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Balancing act: Top general tries to avoid conflict with Trump while preparing for possible war with Iran
As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has been drafting military options for potentially striking Iran, a steady stream of top officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force have been quietly summoned directly to his office.
Casey Means faces Senate committee in hearing to be U.S. surgeon general
Means will likely face questions about her qualifications and potential conflicts
Oil prices hover near seven-month highs ahead of US-Iran talks
Oil prices were hovering near seven-month highs on Wednesday as the threat of military conflict between the U.S. and Iran that could disrupt supply continues to worry investors even as talks between the parties are set for Thursday.
READY, SET, IMPLEMENT! Lifelines in Crisis: Prioritizing Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health in Humanitarian and Conflict-affected Settings
Conflict, climate change and displacement are driving a global “permacrisis,” with over half of maternal and child deaths occurring in fragile settings. This PMNCH webinar explores rights-based, resilient approaches to protect WCAH and SRHR, strengthen local systems, and accelerate integrated health action in crisis contexts.
Adolescent Social Health May Foretell Loneliness, Aggressive Behavior, Study Suggests
Teens who are lonely and those who experience conflict in their home life are more likely to act aggressively toward peers or become victims themselves. These are some of the findings in a new University of California, Davis, study that creates a detailed picture of children’s social lives by identifying patterns and predictors of adolescent social health.
Adolescent social health may foretell loneliness and aggressive behavior
Teens who are lonely and those who experience conflict in their home life are more likely to act aggressively toward peers or become victims themselves. These are some of the findings in a new University ...
Under Trump Pressure, Iran Finds Its Friends Are of Little Help
China and Russia have forged closer ties with Tehran but have shown little willingness to provide military aid in a conflict with the U.S.
Venezuela receives more than 1,500 amnesty requests under new law
More than 370 political prisoners have already been granted amnesty under the US-backed legislation.
Venezuela grants amnesty to 379 political prisoners
The move is in line with a new law, giving hope to throngs of others imprisoned over alleged plots to oust the government.
Is southern Yemen’s next phase being decided on the ground?
Security fragmentation and regional rivalries are reshaping power in southern Yemen.
DC Wrap: Board of Peace holds first meeting; U.S. and Iran prep for conflict
A look at the day's biggest stories in national politics
Supreme Court adopts automated recusal software to avoid ethics conflicts
The Supreme Court said Tuesday that it will start using software to assist in justices’ decisions to recuse themselves from cases that present a potential conflict of interest.
UnitedHealth Chief Made Private Side Bets on Healthcare Startups
Stephen Hemsley took unannounced stakes through affiliates of his investment firm. UnitedHealth says he abides by conflict-of-interest policies.
Conflict and instability make pregnancy more dangerous
This brief aligns the latest maternal mortality estimates with whether a country is conflict-affected or considered institutionally fragile. Nearly two-thirds of all maternal deaths worldwide occur in countries marked by conflict or fragility. The risk of a woman who lives in a country affected by conflict dying due to maternal causes is around five times higher for each pregnancy she undergoes compared to her peers in stable countries. In 2023 alone, an estimated 160,000 women died from preventable maternal causes in fragile and conflict-affected settings, that is 6 in 10 maternal deaths worldwide, despite these countries accounting for only around one in ten of global live births.
Bipartisan bill aims to end health conflicts and bring down costs after years of complaints in Ohio
A bipartisan bill would prohibit health giants from providing services and paying for them. It would be the biggest antitrust law in decades.
Skeleton-Ukraine's Heraskevych disqualified over helmet controversy
Ukraine's skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday over the use of a helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed in the conflict with Russia since Moscow's invasion in 2022, he said.
AFCON 2027: What is the truth behind the postponement rumors?
Is AFCON 2027 at risk of being postponed? The truth behind the speculationAFCON 2027 / @thecitizen.co.tzConflicting reports have emerged in recent hours regarding the date of the 2027 Africa Cup of Na...
UN agency begins clearing huge Gaza City waste dump as health risks mount
Solid‑waste mound, estimated at 300,000 cubic meters that formed during war, to be moved to new temporary site south of city that meets environmental standards
When conflict meets competition: Trump's immigration agenda roils opening days of Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympics have become a platform for political debate in the U.S. American athletes face questions about President Donald Trump’s immigration policies
How — and why — to keep politics out of the office
Never assume that your work colleague shares your opinions on politics, our guest columnist writes along with seven golden rules for keeping the workplace conflict-free.
Oil drops more than 1% as concerns about possible US-Iran conflict ease
Oil prices dropped more than 1% at Monday's open as concerns about a possible conflict in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran eased after both countries finished a round of talks on Friday.
Venezuela opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa released
Machado ally says 'there's a lot to talk about regarding the present and future of Venezuela' after release.
Ancient bones reveal chilling victory rituals after Europe’s earliest wars
New evidence from Neolithic mass graves in northeastern France suggests that some of Europe’s earliest violent encounters were not random acts of brutality, but carefully staged displays of power. By analyzing chemical clues locked in ancient bones and teeth, researchers found that many victims were outsiders who suffered extreme, ritualized violence after conflict. Severed arms appear to have been taken from local enemies killed in battle, while captives from farther away were executed in a grim form of public spectacle.
Week in politics: Trump's engagement in foreign conflicts, poll reveals where voters stand on key issues
NPR Political Correspondent Domenico Montanaro joins to discuss the Trump administration's engagement in foreign conflicts, as well as what a recent poll says about what where voters stand on several key issues, including immigration and the economy.
