5/19 The Huffington Post Full Blog Feed

The Huffington Post Full Blog Feed         James R. Knickman: Serving the Military Families Who Serve New York State May 18, 2011 at 1:01 PM   We must all ensure that our military servicemembers return home to communities and families capable of supporting their needs and serving them in return. What are some of the actions we can begin to take? Read More... More on Veterans         Ethan Rome: The Truth About Health Insurance Company Profits: They're Excessive May 18, 2011 at 1:01 PM   Following astonishingly high first-quarter profit reports from health insurance companies, that industry's trade group, America's Health Insurance Plans, now claims it is among the least profitable health care industries. Read More... More on Republicans         Leah Mayor: Grant Achatz: Foundation, Innovation, Every Moment Is New May 18, 2011 at 1:01 PM   Grant Achatz is known for his sophistication, originality, creativity and surprise. A meal at Alinea has been elevated from the rankings of mere food to being hailed as art, sculpture, even a spiritual experience. Read More... More on Chicago Restaurants         Gretchen Rubin: Balanced Life -- 6 Tips for Battling Loneliness. May 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM   Every Wednesday is Tip Day. This Wednesday: six tips for battling loneliness. Read More... More on Happiness         Arva Rice: Collective Bargaining Under Fire: When Bad Things Happen to Good People May 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM   As politicians all over the nation cast their scrutiny upon public-sector unions, middle-class blacks and other minorities face the prospect of an attack on their collective bargaining rights. Read More...         Trish Wend: Newt Gingrich: A Cinematic Venn Diagram May 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM   Read More... More on GOP         James Peron: Drug Warriors Gun Down Young Father May 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM   The young husband and father, Jose Guerena, an Iraq veteran, was lying in his own blood, shot at 71 times by heavily armed men. There are lots of questions. The Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff's Department is giving few answers. Read More... More on Arizona Politics         Andrew Z. Cohen: Shining Light on Your Unconscious Values May 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM   If you want to know what your values are, just look at your own life. Your life looks like your values. A lot of us think we have higher or spiritual values, but those values are not necessarily reflected in our so-called personal lives. Read More... More on Spiritual Development         Michael Giltz: Cannes 2011: Lars Von Trier Apologizes and Other Political Scandals May 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM   The possible murder of Princess Diana. Bad jokes about the Final Solution. The uprising in Egypt. Those are just some of the many social issues that have punctuated and defined the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Read More... More on France         Tom Matlack: Sex Slavery in America May 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM   Sex trafficking exists within the broader commercial sex trade, often at much higher rates than most people realize or understand. Read More...         Marshall Fine: Movie Review: Midnight in Paris May 18, 2011 at 12:29 PM   There's a strain of magical realism that runs through the filmography of Woody Allen that pops up -- and delightfully so -- in his newest film, Midnight in Paris. Read More... More on Movies         Ruth Bettelheim, Ph.D.: An Obvious, But Ignored Strategy to Defeat the Taliban May 18, 2011 at 12:29 PM   The most effective way to critically disable the Taliban is to drastically reduce their income and delegitimize them among local populations. What has not been achieved on the battlefield may yet be accomplished in the marketplace. Read More... More on Afghanistan         Michael Giltz: Cannes 2011: Lars Von Trier Apologizes and Other Political Scandals May 18, 2011 at 12:29 PM   The possible murder of Princess Diana. Bad jokes about the Final Solution. The uprising in Egypt. The corruption that engulfs Big Oil and the ineffective media coverage of the BP oil spill and its devastating effects. A French film which the unflappable French people find a bit shocking because it's about their embattled President Nicolas Sarkozy. And the alleged sexual assaults by the French head of the IMF and one of the leading candidates to replace Sarkozy as the leader of France. Those are just some of the many social issues that have punctuated and defined the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Cannes always features hot-button politics, whether it's priests and nuns protesting The Da Vinci Code, MIchael Moore winning the Palme d'Or for Fahrenheit 9-11 or simply Lars Von Trier desperately trying to spice up a press conference for his ho-hum movie Melancholia by the childish joke of calling himself a Nazi. But the 2011 fest