The options for most tenants in California who face dilemmas like that of a 97-year-old woman being evicted from her Burlingame home of 66 years are usually pretty simple: Hit the bricks.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
U.S. Scrambles to Contain Growing ISIS Threat in Libya
As U.S. intelligence agencies say the number of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria has dropped, the group's ranks in Libya have roughly doubled .
Saturday, February 20, 2016
The best. Also, the worst.
Friday, February 19, 2016
University of Texas Could Face Campus Carry Lawsuits
Supporters of allowing guns on campus say the university's restrictions go too far and might violate the law.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Which candidates scare Americans the most?
Americans aren't just for or against presidential candidates this year: Color them scared.
Twitter is Trapped Not By 140 Characters But By Its Own Success
This article appeared as an op-ed on my regular column in The Washington Post.
Twitter is in a state of crisis. The stock has tanked since co-founder Jack Dorsey returned as chief executive. Four of 10 top executives just left. With takeover rumors swirling Dorsey must think outside the box and reinvent the one-time darling of social media.
Twitter has stumbled into a mess that may be hard to break out of. Here are five unfortunate problems:
#UsersArePassive
The top 3 reasons why people use Twitter are: getting breaking news alerts, getting general news and to "pass the time," according to a study by the American Press Institute. However, a vibrant social media platform needs the "social" part - active engagement -- to have broad, growing interest. It is striking that 44 percent of users have never sent a single tweet, according to one study. Moreover, users don't come back even if they sign up. Of the 284 million accounts created in 2013, only 12.9 percent were still actively tweeting in February 2014.
In comparison to key competitors, Twitter does not do as well on user engagement: Facebook users are more likely to post and respond to content, while Twitter users are more likely to follow passively.
#ElitesRule
In a 2013 letter Twitter was described as "a service shaped by the people, for the people." It is ironic that, in reality, a few power users with massive followings shape the service. This is not surprising given that news following -- entertainment, sports and politics as the three top sources -- is what draws users. This means that celebrities and news organizations get a leg up. While Katy Perry has over 81 million followers, according to a 2013 study, the median Twitter user has 1 follower; and even among those who were active and posted in the last 30 days, the median user had just 61 followers. The network effect reinforces the power users: Caitlyn Jenner set the record for the fastest ever time to reach one million followers. While Ellen DeGeneres's Oscars selfie was the most retweeted message.
#AudienceIssues
Media outlets must keep their eyes on the groups advertisers love, such as people between the ages 12 and 24. According to a study by Edison Research and Triton Digital, Facebook still has a lock on 74 percent of this demographic in the United States. Young people prefer Instagram and Snapchat over Twitter. The challenge in the social network business is its self-reinforcing nature: the more people there are on it, the greater the incentive for me to be on it. As Twitter falls behind, its chances of catching up become slimmer. Against its biggest competitor, Twitter has a substantial gap to close: Facebook drives 20 times as much traffic as does Twitter (as measured by social referrals as a percentage of overall traffic).
#GrowthInTheWrongPlaces
Twitter's growth market is the Asia-Pacific, according to eMarketer, and yet it is in the United States that it earns the highest revenues. Looking ahead, the Asia-Pacific markets will be heavily contested with competition from fast-growing alternative social networks, such as, the enormously popular, WhatsApp. Twitter is, of course, locked out of the biggest market of them all: China.
#ReinventingIsRisky
Dorsey is reportedly considering raising Twitter's 140-character limit to 10,000.
Currently, the average tweet length is about 67.9 characters, according to an analysis of a million tweets in 2012, by a Twitter engineer. This suggests that the few people active on Twitter are using it mostly to post photos or a link, with a brief introduction. Changing the character limit does little to address these fundamental challenges that are behind Twitter's troubles. Will expanding the limit induce users to dramatically change behaviors and become content creators, when there are already so many other platforms to do so?
By mixing the old tweet with a new longer form will add to the confusion. Loyal followers who were attracted by the brevity of Twitter could be turned off.
All great products must reinvent themselves to remain relevant, fresh and serve customers. Facebook, for example, has done this, with new apps, new markets and new plans, without changing its core. It is unwise to mess with the very attribute of what makes the product distinctive and compelling in the first place.
Twitter is not a particularly social social network; it is a community of 320 million shaped by a handful of elites. It appears too late to pivot back to a "service shaped by the people, for the people." If Dorsey can find a way to break out of the beautiful bind Twitter has created for itself, that will be news worth tweeting about.
Chakravorti is senior associate dean of International Business & Finance at Tufts University's the Fletcher School. He's also the founding director of the Institute for Business in the Global Context and author of The Slow Pace of Fast Change. Formerly a partner at McKinsey, he taught innovation at Harvard Business School.
Twitter is in a state of crisis. The stock has tanked since co-founder Jack Dorsey returned as chief executive. Four of 10 top executives just left. With takeover rumors swirling Dorsey must think outside the box and reinvent the one-time darling of social media.
Twitter has stumbled into a mess that may be hard to break out of. Here are five unfortunate problems:
#UsersArePassive
The top 3 reasons why people use Twitter are: getting breaking news alerts, getting general news and to "pass the time," according to a study by the American Press Institute. However, a vibrant social media platform needs the "social" part - active engagement -- to have broad, growing interest. It is striking that 44 percent of users have never sent a single tweet, according to one study. Moreover, users don't come back even if they sign up. Of the 284 million accounts created in 2013, only 12.9 percent were still actively tweeting in February 2014.
In comparison to key competitors, Twitter does not do as well on user engagement: Facebook users are more likely to post and respond to content, while Twitter users are more likely to follow passively.
#ElitesRule
In a 2013 letter Twitter was described as "a service shaped by the people, for the people." It is ironic that, in reality, a few power users with massive followings shape the service. This is not surprising given that news following -- entertainment, sports and politics as the three top sources -- is what draws users. This means that celebrities and news organizations get a leg up. While Katy Perry has over 81 million followers, according to a 2013 study, the median Twitter user has 1 follower; and even among those who were active and posted in the last 30 days, the median user had just 61 followers. The network effect reinforces the power users: Caitlyn Jenner set the record for the fastest ever time to reach one million followers. While Ellen DeGeneres's Oscars selfie was the most retweeted message.