Experts Warn: The Dangerous Blur Between Science and Wellness in Mental Health Bestsellers
A marketplace where labels blur In many bookstores, titles rooted in clinical science sit inches from glossy self-help guides promising instant serenity. That proximity can make rigorous research look interchangeable with lifestyle advice, especially when everything shares the same bright displays. Readers encounter a single aisle labeled “psychology,” even when the content ranges from peer-reviewed evidence to spiritual rituals. The result is a subtle but pervasive blur, turning a complex health landscape into a grab-bag of mixed claims. Why the shelves can mislead Retail categories are built for convenience, not for methodological clarity or clinical accuracy. When “development personal” or “wellness” becomes the default bin, evidence-based psychology competes with coaching manifestos and mystical manuals. The visual language of covers—calming color palettes, confident subtitles, glowing endorsements—flattens the distinction between randomized trials and anecdotal wisdom. In that aesthetic harmony, a guide on cognitive behavioral therapy may appear no more “serious” than a book on moon manifestation. The stakes for readers and patients Confusion carries real risks, including delayed care when people self-treat serious symptoms with untested routines. Vulnerable readers—facing depression, trauma, or anxiety—may be swayed by charismatic voices over careful data. Some messages frame recovery as pure willpower, which can amplify shame when symptoms persist despite effort. Others overpromise universal solutions, ignoring cultural context, diagnostic nuance, and comorbidity. “Shelving is not neutral; it shapes beliefs, expectations, and choices.” What professionals and retailers are asking Clinicians and public-health experts argue for clear, readable signage that separates science-based mental health from broader wellness. Books by licensed psychiatrists or psychologists that cite peer-reviewed studies could be grouped under “Evidence-Based Mental Health.” Adjacent space might host reflective memoirs, coaching workbooks, or contemplative philosophy—valuable in their way, but clearly labeled as non-clinical guidance. Booksellers emphasize their dual role as cultural curators and commercial actors, noting they respond to demand while striving for quality standards. How clarity could look and feel The goal is not to police ideas, but to help readers navigate with confidence. Transparent categorization respects reader autonomy while lifting the signal of credible practice. Clear tags—such as “scientific references,” “clinical overview,” or “personal narrative”—can work like map legends, turning a maze into a route. And when a book blends modes, hybrid labels can acknowledge both insight and limitation. A practical checklist for choosing wisely Check the author’s credentials: clinical license, academic affiliation, or relevant training. Scan the references: citations to peer-reviewed journals or reputable guidelines. Look for scope limits: clear statements about who the book is and isn’t for, and when to seek care. Seek methods, not miracles: approaches tested across diverse groups, with measurable outcomes. Watch the language: be wary of absolute claims, stigmatizing tones, or one-size-fits-all promises. Cross-verify with trusted bodies: national psychology associations or public-health agencies. The publisher’s responsibility Publishers can raise the bar by standardizing disclosure on methods, sample sizes, and limitations. Editorial policies could require conflict-of-interest statements, transparent citations, and plain-language summaries of evidence. Marketing should avoid medicalized framing for books that lack clinical validation, even when sales incentives press for bold claims. When a manuscript mixes reflection with research, honest jacket copy can prevent false equivalence. Coexisting without confusion Wellness writing can offer genuine comfort, perspective, and daily habits that support well-being. Scientific texts can provide structured tools, validated therapies, and realistic expectations for progress. The aim is to let these strands coexist, while giving readers the navigational cues to tell them apart. With clearer shelves, informed labels, and modest design tweaks, we can protect reader trust—and keep the aisle both inviting and intelligent.
As Olympics Open, Pope Leo Warns Against Using Sports for ‘Propaganda or National Supremacy’
The Milan-Cortina Games are overlapping with a moment of geopolitical turbulence as conflicts rage, national leaders issue threats and alliances are strained.
Public Health Service officers deployed in detention centers suffer 'moral distress'
A special corps of health care workers have been called in to work with detained immigrants and many feel deeply conflicted about the assignment, saying they're not able to provide good care.
Claude is a space to think
Anthropic explains why Claude will remain ad-free—how advertising incentives conflict with building a genuinely helpful AI assistant users can trust.
Cleaner Politics Is as Important as Cleaner Fuels
A broad range of views on democracy to help break the stalemate caused by partisan conflict.
WHO launches 2026 appeal to help millions of people in health emergencies and crisis settings
The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched its 2026 global appeal to ensure millions of people living in humanitarian crises and conflicts can access health care.
Why some Greater Cincinnati businesses are taking part in national ‘ICE out’ strike
Multiple small businesses in Greater Cincinnati are participating in a national strike in response to the ongoing conflict involving Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operations.
‘The world is hurting right now’: politics and protest hit the Sundance film festival
A conflicted mood has lingered over Utah’s long-running film festival with premieres and parties continuing but stars speaking out against government cruelty
What role is China playing in global geopolitical transformations?
Chinese foreign policy is shaped by a paradox: it wants to project power and yet it seeks to avoid conflict.
Venezuela frees 104 political prisoners, rights group says
A human rights lawyer and a communications student are among those freed, Caracas-based Foro Penal says.
