The International Council of Concerned Mediators (ICCF) is drafting a letter to US President Bush and Iranian President Ahmadinejad to be sent in January 2008. The letter will call for direct and good faith negotiations without preconditions between the USA and Iran to address outstanding issues such as security in Iraq, Iran’s nuclear development activities, and the Middle East peace process. The focus will be on bringing the importance of immediacy, procedural equity and ownership, accelerated
Category Archives: News
Gender & Age Disparities in Healthcare
It’s extremely important for families to discuss healthcare and aggressive treatments before a crisis occurs. Recent research on gender and age disparities in healthcare published last week by the Canadian Medical Journal Association reveals that women, especially older women, are 20% more likely to die in an ICU and are 33% less likely to receive the life-supporting treatments they need than men. These
Scientist Searching for God in the Brain
Recent research by neuroscientist Mario Beauregard of the University of Montreal attempts to pinpoint what happens in the brain during a ‘mystical experience’. Dubbed ‘neurotheology’ or ‘spiritual neuroscience’, this new line of inquiry may marry religion in a science in a way that could make it possible to make people’s lives "happier, healthier and better able to concentrate". Read the full Scientific American article, Searching
Octogenarian Entrepreneurs
Inc.com recently recognized "8 over 80" entrepreneurs for staying in the game well past traditional retirement age. From Andrew Weil, the oldest entrepreneur in America at 106, to Lisa Gable, inventor of the Strap-Mate, these men and women have embarked on second careers and made running a company their ‘new’ retirement. Find out why 80 is the new 30, and watch the 8 over 80 videos and slideshows of early Boomers who are still calling the shots.
Social Networking for 50+
UK-based Saga Group recently launched a social networking site called Saga Zone aimed at people over 50. In a BBC News report, experts indicate that the technology will help them retirees keep in touch with their families, but that face-to-face communication will still remain their preferred method of communication. Over 13,000 people signed up
Aging King of Nightlife Sues for Sex
Germany’s problems with ageism just took a different turn last week.
Playboy Rolf Eden has his own perspective on age discrimination. The
77-year-old is suing a 19-year-old woman he dated for refusing to have
sex with him on the basis that he was too old for her. Full Story
International Conflict Resolution Day
The third Thursday of October marks the second International Conflict Resolution Day. The World Mediation Forum and the Association for Conflict Resolution co-sponsored the first event. At the same time last year, the International Coalition of Concerned Mediators (ICCM) presented a Call to Action at their annual conference and began working to create a global community of like value-minded Alternative Dispute Resolution professionals and members
AARP Calls Congress to Act Responsibly
Congress is attempting to stop drastic cuts to payments to Medicare
physicians. If approved, the cuts could force more doctors to leave the
system, making it more difficult for older Americans to have access to
healthcare services. Instead of raising Medicare premiums, they are
looking at legislation passed by the House of Representatives that
would reduce excess payments to private insurance plans in Medicare. Full story
Mindless Media
I am having a hard time finding anything good to say about the news
media in North America these days. I hate to think this, but perhaps I
am becoming a curmudgeon. For example, I was impressed by the rapid
coverage of the tragedy in Minneapolis with the bridge collapse. Within
minutes of the occurrence, CNN, NBC, FOX and CBC were ‘on it’. We had
heard about all there was to hear within a few hours, and then we
witnessed some pretty good coverage of the rescue efforts.
But
going into
Objectifying Arabs
I, like a lot of us, am disturbed by the whole global state-of-affairs,
especially terrorism. I am also disturbed by how well intended
“pass-it-on” letters can fuel the polarization of views in our nation
and fan the flames of intolerance and mob hysteria. It’s all driven by
fear of course, and as Roosevelt said, “The only thing we need to fear
is fear itself”. How true today.
The “this-is-worth-reading” item that triggered this response was a
letter-to-the-editor by an airline