In an exclusive interview with New America Media Associate Editor and Huffington Post contributor Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Congressional Black Caucus Chairperson Barbarba Lee discusses the election, the GOP takeover, working with the GOP and Tea Party influenced House members, and the role of the Congressional Black Caucus. The interview was a New America Media production.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/congressional-black-caucu_b_779927.html)
Congressional Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee Says Democrats Will Fight On (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/congressional-black-caucu_b_779927.html)
This is the first of a multi-part series from the World Music Expo 2010 that took place in Copenhagen, Denmark this year. The accordion is one of the instruments, along with the bagpipe, that contains its own hand-pumped air supply. In the case of the accordion, the bellows can create and support very long lingering tones, or short, staccato passages. These mechanical "lungs" bring out a physical response in me. I find myself drawn into the breathing of these instruments. And while we think of most accordion music as upbeat, there are several bands (and musicians) who have used this breathing feature to create meditative music. Danças Ocultas is such a band.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michal-shapiro/from-womex-accordion-medi_b_779932.html)
From WOMEX: Accordion Meditations with Danças Ocultas (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michal-shapiro/from-womex-accordion-medi_b_779932.html)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Jockey fights in horse racing are as much a part of the sport as whips, saddles and the $2 bet.Most times, the dustups take place behind closed doors, not in the winner's circle.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/06/jockeys-borel-castellano-_n_779934.html)
Jockeys Borel, Castellano Brawl At Breeders' Cup (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/06/jockeys-borel-castellano-_n_779934.html)
Men are in the news lately -- have you noticed? I read with interest the Sep. 10 Newsweek piece "Men's Lib (http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/20/why-we-need-to-reimagine-masculinity.html)," about "reimagining masculinity" for our modern age, and I read with equal interest Lisa Belkin's piece in the Oct. 24 New York Times Magazine, "Calling Mr. Mom? (http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/calling-mr-mom/)" which explored the same topic and cited the same Swedish studies and enlightened public policy concerning paternity leave, among other things. Hooray for Sweden. Clearly, men are on our minds, for more reasons than you'd think. I've been meaning to speak up on the subject, so I'll take this opportunity.For several years now, I've been inching toward compassion for the poor slobs, for men in general. Perhaps I should say American men, because that's the species with which I'm most familiar. I grew up in the time of women's liberation, just after the early feminists had cleared the way for me to assume I'd enjoy equal opportunities and respect, have a career and, if I felt like it, a marriage and children, too -- and financial independence. So I did all that, and somewhere along the way, I got to feeling exhausted, and chronically pissed off at my then-husband for not doing more, managing more, caring more, remembering more. ("Did you buy milk, honey?" I'd ask. "Oh, no, I forgot," he'd say. Grrr.) I know lots of couples who are stuck in this blame dynamic, and I have a feeling that plenty of others know what I'm talking about.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janet-carlson/men-overboard-in-the-wake_b_778736.html)
Men In The Post-Women's-Lib World: Should We Give Them A How-To Guide? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janet-carlson/men-overboard-in-the-wake_b_778736.html)
In his first one-on-one interview (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/04/60minutes/main7021844.shtml) since his party suffered crushing losses in the 2010 midterm elections, President Obama reiterated his belief that his administration failed to effectively communicate with voters.When asked by CBS's Steve Kroft whether the elections were a "reflection on your leadership," the president instead focused on his belief that he did not sell his policies:More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/07/obama-60-minutes-interview_n_780073.html)
Obama Reflects On Elections In '60 Minutes' Interview (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/07/obama-60-minutes-interview_n_780073.html)
We hear a lot these days about the need to return to the Constitution. With a new group of legislators, many elected on this theme, we may soon hear a lot more. Some of this call to founding principles is driven by the desire to limit government, to constrain its reach into our lives. Some of it seems driven by a nostalgic desire to recapture the past.In this spirit, it might help to take a return look at James Madison, rightly called the "Father of the Constitution." Madison maneuvered a failed convention of the States in Annapolis in 1786 into the Federal Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia. He was a key part of the campaign to get Washington out of retirement to chair (and lend prestige) to the convention. In his Montpelier library, Madison produced two documents summarizing the faults of the current national government under the Articles of Confederation and the lessons learned from the failures "Of Ancient and Modern Confederacies." These papers established him as an intellectual tour de force in the convention and helped him craft the Virginia Plan, which opened the proceedings with a dramatic departure from purely amending the Articles. Madison then volunteered to take notes of the proceedings and spoke in debate more than 200 times from May to September. When the convention adopted the Constitution, he led the fight for ratification by being a prime author of the Federalist Papers and then a successful opponent of the far more impassioned anti-federalist orator, Patrick Henry, in the Virginia ratification convention. Elected to the first Congress of the United States in 1789, it was Madison who proposed the language of what we now know as the Bill of Rights.