How politics in Minneapolis are putting law enforcement at risk
Minneapolis offers a warning for law enforcement leaders as political conflict undermines coordination and officer safety
Videos show deadly Minneapolis shooting and political leaders reach different conclusions
A second fatal shooting in Minneapolis again led tensions to boil over as local, state and national leaders weighed in with conflicting accounts of how the situation unfolded
How States Can Combat Health Care Consolidation and Corporate Conflicts of Interest
States have several policy levers they can use to curb consolidation and corporate conflicts of interest, protecting competition and lowering costs.
iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island confusion now appears resolved
There’s been considerable confusion about the fate of the iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island, with conflicting claims about the position...
Solutions right in front of us to solve political extremism crisis
By Landon Mascareñaz Everywhere I went these past two weeks, the sentiment was the same: “What are we going to do about political extremism and the conflict in this country?” I heard it from folks on the left, right and center. Events in Minnesota and Portland, the political violence this past fall, the protests that followed […]
iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details and imagery that appear to clarify the situation.
Read the Texts Between Trump and Norway’s Prime Minister
In the exchange on Sunday, Norway’s leader sought to “de-escalate” the growing conflict over Greenland and Mr. Trump’s latest tariff threat.
Read the Texts Between Trump and Norway’s Prime Minister
In the exchange on Sunday, Norway’s leader sought to “de-escalate” the growing conflict over Greenland and Mr. Trump’s latest tariff threat.
iPhone 18 Pro: Under-Screen Face ID, LTPO+ Display, Dynamic Island Debate Continues
While most sources in the Apple rumor scene agree that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature under-screen Face ID, there continues to be conflicting rumors about how that change might impact the Dynamic Island. In a post on social media platform X today, the account "ShrimpApplePro" claimed that the Dynamic Island will be "shorter" on the iPhone 18 Pro models, as a result of some Face ID components moving under the screen.
Decades of suffering: Long-term mental health outcomes of Kurdish chemical gas attacks
Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed is a clinical psychologist and researcher specializing in trauma, somatic symptoms, and psychopathology in conflict-affected populations. He has worked for over a decade with survivors of massacres in the Kurdistan Region, integrating clinical practice with research. He is also a lecturer at the Institute of Psychotherapy and Psychotraumatology at the University of Duhok. His current research focuses on validating psychological instruments for Kurdish communities and exploring genetic and phenomic factors related to trauma-related disorders. In a new study in Frontiers in Psychiatry, he and colleagues showed exceptionally high levels of trauma among survivors of a notorious atrocity: the 1988 chemical attack on Halabja in Kurdistan. In this editorial, he summarizes their findings.
Curbing Misalignment in American Politics
A broad range of views on democracy to help break the stalemate caused by partisan conflict.
Going barefoot depends on personal health and well-being
Is it OK to go without shoes? I’ve heard conflicting information. I wear supportive shoes for exercise and in public, but I prefer bare feet at home. I stand about six hours a day, and I just find it much more comfortable without shoes. I am 65 and healthy, with no history of foot problems.
Popular Colorado bakery tries to stay in business despite zoning conflict: "We want to keep fighting"
Popular Colorado bakery tries to stay in business despite zoning conflict
Sudan war leaves millions hungry and displaced as health system nears collapse
Sudan’s protracted conflict has spiralled into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with hunger, displacement and the collapse of basic services exacting a daily toll on civilians.
The Age of Aggression: How Strongman Politics Is Dismantling the Post-1945 Order
Across the past eight decades, the international community has experienced successive 'waves' of atrocity accountability—periods in which global norms either strengthened or eroded in the face of mass...
Pack Politics: How Political Identity can Twist Perception of Wolves
Study shows that partisan misperceptions about opponents may lead to conflict, even when consensus is possible
Trump Says He Has No Issue With His Family’s Foreign Business Deals
The president, in an interview with The New York Times, said he showed restraint during his first term but got no credit for it, so he saw no reason to hold back now.
When It Comes to Russia, Trump Navigates Conflicting Goals
President Trump’s efforts to court President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia are rife with contradictions about stability and displays of American power.
4 leadership lessons from Barry Diller: They don't teach this in business school
IAC/Expedia Chairman & Senior Executive Barry Diller's leadership philosophy includes faking it until you earn it and embracing creative conflict.
Americans generally like wolves − except when we’re reminded of our politics
New research shows how identity-driven assumptions can turn common ground into conflict.
Trump Family Businesses Rake in $4 Billion After His Reelection with Focus on AI, Crypto & Nuclear
Ventures launched by the Trump family since Donald Trump’s reelection have generated at least $4 billion in proceeds and paper wealth for the Trump family. With investments across sectors like real estate, hospitality, media, cryptocurrency and more, the Trumps are “increasingly integrating their business empire” into the wider U.S. economy, says David Uberti, who has been reporting on the family’s self-enrichment for The Wall Street Journal. The coupling of Trump’s economic and political influence is raising major questions about conflicts of interest. “You have all of these different business interests in different areas in which the government regulates,” and this “proximity to power may help along some of these deals and the valuations at which they’re made.” We look at the Trumps’ cryptocurrency venture World Liberty Financial and the Trump Organization’s planned $6 billion merger with a firm hoping to build a nuclear fusion plant to power AI data centers with Uberti, who says such “very speculative, highly risky corners of financial markets” are key to the family’s investment strategy.
International politics expert Hugo Acha discusses Venezuelan conflict on Local 10
All eyes are on Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the United States.
Trump’s MAGA allies mostly rally behind his Venezuela strike
President Donald Trump’s allies in the Republican Party and his Make America Great Again movement — even some who previously warned against wading into new foreign conflicts — largely rallied behind his actions in Venezuela on Saturday, hours after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro in a large-scale military operation.
