One Last Flip Flop

After the election was over I figured it was time for Democrats to stop picking on Mitt Romney. But then this past week he once again forgot that humans have recording devices and made a speech basically accusing the president of using bribery to win the election. So, apparently his mea culpa about the 47 percent speech was just as worthless as all those opinions he once held about healthcare, climate change, gay rights and a woman's right to choose.

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/111612_joe_conason_romneys_farewell_47_percent/

Really, Sean?

Amazing Pot Calling the Kettle Black moment today on the Sean Hannity radio show: "I can't believe the liberals are politicizing Benghazi!"

A Far More Perfect Union

We've all heard about people in the Red states threatening to secede. Maybe it's time people in the Blue states considered kicking them out.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-the-confederacy-of-takers/2012/11/13/d8adc7ee-2dd4-11e2-beb2-4b4cf5087636_story.html?hpid=z2

Quick Spins

Love the new Shoes album. This is a band that I first heard about in college, clear back in the late 70's/early 80's. Awesome power pop, reminds me of Cheap Trick and Fountains of Wayne in spots. One of the highlights is "Hot Mess", a totally great Stones rip-off.

I've been a big Ben Folds fan for over a decade now. He has reunited with the Ben Folds Five (there are only three of them including Ben)and produced the wonderful album "The Sound of the Life of the Mind." It's a nice addition to his discography. Highly recommended for anybody who likes intelligent keyboard based pop.

The new Aerosmith album might grow on me. But so far I'm not all that impressed...just kind of feels like a whole lot of musical "product". They should have left four or five of the weaker cuts off it.

There's a Black Guy In Philadelphia!!

Jon Stewart had an interesting conversation with Mike Huckabee last night about the GOP's trouble reaching out to minority voters. Stewart used the example of the Fox News election day hysteria over the fact there was one New Black Panther standing around in front of a polling place in Philadelphia. It's toward the end of the first segment...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/11/13/huckabee-on-daily-show-gop-has-done-pathetic-job-of-communicating/?hpid=z3

Future Cities and Green Growth

Imagine the following newspaper front page:

"Two countries sign the first Green Trade Partnership -GTP. The agreement aims at promoting investment, infrastructure development, transfer, manufacturing and international trade of smart city technologies, renewable energies, bio-industry, environmentally sustainable agriculture, and special visa conditions for tourists and businessmen and women that will engage in conservation and eco-tourism activities."

We want to believe that Japan has the right conditions to be one of those two countries. I already has the technology, the policy, the infrastructure, the financial capability, the track record and, most importantly, the urgency to move faster towards a low-carbon economy, reducing the country's ecological footprint.

We also believe that Costa Rica is a likely partner for this green growth initiative. In the last 30 years, Costa Rica has tripled its GDP and doubled its forest coverage at the same time. More than sustainable development, Costa Rica is an example of regenerative development.

With 95% of electricity from renewable sources and almost 30% of its ecosystems under legal protection, it is clear that Costa Rica is already a green country.

Today we want to invite you to imagine the newspaper headline and imagine it with your country's name on it.

What will it take to change the world as we know it? A lot of work and commitment indeed. First and foremost, it must start with a vision we can share and agree upon.

It is my great honor to introduce Dr. Rene Castro, Costa Rican Minister. His vision of a more prosperous world has changed Costa Rica since 1994 when he was Environment and Energy Minister for the first time, and I was a first year Law student. His influence in my career has been very profound.

I want to thank Ota-san from JICA and Kondo-san from the Ministry of Internal Communications for accepting to share their vision with you today. It is my firm belief that smart cities are the future. Japan knows it and it is an idea that could transform the world as we know it.

I also want to thank the Inter-American Development Bank, the Latin American Association of Japan, and Aoyama Gakuin University for supporting and co-sponsoring this event and taking on the challenge to create shared value together.

Finally, I thank you all for coming, fellow Ambassadors and diplomats, public officers of the Japanese government, executives of private corporations, professors, students and friends. I hope we can imagine the future together.

Conflictos, costos y beneficios

Un conflicto es una incompatibilidad de objetivos. Varios niños pueden jugar con la misma bola. No todos podrán llevársela para la casa, por más fervientemente que lo deseen.

Los costos en un conflicto son múltiples, sobre todo los que implican recursos no renovables que se agotan irreparablemente. El más valioso de ellos es, sin duda, el tiempo, que se consume para siempre en cada instante que transcurre.

En un conflicto, el tiempo que invierten las partes atizando la incompatibilidad es tiempo que pierden ellas y también otros que indirectamente podrían verse afectados.

De una relación conflictiva, las partes nunca derivarán más beneficios que costos. Habrá quienes ganen a expensas del conflicto de otros, como los fabricantes y comerciantes de armas en las guerras. Pero los agentes que deciden permanecer en un conflicto o trascenderlo nunca ganarán más de lo que pierden permaneciendo en él.

La trascendencia de un conflicto es siempre posible. Es de mentes perezosas pensar que "la única opción es pelear." Se requiere ingenio y creatividad para imaginar escenarios en los que las partes involucradas puedan obtener más beneficios que costos.

Ese proceso de innovación tendrá mayor probabilidad de éxito si todas las partes son representadas en ambientes que faciliten la búsqueda de opciones a través de métodos eficaces de transformación de conflictos.

Los beneficios que trae la creación de un escenario de paz entre las partes son ilimitados. El más palpable, otra vez, es el tiempo. Tan pronto sea superado un conflicto, las partes podrán emprender la producción de bienestar que les corresponda y les convenga. Entre más pronto sea transformado un conflicto, más pronto comenzará a generarse la nueva riqueza a la que las partes aspiren.

Esto es tan cierto para los conflictos ambientales que aquejan a nuestro planeta como para las disputas domésticas que son un lastre para el desarrollo de toda una comunidad o un país.

A todos nos conviene hacer esfuerzos para transformar la crisis en oportunidad. Total, son caras de la misma moneda.