5/19 The Huffington Post Full Blog Feed

The Huffington Post Full Blog Feed         David Henry Sterry: The Book Doctors Present: As You Like It, Or the Power of Facebook for Authors May 17, 2011 at 11:53 AM   Every day writers of all ages, races and creeds; published, self-published and unpublished, breathlessly ask us, "Do I really have to have a Facebook page, and if so, what the heck do I do with it?" Read More... More on Social Media         Jesse Kornbluth: Matraca Berg: Is She The Best Singer From Nashville You Don't Know? May 17, 2011 at 11:53 AM   A disc jockey once explained to a journalist why his country music station didn't play Emmylou Harris. It wasn't that she'd moved beyond country into some other category. It was this: "She sings too well. After you play her, everyone sounds off-key, second-rate." Matraca Berg has the same problem --- she is, as they say, too good for the room. She's a songwriter's songwriter, the way James Salter is a writer's writer. And a singer's singer, like Emmylou and too many of the industry's discarded women. Matraca Berg started young, hit big as a writer, hit resistance as a singer. She took a long break. Wrote songs for others. And left her cadre of fans cherishing songs like this: Read More...         Maria Russo: Why Kesté Has the Most "Life Changing" Pizza in NYC May 17, 2011 at 11:21 AM   I am still blown away each time I speak with a New Yorker who has not eaten at Kesté Pizzeria. This tiny eatery in the West Village has the most authentic Neapolitan slice I've ever tasted here in NYC -- and it's damn good. Read More...         The Media Consortium: The Wavelength: Attack of the Media Mega-Mergers! Skyprosoft, AT&T-Mobile and more May 17, 2011 at 11:21 AM   Another day, another media mega-merger. The latest? Microsoft is buying Skype, the Internet communications company, for $8.5 billion. Read More... More on Apple         Len Berman: Top 5 Sports Stories May 17, 2011 at 11:05 AM   PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem says they may test for human growth hormone, HGH. Actually, they'll be forced to when golf arrives at the 2016 Olympics. Read More... More on Tiger Woods         Tom Gerdy: The Greatest Show on Earth May 17, 2011 at 11:05 AM   "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, welcome to the greatest show on Earth!" My guess is that most of your thoughts take you straight to the memories you have been given by the Ringling Brothers and P. T. Barnum. When the ringmaster with the deep booming voice speaks those words under the big top, you know you are in for a special treat. Phineas Taylor Barnum and the Ringling Brothers are often thought to be the greatest showmen. Unfortunately, their reign as kings of that world is threatened. The threat doesn't come from a rival circus or the World Wrestling Federation. The challenge to that title is coming from the presidential candidates as they fight for a spot on the ballot in 2012. As we begin to again travel the long and painful road that is the presidential campaign season, we are already witnessing the beginning of the games they play. It is showmanship at its worst. The candidates' weapons of choice include smoke, mirrors, misdirection, twisted truths, diversions, avoidance, outright lies and manipulation of the media and voters. The best magicians in the world don't come close to the illusions these professional politicians perform daily. It is a sad state of affairs that we get nowhere near addressing the true challenges of our country because of the way the game is played. Again, the voters hope the candidates will be educating them about the issues and possible solutions. The hope is that they will be debating their opponents with arguments based on facts. Again, it looks as if the voters will be disappointed because many politicians don't seem too concerned about facts. The process has degenerated into something rivaling professional wrestling. The platforms of parties and candidates are based on sound bites and wind direction, revolving around votes, money and power, with full-time creation of perceptions despite reality. Read More... More on Campaign Finance         Doug Molitor: 12 Reasons Michele Bachmann Won't Debate a 10th Grader (VIDEO) May 17, 2011 at 11:05 AM   Personally, I think the kid in New Jersey was put up to it. Probably bribed by Kristen Wiig, so she can get a dozen SNL sketches out of it. But it ain't gonna happen. Read More... More on Michele Bachmann 2012         Rev. James Martin, S.J.: Lighten Up!: Spiritual Advice for College Graduates May 17, 2011 at 11:05 AM   Joy, humor and laughter are underappreciated virtues in the spiritual life and represent an essential element in one's own relationship with God. Read More...         