, its members will appear, not at their cachexic death-bed worst, but as in your most cherished memories of them. Your mother will be at her most maternal and your grandmother will be at her grandmotherly best. For many who fear death, this may be just what the doctor ordered. But what about those for whom the prospect of meeting their family is a source of little or no consolation? Many -- perhaps more than care to admit it -- subscribe to the notion that family is just a group of people, most of whom we'd never spend time with if our lots hadn't been thrown in together by the luck of the draw. To us, family is, at worst, abusive, at best, dysfunctional. Then there are those of us to whom the idea of family is decent enough, but representative of a commonplace, provincial mentality that we've dedicated our youths to escaping. In other words, the prospect of an afterlife in which we're enmeshed in the web of family life all over again is even worse than being kept in the dark about the afterlife. Wait, how about if we just give family members we meet up with there an air kiss? I mean, what's more befitting the incorporeal? Then we'll engage them in some small talk -- "Uncle Harry didn't make it? Sorry to hear that." -- and move on. Unfeeling as it sounds, that may be all that's required according to psychologist and hypnotist James Newton. The author of popular and provocative books about reincarnation like Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls, he's at the forefront of the minority who, instead of past lives, explores lives between lives, aka, the afterlife. According to Dr. Newton's hypnosis subjects, once family greets you, its members fade into the woodwork (or cloudwork, as it were), at least for the time being. You then move on to your "soul group" -- not the Earth, Wind and Fire kind, but the type said to account for that "Haven't I met you before?" feeling. Composed of individuals with whom we've reincarnated on a regular basis, we catch up on old times with them in the afterlife. This is where the worst fears of those to whom family has been an albatross around their necks come to fruition. Soul groups, see, are said to often include family members. Furthermore, when it comes to reincarnation, family roles are interchangeable. For example, your mother in a previous life may be your wife in this life. Good thing we're not privy to that information on earth -- the "ew-w-w" factor would be off the charts. Furthermore, in the afterlife we can expect to hash out our differences with family members who are part of our soul group. However civil the tone -- as you can imagine, strife on high is frowned upon -- an afterlife encounter group with our family doesn't sound so heavenly, does it? Not to mention the boundary issues that mind-reading raises. Still, if you're among those to whom one of reincarnation's selling points is that you get to change families, you can take comfort in the knowledge that your stay in the afterlife should be brief. After you've enjoyed some r & r, digested your previous life, and drawn up an action plan for your next, your soul will be recycled to earth again. Gut it out in heaven until you get out -- just like when you were growing up in a bad or dreary family. More on Religion
 

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