Comments on: Clinton, Newsom and their fathers

By: Reem

Reem — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:16:56 +0000

I feel kids who go to school are predominantly influenced by their peers rather than parents… What is the % time a kid spends with busy parents working 5 days a week ? My guess is way lesser than the time a kid spends in school, and then after-school hours with his peers. Parents contribute with their DNA, while peers contribute to a child’s personality. (Of course, this doesn’t apply to kids who are home schooled).

By: kempton

kempton — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:27:08 +0000

Thanks for sharing this James Nachtwey talk that I missed somehow. I watched E.O. Wilson’s and Clinton’s talks that year but I missed Nachtwey’s. I wonder what Clinton was thinking when Nachtwey talked about the Rwanda genocide.

P.S. Incidentally E.O. Wilson was an insightful guest on Charlie Rose but Wilson’s TED talk, unfortunately, did not showcase his interests and insights (to be blunt, boring). He was a totally different man when chatting with Charlie Rose.

By: James Nachtwey – Photojournalist & War photographer « Kempton – ideas Revolutionary

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:20:37 +0000

[...] [via Andreas] [...]

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:27:08 +0000

As it happens, I saw Clinton at the TED conference, where he was one of three people to receive the “TED prize” that year. the other two were E.O. Wilson and James Nachtwey, the photographer. Nachtwey had gone to Ruanda, among other hells, and documented the genocide. He gave his talk as Clinton, who was up next, sat right in front of him:

By: kempton

kempton — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:09:52 +0000

My pleasure, I hope you enjoy the videos Andreas.

To be fair to President Clinton, he has done many good since he left the White House. But it is dangerous for us to forget and ignore his mistakes during his presidency and his indirect responsibility in the Rwanda genocide.

P.S. During the Rwanda genocide, General Dallaire did what he could to save as many people as he could. If my memory serves me, I think the Canadian government, like other world powers, could have done more but didn’t. And as citizens of these “world powers”, we collectively failed the people of Rwanda. And we let another genocide happened under our watch.

Sorry for getting into some heavy stuff.

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:23:56 +0000

Another great moment in “Social Curation”. Thanks for this link, which I would have never known about!

By: kempton

kempton — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:05:06 +0000

In this short March 16, 2008 video I shot in Calgary, Senator Dallaire asked and talked about the following.
“Are all humans – Humans? Or some more humans than others? The legacy of Bill Clinton’s decision.” (From the start or Time code 00:25)

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-510845307225279316&hl=en-CA

To tell you a bit about Senator Dallaire, he “served as Force Commander of UNAMIR, the ill-fated United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994, and for trying to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu extremists against Tutsis and Hutu moderates.” (source Wikipedia)

More videos of the March 16, 2008 Engineers Without Border Dallaire presentation can be found here,
http://kempton.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/romeo-dallaire-are-all-humans-humans/

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:30:02 +0000

Interesting.

BTW, in my book I do have (in that one chapter on this subject) as many mothers as fathers in my biographical sketches.

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:28:41 +0000

Well, I sympathize and would find that interviewer annoying as well. But parents do influence people, so I’m permitting myself to muse on the subject on my little personal blog….

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:26:41 +0000

Oh, it was something about teh building right NEXT to the library being LEED certified–ie, “green”–and the library being full of people learning and bettering themselves, and so forth.

What did this Canadian senator say?

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:36:14 +0000

I don’t know if the lack of a father changes a child so significantly. It might just as well be that their mothers were poor role models. Usually, when parents get divorced it says a lot about them: immature, unrealistic, perhaps superficial. They did not understand the ramifications of marriage. And most likely, they did not understand love. Maybe Newsom and Clinton’s mothers had such characteristics and as a result were unable to teach them how to have healthy human relationships. Or it may be genetic. In any case, the mothers might be as responsible, or even more, than the fathers for their children’s anxieties and insecurities.

By: Gil

Gil — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:11:45 +0000

Your comment on fathers reminds me of a job interview with an insurance exec who asked me questions about my childhood and about my parents – as if his psychotherapeutic method would provide an insight to my psyche, character, moral code, etc. I was at first shocked and then amused on how this “sidewalk psychologist” made inferences about me based on my comments about my parents. This approach is a stretch to think that leaders or anyone for that matter are defined by the presence or the lack or presence of a father, maternal, biological or otherwise. Let’s recognize people for who they are rather than how the lack of their fathers (or mothers) may have influenced them.

By: kempton

kempton — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:58:34 +0000

Thanks to insights from Canadian Senator Roméo Dallaire, I can’t say I like President Clinton.

Now, I hope the PR handlers’ stupid reasons are fit to reproduce here in the comment. I need a laugh very much.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:09:39 +0000

I’d agree Philip that a hefty ego is nearly a required component of being a significant figure in public life!

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:22:28 +0000

Yes. And in one chapter of my book (which will be about the entire life cycle) I also looked at mothers and daughters. Just as interesting…

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:20:24 +0000

“… it was the very opposite of the blandness (and dare I say, triteness?) which permeates some (but not all, I hasten to add!!) of the Economist’s erudite and worthy pages…”

Isn’t that sad? I mean, that the above is true?

I was thinking of opining on this explicitly on the HB.

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:18:56 +0000

Why Steven Spielberg?

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:17:25 +0000

… unless I stare them down.

By: megcumberbatch

megcumberbatch — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:41:32 +0000

I wouldn’t disagree with you. Having a male figure around that one can look up to and learn from definitely helps to shape young men into the adults that they ultimately become.

By: Phillip S Phogg

Phillip S Phogg — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:54:27 +0000

My first thought after reading your piece was that it won’t likely find its way into the Economist.

The more’s the pity, for it was the very opposite of the blandness (and dare I say, triteness?) which permeates some (but not all, I hasten to add!!) of the Economist’s erudite and worthy pages.

My second thought was that nearly all which you said about Clinton and Newsom, might apply equally to Obama, who hardly knew his father, and who is – if I’m to believe the fulminations from those who are ever-so-slightly right of centre – vain.

But then, you probably have to be vain to even run for president……..or governor.

By: DecalDude

DecalDude — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:44:59 +0000

Great article, enjoyed reading it. I actually learned something… I never knew Bill’s dad died before he was born.

By: Jag

Jag — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:28:53 +0000

I love the term that helps avoid cheeky the confusion, from the time of Shakespeare: blindcheeks

PS – Andreas when interviewing these charismatic types, its safer not to stare too deeply into their eyes.

By: goodwitchbadwitch

goodwitchbadwitch — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:12:12 +0000

I think this (“daddy”) thought every time I watch another Steven Spielberg movie. Good observations.
http://GoodWitchBadWitch.com

By: Bill Clinton’s Hot Tub w/guest Sarah Palin. Chism’s "Hollywood- I Pledge" Video « Political Championship Wrestling

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:38:47 +0000

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By: جبهة التهييس الشعبية « أوباما في صدمة – الزعيم الليبي معمر القذافي

جبهة التهييس الشعبية « أوباما في صدمة – الزعيم الليبي معمر القذافي — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:24:30 +0000

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By: nadiaqh

nadiaqh — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:46:44 +0000

Looking around wordpress and found your blog… nice. Really enjoyed taking time to read your blog today. thank you.

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:12:56 +0000

Indeed.

By: Cheri

Cheri — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:58:12 +0000

You eyes must have been deceiving you. 808.8?

Your cheek (and in this case, I am sure it was the cheek below your belt) must have been pressed against 813.52 where you would find a copy of Edna Ferber’s Show Boat.