'I waited for this moment for so long.' Many U.S. Venezuelans praise Maduro capture
The U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro sparked celebrations among many Venezuelan Americans across the country. Some expressed conflicting feelings, grateful for Maduro's capture but wary of President Trump's U.S. intervention.
In Toppling Maduro, Trump Risks Blowback from ‘America First’ Base
President Trump’s pledge that the United States would “run” Venezuela for an indefinite period showed he is willing to enter foreign conflicts he once promised to end.
Venezuela: American regime change with a Trumpian twist
Trump has added a particular layer of dementedness to the latest unprovoked US aggression.
“If your preference is PvE, you’ll get less conflict,” Arc Raiders Boss Confirms Aggression-Based Matchmaking
Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund recently revealed how Arc Raiders features aggression-based matchmaking instead of typical SBMM.
From science to sport: These are the stories that lifted spirits in 2025
Amid conflicts and crises, 2025 also brought reasons for optimism, medical breakthroughs, encouraging signs for the planet and sporting and cultural surprises. As the world heads into 2026, FRANCE 24…
Schuster Law Outlines Approach to Resolving Business and Commercial Disputes
MEDIA, PA – December 30, 2025 – PRESSADVANTAGE – Schuster Law has released information describing its approach to handling business and commercial disputes for companies and individuals across Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The firm represents clients in matters involving contracts, partnership disagreements, real estate conflicts, and other business-related litigation in state and federal courts. “Commercial litigation […]
Florida Politics’ 2025 Politician of the Year: Daniel Perez
The legislative branch exerted itself as a coequal branch of government this year, though not one without its own internal conflict.
Small Town Politics: WALB investigates allegations of election fraud; several South Georgia counties being investigated by the state elections board
Across South Georgia, small town politics can divide communities, neighborhoods, and even families. That’s why we are launching a new segment...Dedicated to uncovering and unpacking stories about local corruption, confusion, and conflicts. Beginning in the city of Nicholls where the November election led to a recount.
2025 Unfiltered: Moments that marked Colorado’s decidedly off-kilter political year
From the flurry of executive orders that ushered in President Donald Trump’s second term to a blizzard of lawsuits filed by the state’s Democratic officials, the state’s political year was marked by near-constant conflict between the GOP-controlled federal government and the Democrats who run Colorado. The year saw the Trump administration step up immigration enforcement […]
The politics of the pause: 6 things to know about Trump administration’s suspension of offshore wind
The administration’s decision highlights a growing state-federal conflict over energy policy. It could also rebound by prompting more solar in rural Virginia.
Transition, conflict and adversity defined Missouri and Illinois politics in 2025
St. Louis Public Radio’s politics team and editors picked the top stories that defined 2025 for Missouri, Illinois and St. Louis politics.
Opinion | Weighing Politics and Morality in the Israel Debate
Readers respond to an essay criticizing U.S. Democrats’ failure to resolve the conflict in Gaza. Also: Trump’s Kennedy Center rebrand; blaming immigrants after the Brown shooting.
UN agencies welcome news that famine has been pushed back in the Gaza Strip, but warn fragile gains could be reversed without increased and sustained support
The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis for Gaza confirms that no areas of the Strip are currently classified in famine following the October ceasefire and improved humanitarian and commercial access.
Evaluation of WHO’s coordination in health emergencies helps guide humanitarian reforms
The recent evaluation of the Global Health Cluster sheds new light on how WHO, in its unique role as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Cluster Lead Agency (CLA) for health, coordinates life-saving health responses in humanitarian crises. It highlights how WHO works through partnerships to reach the most vulnerable crisis-affected populations and strengthen collective action in increasingly complex emergencies. Serving both learning and accountability purposes, the evaluation provided timely and actionable recommendations that are helping to strategically position WHO during the ongoing IASC Humanitarian Reset and the broader UN 2.0 reforms, where prioritization and new ways of working are taking shape. The evaluation was conducted between 2024 and 2025, at a time when humanitarian action funding was plummeting by more than 50%, triggering the launch of the IASC Humanitarian Reset. While restructuring and prioritization across the humanitarian landscape were underway, the evaluation, through iterative feedback loops, shared emerging findings that helped identify the most crucial coordination functions needed. This was especially important at a time when humanitarian needs and health risks due to armed conflict and natural hazards were increasing, while the capacity of health partners to support Member States to equitably reach all populations affected by crises and deliver response was at risk. The evaluation found that the Global Health Cluster (GHC) remains a highly relevant mechanism for strengthening health coordination in crises and has delivered efficiently despite limited resources. It noted strong collaboration with partners and highlighted opportunities to deepen integration within WHO structures and further enhance inter-cluster cooperation. The evaluation also identified areas where greater emphasis on transition planning, national coordination capacity and linkages between humanitarian response and health system strengthening would bring added value. While the GHC has achieved many of its strategic objectives, improvements in monitoring systems would help better demonstrate collective impact. The recommendations will help strengthen the IASC CLA coordination function across WHO, at all levels, and with all partners. It is noted that going forward WHO needs to continue to support capacity to fulfil coordination functions, in line with the IASC Humanitarian Reset whilst ensuring collective prioritization of health cluster action and quality coverage of the health response. The evaluation will help WHO strengthen locally-led action, national ownership and leadership of the sector, and linkages between health system strengthening activities. Additionally, the evaluation evidence will be used to optimize resource mobilization for the GHC and strengthen WHO’s capacity to deliver, plan for and monitor and evaluate results across the Organization. Read the evaluation Global Health Cluster https://healthcluster.who.int/ WHO’s work in health emergencies https://www.who.int/emergencies/overview
Trump says war with Venezuela is possible
President says ‘I don’t rule it out’ when asked about the possibility of conflict during NBC interview
Trans athlete restrictions proposed again to high school sports rulemaking body
Proposal from several Whatcom districts still in conflict with state law, WIAA says
How a Trump business deal with a crypto firm exposes potential conflicts of interest
Crypto.com was under siege — investigated by President Joe Biden's Democratic administration and told enforcement action was likely. Then Donald Trump won the 2024 election, and the company’s legal peril dissipated.