#AudienceIssues
Media outlets must keep their eyes on the groups advertisers love, such as people between the ages 12 and 24. According to a study by Edison Research and Triton Digital, Facebook still has a lock on 74 percent of this demographic in the United States. Young people prefer Instagram and Snapchat over Twitter. The challenge in the social network business is its self-reinforcing nature: the more people there are on it, the greater the incentive for me to be on it. As Twitter falls behind, its chances of catching up become slimmer. Against its biggest competitor, Twitter has a substantial gap to close: Facebook drives 20 times as much traffic as does Twitter (as measured by social referrals as a percentage of overall traffic).
#GrowthInTheWrongPlaces
Twitter's growth market is the Asia-Pacific, according to eMarketer, and yet it is in the United States that it earns the highest revenues. Looking ahead, the Asia-Pacific markets will be heavily contested with competition from fast-growing alternative social networks, such as, the enormously popular, WhatsApp. Twitter is, of course, locked out of the biggest market of them all: China.
#ReinventingIsRisky
Dorsey is reportedly considering raising Twitter's 140-character limit to 10,000.
Currently, the average tweet length is about 67.9 characters, according to an analysis of a million tweets in 2012, by a Twitter engineer. This suggests that the few people active on Twitter are using it mostly to post photos or a link, with a brief introduction. Changing the character limit does little to address these fundamental challenges that are behind Twitter's troubles. Will expanding the limit induce users to dramatically change behaviors and become content creators, when there are already so many other platforms to do so?
By mixing the old tweet with a new longer form will add to the confusion. Loyal followers who were attracted by the brevity of Twitter could be turned off.
All great products must reinvent themselves to remain relevant, fresh and serve customers. Facebook, for example, has done this, with new apps, new markets and new plans, without changing its core. It is unwise to mess with the very attribute of what makes the product distinctive and compelling in the first place.
Twitter is not a particularly social social network; it is a community of 320 million shaped by a handful of elites. It appears too late to pivot back to a "service shaped by the people, for the people." If Dorsey can find a way to break out of the beautiful bind Twitter has created for itself, that will be news worth tweeting about.
Chakravorti is senior associate dean of International Business & Finance at Tufts University's the Fletcher School. He's also the founding director of the Institute for Business in the Global Context and author of The Slow Pace of Fast Change. Formerly a partner at McKinsey, he taught innovation at Harvard Business School.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Iowa Poll's Mixed Message: Strongman Or Strong Woman?
DES MOINES -- If the seers at the Des Moines Register are correct -- and they are rarely wrong -- Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will win the Iowa caucuses on Monday.
If that happens, the message from Iowa will be more than confused.
Republicans will have picked the most out-of-the-box, radical -- not to say outrageous -- candidate in modern times; Democrats will have chosen the most traditional, inside-the-box politician.
If that is the shape of the race to come in 2016, then Americans will face a stark choice: between a strongman who invokes fear, resentment and outrage at the system and a woman who will offer herself as a steady inheritor of the Obama administration and traditional governance.
It's hard to imagine a starker choice, if that indeed is what the country gets. But that is what Iowa will say, according to Des Moines Register Poll director Ann Selzer, who is revered for her meticulous accuracy in past polls.
The poll shows Trump winning 28 percent Monday night, compared with 23 percent for Ted Cruz, 15 percent for Marco Rubio and 10 percent for Ben Carson. Rand Paul polls 5 percent and all the rest of the GOP candidates below that.
Hillary Clinton polls 45 percent, Bernie Sanders 42 percent and Martin O'Malley 3.
If these numbers hold, here are the horserace consequences, candidate by candidate.
Trump
He is off to the races, and is a dominant frontrunner in a way that no one -- no one -- could have expected even a few months ago. He is in a strong position in New Hampshire and South Carolina. The phrase "run the table," which comes from casinos, a world Trump knows, could be applicable.
Cruz
If the numbers hold -- that is, if Ted Cruz loses by 5 points -- the results will be devastating. Like Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee before him, Cruz has placed his faith (literally) in evangelical voters and in the hardest of hardline approaches to social issues. It might not be enough, especially since Trump is cutting into that vote.
Rubio
Third place matters in some races, and it matters in the GOP race. If Rubio can match or exceed that 25 percent, he gets into the conversation as an alternative to the two leaders. At a rally today in Ames he was the essence of cheery, upbeat and future-oriented -- a sunny contrast to the apocalyptic rhetoric of the other two.
Clinton
Hillary Clinton was blindsided and out-organized by Barack Obama in 2008; she won't be this time. Many older Obama voters are with her now and some who would otherwise support Bernie Sanders are worried about the cost of his many new government programs. If Hillary can win Iowa, she can at least plausibly dismiss a likely Sanders win in New Hampshire as a neighborly gesture to a Vermonter -- and focus on South Carolina, where she is in strong shape among black voters.
Sanders
Sen. Sanders, at 74 years old, is the pied piper of young voters in Iowa, who support him overwhelmingly regardless of their sex. But the experts at the Register say that the turnout of first-time voters won't be anywhere near as large as Obama generated in 2008. "I don't think the poll is wrong -- as of last night," said Tad Devine, who is running the Sanders campaign media. "But we still have time."
The horse race aside, the poll contains important clues to the appeal -- or lack thereof -- of the candidates, especially Trump.
Asked who they thought had the best chance of wining the general election, Iowa republicans chose Trump over Cruz by 35 to 24 percent. Asked which candidate would generate the most fear among America's enemies -- the poll presumed that was a good thing -- Trump won 50-21. Asked who would bring needed change to the country, Trump won 37-21.
Sanders' strengths are that he has convinced voters that he is on their side and understands the life of average people. He leads Hillary Clinton on that by a 51-37 percent margin.