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-newell/in-search-of-james-madiso_b_780191.html)
In Search of James Madison (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-newell/in-search-of-james-madiso_b_780191.html)
It crosses our mind that there's far too much attention paid to aphorisms about falling in love and not nearly enough to those about falling out of love.So herewith, Huffington Post introduces our own section of divorce aphorisms. Our inaugural aphorism comes from Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/divorce-aphorism-of-the-d_n_780406.html)
Divorce Aphorism Of The Day (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/divorce-aphorism-of-the-d_n_780406.html)
It's an odd story in a way. One day a Texas gal from a ranching family falls in love with the ocean. She loves being in the water and the underwater world, and she has a life-changing 45-minute underwater encounter with a Cephalopod about the size of her thumb. Octopi are Cephalopods and scientists think they could be smarter than we are; some fringy researchers believe Cephalopods might be aliens from outer space or divine beings. Anyway, if you're going to hang around with a Cephalopod for 45 minutes, you're probably going to have what the Texan called "a seminal moment." It changed her life.Over a span of thirty-five years, her above- water and underwater journey has taken her from the Texas Panhandle to Micronesia to Polynesia and the Caribbean, to work on coastal management, economic development, and research. Now she is a digital activist working to save our seas. Her name is Charlotte Vick, and she's the curator of the Explore the Ocean layer in Google Earth.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-schneider/googles-digital-activism_b_780522.html)
Google Ocean: Google's Digital Activism (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-schneider/googles-digital-activism_b_780522.html)
As Weiwei states in the video below, the Chinese government "cannot let anything happen if they don't understand it." Following his recent October opening at the Tate Modern, on November 5, 2010, Ai WeiWei, Chinese artist and activist, was placed under house arrest by the Chinese police. Weiwei said this house arrest was planned to prevent him from attending a party to mark the demolition of his newly built Shanghai studio, an order from the Chinese government. We learned on Artdaily (http://artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=42340), that just as he was finishing construction on his new studio, he received a notice from the government informing him that he would have to knock it down. In good activist fashion, Weiwei planned a party to commemorate and draw attention to this event. Watch the video below for a few words from Weiwei himself.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/chinese-artist-ai-weiwei-_n_780754.html)
Chinese Artist Ai WeiWei On House Arrest, Shanghai (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/chinese-artist-ai-weiwei-_n_780754.html)
Arnold Schwarzenegger has an answer for an age old question: What are you smoking?His response: Who cares? At least if it's pot.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/schwarzenegger-pot-joint-leno-video_n_780797.html)
Schwarzenegger Talks Pot With Leno: 'No One Cares If You Smoke A Joint Or Not' (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/schwarzenegger-pot-joint-leno-video_n_780797.html)
Simon Doonan sat down with supermodel Iman for
Harper's Bazaar (http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/iman-pictures) and he asked her the hard questions, like has she ever thrown a cell phone at anyone. (The answer was no.) She also revealed that she takes more time to get ready than her husband David Bowie does:
Iman: ....Me? I don't do anything by myself. I have a whole crew to get me ready every day.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/iman-reveals-she-was-once_n_781049.html)
Iman Reveals She Was 'Once Very Rude To A Young Model' (PHOTOS) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/iman-reveals-she-was-once_n_781049.html)
Despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary, isolationist, pro-chaos writers insist that negotiations between the Taliban and Karzai's so-called peace council will yield a result preferable for the Afghan people to the presence of US and NATO Coalition forces. A preview of what a premature US/NATO military exit really means for Afghanistan can be found in two reports, one from Human Rights Watch and the other from Amnesty International.The Human Rights Watch report focuses attention on atrocities committed against Afghan civilians during the 1990s by various warlords, most of whom operated under the guidance and support of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI). The report is titled "Blood Stained Hands (http://www.hrw.org/en/node/11668/section/2)" and includes tales of people being rounded up simply on the basis of their ethnicity and locked into cargo containers, which were then destroyed with rocket propelled grenades. In some instances, groups of civilians were thrown into prison cells and sprayed with machine gun fire. Militias indiscriminately rocketed residential neighborhoods. All the while, Gulbaddin Hekmatyar's cannons showered the entire city of Kabul with a hail storm of missiles from the surrounding hilltops. The report reveals that the killing, maiming, raping and beating of civilians was widespread.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-roddy/amnesty-international-hum_b_781289.html)
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch Report on ISI-Sponsored Hell in Af-Pak (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-roddy/amnesty-international-hum_b_781289.html)
This is one lizard that you wouldn't want to make angry.While it may look harmless enough using its quick tongue to snatch up helpless ants, which make up 90% of its diet according to National Geographic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE_fZNZjJcQ), it brings out the big guns when threatened with becoming someone's dinner.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/10/lizard-shoots-blood-out-o_n_773702.html)
Lizard Shoots Blood Out Of Eye As Defense Mechanism (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/10/lizard-shoots-blood-out-o_n_773702.html)
The Bush camp is quickly pushing back on a British report Tuesday that claimed the former president had been so cold on John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008 that he even suggested he would have been willing to endorse Barack Obama instead."This is ridiculous and untrue," Bush spokesman David Sherzer told (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44934.html) Politico. "President Bush proudly supported John McCain in the election and voted for him."More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/10/bush-obama-endorsement-mccain_n_781476.html)
Bush Denies Claim That He 'Would Have' Endorsed Obama Over McCain (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/10/bush-obama-endorsement-mccain_n_781476.html)
SAN FRANCISCO — Increasing energy efficiency is the focus of the first-ever federal guidelines for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources issued Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Among the suggestions: replacing dirty fuels used to power oil refineries with cleaner sources and requiring more efficient electricity and energy use with existing power plants to reduce emissions – while not requiring expensive technology upgrades.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/10/epa-issues-firstever-fede_n_781861.html)
EPA Issues First-Ever Federal Guidelines For Reducing Industrial Greenhouse Gas Emissions (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/10/epa-issues-firstever-fede_n_781861.html)
Excerpted from Disaster on the Horizon: High Stakes, High Risks, and the Story Behind the Deepwater Well Blowout (http://www.amazon.com/Disaster-Horizon-Stakes-Deepwater-Blowout/dp/1603583165)Phoom! It was that impossible-to-describe sound that happens when you're too close to the blast to hear the full roar. I could see nothing but orange, black, and red as I was engulfed in an intense, all-consuming heat. It was immediately sickening, and I began to process the fact that I was in serious trouble. At that same instant, I was knocked off my feet and slid headfirst down a muddy slope, plunging into water saturated with chemicals. The fire was overhead now, and I was completely disoriented. Crawling on my belly, underwater, unable to breathe, I was trying to get away from the heat that had permeated my skin. I crawled for what seemed like hours, though it was only seconds -- everything in slow motion.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-l-cavnar/bob-cavnars-disaster-on-t_b_781932.html)
Disaster on the Horizon: A Former Oil Man's Perspective (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-l-cavnar/bob-cavnars-disaster-on-t_b_781932.html)
One of the most outspoken critics of the war in Iraq is heading back there on military assignment, likely as part of the last arm of a U.S. mission he has vehemently opposed.Jon Soltz, the chairman and co-founder of VoteVets.org (http://votevets.org), a leading critic of the Iraq war, told the Huffington Post on Wednesday that he was taking a year of absence from the group to deploy to Iraq as part of Operation New Dawn.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/11/jon-soltz-votevets-founde_n_781997.html)
Jon Soltz, VoteVets Founder, War Critic, Called Up For Military Service In Iraq (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/11/jon-soltz-votevets-founde_n_781997.html)
The results are in: After serious consideration, Californians voted against Prop.19 (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iOTgDcRUP39o1LduuGZ8JgJrUwpw?docId=eb1ca6938d0c44faa7df019106a6f74f). This proposition has spurred some interesting conversation throughout the country, but in the end, I think it's passing would have been ill-advised. In the words of Roger Salazar, spokesman for the campaign opposing Prop. 19, "The cover of the book looked nice, but it didn't read very well."As a substance abuse treatment professional, I am thrilled and relieved, and I hope Proposition 19 was rejected because voters looked beyond the surface, examined available information, and made a responsible decision. Here are some important, straightforward and well-known facts that I hope guided voters in their decision:More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deni-carise/prop-19-rejected-californ_b_778841.html)
Prop 19 Rejected: California Doesn't Judge a Book By Its Cover (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deni-carise/prop-19-rejected-californ_b_778841.html)
Who: Calling all hungry veterans!What: In honor of Veterans Day Gladstones (http://www.gladstones.com/) in Malibu is offering free meals for veterans.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/11/gladstones-honors-veteran_n_782471.html)
Gladstones Honors Veterans With Free Meals On Veterans Day (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/11/gladstones-honors-veteran_n_782471.html)
The publicists of George W. Bush (http://www.georgewbush.org/)'s memoir, Decision Points (http://www.amazon.com/Decision-Points-George-W-Bush/dp/0307590615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289537067&sr=1-1), have not put me on their distro list so I don't yet have the book. I may wait until it gets really cheap on Amazon's used bookseller list, but in the mean time, i leafed through a copy that someone on my Abu Dhabi bound plane had.I saw this passage that just seemed to be part of Bush's typical reckless swagger:More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/george-w-michael-moore-os_b_782559.html)
George W, Michael Moore & Osama bin Laden? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/george-w-michael-moore-os_b_782559.html)
What is this thing called love?This funny thing called loveMore... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shepherd/what-is-this-thing-called_1_b_781879.html)
What Is This Thing Called Love? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-shepherd/what-is-this-thing-called_1_b_781879.html)
Douglas Schoen and Patrick Caddell are best known for going on the Fox News Channel, where they pretend to be "Democratic strategists." But unlike virtually every other Democratic strategist in the Western world, the two men show a studied disinterest in and a complete antipathy for any of the policies and philosophies for which the Democratic Party is best known. This is because the two men are disingenuous hacks. And another well-known forum of disingenuous hackery is the
Washington Post editorial page, where today, the two men appear with advice for President Barack Obama. Naturally, it's terrible advice (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/12/AR2010111202846.html?sid=ST2010111203190):
This is a critical moment for the country. From the faltering economy to the burdensome deficit to our foreign policy struggles, America is suffering a widespread sense of crisis and anxiety about the future. Under these circumstances, Obama has the opportunity to seize the high ground and the imagination of the nation once again, and to galvanize the public for the hard decisions that must be made. The only way he can do so, though, is by putting national interests ahead of personal or political ones.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/12/pretend-democrats-advise-_n_782991.html)
Pretend Democrats Advise Obama Not To Run For Re-Election (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/12/pretend-democrats-advise-_n_782991.html)
Burlesque artist Dita Von Teese fielded our questions earlier this week and we ended up chatting about everything from old cars to why she abhors stylists to the new coffret she designed for Cointreau.She also revealed to us what she went as for Halloween -- complete with a picture we practically begged her to send. [SCROLL DOWN FOR THAT.]More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/12/dita-von-teese_n_782941.html)
Dita Von Teese: Every Halloween I Dress Up As A Normal Girl (PHOTOS) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/12/dita-von-teese_n_782941.html)
While there are many things in school administration and districts overall that are out of teachers' or students' control, there are still ways to impact students positively through classroom content.Lesson design strategy and creating dynamic, engaging content is key in keeping students engaged in learning. Not only can dynamic content keep them engaged, but it can help create a pattern of learning for students to apply the rest of their lives.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bobbi-deporter/in-the-classroom-you-have_b_782858.html)
In the Classroom You Have to Make Content Dynamic (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bobbi-deporter/in-the-classroom-you-have_b_782858.html)
Are you one of those "Lord of the Rings" fanatics who greets friends in Elvish, knows the map of Middle Earth by heart and has read the books and seen the movies three times over?We certainly are!More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/13/lord-of-the-rings-new-zealand_n_782367.html)
15 LOTR Locations In New Zealand (PHOTOS) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/13/lord-of-the-rings-new-zealand_n_782367.html)