Brady Boyd: Who Can Lead the Local Church? May 17, 2011 at 10:49 AM   What qualifies someone to be a leader in the church? Can someone just announce to the rest of us that "God called me" or "God spoke to me"? Read More... More on Christianity         Steve Kettmann: Bill Clinton Is Right May 17, 2011 at 10:49 AM   I was on hand Monday night in Berlin with Angela Merkel and a tent full of luminaries to hear Bill Clinton give former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl the night of his life. Read More... More on Hillary Clinton         Robert Reich: The Battle Is Squared, and Why We Need Budget Jujitsu May 17, 2011 at 10:49 AM   Now that the debt ceiling is in play, there's no end to what the radical right will demand in the budget negotiations. Which leads to a more basic question: Are voters ready and willing to mount primary challenges to incumbent Democrats who cave? Read More... More on Health Care         David Wild: "Would I Lie to You?": A Playlist for Arnold Schwarzenegger May 17, 2011 at 10:49 AM   Wow, this is Arnold Schwarzenegger's most embarrassing pregnancy since Junior. On the other hand, this could be considered the Governator's single most Kennedy-esque moment yet. Read More... More on Arnold Schwarzenegger         Robert Lenzner: ExxonMobil CEO Says Oil Price Should Be $60 to $70 a Barrel May 17, 2011 at 10:49 AM   The formal showdown between Big Oil and Big Politics makes for enormously revealing theater about just how selfish and narrow-minded, cash-rich industry can be when called upon to do their patriotic duty in balancing the budget. Read More... More on Economy         Nake M. Kamrany: Pakistan's Duplicity is the Cause of American Casualties in Afghanistan May 17, 2011 at 10:49 AM   The Navy SEALs' possession and custody of bin Laden's computer files and tapes may identify Pakistan as the most dangerous nation on earth. Read More... More on Al Qaeda         John Feffer: Afghanistan Under the Knife May 17, 2011 at 10:49 AM   It was a primitive form of surgery. 10 years ago, the U.S. stuck a knife deep into Afghanistan in an attempt to remove two malignancies -- al Qaeda and the Taliban. With bin Laden gone, the debate has intensified: What to do with the knife? Read More... More on Al Qaeda         Maria Rodale: Word of the Day: Scandalbroth May 17, 2011 at 10:49 AM   by guest blogger Maya Rodale Scandalbroth, according to Obsolete Word of the Day, is an old name for tea. But it's also a "reference to tea as the beverage of choice while the woman-folk sat around and gossiped" (that is, before cosmopolitans became popular). As an author of historical romance novels set in the Regency period (England, about 1810-1820), it was only  a matter of time before I encountered this weird word. I love it. In one word, it's a beverage, an activity, and a stereotype about women ("sat around and gossiped and drank tea!!!"). Women of the Regency era-- Read More...         John Prendergast: Unlikely Brothers May 17, 2011 at 10:26 AM   Through my years of working on war and peace in Africa, I have learned that there are solutions to some of the greatest human rights challenges, and we all can be a part of those solutions. Read More... More on Africa         Philip Goldberg: Karmic Relief for a Post-Hell World May 17, 2011 at 10:26 AM   Anecdotal evidence suggests that karma has become a ubiquitous shorthand for reap-what-you-sow justice. The term crops up increasingly in song lyrics, sitcoms, news and casual conversation. Read More... More on Christianity         Josh Dorfman: Conflict Minerals Conundrum: Transparency, Traceability and Tantalum May 17, 2011 at 10:26 AM   Tantalum, used in the manufacture of consumer electronics, is often sourced from the Congo where the mining and sale of it is believed to fund ongoing violence inside the war-torn country. Read More... More on Green Living         Christine A. Scheller: Christian Music, Divorce and Triathlons: An Interview with Big Tent Revival's Spence Smith May 17, 2011 at 10:26 AM   When you get outside and realize there's tons of people in the world that love Jesus just as much, if not more, it really questioned my faith. Read More... More on Christianity         Linda Buzzell: Here's the Proof: Green Environments Are Essential for Human Health May 17, 2011 at 10:26 AM   For anyone who still doubts the amazing healing effects of nature connection, here's the proof: Rigorous new research by the University of Illinois reveals: • Access to nature and green environments yields better cognitive functioning, more self-discipline and impulse control, and greater mental health overall. Read More... More on Green Living         Steve Mariotti: Teaching Capitalism in the Last Days of the USSR, The First Three Days May 17, 2011 at 10:15 AM   One night in October of 1990, I was awakened by a phone call from a man with a strong Russian accent inviting me to teach a seminar. Read More...         Marianne Schnall: In Times of Outer-World Overload, Take an Inner Time-Out May 17, 2011 at 9:59 AM   It is in times of great stress when we are in survival mode, when it is most important to stop and be present in our lives and carve out some quality, self-nourishing time for silence and stillness. Read More... More on Unplug And Recharge         Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D.: Why Some People Resist Relationship Infidelity Better Than Others May 17, 2011 at 9:46 AM   At the grocery store, the cute person at the checkout line smiles at you with a raised eyebrow. You strike up a flirtatious conversation, and this person asks for your number. What do you do? Why don't you cheat? What's stopping you? Read More... More on Love and Relationships         Marshall Fine: HuffPost Review: L'amour fou May 17, 2011 at 9:46 AM   I think fashion is silly. Not just silly - ridiculous. When it comes to Fashion Week and all the hoopla surrounding it, I'm of the Hans Christian Anderson school: It's all The Emperor's