Elmhurst Business Group Barred From City Committee
The association's representative could have conflicts of interest, according to a city committee.
Trumpism’s racial turn: From civilisation to whiteness
In its second phase, Trumpism has evolved into a racialised political project — a 21st century reinterpretation of Aryanism — redefining American identity not through ideological conflict, as in the Cold War, but through a rigid racial ordering, argues academic Ma Haiyun.
After centuries of conflict, Chile's Indigenous Mapuches fear a far-right political turn
PEDRO CAYUQUEO, Chile (AP) — The Mapuches, Chile’s biggest Indigenous group, have endured centuries of battle.
After centuries of conflict, Chile’s Indigenous Mapuches fear a far-right political chapter
The Mapuches have endured centuries of battle. They are Chile’s biggest Indigenous group who make up roughly 12% of the country's 19 million people.
NATO chief: "Putin is in the empire-building business again"
"Conflict is at our door," Rutte said.
Ukraine presents response to US peace plan as Trump says European leaders want a meeting
Ukraine delivered its response to the latest US-drafted peace proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia to the Trump administration on Wednesday, US and Ukrainian officials told CNN, as the contours of a tenuous potential deal take shape and the US president continues to make clear he wants the conflict resolved quickly.
Truckee, North Tahoe to leave Nevada high school athletics
Truckee and North Tahoe will no longer compete in Nevada high school sports due to conflict regarding biological sex and gender identity.
Two of Trump's peace deals at risk as fighting surges in Congo and at Cambodia-Thailand border
At least two of several agreements aimed at ending global conflicts that President Donald Trump has hailed as evidence of his negotiating prowess are in trouble and at risk of collapsing
Some Mormons take issue with BYU's sports funding
NPR's Scott Detrow talks with Kevin Reynolds, who has reported on Brigham Young University's efforts to attract star athletes and coaches, which some say are in conflict with religious principles.
Criticizing Israel: No Longer Controversial in US Politics
US voters’ attitudes towards the Israeli Palestinian conflict have changed, but media commentators and political consultants haven’t figured that out. They are stuck in the past with outdated assumptions about the electorate and as a result continue to operate from an old playbook.
Confusion, Anxiety for Parents as Vaccine Guidelines for Children are Upended
Conflicting recommendations leaves parents with more questions than answers when it comes to vaccines for their newborn children.
Incoming Czech PM Babis' business empire spans chickens to fertility clinics
Czech billionaire Andrej Babis will become prime minister on December 9, after his populist ANO party won an October election. President Petr Pavel said he would appoint Babis after he cleared conflict-of-interest concerns by agreeing to shift his Agrofert business group to an independently governed trust.
Czech billionaire Babiš will become PM after disposing of agri-business conflict
President Petr Pavel applauds the anti-establishment tycoon for resolving an issue with the Agrofert holding that had overshadowed the election aftermath.
Republicans are covering their backsides on the double-tap strike
After reports Friday that the US had conducted a second strike on a suspected drug vessel in order to kill survivors of its first strike – quite possibly in violation of the law of armed conflict – few defended the Trump administration more strongly than Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida.
Science must move from materialism to mystery
Theoretical physicist and neuroscientist Àlex Gómez-Marín argues that modern science has become trapped in a framework that mistakes matter for the whole of reality. In this wide-ranging interview, Gómez-Marín challenges the foundations of materialism, defends the scientific study of near-death experiences, and calls for a new type of science grounded in mystery and a renewed sense of the sacred. He suggests that abandoning materialism could open the door to a deeper understanding of consciousness, death, and the purpose of human existence. Simon Custer: You are both a theoretical physicist and a neuroscientist, and you have also been fiercely critical of materialist theories of mind and consciousness. What do you think the ultimate nature of reality is?Àlex Gómez-Marín: I don't know what the ultimate nature of reality is, but what I try to first assess is whether the stories that they [mainstream science] have told us about it are right, or maybe whether there are other alternatives. That's why I've been a fierce critic of materialism. As a scientist, I realized that they had sold us this idea that to be a good scientist you also had to subscribe to many other -isms, like materialism, reductionism, and even secularism. And so first I think one needs to unmount these -isms, and then, as is happening today in consciousness studies, we have a huge landscape where there isn't only one game in town, the idea that matter is the only thing that really exists. But because we are studying the hard problem of consciousness, it may be the case that other views of reality, like idealism, or even dualism, or other theories like dual aspect monism... these are philosophical ideas that now, I think, have room in science to be taken seriously. How does something like materialism relate to dualism or idealism? What is materialism in the first place?Well, materialism is the philosophical position that matter is the only really ‘real’ thing in the universe. And I think that worked kind of well because science started 400 years ago and Galileo made that split, I call it the foundational wound. It was a great business move.He said, let's start doing science on that portion of reality that lends itself more easily to mathematization and measurement. So, for some reason, the solidity of this table or the movement of planets lend themselves very well to this foundational idea of science. But as time went on, 400 years later, we realized that we had forgotten the other side, which is what really matters.What really matters is pain, is love, is feelings, sensation, consciousness, which is very hard to define, but very intimate. We all know what it is. It's that thing that disappears when we go into deep sleep and comes back in the morning. SUGGESTED VIEWING On the edges of knowledge With Michael Shermer, Rupert Sheldrake, Güneş Taylor It's what it is like to be, as Nagel said. It's the feeling of being alive. So, materialism is good to study certain things, but then when it ossifies into this ideology and then is dressed like science, now it's preventing us from understanding these key questions that are really that everybody wants to know.Why are we here? Why do we feel reality? Where do we go when we die? And so we need other ways. We need pluralism. I'm only asking for having more options on the table and taking them seriously. Why does materialism fail to explain consciousness? For example, if