As an infectious disease clinician and also an individual fond of the dramatic arts, I can't help but use a theater metaphor to describe the cyclical nature of our specialty. As swine flu takes a bow and is swept backstage to join SARS, bird flu and the other actors of times gone by, a new performer seems to be taking the spotlight. Pertussis (stage name: Whooping Cough) has been drawing quite a bit of attention lately, especially in my home state of California. Given the fear and anxiety that seems to be surrounding this new production, it is worthwhile to try and demystify things a little.Whooping cough is a very contagious disease caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. It is spread from person to person, usually by sneezing or coughing, often at distances of five feet or less. Once inhaled, it attaches to the small hairs inside your nose and then replicates causing inflammation in your upper airways. It is not a new disease and medical reports of this infection date back to the 16th century. Its name, Pertussis, comes from Latin roots meaning "intense cough."More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meena-lagnese-md/demystifying-medicine-who_b_782889.html)
Demystifying Medicine: What Is Whooping Cough? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meena-lagnese-md/demystifying-medicine-who_b_782889.html)
We don't know about you, but we could barely keep up with First Lady Michelle Obama's outfits in India and Indonesia. So we've rounded up all of her looks, from her button-down gray dress upon arrival in Mumbai to her colorful sheath at the Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta.Take a look and tell us which of her ensembles is your favorite.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/13/michelle-obama-india-indonesia_n_783131.html)
Michelle Obama's India & Indonesia Ensembles (PHOTOS, POLL) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/13/michelle-obama-india-indonesia_n_783131.html)
In the last decade, science has made enormous strides in decoding the human genome and finding associations between genetic variants and certain conditions, or diseases and disorders. We owe a lot of our individual characteristics, after all, to minor variations in our DNA. So it seems reasonable that small discrepancies in our genomes can mean the difference between being a routinely sound sleeper and a chronic insomniac (http://www.theinsomniablog.com/the_insomnia_blog/2008/11/good-news-for-people-with-insomnia.html).And now we have proof: new research (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20975052)just published in the journal Neurology concludes that people who have a gene variant called DQB1*0602 have a higher chance of developing narcolepsy (http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-related-problems/narcolepsy-and-sleep), a sleep disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness. It's not that having this variant dooms a person to narcolepsy. The association is probabilistic, not deterministic, meaning that you might develop narcolepsy if you have the gene, or you might not. Depending on the population, 12 to 38 percent of those with the variant do not have the sleep disorder and are considered healthy sleepers. Also, people without the gene variant can develop narcolepsy, though this is less common.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/do-genes-determine-your-s_b_780717.html)
Do Genes Determine Your Sleep Quality? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/do-genes-determine-your-s_b_780717.html)
This past week, graduate student Emily Ruppel wrote an editorial (http://tech.mit.edu/V130/N52/ruppel.html) for the MIT newspaper The Tech that offered a formula even a poet can understand: "MIT - poetry = a travesty." She was lamenting the cancellation of MIT's "Advanced Poetry Workshop" for financial reasons, while the school continued to offer such courses as "Writing for Social Media," "Writing for Games" and "Communicating With Mobile Technology."One can certainly question a school's decision to fund a course on Twitter theory over its only advanced poetry workshop. But is it fair to question it at MIT, a school with a stated mission of "the advancement of knowledge and education of students in areas that contribute to or prosper in an environment of science and technology?" Ruppel thinks so:More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-lundberg/should-mit-teach-poetry_b_782998.html)
Should MIT Teach Poetry? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-lundberg/should-mit-teach-poetry_b_782998.html)
In an extensive story in The New York Times, Ron Leiber explain (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/technology/14zagat.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=business)s how Zagat's decision to keep its content behind a paywall has put it far behind in Web traffic and Google search ranking, placing it behind newer competitors such as Yelp.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-plesser/zagat-may-have-lost-the-f_b_783298.html)
Zagat May Have Lost the Foodie Web War, but Could Win with Apps (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-plesser/zagat-may-have-lost-the-f_b_783298.html)
This year's holiday action films can be summed up in four simple words: Seth Rogen in spandex. Ok, that's a slight exaggeration. In addition to "The Green Hornet," there are Sci-Fi thrillers like "Tron" and "Skyline" on the docket and revenge flick "Faster," but we prefer to focus on comedians in tight clothing.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/15/holiday-movie-guide-2010-_1_n_753268.html)
Holiday Movie Guide 2010: Action Films (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/15/holiday-movie-guide-2010-_1_n_753268.html)