"That is a margin that the Clintons aren't going to like," observed Mark Halperin, who was one of the hosts of a Bloomberg event in Des Moines at which the results were announced.
Democratic voters do not divide along gender lines, somewhat surprisingly, but by age. "It's generational" said Selzer.
But Clinton has the lead because older voters turn out more reliably, and because the amount of first time voters is not likely to get anywhere near the wave that elected Obama.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Weekend Roundup: The Bitter Fruits of the Arab Spring
The tragic outcome of the Arab Spring doesn't get any less bitter with time. The repercussions of that pan-Arab rebellion five years ago are still traumatizing the region and the world.
As Amira Yahyaoui wrote from Tunis earlier this month, even in Tunisia a counterrevolutionary narrative of "it was better before" is taking hold as virulent protests against the lack of jobs have erupted. Egypt has gone from repressive autocracy to revolt to democratic elections back to repressive autocracy. The self-described Islamic State is establishing bases in the post-Gaddafi vacuum in Libya. Assad's ruthless resistance to the revolt in Syria has devastated that country.
From Greece to Denmark, political reaction to the influx of refugees fleeing the carnage poses the most serious challenge yet to the decades-long advance toward an integrated Europe with open borders.
Writing from Cairo on the anniversary this week of the Egyptian uprising against then-President Hosni Mubarak, Walid Akef says his country today is like "hell" after the "paradise" of the Arab Spring. "I had a dream like any other Egyptian," he writes. "I lived through the unforgettable moment when Mubarak was obliged to cede the throne. I was waiting for a new Egypt, for a different future to come. Now, we are living through the worst moments Egypt has ever lived. Yet even in this complex reality, we still have hope." In an interview, Egyptian historian Khaled Fahmy recalls the excitement of the Tahrir Square protests and his support of, and then disillusionment with, the Muslim Brotherhood. His great regret, like so many others, is that "we didn't transform this energy into something more durable." World Social Media Editor Rowaida Abdelaziz talks to the Egyptian artist Ganzeer, whose street art murals and political posters exploded in popularity during the rebellion, about how the events changed him and his country. We also profile the ongoing theater activism of Sondos Shabayek, known for her "Tahrir Monologues," as she stages performances confronting sex, violence and the daily lives of women in Egypt today. Additionally, we look at the stories of 12 activists and journalists who have been silenced by the Sisi regime.
Iyad El-Baghdadi, a prominent Arab Spring activist, senses insecurity on the part of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during this week's anniversary. Sisi's "state is franticly trying to suppress a movement it claims to have already suppressed," he writes. "Even as Egypt's central security chief declared they 'will not allow another revolution,' the hashtag 'the people demand the downfall of the regime' quietly became the top trending topic in the Arab Twittersphere." Menna Elnaka wonders now whether Egypt is really ready for democracy.
Former U.N. arms inspector Scott Ritter scores the illusions of both the Bush and Obama administrations, which based their misplaced hopes for Western-oriented regime change on the digital prowess and narrow social base of rebellious youth while underestimating the power of the centuries-old practice of Friday sermons at the mosques. In the end it was the holy book of Islam, not Facebook, that brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power in democratic elections before they in turn were overthrown in a military coup. Writing from Al-Zarqa, Jordan, Duha Sa'fan welcomes the spirit of the Arab Spring, but laments the consequences. "Jordan has suffered a lot because of them, " she says, referring to the revolutions and the mass of refugees who have fled to her country as a result. "Reforms are needed in all aspects of the country," she continues, "but that doesn't mean we need a revolution."
World Reporter Charlotte Alfred tells us why Tunisians are protesting five years after the revolution. Tunisia's former Deputy Finance Minister Boutheina Ben Yaghlane sees economic progress as the key to preserving his country's fragile democracy. "One in six Tunisians currently lives below the poverty line and unemployment is nearly 29 percent among graduates of higher education," he writes. "In a country where three-quarters of the unemployed are 15-30 years of age, upward mobility of a promising economy is pivotal to reducing our vulnerability."
In an exclusive, WorldPost Middle East Correspondent Sophia Jones reports from Afghanistan this week where she interviews Reza Gul, a young woman who continues to speak out despite a horrific attack by her husband. "I am not afraid," she tells Sophia before boarding her flight to Kabul.
Writing form Copenhagen, Rasmus Alenius Boserup traces the evolution of the Danish mood from the "cartoon crisis" of 2006 when worldwide protests erupted after the publication of satirized images of the Prophet Muhammad to the passage this week of legislation to seize the valuables of refugees to pay for the costs of hosting them. Reflecting on a recent visit to Denmark, Andras Simonyi says, "The ambiguous measure of confiscating the valuables of arriving refugees is not smart. Knowing the bad memories it brings back from the past, this law should have been suspended from the start. Not doing so only poured gasoline on the fire, which is being stoked by those who see caution and moderation as a flaw of liberal democracies."
Elsewhere in the world, Brahma Chellaney writes from New Delhi that a resurgent Japan is necessary to balance China in Asia. From Moscow, Nikolai Petrov describes how falling oil prices are upending Russian politics.
WorldPost China Correspondent Matt Sheehan describes how acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhao Liang "walk[s] the line between art house cinema and didactic documentary, between the visually lush and the politically potent" in his new film "Behemoth." He also traces the divergent paths of two Chinese brothers, one of whom went to university in the U.S., and the other who stayed in China.
Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden evaluate China's "risky gamble" in the Middle East as President Xi visited Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia this week. Writing from Shanghai, Nobel laureate Joe Stiglitz assesses China's "new normal." "'Markets with Chinese characteristics,' he says, "are as volatile and hard to control as markets with American characteristics. Markets invariably take on a life of their own; they cannot be easily ordered around. To the extent that markets can be controlled, it is through setting the rules of the game in a transparent way." In an excerpt from his new book, "The Only Game in Town," top global bond manager Mohamed El-Erian argues that the "'new normal' of low growth, rising inequality [and] political dysfunction" can no longer be addressed by central banks but must be taken on by political leaders. Both Robert Reich and Bill McKibben praise Bernie Sanders insurgent challenge to Hillary Clinton. As Reich puts it, "Bernie Sanders is the most qualified candidate to create the political system we should have, because he's leading a political movement for change." Howard Fineman looks at the power of evangelical voters in the heartland state of Iowa in advance of the presidential caucus votes there next week.
