About Me

My photo
Jack is a graduate of Rutgers University where he majored in history. His career in the life and health insurance industry involved medical risk selection and brokerage management. Retired in Florida for over two decades after many years in NJ and NY, he occasionally writes, paints, plays poker, participates in play readings and is catching up on Shakespeare, Melville and Joyce, etc.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Meditating with Sid, Changes to the Blog and Richard Cordray's Appointment


You will note a few new features on Jack’s Potpourri today!  I got rid of the new template I had installed last week in favor of a more colorful one.  It was too difficult to read the “lead-in” material at the top.  An occasionally changing picture is going to be a regular feature of the new format.  I wonder how many of you can identify the location pictured.  I am leaving it at the top for a few more days.

We also are listing the six postings which have drawn the most “hits” since the blog’s inception.  I don’t control this.  It comes from Google, which is the source of the technology for the blog.  

Finally, we have instituted a poll.  The question on it now will remain there until the afternoon of January 24.  We will then come up with another polling question.  In an election year, this will be a valuable adjunct to the blog.  Please participate in the poll; I have no way of identifying who participates and what they answer.  Enjoy the rest of the blog, and please, as Sid has done, submit some of your work for inclusion in it.
                                                            ***   ***   ***

And here is a piece written by Sid Bolotin a few years ago which contains timeless truths.  Study it carefully.  It also will appear in the near future on www.healthdrek.com.
    
Jack Lippman                                                    



                                       ***   ***   ***                

                                                                          
Meditation
Sid Bolotin

If you Google “meditation,” you can delve into 36,000,000 sites; if you go on “you tube,”  you can explore 170,000 videos.

Picture the subject of meditation as a tree with multiple major branches that subdivide into smaller branches that grow countless leaves. These leaves represent the actual schools of meditation as practiced by specific groups of people. 

The underlying result of any meditative practice is the quieting of the mind. If you allow a glass of muddy, swirling water to sit on a table for a while, in time the silt will settle, and the water will become crystal clear. That’s akin to the quiet, clear mind…freed of swirling thoughts and incessant monkey-mind chattering. Buddhism refers to this clarity as “original mind”.

Techniques for quieting the mind include focus on the breath, repeating a mantra like “Om”, counting rosary beads, whirling as Sufis do, reciting Hebrew letters for the name of God as Kabbalists do, or staring at a lit candle.   

                                            
                                       
Meditation is not relaxation, dreaming, or visualization. It is silent wakefulness. It develops awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. And, instead of becoming attached to these inner experiences which are constantly changing, the focus is on watching without getting caught up in them…like watching bubbles rise in a glass of champagne. Dr. Steven Hayes, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Nevada, in his acclaimed modality called ACT refers to this awareness as the “Observing Self”…think of it as you in a movie-house watching the theater of your mind. While in this state, some practitioners advocate projecting love and compassion to make the world a better place. Others teach that it facilitates attraction of wealth, your soul mate, and other desires from the Universe.

All religions at their basic, mystical level promote meditation as a way to connect to God. New Age meditation addresses the Spirituality that is within all human DNA…that which makes us all One. Twenty-one years ago I volunteered at the Mind-Body Clinic at Boston’s Deaconess Hospital, to assist Dr. Herb Benson, a noted cardiologist, to teach his Relaxation Response technique to the patients for management of stress, high blood pressure, chronic pain, and anxiety. At the same time Jon Kabat-Zinn was at the U. Mass Medical Center in Worcester, MA. teaching meditation at his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program. Both programs are still paving the way for meditation in medicine. Neuro-scientists are using PET scans to map areas of the brains of Tibetan lamas, while they are in deep meditation.  Researchers have proven that meditation does result in beneficial, physiological changes in the body. This past Wednesday night two young women from FAU with PhD’s in Neuro-science made a presentation to my Zen group about studies of the brain waves of eight Tibetan monks who are accomplished, deep meditators with 10 to 40 years of practice between them. Their EEG’s and other tests were compared to a control group of subjects with little to no meditative experience. The results clearly prove that the monks’ gamma wave (30 to 100 Hz) activity was “off the charts” even when not meditating. And, when asked to meditate on compassion for other living beings, the gammas went thru the roof. Meditation, over time, increases awareness, produces thickening of the left prefrontal cortex, and increases communication between all parts of the brain.