Our schools are turning millions of normal children into dropouts and failures. This isn't because of a few bad teachers or principals, but because the natural learning behaviors of children are routinely penalized instead of praised. Initiatives like "No Child Left Behind" and "The Race To The Top" won't change this, because they don't adequately take into account research about how children learn. As Nobel prize-winning neuroscientist Eric Kandel says, children have "enormous capability that they're born with and often school takes it out of them."Our classrooms are based on outdated ideas, functioning like mid-20th century factories. Each child is offered an identical curriculum, like a car moving along an assembly line. However, children aren't units of production and this approach is failing. Since 1970, the rate of high school graduation has declined, and the United States has fallen from first to twelfth among developed nations in education.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ruth-bettelheim/post_1262_b_783651.html)
Time for Schools to Stop Damaging Children (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ruth-bettelheim/post_1262_b_783651.html)
On November 10, the Obama Administration's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform shocked the small business community with the preliminary recommendation that the Small Business Administration (SBA) be absorbed by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The recommendation came as part of a plan that would cut federal spending by $200 billion through 2015.The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the only federal agency to assist America's chief job creators, its 27 million small businesses. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs359.pdf), small businesses are responsible for more than 90 percent of all net new jobs, 50.2 percent of the non-farm private sector workforce, 50 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 90 percent of exports and innovations.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lloyd-chapman/commerce-department-sba-m_b_783946.html)
Commerce Department & SBA Merger Could Cost Small Business Billions (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lloyd-chapman/commerce-department-sba-m_b_783946.html)
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann lashed out at ABC's former "Nightline" host Ted Koppel and the mainstream media generally in a lengthy "special comment" at the end of his program "Countdown" on Monday night.Koppel sharply criticized the rise of partisan journalists like Olbermann, whom he described as "the most left-leaning among MSNBC's left-leaning, Fox-baiting, money-generating hosts," in an op-ed (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/12/AR2010111202857.html) published in Sunday's Washington Post. On Monday night, Olbermann launched a full-throated defense of his network, arguing that beloved anchors who are considered objective, from Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow to Koppel himself, have long exercised significant editorial judgments.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/15/keith-olbermann-ted-koppel-objectivity-news_n_784000.html)
Keith Olbermann Fires Back At Ted Koppel Over Objectivity, 'Real News' (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/15/keith-olbermann-ted-koppel-objectivity-news_n_784000.html)
Perhaps you were up till 3am studying for a test in a different class. Or maybe you had a dinner with friends that ran late into the night. Either way, you're tired today, and you've made the mistake of yawning in one of Professor Talbert's lectures.Well, you should have yawned quietly because Professor Talbert heard your "overly-loud yawn" and he is having none of it! Also, if you want to anonymously tell on the person who yawned, that will be just fine.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/16/cornell-professor-talbert_n_784306.html)
Cornell Professor Talbert Freaks Out Over Student's 'Overly-Loud Yawn' (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/16/cornell-professor-talbert_n_784306.html)
Democracy carries a great deal of weight in our country. It is so important to us that we have gone to war to protect and defend our democracy. Not only have people given their lives over many decades to protect our democracy, but we also have sent young men and women to war in an attempt to protect other countries' democracies. Taking a giant step even further, we have sent young people to war in other countries in an attempt to spread democracy throughout the world.The system that people have fought and died for is known as representative democracy. Citizens delegate authority to elected representatives and ask them to make decisions that are in the best interest of our country. If the elected officials don't do a good job with this assignment, periodic elections allow us to replace these people.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-gerdy/is-america-for-sale_b_784472.html)
Is America for Sale? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-gerdy/is-america-for-sale_b_784472.html)
This holiday season, when you're shopping for that perfect gift for your spouse, partner, family member, or friend, consider that you might be the gift they are looking to receive. No one really needs the picture frame with its own email address, the foot bath, or the expensive bottle of wine. But I can guess that they all want you to be healthier, feel younger, and be a more vibrant part of their lives.The gift of good health means taking care of yourself now, before the so-called "silent" diseases associated with aging strike. It means taking a proactive approach to health care by identifying illness at the earliest possible stages through state of the art testing. It means losing your love handles, or those stubborn last ten pounds, so that you do not become a candidate for diabetes, heart disease, or metabolic syndrome. And it means enhancing your brain so you won't forget to continue to take care of yourself for years to come.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-eric-braverman/forget-presents-restoring_b_784567.html)