As the World Health Organization warns that the Zika virus is "spreading explosively," global health expert Laurie Garrett fears a "perfect storm" has unfolded where the spread of disease-bearing Asian and African mosquitoes meets the El Nino climate event and economic crisis in Brazil. In a reflection on the Islamic State's recent destruction of the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, Iranian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo reminds us that civilization rests fundamentally on dialogue with the heritage of those who came before us. Olafur Eliasson explains why he believes art has the power to change the world.
This week's "Forgotten Fact" looks at some of the destruction in southeast Turkey -- with photos that resemble war-torn Syria -- where the government is fighting the Kurds. Another haunting photo essay shows the impact of climate change on Bangladesh.
In a tribute to Marvin Minksy, who died this week at 88, Robert Lawrence Kuhn offers the most fascinating quotes from his interviews with the artificial intelligence pioneer over the years. Fusion this week wonders if continually connected millennials will ever be able to retire. Lastly, our Singularity series ponders the exact whereabouts in our solar system of newly discovered Planet Nine.
MISSION STATEMENT
The WorldPost is a global media bridge that seeks to connect the world and connect the dots. Gathering together top editors and first person contributors from all corners of the planet, we aspire to be the one publication where the whole world meets.
We not only deliver breaking news from the best sources with original reportage on the ground and user-generated content; we bring the best minds and most authoritative as well as fresh and new voices together to make sense of events from a global perspective looking around, not a national perspective looking out.
As Amira Yahyaoui wrote from Tunis earlier this month, even in Tunisia a counterrevolutionary narrative of "it was better before" is taking hold as virulent protests against the lack of jobs have erupted. Egypt has gone from repressive autocracy to revolt to democratic elections back to repressive autocracy. The self-described Islamic State is establishing bases in the post-Gaddafi vacuum in Libya. Assad's ruthless resistance to the revolt in Syria has devastated that country.
From Greece to Denmark, political reaction to the influx of refugees fleeing the carnage poses the most serious challenge yet to the decades-long advance toward an integrated Europe with open borders.
Writing from Cairo on the anniversary this week of the Egyptian uprising against then-President Hosni Mubarak, Walid Akef says his country today is like "hell" after the "paradise" of the Arab Spring. "I had a dream like any other Egyptian," he writes. "I lived through the unforgettable moment when Mubarak was obliged to cede the throne. I was waiting for a new Egypt, for a different future to come. Now, we are living through the worst moments Egypt has ever lived. Yet even in this complex reality, we still have hope." In an interview, Egyptian historian Khaled Fahmy recalls the excitement of the Tahrir Square protests and his support of, and then disillusionment with, the Muslim Brotherhood. His great regret, like so many others, is that "we didn't transform this energy into something more durable." World Social Media Editor Rowaida Abdelaziz talks to the Egyptian artist Ganzeer, whose street art murals and political posters exploded in popularity during the rebellion, about how the events changed him and his country. We also profile the ongoing theater activism of Sondos Shabayek, known for her "Tahrir Monologues," as she stages performances confronting sex, violence and the daily lives of women in Egypt today. Additionally, we look at the stories of 12 activists and journalists who have been silenced by the Sisi regime.
Iyad El-Baghdadi, a prominent Arab Spring activist, senses insecurity on the part of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during this week's anniversary. Sisi's "state is franticly trying to suppress a movement it claims to have already suppressed," he writes. "Even as Egypt's central security chief declared they 'will not allow another revolution,' the hashtag 'the people demand the downfall of the regime' quietly became the top trending topic in the Arab Twittersphere." Menna Elnaka wonders now whether Egypt is really ready for democracy.
Former U.N. arms inspector Scott Ritter scores the illusions of both the Bush and Obama administrations, which based their misplaced hopes for Western-oriented regime change on the digital prowess and narrow social base of rebellious youth while underestimating the power of the centuries-old practice of Friday sermons at the mosques. In the end it was the holy book of Islam, not Facebook, that brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power in democratic elections before they in turn were overthrown in a military coup. Writing from Al-Zarqa, Jordan, Duha Sa'fan welcomes the spirit of the Arab Spring, but laments the consequences. "Jordan has suffered a lot because of them, " she says, referring to the revolutions and the mass of refugees who have fled to her country as a result. "Reforms are needed in all aspects of the country," she continues, "but that doesn't mean we need a revolution."
World Reporter Charlotte Alfred tells us why Tunisians are protesting five years after the revolution. Tunisia's former Deputy Finance Minister Boutheina Ben Yaghlane sees economic progress as the key to preserving his country's fragile democracy. "One in six Tunisians currently lives below the poverty line and unemployment is nearly 29 percent among graduates of higher education," he writes. "In a country where three-quarters of the unemployed are 15-30 years of age, upward mobility of a promising economy is pivotal to reducing our vulnerability."
In an exclusive, WorldPost Middle East Correspondent Sophia Jones reports from Afghanistan this week where she interviews Reza Gul, a young woman who continues to speak out despite a horrific attack by her husband. "I am not afraid," she tells Sophia before boarding her flight to Kabul.
Writing form Copenhagen, Rasmus Alenius Boserup traces the evolution of the Danish mood from the "cartoon crisis" of 2006 when worldwide protests erupted after the publication of satirized images of the Prophet Muhammad to the passage this week of legislation to seize the valuables of refugees to pay for the costs of hosting them. Reflecting on a recent visit to Denmark, Andras Simonyi says, "The ambiguous measure of confiscating the valuables of arriving refugees is not smart. Knowing the bad memories it brings back from the past, this law should have been suspended from the start. Not doing so only poured gasoline on the fire, which is being stoked by those who see caution and moderation as a flaw of liberal democracies."