Words like “thought” and “mind” are used to talk about meditation, but consider this: no one can find “the mind”, and a thought cannot be found, stopped, or its origin established. Brain scientists can identify the brain’s circuitry and its activations, but not the isness of mind or thought. One great book on this subject is: “My Stroke of Insight”, by Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist who documented her own stroke.

As for me…after years of bouncing thru various disciplines and religions, I’ve returned to a Zen Buddhist meditative practice called Zazen which means “just sitting”. It involves being attentive to your breath, noticing your thoughts, and using your breath as an anchor when you notice you’ve become attached to a particular thought or feeling. 

Zen explores the nature of realty with the premise that: the world is the way it is (not the way we want it to be), everything is impermanent (nothing stays the same), and our suffering is caused by trying to keep the good stuff and change/prevent the bad stuff. Zazen meditation is an experience of just being with your life as it is…warts and all. This Zen leaf of the meditation tree is a goalless practice of non-doing…of just being in the present moment. Zen discourages meditating with a goal in mind because, to do so just creates another, stressful something to be achieved.  Zen does not purport to heal you, attract wealth, get you Tiger’s women, or fix flat tires…but, if it should happen, great. If not, that’s just as great. Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 wrote in his famous,12-book-collection of meditations: “Everything that happens, happens as it should. And if you observe carefully, you will find this to be true.”

                                                                          ***   ***   ***

Richard Cordray Appointed to Head Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Despite G.O.P. Opposition


(The following appeared on the Huffington Post last week.  The Republicans are claiming that this appointment was illegal and unconstitutional because such an “interim” appointment can be made only when the Senate is not in session.  Right now, although there are not enough Senators around Washington for a quorum, the Senate is still technically in session according to the G.O.P., as explained in the article.  The President has put the needs of the nation ahead of the games the Republicans like to play. Incidentally, though his record has long since been surpassed, Richard Cordray was a big time winner on “Jeopardy” some years ago.  He seems very devoted to protecting the welfare of the American consumer and any opposition to him is merely an attempt to attack the President.  Read the following from the Huffington Post at your leisure..) Jack Lippman

In a bold move sure to infuriate Republicans and possibly draw a court challenge, President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that he will use his executive power to bypass Congress and put Richard Cordray in charge at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The move is a rare instance of the president invoking his authority to override a months-long effort by Senate Republicans to block Cordray. They rejected his confirmation in a December vote and reiterated that, even though they like Cordray, they would keep opposing him or any other CFPB nominee until changes are made at the agency. Obama's recess appointment on Wednesday trumps their effort.

The president announced Corday's appointment during a speech on the economy in Cleveland, Ohio. Cordray, who previously served as the Ohio attorney general, flew on Air Force One to stand alongside the president at the event. Once appointed, Cordray can begin serving as CFPB director later this week and could stay in the role for at least two years.

"Today, I'm appointing Richard as America's consumer watchdog," Obama told the crowd. "That means he'll be in charge of one thing: looking out for the best interest of American consumers. His job will be to protect families like yours from the abuses of the financial industry. His job will be to make sure you've got all the information you need to make important financial decisions."

Obama called it "inexcusable" and "wrong" that CFPB still doesn't have a director since beginning operations in July. He said while he will continue to "look for every opportunity to work with Congress" to boost the economy, he has "an obligation as president to do what I can without them," hence the recess appointment.

"I will not stand by while a minority in the Senate puts party ideology ahead of the people they were elected to serve," the president said to applause. "Not when so much is at stake. Not at this make-or-break moment for the middle class."
A CFPB spokeswoman declined to comment on the news. But Senate Democratic proponents of Cordray and the CFPB were thrilled.

"Republicans have been trying to make an end run around the law by denying this watchdog a leader," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a statement. "I support President Obama's decision to make sure that in these tough economic times, middle-class families in Nevada and across the country will have the advocate they deserve to fight on their behalf against the reckless practices that denied so many their economic security."

