Jonathan Miller's Blog, page 400

The "Other" Diana Ross and the Power of Forgiveness

My column this week for The Huffington Post serves as tribute to a special friend of mine with a famous name and a powerful story. The "other" Diana Ross suffered an unspeakable tragedy, but she's survived to demonstrate incredible strength and to fight for a critical cause — battling the scourge of domestic violence.

Read the excerpt below:

When my friend Terrell Ross first introduced me to his wife, I struggled to stifle a chuckle.

Diana… Ross? C'mon!

Her famous name seemed even more ironic as...

The RP's Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Wellness

Here's some tips on how to beat the heat this summer, from a roofer who's used to working in scorching weather. [CNN]

Good news, nice guys. New research on baboons reveals that alpha males are significantly more stressed out than beta males. [Time]

According to the British Medical Association, doctors being Facebook friends with patients is a no no. [Wall Street Journal]

New research shows the widespread use of search engines and online databases has affected the way people remember...

The RP's Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Wealth

The Politics of Wealth

 

 

Why avoiding office politics is NOT an option! [Fortune]

Why President Obama walked out of the debt-ceiling talks in the cabinet room. [Washington Post]

Why failure to reach a deal on the nation's debt-ceiling could actually be a good thing. [CNBC]

The end of the era of the engineer: why one engineer argues this sector of the economy will add less value in the years to come. [Forbes]

Rupert Murdoch's family agrees to appear before the British Parliament. [NY Times]

 

Artur Davis: The Demoralization of House Democrats

House Democrats are demoralized by the end game on the debt ceiling, and they have reason to complain that their votes are being taken for granted. But on the substance, their hard line on health benefits is riddled with contradictions: maintaining the status quo on Medicare preserves a benefit/contribution structure that is hardly progressive and that privileges upper income individuals arguably as much as the Bush tax cuts that the same Democrats want to repeal. At the same time, the...

John Johnson: A Recovering Biker

I am not a particularly gifted athlete.  Growing up, I was known more as the "smart one" not the "athletic one".   In fact, I have had somewhat checkered athletic experiences.  I earned a yellow belt in Judo in 3rd grade, but my martial arts career ended shortly thereafter when a very strong 4th grade girl beat me in one of the Judo competitions. I played Little League as a kid as well, but that ended with a fly ball and an unfortunate fainting spell in left field due to heat exhaustion.  I r...

The Politics of Speed: First Impressions are Important

Traffic at the Kentucky Speedway

Last week I told you about Kentucky Speedway finally getting to host it's first Sprint Cup race. Since it was first built 10 years ago, the folks at Kentucky Speedway have been longing for one of the coveted Sprint Cup races to visit their track. The previous owners went as far as suing NASCAR to get a Sprint Cup race (at that time called the Nextel Cup).

So, after 10 long years of waiting, how did the Quaker State 400 turn out?

Unfortunately, not that great.

It...

David Snyder: The Beatles & The Power of Music

This story begins with a gift to my kids in December 2009:  Rock Band – The Beatles.  

At the time, my kids were 7 and 9, with very little "music of their own".  Music is different today, with IPods, ITunes and such.  Back then, we bought albums and then cassette tapes.  Today, you just go online and download.  There was a glory, a joy, a feeling from looking at the album cover, from reading the lyrics, from playing the whole side over and over again, from hearing needle as it hit the vinyl. 

N...

Jerry Seinfeld's Comedy Repression Therapy for John Stewart

We pause our regular programming for this public service announcement:

Last night on The Daily Show, John Stewart was having difficulty repressing himself from telling jokes about Marcus Bachmann, the husband of presidential candidade Michele, who runs a controversial gay repression therapy clinic.

So he called in the cavalry:

 

Tune in NOW to the RP on No Labels Radio!

RIGHT NOW — until 3:00 PM EDT, the RP, along with contributing recovering politician Lisa Borders, is co-hosting No Labels Radio.

No Labels is a new grassroots movement of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are united in the belief that we do not have to give up our labels, merely put them aside to do what's best for America. No Labels Radio will offer a weekly dose of news and interviews with the policymakers who are working to find bipartisan answers to the otherwise intractable...

Tune into the RP, hosting No Labels Radio at 2 EDT

It turns out that the RP has a perfect face for radio.  He's back at hosting No Labels radio today, with fellow contributing recovering politician Lisa Borders.

No Labels is a new grassroots movement of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are united in the belief that we do not have to give up our labels, merely put them aside to do what's best for America. No Labels Radio will offer a weekly dose of news and interviews with the policymakers who are working to find bipartisan answers ...