By Jim Selman | Bio
CNN.com and the other media are all reporting today the Obama administration’s and Eric Holder’s decision not to prosecute CIA and other intelligence officials for participation in torture that was authorized by officials in the Bush Administration and the Department of Justice. Amnesty International and other human rights organizations are crying for blood, claiming
By Jim Selman | Bio
For years I have thought that we should put a lot more effort into learning how to receive. I grew up with the idea that it is “better to give than receive” and have tried to live by that maxim to the best of my ability. This is not to say there haven’t been plenty of selfish moments along the way. But I am not talking about being selfish. I am talking about the value of being truly open to receiving what others wish to give—and not just material gifts—also things
By Kevin Brown | Bio
My lovely wife has spent her day=&0=&By Jim Selman | Bio
There was an interesting article in the New York Times on Generation OMG speculating on the impact of the current economic crunch on our younger generations. It compares some of the conventional wisdom about the impact of the “Great Depression” on our parents with views on how the “Great Recession” will affect our children. The conclusion is that nobody knows, although most believe that living in tough times does affect how people see the world and can forge a generation’s ‘way of being’.I am not sure I believe this—it is too deterministic and there are too many exceptions and generalizations to buy the theory. Nonetheless, it can be a useful inquiry.
My father is a conservative man who made practical choices throughout his life. He stayed in the military after WWII because it was a more reliable option than taking risks in the private sector, given his responsibility for raising a family. Was this a product of being a teenager in the Depression or a product
By Shae Hadden | Bio
The algae bloom on the lagoon where I’m housesitting seems symbolic of the state I’m in these days. Long-forgotten, half-hidden ideas seem to be coming to the forefront of my thinking and showing the richness of their colors and their impact on my life. Like my belief that “fear is toxic”. A belief that has been stored for years in my body and which I’m now choosing to let go of.It’s true that fear triggers certain physiological responses in our bodies: adrenalin gets released, our heart rate increases, and all the normal ‘fight or flight’ responses come into play. And when fear is a constant in our lives, it becomes a constant in our bodies as well. My belief has been that it acts like a toxin, something harmful to our health and wellbeing, something that drains our energy and limits our ‘aliveness’. Over time, it can become a source of
By Jim Selman | Bio
As we move into the sixth month of the ‘global meltdown’, it seems like it has been going on a lot longer. I can hardly remember what it was like when we were ‘high’ on the prospects of prosperity forever. Like most ‘-olics’, we thought we controlled something we didn’t control that then began controlling us. In our pursuit of the American Dream, we somewhere began to get a little too much of a good thing and became ‘hooked’ on the idea that perpetual growth
By Jim Selman | Bio
I’m half-way through the safari. We’ve experienced total immersion in the Hadze culture, experienced the world’s eighth natural wonder—the Ngorongoro Crater—and the world’s largest zoo—a 10 mile by 12 mile caldera with 1,800 foot walls. We’re now in the Serengeti. As luck would have it, we’ve connected with part of the great migration of plains animals—hundreds of thousands of primarily wildebeest and zebra.
It is easy to imagine what
By Kevin Brown | Bio
I was preparing my mother-in-law’s Canadian tax return this week for net-filing, a service I have provided for the past six years. For those of you who have used a software tax package, you will know that ‘net-filing’ a return is an online submission direct to the Canada Revenue Agency. Her return is very basic, really just accounting for her Old Age Security benefit and Canada Pension. Since she retired, she has never received a refund and never has had to make a payment. So this should have been relatively easy. Ah, but not so! This time, when I attempted to obtain the 4 digit access code that would allow me to file online, the online connection to the CRA would not grant me the access code.I had to call their 1-800 number.
Their response was that I could not have access to the code because I was not identified in their system as a guardian. I mentioned that my wife was also available, but, no, she also was not identified in their system. Only my mother could request the code. OK, so I asked my mother-in-law (who is 92 years young) to take the telephone.
So the call proceeded with the CRA representative asking my mother-in-law
By Jim Selman | Bio
I am not an economist and I don’t know what to think about all the ‘unprecedented’ claims coming from the joint communiqué of the G-20 summit. I hope it works. But, hey, a trillion isn’t what it used to be! As a guy who has been around enough to be a little bit wary of political claims of bright horizons, I wonder if the world’s leaders are really united to correct past excesses and grease the financial system enough to restore confidence in the future.After all, isn’t that what this is really about? I don’t mean just the repairing all the economic machinery, but ordinary people’s confidence in the future? Can our kids look forward to having children of their own with some expectation that they can raise them in a manner that is reasonably close to how they were raised? If we believe the pundits, the prospects are grim. President Obama is doing his usual eloquent job of trying to be straight with the electorate
By Theodore Tilten
Once in Persia reigned a king,
Who upon a signet ring
Carved a maxim strange and wise,
When held before his eyes,
Gave him counsel at a glance,
Fit for every change and chance:
Solemn words, and these were they:
‘EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY."
Trains, of camel through the sand
Brought him gems from Samarcand;
Fleets of galleys over the seas
Brought him pearls to rival these,
But he counted little gain,
Treasures of the mine or main;
‘What is