Elsewhere in the world, Brahma Chellaney writes from New Delhi that a resurgent Japan is necessary to balance China in Asia. From Moscow, Nikolai Petrov describes how falling oil prices are upending Russian politics.
WorldPost China Correspondent Matt Sheehan describes how acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhao Liang "walk[s] the line between art house cinema and didactic documentary, between the visually lush and the politically potent" in his new film "Behemoth." He also traces the divergent paths of two Chinese brothers, one of whom went to university in the U.S., and the other who stayed in China.
Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden evaluate China's "risky gamble" in the Middle East as President Xi visited Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia this week. Writing from Shanghai, Nobel laureate Joe Stiglitz assesses China's "new normal." "'Markets with Chinese characteristics,' he says, "are as volatile and hard to control as markets with American characteristics. Markets invariably take on a life of their own; they cannot be easily ordered around. To the extent that markets can be controlled, it is through setting the rules of the game in a transparent way." In an excerpt from his new book, "The Only Game in Town," top global bond manager Mohamed El-Erian argues that the "'new normal' of low growth, rising inequality [and] political dysfunction" can no longer be addressed by central banks but must be taken on by political leaders. Both Robert Reich and Bill McKibben praise Bernie Sanders insurgent challenge to Hillary Clinton. As Reich puts it, "Bernie Sanders is the most qualified candidate to create the political system we should have, because he's leading a political movement for change." Howard Fineman looks at the power of evangelical voters in the heartland state of Iowa in advance of the presidential caucus votes there next week.
As the World Health Organization warns that the Zika virus is "spreading explosively," global health expert Laurie Garrett fears a "perfect storm" has unfolded where the spread of disease-bearing Asian and African mosquitoes meets the El Nino climate event and economic crisis in Brazil. In a reflection on the Islamic State's recent destruction of the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, Iranian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo reminds us that civilization rests fundamentally on dialogue with the heritage of those who came before us. Olafur Eliasson explains why he believes art has the power to change the world.
This week's "Forgotten Fact" looks at some of the destruction in southeast Turkey -- with photos that resemble war-torn Syria -- where the government is fighting the Kurds. Another haunting photo essay shows the impact of climate change on Bangladesh.
In a tribute to Marvin Minksy, who died this week at 88, Robert Lawrence Kuhn offers the most fascinating quotes from his interviews with the artificial intelligence pioneer over the years. Fusion this week wonders if continually connected millennials will ever be able to retire. Lastly, our Singularity series ponders the exact whereabouts in our solar system of newly discovered Planet Nine.
WHO WE ARE
EDITORS: Nathan Gardels, Senior Advisor to the Berggruen Institute on Governance and the long-time editor of NPQ and the Global Viewpoint Network of the Los Angeles Times Syndicate/Tribune Media, is the Editor-in-Chief of The WorldPost. Farah Mohamed is the Managing Editor of The WorldPost. Kathleen Miles is the Senior Editor of The WorldPost. Alex Gardels and Peter Mellgard are the Associate Editors of The WorldPost. Katie Nelson is the National Editor at the Huffington Post, overseeing The WorldPost and HuffPost's editorial coverage. Eline Gordts is HuffPost's Senior World Editor. Charlotte Alfred and Nick Robins-Early are World Reporters. Rowaida Abdelaziz is Social Media Editor.
CORRESPONDENTS: Sophia Jones in Istanbul; Matt Sheehan in Beijing.
EDITORIAL BOARD: Nicolas Berggruen, Nathan Gardels, Arianna Huffington, Eric Schmidt (Google Inc.), Pierre Omidyar (First Look Media) Juan Luis Cebrian (El Pais/PRISA), Walter Isaacson (Aspen Institute/TIME-CNN), John Elkann (Corriere della Sera, La Stampa), Wadah Khanfar (Al Jazeera), Dileep Padgaonkar (Times of India) and Yoichi Funabashi (Asahi Shimbun).
VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS: Dawn Nakagawa.
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Moises Naim (former editor of Foreign Policy), Nayan Chanda (Yale/Global; Far Eastern Economic Review) and Katherine Keating (One-On-One). Sergio Munoz Bata and Parag Khanna are Contributing Editors-At-Large.
The Asia Society and its ChinaFile, edited by Orville Schell, is our primary partner on Asia coverage. Eric X. Li and the Chunqiu Institute/Fudan University in Shanghai and Guancha.cn also provide first person voices from China. We also draw on the content of China Digital Times. Seung-yoon Lee is The WorldPost link in South Korea.
Jared Cohen of Google Ideas provides regular commentary from young thinkers, leaders and activists around the globe. Bruce Mau provides regular columns from MassiveChangeNetwork.com on the "whole mind" way of thinking. Patrick Soon-Shiong is Contributing Editor for Health and Medicine.
ADVISORY COUNCIL: Members of the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council and Council for the Future of Europe serve as the Advisory Council -- as well as regular contributors -- to the site. These include, Jacques Attali, Shaukat Aziz, Gordon Brown, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Juan Luis Cebrian, Jack Dorsey, Mohamed El-Erian, Francis Fukuyama, Felipe Gonzalez, John Gray, Reid Hoffman, Fred Hu, Mo Ibrahim, Alexei Kudrin, Pascal Lamy, Kishore Mahbubani, Alain Minc, Dambisa Moyo, Laura Tyson, Elon Musk, Pierre Omidyar, Raghuram Rajan, Nouriel Roubini, Nicolas Sarkozy, Eric Schmidt, Gerhard Schroeder, Peter Schwartz, Amartya Sen, Jeff Skoll, Michael Spence, Joe Stiglitz, Larry Summers, Wu Jianmin, George Yeo, Fareed Zakaria, Ernesto Zedillo, Ahmed Zewail, and Zheng Bijian.