Forget Presents: Restoring Your Health is the Gift that Keeps Giving (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-eric-braverman/forget-presents-restoring_b_784567.html)
Turns out, John Boehner isn't the only one. A politician's image can be made or broken on the level of trust that his or her name conjures up. We Americans like our politicians to be strong, trustworthy and honorable, and the exact right cadence of a leader's name can either inspire us or fill us with doubt and malaise. But no matter how their other qualities, some politicians should have thought twice against using their real name when running for office. Here are some of the most regrettable, confusing, or just awesomely bad political names we could find. Vote for the most ridiculous!More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/awesomely-bad-politician-names_n_784520.html)
11 Awesomely Bad Politician Names (PHOTOS) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/awesomely-bad-politician-names_n_784520.html)
Appalled by the condition of the playground at a West Philadelphia elementary school, two local women decided to take action to makeover the space for students.One of the women, Debra Ruben, a professor of design at nearby Drexel University, enlisted a group of her undergraduate and graduate students to lend a hand.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/drexel-design-students-philadelphia-school-makeover_n_784912.html)
Drexel Design Students Give Magical Makeover To West Philly Playground (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/drexel-design-students-philadelphia-school-makeover_n_784912.html)
In the end, it was a blow out. The mother of all initial public offerings -- that of the refreshed, revitalized and revamped General Motors -- went off better than almost anyone expected. Of course, questions abounded: Could GM sustain profitability? Was its new management team up to the job? When will GM have a product slate as highly rated as Ford's?But investors wisely bought the story that the unprecedented bankruptcy and restructuring fundamentally altered the prospects of the world's second largest automaker.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-rattner/gm-ipo-increase-how-they-_b_785114.html)
GM IPO Increase: How They Turned It All Around (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-rattner/gm-ipo-increase-how-they-_b_785114.html)
Cable news reached an all new level of self-satire and hackery this week as various daytime "serious" anchors mindlessly repeated the phrase "touch my junk" over and over. Years of journalism training, internships and advanced education and they're repeating "touch my junk" in the context of a videotaped airport security fracas.And, speaking of journalistic integrity, "touch my junk" was featured between repeat airings of the brain-shrinkingly stupid commercial for abstinence featuring "The Situation" and Bristol Palin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyWKlxNAh30), both of whom are famous for their, you know, virginity. But good job, anyway, cable news people. Nailed it. You must be very proud.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/when-your-junk-is-touched_b_785138.html)
When Your 'Junk' Is Touched at the Airport, Thank a Republican (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/when-your-junk-is-touched_b_785138.html)
A new "marriage gap" in the United States is increasingly aligned with a growing income gap.Marriage, while declining among all groups, remains the norm for adults with a college education and good income but is now markedly less prevalent among those with less income and education, according to a new Pew Research Center study. The report is based on a new nationwide survey, conducted in association with TIME, and complemented by an analysis of demographic and economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/18/marriage-income-gap_n_785246.html)
Marriage-Income Link: Adults With Good Income, College Education More Likely To Marry (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/18/marriage-income-gap_n_785246.html)
When I first became involved as an attorney and public advocate for the for-profit career colleges who are the target of the Department of Education's "gainful employment" (GE) regulations, I believed - as a liberal Democrat - that there was a basis for reasonable regulation of excessive student debt and abuses.In an earlier commentary (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lanny-davis/does-gainful-employment-p_b_736269.html) about the GE regulations, I warned that the rules, as currently written, would have a paradoxical effect on the progressive Obama administration. I also detailed many of the problems with GE at some length, including an explanation of how the regulations would disproportionally hurt minorities and lower income students who predominantly attend for-profit career colleges.More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lanny-davis/time-for-a-redo-on-gainfu_b_785121.html)
Time for a Re-Do on "Gainful Employment" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lanny-davis/time-for-a-redo-on-gainfu_b_785121.html)