Luhrmann's film works because it gives us the stunning visuals to a place and time few of us have any memory of.
I finally understood -- that the core of the American Dream exceeds the cliché of pulling oneself up by the bootstrap; it requires that we forge a multi-faceted community that reaches out to those in need.
Without the elements of trust and fairness, democracy and free market capitalism cannot work. And poll after consumer poll reveals that a greater percentage than not believes our government and the business and financial sectors are lacking both.
The founder of a famous Pittsburgh pizzeria is giving his customers one final arrivederci. Joe Aiello, an Italian immigrant to America who started...
With a cast of largely baby-faced actors, Jay-Z as an executive producer, and a soundtrack weighted towards hip hop and electronic music, is The Great Gatsby more for younger fans of Luhrmann's more boisterous previous films like Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet?
Our story, our experiment, to create a world where hard work leads to a better life, the American Dream, is slowly dying. But we can fix this. The Student Loan Fairness Act will soon stand before the House of Representatives and embodies a golden opportunity to save the American Dream.
If prison isn't working, what will? How about asking this question: "If so many people are using drugs, what's wrong with reality?" Locking up drug users doesn't address this question.
There is a tremendous opportunity for Darden to grow. The first step is to sit down with its own employees and investors to chart a path for growth based on reasonable standards that will make the promise of the American Dream much more than just lofty rhetoric at a trade conference.
Every semester I ask my first year college students: How many of you expect to earn more than $100,000 per year; every semester almost every student r...
Capitalism's founder Adam Smith's "invisible hand" is indeed invisible to most of society. However, that invisible hand now belongs to big business, finance and government -- to whom it is very visible indeed.
During an interview with a Florida radio station about the dangerous working conditions for undocumented Latino workers, the story of one of the listeners who called in got us all on the edge of our seats.
Think about three million empty, decaying and devalued houses following the leveraged-up mortgage crash of 2008. And what about the jobs lost, and spike in the number of people living below the poverty line?
We are responsible for giving our kids their faith in America's open road. It's our job to authenticate the feasibility of their dream -- one that is even better than ours -- and we have not done so.
The European mass media overemphasize American materialistic pursuits and the bigger-the-better mentality. Yet, many successful American women immigrants know better than to be sucked in by this simplistic image.
I don't want to be anyone's token Mexican. I was lucky that pieces of my life were aligned in such a way that I was able to pursue my goals. Success doesn't just happen -- it's a delicate recipe that requires certain ingredients to work. You can't overcome the system when you're not a part of it.
It's a sobering lesson of history that all the great empires -- including the Roman, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Soviet (and yes, even the British) did not fall apart from foreign invasion, but from their own over-expansion, hypocrisy and corruption. This, I fear, is the future of the American Empire.
I'd never been out of the country for three weeks before. I missed my kids like crazy and was happy to come home. But I'd be lying if I didn't tell y...
It is therefore somewhat amazing that the last 40 years of experience, and the trillions and trillions of dollars spent, have done nothing to alleviate poverty. Which begs the question, have anti-poverty programs supported by Republicans and Democrats for decades been a colossal failure?
I know Americans take pride in Google, Apple and similar-minded companies that rule their respective domains; but as for consumer goods, less and less are being made here. What do you consider a unique all-American gift?
Unfortunately, the inevitable social explosion that their grasping for unlimited political power and even greater concentration of income and wealth than presently exists will produce collateral damage and unpredictable outcomes.
They called him a hero. The most esteemed banker of his time. The captain who could steer the ship while others foundered. Now the truth is out, and Wall Street's golden boy, Jamie Dimon, has fallen to earth with a thud. Why did it take so long?
Language matters. So why is the sustainability community still stuck on the images of reduction such as "zero," "low carbon," "energy efficiency" or "350"? Isn't it time we started using more emotional vernacular like "sexy," "unique" and "comfy"?
I am in a limbo that I never knew existed until I was knee-deep in it. Certainly, it was never in my life plan to be, well... without a plan. The jump from student to CEO (or first female president as my younger brother used to say) didn't happen as seamlessly as I had imagined
For dreamers like me, working for someone else is not fulfilling. I felt stuck in the endless cycle of work/eat/sleep ... and I had gotten sidetracked in my search for success. On top of that, my Peruvian genes started to kick in.
Everyone tells you to listen to your heart. Follow your dreams. Don't ever give up on pursuing what you really want, your deepest desires. Express your innermost self! Become your authentic you, and live your unique life.