New Clothes. So I found the clothing and design part of L'amour fou, an intriguing documentary about Yves Saint Laurent and his longtime partner Pierre Berge that's now in limited release, to be less interesting than filmmaker Pierre Thoretton's framing device: Berge's oversight of the disposal of his and Saint Laurent's massive collection of art and antiques and the story of Saint Laurent's struggles over the years with depression, alcohol and drugs. Well, OK - there were a handful of fashions that made me think: I see where this became something that women everywhere wore. More often, I thought what I always think when I see the runway circus at a fashion show: Who would ever actually wear that crap? Read More... More on Movies         Josh Ozersky: Akhtar Nawab Chicken Fried Steak May 17, 2011 at 9:46 AM   It's not every day that a brilliant Indian-American chef who works in a Mexican restaurant can produce a world-class Southern dish. But such is the case with Akthar Nawab, who is from Kentucky and knows his chicken fried steak. Akhtar's work at La Esquina, by the way, is really something. Sadly, however, the chicken fried steak is not on the menu. Read More...         Andrew Brandt: Stay a Little Longer: NFL Lockout Continues May 17, 2011 at 9:36 AM   The NFL received a major leverage shift from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday night with a ruling that keeps the NFL-imposed lockout in place through the appeals process, likely until late June or early July, at the earliest. Read More... More on NFL         David Moshman: The Teenage Brain: Debunking the 5 Biggest Myths May 17, 2011 at 9:30 AM   A 2006 cartoon in The New Yorker shows parents ordering their adolescent son to go to his room until his cerebral cortex matures. This nicely illustrates how we have come to think about adolescents. Read More... More on Mental health         Mariana Caplan, Ph.D.: The Challenges of Being a Spiritual Teacher May 17, 2011 at 9:30 AM   My psychotherapy practice has become almost exclusively focused on working with the emotional and relational challenges of long-term spiritual practitioners and teachers. Read More... More on Spiritual Development         Joe Robinson: Job Stress? How to Keep Catastrophic Thoughts from Killing You May 17, 2011 at 9:14 AM   A massive stress education program could go a long way toward addressing the problem, because the vast majority of us know next to nothing about stress -- and how we hold the key to creating it or dumping it. Read More... More on stress         Laurie David: A Simpler, Cleaner Life May 17, 2011 at 9:14 AM   Daniel Klein brings us so close to a simpler, cleaner way of life, one that is authentically real; homegrown food, respect for the animal, the land, the farm, the people who make it all happen. The way life used to be and could be again if we choose it. Read More...         John Merrow: Can this marriage be saved? May 17, 2011 at 9:14 AM   With all the attention on marriages these days (the Royal Wedding, Newt Gingrich and wife No. 3, Mitch Daniels and his happy remarriage to his ex, and so on) shouldn't we be paying more attention to one very troubled marriage: the one between the American public and our teachers? No doubt it's troubled, but can this marriage be saved? Like any long-married couple, teachers and the public have been fighting off and on for years--in their case for more than 150 years! To me, that's a good sign. After all, fights are evidence of passion, and there's no way this particular marriage will 'drown in still water.' But just because the two still care for each other, and for their 50 million children, that's not enough to keep them together. Read More... More on Education Reform         Marianne Schnall: In Times of Outer-World Overload, Take an Inner Time-Out May 17, 2011 at 9:14 AM   It is in times of great stress when we are in survival mode, when it is most important to stop and take a few deep breaths every once and a while, pay attention to how we are feeling and be thankful for what we have. Read More... More on Unplug And Recharge         Red Room: David Valdes Greenwood: Making Marriage Cool Again: Divorce Rates and the Real Effect of Same-Sex Marriage May 17, 2011 at 9:14 AM   If you are concerned about the "threat" to marriage posed by letting gays in on the deal, the most recent statistics should be heartening. Marriages today are more enduring and less fragile than they used to be. Read More... More on Gay Marriage         Larry Magid: Google Becoming All Things to All People May 17, 2011 at 9:14 AM   It looks like Google is trying to become all things to all people. With Android it's competing with Apple. With its Chromebook laptops, it's competing with Microsoft. It's even competing with GM, Ford and Chrysler now that it's working on driverless cars. Read More... More on Android         Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The Qualities of a Spiritual Life May 17, 2011 at 9:10 AM   On the spiritual path, you learn to handle things with intuition and inner freedom. I don't say don't doubt. I say doubt as much as you can. That will help you get through it... Read More... More on Spiritual Development         Andrew Brandt: Stay a little longer: NFL Lockout continues May 17, 2011 at 8:42 AM   The NFL received a major leverage shift from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (the Court) on Monday night with a ruling that keeps the NFL-imposed lockout in place through the appeals process, likely until late June or early July, at the earliest. Labor dispute, not litigation The NFL has stayed on message since the NFLPA decertified on March 11th, both in their comments and court filings. Their message has been: the battle with the NFLPA is a labor dispute, not litigation; it should not be in court, as the courts do not have jurisdiction in labor disputes. The Eighth Circuit (Court) majority opinion in this stay ruling was receptive to the NFL's position. Read More... More on NFL         Douglas LaBier: Why It's So Hard to Find Your Life's Purpose May 17, 2011 at 8:42 AM   The consequences of not finding your life purpose include chronic, lingering dissatisfaction; an absence of inner peace and a sense of not being fully in sync with your inner self. Read More... More on Wisdom         Ed and Deb Shapiro: Why Finding Your Peace Means Less Suffering for Others May 17, 2011 at 8:42 AM   When we are unhappy or angry then we are also angry with other people and increase the suffering in the world. When we are in pain, that pain gets projected onto others... Read More... More on Spiritual Development         Kerry Trueman: Forks Over Knives: Putting Pork Over Lives? May 17, 2011 at 8:42 AM   Forks Over Knives is, in its own eat-your-spinach kinda way, a feel-good movie. Roger Ebert's declared it "a film that could save your life." So, once you get past the inevitable indictments of our disease-inducing diet, and the stock footage of headless obese people waddling down the street, you'll find yourself ultimately uplifted by the vitality the film's formerly sick and unfit subjects exude as they embrace a plant-based diet. Read More... More on Nutrition         Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, CSSD, LDN: Tips for Healthy Grilling May 17, 2011 at 8:42 AM   Give your stove and microwave a much-needed vacation and get grilling! These tips can help you build yourself a better barbecue. Read More... More on Nutrition         Raymond J. Learsy: Are Our Leaders Hearing ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson? May 17, 2011 at 7:59 AM   Amidst the current kerfuffle of Republicans and Democrats blaming each other for ever higher gas prices, focusing on issues ranging from oil company tax breaks to impediments on new drilling, the most significant item of information extant is barely focused upon. Read More... More on Energy         Raymond J. Learsy: Attorney General Holder,CFTC Chairman Gensler, President Obama. Are You Hearing ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson? May 17, 2011 at 7:06 AM   Midst the current kerfuffle of Republicans and Democrats blaming each other for ever higher gas prices, focusing on issues ranging from oil company tax breaks to impediments on new drilling, the most significant item of information extant is barely focused upon. Last week in Congressional hearings none other than the Darth Vader of all things oil, Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil bravely informed his Congressional interlocutors that the price of oil should be no higher than $60 to $70 a barrel. He attributed the difference from the plus $100/bbl currrent at the time of his pronouncement, to speculation and trading on the commodity exchanges. It is a position that this corner has promulgated for years. Well and good. But coming from Tillerson, that is truly from the horse's mouth. In addition, Tillerson let forth another core nugget of information. That the average cost of producing a barrel of oil is circa $11/bbl. Thereby, and for once giving oiligopoly credence to the enormous profits at hand in the oil sector. It is as though General Motor's Chevrolet Volt was being built at a cost of $25,000 and selling for well over $200,000 plus, and with much less fuss and bother. Read More... More on Democrats         Steve Clemons: Afghanistan War: What Richard Holbrooke Really Thought May 17, 2011 at 4:56 AM   Nicholas Kristof's bombshell article yesterday probing into the notes, letters and thinking on Afghanistan by Richard Holbrooke has a number of good journalists, including Politico's Ben Smith, scrambling to reassess where one of the Democrat Party's foreign policy titans really stood on America's longest war. Thanks to Kati Marton, the late Richard Holbrooke's wife, Kristof was given access to key files and notes of Holbrooke's in her possession -- and with these, Kristof has painted a compelling picture that Holbrooke strongly believed that the Afghanistan War needed to be ended through tough-minded negotiations and eventual reconciliation with the Taliban. Read More... More on Vietnam         Dorothy Spears: Josh Smith Invades the Brant Foundation May 17, 2011 at 3:03 AM   Josh Smith and his dinosaur painting, Brant Foundation/courtesy Billy Farrell Agency If lush green paddocks, a pig roast, an abundance of celebrities, artists, art dealers, pretty young hipsters, collectors and, yes, champagne, could determine quality in art, then the New York-based painter Josh Smith, may have just hit the big time. Read More... More on Painting             This email was sent to cbzvdani.delluve@blogger.com. Delivered by Feed My Inbox PO Box 682532 Franklin, TN 37068 Account Login Unsubscribe Here