is notable for having so many different political issues hog the spotlight both inside the movie theaters and on the Croisette. Von Trier was clearly joking -- albeit in an infantile manner -- when he said that he was a Nazi and understood Hitler and later said his next film project might be The Final Solution. The director is known for his provocations and since his new movie seems to be generating indifference, he might have felt especially pressured to perform, as he so often does in the past. It's like going to see Lenny Bruce and being shocked at the language. What did you expect? Yet The Hollywood Reporter headlined a story by saying Lars Von Trier 'ADMITS TO BEING A NAZI." (They should have said "tastelessly joked," at the very most. Ultimately, the festival proved it too refused to take the words in the context they were given, denounced them and said they had spoken with Von Trier. The official press release added simply, "He presents his apology." End of silly controversy. Read More... More on France         Christopher Hytry Derrington: My Attorney Just Shattered My Crowdfunding Dreams May 18, 2011 at 12:25 PM   The first step in my crowdfunding journey was understanding exactly why the SEC prohibits this form of fundraising. Read More... More on Small Business America         HuffPost TV: Shahien Nasiripour On 'Democracy Now!' (VIDEO) May 18, 2011 at 12:19 PM   Shahien Nasiripour, Senior Business Reporter for The Huffington Post, appeared on "Democracy Now!" to discuss his recent report, "Confidential Federal Audits Accuse Five Biggest Mortgage Firms Of Defrauding Taxpayers." When asked by Amy Goodman which financial institutions were being held accountable for illegal practices, Nasiripour responds, "Nothing can really happen unless Justice brings charges. But the pressure is on the Department of Justice, because now we know the existence of these reports." "Democracy Now!" describes Nasiripour's report on their website, writing: Read More... More on Foreclosures         Marshall Fine: Movie Review: Midnight in Paris May 18, 2011 at 12:13 PM   There's a strain of magical realism that runs through the filmography of Woody Allen that pops up - and delightfully so - in his newest film, Midnight in Paris. From Alice to Mighty Aphrodite, from Scoop to Zelig and The Purple Rose of Cairo, all the way back to his short fiction (particularly "The Kugelmass Episode" in his collection, Side Effects), Allen has shown a fanciful touch that is part magic, part surrealism, part fantasy. His characters suddenly find their reality shaken by something that seems to be impossible - yet is happening to them. That was the case of everything from Alice and the title character's ability to disappear to The Purple Rose of Cairo (and its delicious switcheroo, with characters moving between the world of a movie onscreen and the real world off the screen). Read More... More on Movies         Inder Sidhu: The Story of All Great Organizations May 18, 2011 at 12:13 PM   What do Mitt Romney, Big Oil and Nintendo have in common? Each is trying to sell a story that few seem willing to buy. Read More... More on Gas & Oil         Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Snacking 101: How to Dress Up Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies May 18, 2011 at 12:13 PM   To try to get out of my boring cookie rut, I stopped eating the cookie dough long enough to try different dessert combinations that don't require much more work. Read More... More on Recipes         Sat Hon: The Yellow Peril May 18, 2011 at 12:13 PM   Asian-Americans, as a group, are transplants: trunks from one culture grafted onto roots belonging to another. Their immigrant parents tried to retain and transmit a memory of Asian heritage, but those values and practices are long gone. Read More...         Heather Taylor: Chef Speak: Christopher Phelps and Zachary Walters May 18, 2011 at 12:13 PM   In this culinary era of wasabi foams, we've reached a point where a pork chop can be a thrilling item to see on a menu. Especially if that menu is written on a chalkboard at West Hollywood's Salt's Cure. Read More... More on LA Restaurants         Frances Beinecke: Even as American Families Struggle, Oil Companies Triumph at the Pump and in Congress May 18, 2011 at 12:12 PM   The oil industry's influence on the political process is holding America hostage. Rather than giving handouts to wealthy companies that endanger our coastal communities, we should be investing in the clean, 21st century technologies. Read More... More on Gulf Oil Spill         Christopher Hytry Derrington: My Attorney Just Shattered My Crowdfunding Dreams May 18, 2011 at 11:40 AM   The first step in my crowdfunding journey became understanding exactly why the SEC prohibits this form of fundraising. Read More... More on Small Business America         Michael Brenner: Special Forces -- Down Mexico Way? May 18, 2011 at 11:40 AM   It strikes me that there is a correlation between attitudes toward marijuana and attitudes toward "counter insurgency." This goes back to the '60s. Peaceniks were in the vanguard of the pot culture. Alcoholics were gung-ho for the war. Read More... More on Mexico's Drug War         Robert Scheer: One Lawman With the Guts to Go After Wall Street May 18, 2011 at 11:40 AM   The fix was in to let Wall Street off the hook once and for all... until last week when the attorney general of New York refused to go along. Read More... More on Financial Crisis         Frances Beinecke: Even As American Families Struggle, Oil Companies Triumph at the Pump and in Congress May 18, 2011 at 11:40 AM   You may have thought the Democrats controlled the Senate, but it became clear after Tuesday that the oil industry is calling the shots on Capitol Hill. The oil industry got 48 Senators, including three Democrats, to continue handing over wasteful federal subsidies for oil drilling. That means a bill to end giveaways to the five largest oil companies failed to get the 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. There were some hopeful signs, though. A majority of the Senate did vote to end the federal largesse, including two Republicans, Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. Still, the failure of the Senate to take this simple, common-sense step is staggering. Many Americans are paying more than $4 a gallon for gas. Our economy is still reeling from the worst recession in decades. And the federal budget is experiencing a deficit crisis of historic proportions. Read More... More on Gulf Oil Spill         Mark Coker: Authors: Throw Yourself Upon the Gears of Big Publishing May 18, 2011 at 11:24 AM   Until recently, if a publisher refused to publish an author's book, it limited an author's ability to reach readers. Now, the e-book printing press is free and available to all. Read More... More on eBooks         Jesse Kornbluth: Should Gays Be Allowed To Visit Loved Ones In The Hospital? The Governor Of Wisconsin Says No. May 18, 2011 at 11:24 AM   We went to see The Normal Heart on Broadway last night. (Tickets are 50% off at TKTS.) I had seen the original production in 1985, when we had a President so opposed to acknowledging homosexuals that he didn't speak the name of the disease until 36,058 Americans had been diagnosed with it and 20,849 of them had died. You may imagine what it was like, then and now, to sit in a largely gay audience and watch a play about the start of the AIDS epidemic and the men who tried, with little success, to get the city and medical establishment interested in it. Buckets of tears. A standing ovation. And, this time, the consolation that we have made some progress in the last 25 years. But when we came home, there was the news, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker "believes a new law that gives gay couples hospital visitation rights violates the state constitution and has asked a judge to allow the state to stop defending it." It is my mandate at HeadButler.com not to discuss politics here, but Gov. Walker's denial of human tenderness at a moment of ultimate vulnerability has nothing to do with politics. It's much deeper. In a word, I did not understand how this man --- a churchgoer and the son of a minister --- could call himself a Christian. Read More... More on Scott Walker         Kia Makarechi: The Death of Edge: Where's the Real Controversy in Pop? May 18, 2011 at 11:24 AM   Our rockstars are American Idol judges; our most shocking pop culture moment of the past two years was Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift. So, if all we have left are shoes with penis heels and motorcycle-riding disciples, is that enough? Read More... More on Kanye West         Michael Levy: How to Understand China: Summer Reading May 18, 2011 at 11:24 AM   If we want to understand where China is headed (indeed, where the world is headed), we need to stop listening to our diplomats and politicians and pick up books by writers (whether journalists or novelists) who are in touch with China. Read More...         Rep. Bruce Braley: Why I Have the Greatest Job in the World May 18, 2011 at 11:08 AM   Being a Congressman is an incredible honor - but I won't lie, there are some tough parts to the job. One of them is the time away from my family and the constant travel. Routine helps, and mine is mostly consistent: every week after I cast my last vote for the week, I hop a flight home to see my family in Iowa. Typically it's uneventful, and most of the time it's pretty painless with short stopovers in Chicago, Atlanta or Detroit. But last Friday, the 13th, was very different. It wasn't quite Freaky Friday...more like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but like something out of a movie nonetheless. Here's the real-life script, which explains why I have the best job in the world: Read More... More on Trains         Maria Rodale: My Top 10 Favorite Flowers May 18, 2011 at 11:08 AM   Now that gardening season has returned in full force, it's time to revel in the glorious abundant beauty of nature (unless, that is, she is thrashing us with her rages). One of my favorite things about the spring-and-summer season is flowers.  