From the Europe group, these include: Marek Belka, Tony Blair, Jacques Delors, Niall Ferguson, Anthony Giddens, Otmar Issing, Mario Monti, Robert Mundell, Peter Sutherland and Guy Verhofstadt.
MISSION STATEMENT
The WorldPost is a global media bridge that seeks to connect the world and connect the dots. Gathering together top editors and first person contributors from all corners of the planet, we aspire to be the one publication where the whole world meets.
We not only deliver breaking news from the best sources with original reportage on the ground and user-generated content; we bring the best minds and most authoritative as well as fresh and new voices together to make sense of events from a global perspective looking around, not a national perspective looking out.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
The Frustrating Truth About Obamacare
WASHINGTON -- Obamacare is getting boring.
With little time before Sunday's deadline for people to enroll in private health insurance via HealthCare.gov and the 13 state-run health insurance exchanges this year, there's just not much new to say about the Affordable Care Act's impact on this part of the health care system.
Three years after the launch of the exchange marketplaces, they seem to be doing ... pretty okay. The uninsured rate is way down, millions of people have used them to get health insurance, and more than 80 percent of them qualified for financial assistance. The exchanges have made it easier for low-income families to enroll in Medicaid, too. Obamacare enrollment may be transitioning from a major event to something annoying that people have to do every year, like filing taxes.
Still, major concerns remain about what will happen over time, like whether health insurers can make enough money to keep participating and whether the coverage available is affordable for enough consumers.
In other words, Obamacare is neither the disaster opponents predicted nor a smashing success that exceeded its creators' goals and completed the American safety net.
Year three of Obamacare enrollment promises to bring only incremental changes from year two, and little in the way of firm answers to lingering questions. The uninsured rate is about the same, the sign-up numbers are about the same, the polling numbers are about the same, and the worries about this new market are about the same.
Sure, the exchanges and Obamacare's Medicaid expansion have transformed the way low- and moderate-income people get covered. And the slow pace of change doesn't take anything away from the positive impact the law has had on the 17.6 million people who had no health insurance before, or had to pay more because there were no subsidies. Nor does it diminish the stress for those who are stretching their family budgets to buy insurance and avoid paying a penalty for not having coverage, or for those who just can't afford it.
But it does make it impossible to draw grand conclusions about where the system is headed, or to conclude much more about it today than could've been done a year ago.
It's also true that the politics of Obamacare are as heated as ever among those still paying attention. That includes everyone running for president and the Republicans in Congress who are still trying to repeal it and dithering over whether they have any better ideas. But the rhetorical arguments about health care reform haven't varied since President Barack Obama took office in 2009, no matter what the facts show. That bickering doesn't look likely to end or change course no matter who wins the White House in November.
While Obamacare remains a source of partisan contention, and survey results released by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation on Thursday reinforce that Democrats generally favor the Affordable Care Act, Republicans generally don't like it and more people overall think it's bad than good. The numbers have hardly shifted in six years. And fewer than one-quarter of registered voters said the health law is "extremely important" to them this election year, anyway.
So, where are we now? About 11.6 million people have enrolled nationwide since Nov. 1, acting Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Andy Slavitt told reporters on a conference call Thursday. In the 38 states served by HealthCare.gov, there have been 8.9 million sign-ups as of Jan. 23, which compares to 7.7 million at the same point in the 2015 period, and about 100,000 fewer than after the end of last year's open enrollment. The federal agency's tally undercounts the total because the enrollment numbers it uses from the state-run exchanges in places like California, Idaho and New York are a month old and have been growing since.
The means enrollment appears on pace to at least meet the low end of the 11 million to 14.1 million the Obama administration predicted would sign up during open enrollment, especially if there's a surge in the final days, as there was the first two years. Traffic on HealthCare.gov grew by 50 percent from last week to this, Slavitt said, suggesting another rush toward the deadline.
But the administration's best guess of how many people will still have this coverage by the end of 2016 is 10 million, or just 900,000 more than the administration's projections for exchange customers at the close of 2015, which isn't much in the way of growth.
In a sense, all of these numbers do little more than confirm the unsatisfying truth that the health insurance exchanges will be works in progress for years.
The fundamental questions are the same as they were in the fall of 2013 (except that the websites work now). Will the premiums be affordable? Will people sign up? Will enough of them be healthy to offset to costs of the sick and create a stable system? Will the uninsured learn that subsidies are available to make coverage more affordable and take advantage of them? Will health insurance companies make enough profit to keep them in the market?
When the current open enrollment period winds down, don't expect the final results to tell you much more than you already know. Sign-ups start again in the fall.
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Why I'm Quitting My Job as a Stay-at-Home Mom
I've had a lot of jobs in a lot of places -- hip coffee shop barista, downtown executive assistant, nursing home activities director, and most recently, full-time mama to one fiery little red-headed boy.
When I found out I was pregnant while working a fast-paced job, I was equal parts shocked and devastated. In my mind, I hadn't achieved my dreams yet, and this unplanned little one was an interruption. I thought motherhood would shrink my world, reduce my capacity, and quench my aspirations. Most of all, I thought taking care of someone else meant losing me. So I resigned to this new chapter life had somehow thrust upon me, my back pocket full of the dreams I'd never realize.
I had every intention of going back to work after my son was born; I even haphazardly enrolled him in daycare. Even though I'd be donating the bulk of my salary to childcare costs, I'm an extreme introvert who bores easily, so with the support of my husband and friends, back to work I would go.
But mothering found a tender place in me, one I didn't know I had. I was due to return to the office at 12 weeks postpartum, but each passing night, my heart sunk deeper. I remember one night in particular, wrestling with a hungry two-month-old who couldn't latch on properly. I cradled him in the bathtub and burst into tears. How could I leave this tiny guy with anyone else? Who would sing him the songs that calmed him or rock him to sleep? Maybe it was hormones or maybe it was the Heavens, but I knew I couldn't go back.
So I added Stay-at-Home Mom to my resume, surprising myself and everyone around me. The nursery became my office, sour breast milk my uniform, and the Kardashians my colleagues. Bored I was, but obviously never short on tasks and projects (i.e. keeping a child alive, learning how to pee again, keeping track of all my marbles while a frazzled newborn screamed in the next room).