you were to lobotomize me, I would not be a functional human being. What do you say to someone who might think that materialism adequately explains the mind?Well, here we could speak about different things. We could talk about physics or about neuroscience. I happen to have training with both.For instance, for neuroscientists, 99% of them, I'm not included in that portion, believe that the brain can only be a productive organ. It's an organ that somehow, somewhere, consciousness emerges. It's like a lamp. And then something happens, magic happens, and then consciousness emerges.That's the position you need to be if you're a materialist because if the only really ‘real’ thing is matter, then you need to say, just give us some more time and money and we'll figure out how mind emerges or is produced from matter. There are many philosophically sophisticated ways of criticizing this.Now there's another option, which is the brain as a permissive organ. This was said by William James more than 100 years ago.Now then the brain wouldn't be like this machine, like for instance, a heat engine whose smoke is consciousness, which is what we would have in the first big model, the productive model. But in the permissive model, the brain would be a kind of a filter. And so the brain would still have a very important role in consciousness, but it wouldn't be a productive role.It would be permissive, much like a filter or much like a prism which would receive light. And - I'm speaking metaphorically - it would receive the light of the mind and then it could reflect it and refract it.Now, with these two big options on the table, I think we can make progress into what I call the edges of consciousness, which are all these experiences, weird experiences that many people have, but we don't talk about enough, like near-death experiences, precognitive dreams, synchronicities. These experiences are very important for humans and they have a place in the permissive hypothesis and they are literally impossible in the productive hypothesis. So that's yet one more reason to explore alternatives to materialism. There may be anecdotal evidence for near-death experiences, but is there robust evidence that would be accepted by the majority of scientists who subscribe to the scientific method?Sure. And the plural of anecdotes, someone said, is data.And there's a lot of data. Actually, this year is the 50th anniversary, half a century, since Dr. Raymond Moody realized that we have two ears and one mouth and started listening to what his patients had to say about their experiences while they were clinically dead.The heart had stopped, breathing had stopped in these patients. These patients would come back and tell him these amazing stories that some people may say are hallucinations, but for the patients were hyper-real, like seeing light at the end of the tunnels, seeing deceased family members waiting for them, feeling bliss.___I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain.___And so he and others started taking them seriously and writing their accounts down. And then you can do a science based on that material of experience that people have. Now, on the more objective side, more recently people have started to measure what's going on in the brain when people are clinically dead and brought back. This has opened a proper field of study, which is near-death studies.Evidence is a difficult word, because sometimes people think that when you say evidence, this is just the final proof. Evidence is like in a jury. You bring testimony, you bring pieces of data that point in one direction or another.I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain. When brains are broken or shut off, there can still be mind going on. And that's revolutionary.That would entail that when we die, it's not game over, which, by the way, is the thesis of materialism. If consciousness survives, materialism dies. It's game over for materialism if something of us continues after we die. Do you think that there is mental continuity after death?Well, I think so, and I believe so, and I could also say I may have experienced it myself, because four years ago I had a near-death experience. I was in the hospital, I lost a lot of blood, and I saw those beings at the end of the tunnel, three beings, and there was yellow light. I was in a well, I was looking upwards, and I hadn't read about NDEs by then, but when I came back from this experience, I decided I would try to integrate this also in my professional life. Not just my personal life, of course, but my professional life as a physicist and as a neuroscientist. So I may have had the experience of glimpses of what an afterlife would be, and I'm not ashamed to say it in this way, and then one can do science of it, and then one can do philosophy of it.One can think about what -isms we were discussing, what views on reality would allow those experiences to be really ‘real,’ as opposed to, well, poor guy, the brain was kind of broken, it must have been a hallucination. Do you have a view about whether individuality or “the ego” persists after death, or whether we sort of merge into some sort of cosmic consciousness instead?I don't know, but my view would be along those lines you're suggesting. I think we could speak about a kind of universal mind, and then the problem is not how we emerge from matter, but how we fragment from a more holistic consciousness into these individual eddies and then when we die, this kind of dissipates.But I'm not sure. For instance, idealism would promote that view, but then what would survive of us after these eddies just vanish and become again the big Consciousness, I'm not sure what that would be. I don't know for sure, but I would tell you I believe something of us survives.And there are other lines of research, not just near-death experience, that can address this really hard question of survival. For instance, there are children who remember previous lives. This was studied by Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia for more than 50 years.___Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.___It's amazing research. He went all over the world, especially in the East, and collected all these case studies, all these stories. In plural, these were data of kids, very young age, who would describe up to 40 items that then he could go and verify.There was no internet. There was really no way the kid could know. Why would the kid say that when I was living in this other body and I was a woman and that's how my house would look like or that's how I would die, right? Again, there is evidence, not proof, but there's evidence not only that something weird and interesting is happening as we cross the threshold, but also when we come back to this life.Scientists should not be afraid of studying this, but they are because there's stigma. There's usually stigma upon the enigma, and this is so unfortunate. And one of the reasons is because of the ideology of materialism, because those things cannot be possible. What is wrong with the politics of science such that they have generated this stigma?So many things. Science is a human activity to begin with.So it falls prey to all our passions and ego and greed. That's one thing. Science is a job for the good and for the bad.You need to get a salary. You need to get grants. Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.And then, we didn't have time to unpack this, but science for many years become entangled, as I was suggesting before, to other -isms, materialism, secularism. So anything that smells like the afterlife, people may think has to do with God, and then they freak out.Anything that suggests that there's something about the mind that may not need a physical material substrate to exist, it smells like non-materialism. So, all these -isms are ideologically blocking that kind of research, and then there are all these sociopolitical constraints as to what should be studied and what shouldn't be studied.I call it the backstage of science. Sometimes we scientists or science communicators seem to speak as if the data is the only thing that matters. We say, well, data and theory.But then there's a third leg of this stool, which is all the politics that goes behind the scenes. And we often don't speak about this, and it's quite vicious and petty, and it's very real. Why is materialism so attractive to most scientists?Well, an easy answer is because we've grown up with it.It's what the educational system promotes, and that's what you hear when you go to university. So it's like growing in a culture. It feels like the air in which you breathe.So it's very hard to begin with to detect, well, maybe there's another alternative. Maybe there are other ways of doing science, other environments in which one could do science. That's one reason.And other reasons maybe are more profound, and I'm not qualified to explain them, but I could say, looking at this 400-year history of science, since it started around 1623 with Galileo's book The Assayer, that science went and coupled with all what's going on in the West.And so the fall of religion, you could say, and science presented us this new alternative that then could be coupled very well with other -isms, and this idea of growth, and then science losing its good twin brother, which was philosophy. There's a whole natural history of science starting as philosophy, kind of emancipating or breaking out from philosophy, and then marrying technology, and then marrying other social systems.From that point of view, materialism is a very convenient idea to propose. There were attempts, like the German idealists tried to do a more romantic science. But no, the idea prevailed, like Francis Bacon said: You should pursue nature through all her corners, he said, and make her spill her secrets.Our attitude towards nature in the science that dominates is very much reflecting how we treat nature in our society, in our culture, like a resource to extract secrets by force and then dominate it. How is materialism related to the notions of growth and progress? What's wrong with having a productive citizenry?This is another very interesting and very difficult question to answer.But there's this recent book coming out by Paul Kingsnorth. In it, he explains this idea of the machine and this idea of progress. And this, again, this conflation of more is better, of we need to go forward always, and convincing us that the way to do that is to continually extract more from nature. But because we don't have the religious context anymore, because God is dead, then what do we have? We have what we can do as humans with our own gadgets.It's kind of the story of the Promethean fire. We will just build anything to make ourselves God.A good example today is transhumanism. Transhumanism is this pseudo-religion dressed in technoscientific language whose goal is very religious. They promise immortality, they promise redemption, they promise transformation of the entire natural world, but it's done by human means through technology. Are you suggesting that we can't have ethics without religion?Well, we should have ethics with or without religion. That's another pruning that has happened in science. We say, forget about aesthetics, although some physicists still think that beautiful means probably true, and forget about politics. We pretend there's no backstage of science, and even let's forget about ethics.___Science needs to be in the service of mankind.___Scientists, when they become more like engineers, they're just thinking how to make things work so that they can go to the moon, go to Mars, make machines that think, but they don't think whether that's a good idea.And also consider metaphysics. Many scientists for a long time pretended, and maybe that comes from the stream of positivisms, that really one doesn't need metaphysics at all, except that materialism is always the metaphysics running the system.You see, it's not just ethics. It's the pruning of all of these, you could say, five main legs of philosophy that just makes a kind of unconscious science, a science that doesn't really know what it's doing. It's doing it very well locally, but it just doesn't know what it's doing globally. Do you think science has to have an ultimate vision and purpose behind it for it to be effective or for it to be meaningful and transformative?Yes, a way I would say that is that science needs to be in the service of mankind. And it hasn't been that. And we can see it through, you know, when we discovered the secrets of the atom, and all of a sudden, the Manhattan Project, and then we create nuclear weapons.And now we're trying to crack how machines may think, and now we're creating this mess, right? So science needs to be in service of mankind, not in service of a few ideas that maybe want to make more money or just dominate upon nature. What about planes, trains, automobiles, and modern medicine? Hasn't science served mankind by helping us develop those technologies?Yes and no. I see where you're going, and it's fair.I came here by plane, and it's a blessing. When I almost died, the surgeons did their job, and they saved my life. But these two forced choices between Luddites and Silicon Valley types, I think, of course, it's a false dichotomy.Progress, in a way, it's good, but we often don't speak about the dark side of the moon. We say the great things that progress has brought, and we don't speak about the disasters, the side effects that it has come with, and the same when we promise new technologies. We tend to think that any technology is great, that email is going to save us so much time because we don't need to write letters and send them anymore.Is that true? I spend so many hours a week writing emails. Let's just say there are great things about it and bad things about it. People like Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, for example, argue that we've made moral progress over time because of the Enlightenment. Do you think that's totally wrong-headed?I think he's emphasizing a side of the moon, and he does that very well, and you can find tons of plots where there's a slope going up and say it's great. But I think he should also tell the not-so-friendly story.But if your ideology is just to resist and continue to explain that the