So I've made a list of my favorites, and why I adore them. Peonies: Don't tell the roses, but I think peonies are my favorite. They have all the luscious glory and fragrance of roses, without the thorns or the persnickety-ness. They rise up like little flames from the spring soil, burst like fireworks (covered in ants), and then gently fall back to the earth--perhaps a little mildewy--and hide again until the next spring. I could just stick my face in them forever. Read More... More on Organic Food         Robert J. Elisberg: The Writers Workbench: Home Networks May 18, 2011 at 11:08 AM   This month we look at several products that allow you to access all the documents and data on your home computer system from anywhere in the world, even letting you stream your music and video wherever you are (including from your handheld mobile devices), and also giving you the option to share the material privately, publicly, or on social media. They fall under the umbrella known as "private clouds," which are home networks. You've probably heard about "cloud computing." Though they're related, having a "private cloud" is not exactly the same as when people refer to "cloud computing." The latter is when you put all of your data on someone else's distant server off in the Internet, and use their online software. Basically, "cloud computing" is like having your software and data on someone else's really massive hard disk. That's the direction a lot of the computer world is going, and it's so convenient - but with huge risks, most notably if that distant server ever crashes, or your Internet connection goes down, you lose access to everything you have. A private cloud, on the other hand, is - personal. It's material that sits on your own system that you control, whether at home or from afar. There are risks, but less problematic. Data can be breached, though that's a fact of life anywhere. Even your home computer or notebook can be stolen. With private clouds, password protected security is not at the level of the CIA, but it should suffice for most people. (Remember: if you have any data that is SO sensitive, you can encrypt it...or just not put it in your private cloud.) Besides, individuals are far smaller targets than a behemoth cloud company with a bullseye on its back. So, to repeat. This month's products are about being able to access your data from anywhere. Read More...         Cheryl Howard Crew: It's Time to Re-Evaluate Our Pakistan Funding Strategy May 18, 2011 at 11:08 AM   The arrogance of allowing Osama to reside in Pakistan makes it evident that we might have to reconsider the use of our very precious funds these days. That we need, and should continue, ties to Pakistan is not an question. We must, but how much? Read More... More on Osama bin Laden         Richard Nash: You Are the Future of Publishing May 18, 2011 at 11:08 AM   I wish to restore what I believe to be the natural balance of things, an ecosystem of writing and reading. Not out of nostalgia but fundamentally because every time culture becomes more democratic, it becomes better. Read More... More on eBooks         Kia Makarechi: The Death of Edge: Where's the Real Controversy in Pop? May 18, 2011 at 11:08 AM   Our rockstars are American Idol judges, our most shocking pop culture moment of the past two years was Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift. Read More... More on Kanye West         Len Berman: Top 5 Sports Stories May 18, 2011 at 10:52 AM   This year's Preakness mascot is Kegasus, half man, half horse. The whole idea is to draw "party animals." Let's see, music, lots of beer and a bikini contest. And you wonder why ticket sales are up 17%? Read More...         Dylan Ratigan: Debt Ceiling Politics: Fearocracy or Democracy? May 18, 2011 at 10:52 AM   For over a decade, we've been running our politics on fear so often that it's hardly noticeable. The debt ceiling kabuki is a prime example: we'll face catastrophic economic consequences if we don't raise the ceiling, and the end of America if we don't cut entitlements. Read More... More on Osama bin Laden         Sameer Ahmed: Abusing Immigration Law to Target Muslims May 18, 2011 at 10:52 AM   Imagine being thrown in jail for over four years, not because you had violated any laws or because the government thought you were about to, but because they believed you may at some point in the future. This is the story of Tareq Abu Fayad. Read More... More on Immigration         Daniel Wagner: Message to Pakistan: China Will Not Replace U.S. Aid May 18, 2011 at 10:52 AM   In the 60-year period between 1950 and 2009, China's cumulative foreign aid to the rest of the world totaled only $39 billion. By contrast, for the year 2007 the U.S. had a total foreign operations budget of more than $26 billion. Read More... More on Pakistan         Wajid Ali Syed: U.S. - Pakistan Relations:Charlie Brown, Lucy and the Football May 18, 2011 at 10:32 AM   For decades, the United States has made the mistake of equating "Pakistan" with its army and supporting military governments. Despite outward signs that aid will continue to flow to Pakistan's military, there are growing signs that the U.S. is tired of playing the Charlie Brown role. Read More...         