Mostly, I relearned creativity, how to leverage the mundane and wield simple joys. Those sleepy newborn days afforded me the opportunity to explore my new found tenderness, and with the excess time the early months offered, I started to write again with my baby camped out at my side.
As Ollie got older, this became more difficult. How could I write and supervise a mobile baby? When will I have time for projects when I'm chasing down a toddler? Soon, his sleep became a pocket of time for me to invest in the craft I'd neglected for so many years in the working world. And little by little, word by word, I peeled off the layers of all the identities I'd forged, and somehow, in the least expected way, I found me again.
I love my son, and just like my other jobs, I love parts of staying at home, but as he grew, so did my restlessness. I'd get jealous of my husband when he'd leave for work, desperate for a creative outlet, adult interaction, and a reason to get dressed up. My eyes were constantly on the clock as I plotted the next nap time I could use for my new freelance writing business. In the back of my mind I wondered: Am I stewarding my gifts the best I can for my family? Could I make more money doing this? Do I have what it takes to write professionally? And most of all, can I reconcile the idea of leaving my son in someone else's care to pursue what makes me a more vibrant human?
Once I took the leap, I realized I'm a better mom when I'm doing what makes me feel alive. I'm a stronger parent while Ollie's at daycare, not when I plop him in front of the TV so I can focus on a deadline. So I put my him in childcare twice a week to pursue freelancing, and just like that, we found our sweet spot. He loves daycare, I love working, and we're both giddy upon our reunion.
Now, my son is almost two, and, as fate would have it, I accepted a full-time job -- my dream gig, writing copy for an agency. All because I quit my job almost two years ago. All because I had time to invest in what brings me life -- time I never would have had if I wouldn't have taken this roundabout path through stay-at-home motherhood.
I've never written full-time, and I don't know how I'll handle having more kids, but I'm confident. More confident than ever that I'm in the right place and doing the right thing. And I'll tell you this: having the right people around -- especially my sparkly-eyed boy and his dad -- makes all the difference.
When I found out I was pregnant while working a fast-paced job, I was equal parts shocked and devastated. In my mind, I hadn't achieved my dreams yet, and this unplanned little one was an interruption. I thought motherhood would shrink my world, reduce my capacity, and quench my aspirations. Most of all, I thought taking care of someone else meant losing me. So I resigned to this new chapter life had somehow thrust upon me, my back pocket full of the dreams I'd never realize.
I had every intention of going back to work after my son was born; I even haphazardly enrolled him in daycare. Even though I'd be donating the bulk of my salary to childcare costs, I'm an extreme introvert who bores easily, so with the support of my husband and friends, back to work I would go.
But mothering found a tender place in me, one I didn't know I had. I was due to return to the office at 12 weeks postpartum, but each passing night, my heart sunk deeper. I remember one night in particular, wrestling with a hungry two-month-old who couldn't latch on properly. I cradled him in the bathtub and burst into tears. How could I leave this tiny guy with anyone else? Who would sing him the songs that calmed him or rock him to sleep? Maybe it was hormones or maybe it was the Heavens, but I knew I couldn't go back.
So I added Stay-at-Home Mom to my resume, surprising myself and everyone around me. The nursery became my office, sour breast milk my uniform, and the Kardashians my colleagues. Bored I was, but obviously never short on tasks and projects (i.e. keeping a child alive, learning how to pee again, keeping track of all my marbles while a frazzled newborn screamed in the next room).
Mostly, I relearned creativity, how to leverage the mundane and wield simple joys. Those sleepy newborn days afforded me the opportunity to explore my new found tenderness, and with the excess time the early months offered, I started to write again with my baby camped out at my side.
As Ollie got older, this became more difficult. How could I write and supervise a mobile baby? When will I have time for projects when I'm chasing down a toddler? Soon, his sleep became a pocket of time for me to invest in the craft I'd neglected for so many years in the working world. And little by little, word by word, I peeled off the layers of all the identities I'd forged, and somehow, in the least expected way, I found me again.
I love my son, and just like my other jobs, I love parts of staying at home, but as he grew, so did my restlessness. I'd get jealous of my husband when he'd leave for work, desperate for a creative outlet, adult interaction, and a reason to get dressed up. My eyes were constantly on the clock as I plotted the next nap time I could use for my new freelance writing business. In the back of my mind I wondered: Am I stewarding my gifts the best I can for my family? Could I make more money doing this? Do I have what it takes to write professionally? And most of all, can I reconcile the idea of leaving my son in someone else's care to pursue what makes me a more vibrant human?
Once I took the leap, I realized I'm a better mom when I'm doing what makes me feel alive. I'm a stronger parent while Ollie's at daycare, not when I plop him in front of the TV so I can focus on a deadline. So I put my him in childcare twice a week to pursue freelancing, and just like that, we found our sweet spot. He loves daycare, I love working, and we're both giddy upon our reunion.
Now, my son is almost two, and, as fate would have it, I accepted a full-time job -- my dream gig, writing copy for an agency. All because I quit my job almost two years ago. All because I had time to invest in what brings me life -- time I never would have had if I wouldn't have taken this roundabout path through stay-at-home motherhood.
I've never written full-time, and I don't know how I'll handle having more kids, but I'm confident. More confident than ever that I'm in the right place and doing the right thing. And I'll tell you this: having the right people around -- especially my sparkly-eyed boy and his dad -- makes all the difference.
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Acclaimed Media Exec Explains How She Found The Key To Her Healthy Marriage
As the creator and executive producer of VH1's "Love & Hip Hop" series, Mona Scott-Young is the definition of a strong career woman. She's praised for her ambition, commended for her business savvy and lauded for running her multimillion-dollar company, Monami Entertainment.
At home, though, the tough-minded executive does things a little differently.
As Scott-Young says during an appearance on the new relationship show "It's Not You, It's Men," her sharp approach to business is different from how she approaches her marriage.