Enlightenment is the best thing ever and reason is the best thing ever… this feels to me like you're worshipping these abstractions.I'm very critical of it and also of these, again, science communicators and scientists that say, Oh, science says, in the name of science, experts say. It's like, come on, let's be careful because we can shoot ourselves in the foot by putting forth to the people an image of science that we know is not really true. Recently there's been a resurgence of spirituality and of people who say that they're spiritual but not religious, especially in the United States. If materialism is going away, what is going to fill that gap? Are we going to return to traditional religion? Do you see that being connected with the rise of the political right?I'm not a fortune teller, so I don't know what's going to happen. But, yeah, we could say we're in this post-materialist age and even post-secular age. One cannot come back to the past, but maybe just to contact with the roots is a good idea.What do I mean by that? I think we need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method. We need to do so in a culture where we realize humans cannot thrive in a vacuum where there's this idea that the sacred has to be removed.Now, how do we do that without bringing in back all the vices of religion? I don't know. I'm from a Catholic country.Here we are in England, so there are differences and interreligious dialogue has always been a challenge. But I think maybe a way of putting it is: after all these conflicts and branchings I was quickly alluding to, science from philosophy and then also from religion, now there's a time of reconciliation perhaps and maybe debates in the proper sense, like exchange of ideas in service of learning and getting into something higher than both poles. We need science to talk to religious people and it's interesting when people say they're spiritual and not religious.I think this is just a way of saying, no, I don't want to go back, I want to go forward. But at the end of the day, religions have offered us practices and grounding that we now desperately need. Everybody can and should just meditate or pray or do whatever they want, but we're in a crisis and it's time for reconciliation. What do you say to critics that say you are merely projecting our need for meaning onto a fundamentally indifferent universe?Yeah, I know that the typical science communicator says something like this. But we're not projecting. Human beings feed on meaning.It's the other way around. If you're a materialist, because the only thing that there is is matter, all that comes next, free will, consciousness, meaning, this is a kind of illusion that we need to explain.They're just craving for meaning, but there isn't really for them. I would also like to remind my materialist friends that for decades, if not centuries, they've said in the name of science, we know that this and this and this doesn't really exist. I think now they sense they're forced to say, well, actually, we don't know. We've been saying, for instance, that there's nothing after you die, and now probably they need to admit that they don't know the answer.___We need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method.___So it's a moment to open up possibilities and also to gently but fiercely critique these claims that I think harm society. If you say in the name of science, get on with it, when your father dies, you'll never see him again. Well, what the F do you know about it? You haven't studied the literature, you haven't had any of those experiences, and basically what you're doing is you're just doing marketing on ideology. This needs to stop. Do you think that it's scarier for some people to entertain the thought that there might be life after death, compared to a materialist worldview where you just die, given that there might be consequences for unsavory behaviour?Well, death and dying is scary. It's maybe the ultimate ending. It's a limit on life, and when we're in this conquest mode, we don't like limits.And it also has, there's a shockwave backwards, so I think if you change your notion of what death is or may be, you live differently. It also has consequences, as you're saying, for the future because this is not our only goal here and we come back in whatever form. And again, different religions would say different things. I the East, they are more happy with the idea of reincarnation, and here in the West, there are other preferences. But in any case, it changes how we live, and that's really what matters.It's not about just projecting or imagining what we'll be after, but how we live now and also how we treat those who are dying. So it goes from the individual to the families, to the hospitals.Now in the near-death research I do, this has ramifications at all these levels, all the way to society.But our society is thanatophobic. It has a phobia of death. We don't want to hear about death, and this is another thing we need to put on the table and be willing to talk about it. Do you think that we might get closer to answering ultimate questions like why is there anything at all if we jettison materialism?That’s an excellent question, Simon. Two things: we should stop treating reality, I believe, as a great sudoku, as an enigma, as something that with intelligence, money, and time that we will crack and instead treat reality more like a mystery. And what you do for in front of a mystery is not to be the clever guy in a class and say “I’ll solve you” but more like “I will bow and you will transform me.”I know this sounds a bit like a scientist speaking like a mystic. But I think this reorientation is needed. In the end, we won’t crack the big questions, but they will transform us. If we free ourselves from this prison of materialism, the way we will explore these questions will be freer, more creative, and in service of mankind. Do you think exploring mystery is the reason why we are here?I think we are here because, and this pseudo-theological argument I’m making off the cuff, But the One, the Absolute, if there is such a thing, had everything except limitation. We are that absolute experiencing that contingency. It’s like an act of divine proprioception. It’s a wonderful adventure, it’s just incredible to be alive. Perhaps we have forgotten why we are here and the whole point is to experience the flesh.Let me end by saying this. I criticize materialism harshly. I bang on this dead horse, because I think it’s dead. But matter is a great mystery. So maybe my invitation is as follows: hey materialist friends, come here, let’s work on materialism 2.0! Consciousness is a mystery, but matter is also a mystery. The fact that we can have an intersubjective experience consensus, the fact that we can apply mathematics, that we can measure things... the physical world we take for granted, but it is a great mystery too.Maybe that’s related to your last question: why are we here? Why did spirit decide to incarnate? Being in the flesh may be a great thing if spirit decided to do so.Àlex Gómez-Marín, thank you very much.My pleasure.
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