Dylan Ratigan: Debt Ceiling Politics: Fearocracy or Democracy? May 18, 2011 at 10:32 AM   Osama Bin Laden's death cast the fear in our politics into stark relief. One of the weirdest cultural reactions after the announcement of his killing was how the Miley Cyrus song "Party in the U.S.A" got a renewed lease on life on Youtube. That song became the unofficial anthem marking the moment. I thought at the time that the partying was mindless cheering, a sports-like spectacle over something somber and important. Yet, while I think it's generally awful to glorify killing, even in righteousness, with some more time to reflect I've changed my mind. For over a decade, we've been running our politics on fear so often that it's hardly noticeable. Take the debt ceiling kabuki - catastrophic economic consequences if we don't raise the ceiling, the end of America if we don't cut entitlements. This kind of fear-mongering is exactly how the banks justify any and everything to bail them out. And it's disguising the actual problems we have as a nation, the six industries strangling our freedom: health care, banking, agribusiness, defense, energy, and telecom. The people who made "Party in the U.S.A" a hit song, twice, are mostly kids who have known nothing but a fear-based dialogue from leaders that ignore their lives and their real problems in favor of slogans about the global war on terror. There are ten year olds who have never lived in an America at peace, and 18-year old soldiers that barely remember when we weren't trying to occupy Afghanistan. This is a generation that grew up on fear, and fear is very powerful. Read More... More on Osama bin Laden         Jeff Danziger: IMF Explained May 18, 2011 at 10:26 AM   Read More... More on IMF         Dr. Judith Rich: The Power of Your Unconscious Beliefs May 18, 2011 at 10:00 AM   Even if, at the conscious level, we say we want one thing, if our unconscious beliefs are in conflict, those deeply held unconscious beliefs will rule the day. Read More... More on The Inner Life         Scott Mendelson: Comparing Bridesmaids to The Hangover Isn't Sexist, Just Inaccurate and Lazy May 18, 2011 at 10:00 AM   Other than the fact that they are both technically comedies, Bridesmaids and The Hangover have absolutely nothing in common whatsoever. Read More... More on Movies         Dr. Cara Barker: How to Let Go of the Need for Certainty May 18, 2011 at 10:00 AM   We have this way of believing that if we can just change our world from the outside, it will settle the unquiet on the inside. The problem with that thinking is that it puts us in a holding cell. Read More... More on Emotional wellness         Moisés Naím: Why Libya, But Not Syria? Five Answers May 18, 2011 at 10:00 AM   Why are the United States and Europe attacking Tripoli with bombs and Damascus with words? Why are they putting so much effort into bringing down Libya's brutal tyrant and so timid in their dealings with his equally cruel Syrian counterpart? Read More... More on Syria         Scott Morgan: The Supreme Court's Stinky Ruling on Marijuana Odor: What Does it Really Mean? May 18, 2011 at 9:34 AM   This week's Supreme Court decision in Kentucky v. King has civil-libertarians and marijuana policy reformers in an uproar, and rightly so, but it's not exactly the death of the 4th Amendment Read More... More on Supreme Court         Liza de Guia: This Unusual Condiment Will Change Your Life: Mike's Hot Honey (video) May 18, 2011 at 9:34 AM   "It's always been my dream to become a condiment man, and I feel like I'm taking the steps necessary, at this point, to reach that goal." Meet Michael Kurtz, the founder and completely obsessed "condiment man" behind Mike's Hot Honey, a small-batch spicy pepper infused honey company based in Long Island City, Queens. Mike loves condiments. He collects them like a little kid would collect baseball cards. It's a love that grew out of his passion for hot sauces growing up; a love that expanded to other bottled and jarred goods as he was exposed to greater cuisines and food markets here in New York City. This Condiment Will Change Your Life: Mike's Hot Honey from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo. Read More... More on Food         Vivian Weng: A Society of Renters? May 18, 2011 at 9:34 AM   The joy that comes from receiving and unwrapping a beautiful new dress you 'discovered' online can never be replicated in a rental transaction. Just call me old fashioned, no pun intended. Read More... More on Fashion         Michael Shaw: Reading the Pictures: Arnold the Philanderer = Very Old News May 18, 2011 at 9:32 AM   Why anybody would even bat an eye over yesterday's disclosure of Schwarzenegger's love child is ludicrous. Read More...             This email was sent to cbzvdani.delluve@blogger.com. Delivered by Feed My Inbox PO Box 682532 Franklin, TN 37068 Account Login Unsubscribe Here