"Yes, sometimes I've got to steamroll through the day to get what I need done. But I have to also understand, when I get home, I'm in a partnership," she says. "Although we do have these reverse roles and he's an amazing support system, I've got to support him just as much."
This give-and-take is essential in maintaining her healthy marriage, Scott-Young adds, even though it's not always easy.
"It's still work, every single day. I go home and some days, he's like, '[Buzzer sound]. Check that at the door. This is not a business deal. This is your home,'" she says.
That's when Scott-Young says she shifts her energy -- happily so.
"I've chosen to be in this relationship. I've chosen to be with him," she says. "So it is my responsibility to make sure that I'm taking care of him as much as he takes care of me."
The polarizing discussion about what it takes to have a healthy marriage continues on this weekend's episode of "It's Not You, It's Men," airing Saturday, Jan. 30, at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.
Also on HuffPost: Jordin Sparks, Tyrese disagree on the right time to have sex in a new relationship
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The 2016 SAG Awards Best-Dressed List Is Making Us Feel All The Feels
There were plenty of gowns that were marched down the red carpet on Saturday night at the SAG Awards, but there were a few in particular that left us feeling all warm inside.
Claire Danes kept it simple in a color-blocked Stella McCartney dress, Rooney Mara wore a stunning plunging Valentino gown and Kristen Wiig changed it up in a jumpsuit that we are ogling.
Check out the best-dressed stars of the night and let us know if you agree with our picks (which are listed in no particular order):
Check out all the dresses of the night:
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Kaley Cuoco Makes A Big Bang At The SAG Awards In A Cutout Dress
Kaley Cuoco sure knows how to make a statement.
The "Big Bang Theory" actress stepped out in an off-the-shoulder dress by Romona Keveza with a perfectly placed cutout. Cuoco finished the look with strappy Jimmy Choo heels, a slicked-back top knot and a single statement earring. The head-turning ensemble was certainly not to be missed.
What do you think of this daring dress?
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Why Bonding With Your Boss Is The Best Career Move You Can Make
This story is part of our monthlong "Work Well" initiative, which focuses on thriving in the workplace. You can find more stories from this project here.
Say what you want about brown-nosers, but people who invest in a healthy relationship with their boss have a better chance at finding career success.
This is according to Vicki Salemi, a career expert for Monster.com.
"It's always an excellent idea to bond with your boss," she told The Huffington Post. "The relationship with your boss is one of the most important ones you'll have at your current job. It'll only benefit you."
Here's why:
You'll Have A Friend In A High Place
Besides having another friend at the workplace, you'll have a significantly powerful ally, somebody who will (or should) go to bat for you in sticky situations.
It will also come in handy in the future, when you find yourself looking for a promotion or another job elsewhere.
Think about your job down the road, Salemi said. "[Your boss] can be a referral, a great networking option or help find an internal opportunity. They can be someone who can advocate for you the most. How can they do that if they don't really get to know you?"
To that end, once you become a boss yourself, "you can learn from this dynamic and relationship to be a better manager [when that time comes]."
They'll Know Your Work Ethic
Bosses are busy. Chances are you're not their only employee.
"You may not see it regularly, but if you don't continually check in with them, they may not know what you're doing behind the scenes," Salemi said. "You need to be proactive and make it a priority to connect with them."
Check in with them. "Bosses should appreciate that," Salemi said. Rather than waiting around for that annual review, ask to meet weekly or monthly. Tell them what you're working on, what you've accomplished, and find out what they'd like from you.
It'll Make "That Talk" More Comfortable
You'll be better positioned to ask for a raise, so think of it as professional development. "If you have that open dialogue with your boss and you feel free and welcome and invited to speak with them on a regular basis, then it shouldn't feel uncomfortable for you to ask for a raise or for more training, because you've built that relationship," Salemi said.
How do you pull this off?
Keep It Real
While this is a purposeful move on your part, it's still a relationship, so make sure you keep it genuine (co-workers can smell a sycophant from a mile away).
There are ways to bond with your supervisor without looking like a kiss-ass, as long as you genuinely want to establish a relationship with them.
Invite Them To Something Casual
"I don't want to say be slick, but there's a certain way to go about it," Salemi said. This may not work for every type of office (or every boss), but if it feels right for you, ask them out to coffee, saying Starbucks is your favorite, or suggest a quick walk. "It doesn't have to be about business," Salemi added, so stick to lightly personal topics (without getting too personal). Ask them about their lives and open up yourself: How was your weekend? What's your New Year's Resolution? And offer yours.
"Just like the coworkers you enjoy hanging out with, you're spending time with your boss because you enjoy their camaraderie," Salemi said.
Don't Neglect Your Coworkers
Think of your friends as a garden, and water them all regularly. "You need to manage all of your relationships at work, and that includes your coworkers, too," Salemi said. "If you're getting the stink eye, continue do to what you're doing and, as long as it's authentic and organic, know you're not doing anything wrong. You're building a relationship with your boss."
Judgement might come out as jealousy, so remain a team player, especially in departmental meetings, where you should "maybe play it down, so that you don't seem so chummy or buddy-buddy. In a group dynamic, it's important that your'e a part of the team."
And Don't Forget The Ultimate Rule
It's OK to toot your own horn, Salemi emphasized. "No one's your best advocate more than you, [so] build that relationship. It will only further your career."
The Huffington Post's "Work Well" series is also part of our "What's Working" solutions-oriented journalism initiative.
More stories like this:
- Why Impostor Syndrome Is Good For You
- The Only Email Tips You Need For The Perfect Office Inbox
- What Trader Joe's Can Teach Us About Treating Workers Well
- Why You Should Care About Your Boss' Health
- The Best Productivity App Is Already On Your Phone. You Just Don't Know It Yet.
- 5 Things You Should Probably Never Say To Your Boss
- 8 Toxic People You Should Avoid To Be Happy At Work
- 5 Very Good Reasons To Take A Break At Work Today
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