This week, while in Davos for the World Economic Forum, I watched President Obama deliver what was a great State of the Union speech... for 2009. Proposing the establishment of a financial crimes unit in January 2012 is like waiting three years before sending firemen to the scene of an inferno. The speech was full of good proposals that will never happen in a year dominated by electioneering. The president's pre-speech embrace with Gabby Giffords took me back to last January, and that horrific Saturday in Tucson -- a tragedy that led to widespread agreement that what we needed as a country was, as Pima County's Sheriff Clarence Dupnik put it at the time, "a little soul searching." Unfortunately, in the year since then, our collective soul has gone largely unsearched -- and the gulf between our leaders' rhetoric and the reality millions are struggling with everyday has continued to widen.
The health of the global economy, and that of markets, depends on the success of a series of medium-term hand-offs between the public and private sectors -- in growth, balance sheets and credit flows.
Tim Tebow is admirably inspired by his strong faith. But when he wears a uniform, he owes that team the respect of making his faith more private expression, less public spectacle.
And so it goes, the revolving door between government service and big money in the private sector spinning so fast it becomes an irresistible force hurling politics and high finance together so completely it's impossible to tell one from the other.
Bonjour! Le Huffington Post, an international collaboration bringing together Le Monde, Les Nouvelles Éditions Indépendantes, and the Huffington Post Media Group's signature mix of news, blogging, community, and social engagement, arrives today.
I love the game of football. I went to a Big Ten school, and my wife and I still return to our alma mater for games. But the game can and should be safer.
We as a society must build on this achievement and take further steps to acknowledge that sexual violence affects men and boys. We must commit ourselves to engaging men in the movement to address, prevent and, one day, end all sexual violence.
After a year characterized by major upheavals, many feel like we are watching a global system disintegrate: financial and debt crises, unemployment, political paralysis, social inequality, food and energy crises, and the list goes on. There is an urgent need for leaders to act.
My most cherished takeaway from Sundance this year is something I hadn't anticipated. I was joined at the festival by my 22-year-old son Brett, a designer who works in New York. Seeing Sundance through his eyes gave new meaning to the experience for me.
The Artist is about the metaphor of silence and the result is that which the audience imagines. With a silent film, what goes on in the theater is the audience creating the story -- and an actor must adjust accordingly.
If you only pay attention to the press coverage and/or tweets from Sundance this year, you might think it is all about celebrity sightings, but in fact, there is some powerful paradigm shifting going on as well.
A few days ago, Mitt Romney pointed out that the banks are carrying debt on their books at inflated values. When was the last serious politician to make that point, openly? His comments were refreshingly honest about our housing and banking situation and the need for a debt write-down.
We need a Rosie the Riveter for our generation. Imagine if six million more women voted this year than did four years ago. We would see a dramatic change in the representation of Congress and in the policies it implements.
I will never be an expert on antiques. I will never be able to tell you if Ben Franklin once sat in that chair, or if it's from Ikea circa last Tuesday. But thanks to the people I meet on the road, I am beginning to learn what is truly valuable.
It's over 100 years since the women's rights movement was born, but some predict it will be another 100 years before women executives in the UK finally achieve equal pay.
This month something happened to me that had never happened before. Absolutely unprecedented. It may be accurate to say that what happened to me is infinitely preferable to the alternative. I turned seventy-five.
Forget all that nonsense you might have learned in the Political Science course you're probably still paying for. The person who wins the presidency in this country is one thing and one thing only: The Best Performer!
I am really hoping that the leaders of the world's most powerful companies walk away from Davos understanding the economic importance of global health. And that they make improving global health part of their business plans.
Each year, there are a few great films that get Park City buzz, only to disappear into a sea of megaplexes and blockbusters. I submit that many of these would have fared better on TV.
It is time for governments around the world to take urgent action on behalf of the millions of children in need of a decent primary education. A Global Fund for Education would be a bold step in the right direction.
Almost never will more than 80 artists unite to support one cause, let alone create, pay for and donate 76 original tracks to raise money for it, but when the cause is Amnesty International and when the songs are Bob Dylan's, something quite magical happens.
Regardless of whether Cubans see themselves as being different than Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Hondurans or other Hispanics, the fact is that the rest of the world tends to see us as one big homogenous group. And so whether we like it or not, these are our issues.
For our final blog on Haiti we wanted to focus on the future of this beautiful country that is full of untapped natural and human resources. Many readers may ask, what is the silver lining to Haiti's story?
The West Antarctic Peninsula is warming about four times faster than the global average. It is the biggest "canary in the coal mine," signaling one of the largest impacts of climate change for the entire world.
The Egyptian peoples' revolution that began a year ago today must not be allowed to be hijacked by the military. The Egyptians, more than ever, need the support of the international community during this critical period, to achieve their goals.
Leatherback sea turtles migrate an astonishing 6,000 miles across the Pacific to feed on jellyfish in the waters off the U.S. West Coast. After such a long journey, wouldn't you want somewhere safe to rest?