Since 1987, the Dalai Lama has been organizing dialogues between scientists and Buddhist thinkers on a range of subjects, from physics and astronomy to empathy and compassion. "These are times," he says, "when destructive emotions like anger, fear and hatred are giving rise to devastating problems throughout the world. But I believe we have a valuable opportunity to make progress in dealing with them, through a collaboration between religion and science." When the two come together, the result is the cultivation of connection -- of empathy and compassion. At the heart of this approach is the Buddhist belief in the mutability of consciousness -- the idea that we can, through certain practices, change our inner being. "It means that the cultivation of loving-kindness can over a period diminish the force of hate in the mind," he explains.
Yes, there's a double-standard. And until there's full equality and the long slow process of racial healing is completed, the double-standard has to remain.
A bill being considered in the House today seeks to roll back existing protection that keep women safe from the threat of violence. That is just plain wrong. Keeping women safe isn't about which political party you support -- it's about protecting basic human rights.
Commencement speeches are the worst kind of speech, because you need to be enthusiastic and inspiring in your own voice. There is nothing cheesier than that.
Giovanni Aldini may not be a household name, but his contributions to science cannot be ignored. Neither can his macabre demonstrations of the power of electricity on the human body.
Obama does have a choice. He can assail Romney's character but he can also take on the system that allows private-equity managers, as well as Wall Street's biggest banks, to continue to make huge profits at the expense of average Americans.
The idea of marriage held by those who are financially secure no longer fits large numbers of working-class couples who conceive children together. That's because the foundation for their relationships has been destroyed by the very people who accuse Obama of a war on marriage.
Bain Capital was Wall Street at its worst. But the Obama team, in the White House and in the campaign, in order to win on the Bain attack, needs to face -- and turn around -- the perception that the administration has been weak on Wall Street.
To make good on its promise, this generation will have to continue to stand up and participate -- not just in the moment of protest, but in the building of sustainable institutions for years to come.
To solve the obesity epidemic, the most important thing you can do is to solve your own weight problem for your own reasons.
President Obama, through the Joining Forces Initiative, will be giving free annual passes to all of our National Parks and public lands to all active-duty military and their families. It might seem just like a nice gesture to offer the free pass, but it really is more.
Can we look at a woman nursing and think "lunch"? We have learned to stop blushing at the sight of a pregnant woman. It's more than time to give nursing mothers the same break.Â
The battle the Kuy and Chut Wutty are fighting against the march of logging, plantations and mining companies into the forest of Cambodia holds an uncanny resemblance to the plot of Avatar. Except this is real-life. And the bullets are real.
Either Romney doesn't understand the words coming out of his mouth, he's just pretending not to understand the words coming out of his mouth, or he's the worst businessman ever.
The recipe -- and the myth surrounding it -- conjures images of a culinarily satisfied man licking his fingers with a mixture of glee and awe while silently promising himself that he will never let you, maker of awesome chicken, get away by bestowing a ring soon after.
It's time for members of Congress to say they're going to do their part and support legislation that creates a circle of protection around programs that are vital to hungry and poor people.
Wearing an ''HIV positive'' T-shirt, I stood before the world -- specifically, in front of the nations hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic -- and asked politicians to remove the shroud of silence.
Today, NRDC announces the winners of the 2012 Growing Green Awards. These awards celebrate the farmers, business owners, and bold thinkers who are transforming America's food system.
To a generation of current and future voters, Barack Obama has deftly offered a choice: a respectful and inclusive voice of the future; versus a schoolyard tormenter aligned with the intolerant voices of the past. Not bad for a community organizer.
Uncertainty, even of the unusual variety, does not -- and should not -- translate into investor paralysis.
Three years later, bin Laden is dead, the drones inflame Pakistan opinion and complicate a peace settlement, and 33,000 American troops are scheduled to pull out by the end of 2012 with "steady withdrawals" to continue after.
The food and beverage industry has been relentless in Washington lately, more than doubling their spending in Washington during the past three years, completely outpacing public interest groups looking out for children's health.
John Beddington, the U.K.'s chief science adviser, three years ago gave a speech in which he warned that population growth, climate change, and the world's rising demand for food, energy, and water constituted a "perfect storm" that could destabilize the world by 2030, or sooner.
When it comes to this generation they are not going to wait. They are not going to settle. They are not going to do 'the right thing'. They are going to do what works for them. Their journey is ongoing, and with it comes their stories.