"Ohio families deserve a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- complete with a Director -- that can stand up to the special interests and look out for Ohioans' interests," said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who chairs the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection.

"We asked for a fair up-or-down vote on Richard Cordray's nomination. But too many senators are willing to stand instead with Wall Street, blocking a qualified nominee for the first time in the history of the Senate based on opposition to an agency's very existence," Brown said. "Rich Cordray is fair-minded and highly qualified, which is why he enjoys widespread and bipartisan support from both the people of Ohio and those he would regulate."

With a director in place, the CFPB can now, for the first time ever, monitor the activities of non-bank entities, including payday lenders, debt collectors and credit reporting agencies. Many of these entities were "the source of some of the most harmful, deceptive, unfair and predatory lending practices" that led to the financial crisis, Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin said last month. The agency, which has been partially in operation since July, is the brainchild of Harvard law professor and now-Senate candidate for Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren. It was created under last year's Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation. 

"President Obama's decision to overrule the big banks and the Senate Republicans who are protecting them gives consumers a strong ally and advocate in Washington," Warren said in a statement. "Senate Republicans will surely complain about the recess appointment, but their refusal to allow an up or down vote on Cordray's nomination is just another example of the political games in Washington that must end."

The president's move is notable for two reasons. For one, Obama rarely invokes his recess appointment authority, compared to past presidents. Until now, he has made 28 recess appointments. By contrast, former President George W. Bush made more than 170 during his presidency and former President Bill Clinton made almost 140. Secondly, and more importantly, Obama is making a recess appointment when the Senate isn't technically in recess -- a risky step that could spark a court challenge.

White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer made the case that it is fully within the president's right to make recess appointments when Republicans are relying on "a gimmick" to prevent the Senate from going into recess:

"Here are the facts: The Constitution gives the President the authority to make temporary recess appointments to fill vacant positions when the Senate is in recess, a power all recent Presidents have exercised. The Senate has effectively been in recess for weeks, and is expected to remain in recess for weeks. In an overt attempt to prevent the President from exercising his authority during this period, Republican Senators insisted on using a gimmick called 'pro forma' sessions, which are sessions during which no Senate business is conducted and instead one or two Senators simply gavel in and out of session in a matter of seconds. But gimmicks do not override the President's constitutional authority to make appointments to keep the government running. Legal experts agree. In fact, the lawyers who advised President Bush on recess appointments wrote that the Senate cannot use sham 'pro forma' sessions to prevent the President from exercising a constitutional power," Pfeiffer wrote on the White House Blog.

                                           
                                                Empty United States Senate Chamber

That line of reasoning isn't sitting well with House and Senate Republican leaders, however, who charged Obama with threatening the constitutional system of checks and balances and warned of future legal challenges.

"This is an extraordinary and entirely unprecedented power grab by President Obama that defies centuries of practice and the legal advice of his own Justice Department," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement. "This action goes beyond the President's authority, and I expect the courts will find the appointment to be illegitimate."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Obama has "arrogantly circumvented the American people" by installing Cordray when the Senate isn't in recess.

"This recess appointment represents a sharp departure from a long-standing precedent that has limited the President to recess appointments only when the Senate is in a recess of 10 days or longer," McConnell said in a statement. "Breaking from this precedent lands this appointee in uncertain legal territory, threatens the confirmation process and fundamentally endangers the Congress's role in providing a check on the excesses of the executive branch."

                                                                ***   ***   ***
       
Most readers of this blog are alerted by Email every time a new posting appears.  If you wish to be added to that Email list, just let me know by contacting me at Riart1@aol.com.  Also, be aware that www.Jackspotpourri.com is now available on your mobile devices in a modified, easy-to-read, format.

Our family of web sites includes:

and our parent site which you are reading right now, the blog where it all started, www.jackspotpourri.com. 

Check all of them out and feel free to submit your thoughts and articles for publication on these sites which, while operative, are still “under construction” in varying degrees.
Jack Lippman
                                                         ***   ***   ***

To send this posting to a friend, or enemy for that matter, whom you think might be interested in it, just click on the envelope with the arrow on the "Comments" line directly below.

No comments: