TED Nomination Answers

Thank you to those who "liked" my post on nominating me for a TED X talk.

Here are the answers you might provide on the form.

Maybe somewhere also mention my website: gregoryharms.com

I really appreciate the support. If anyone has any questions, either message me or email me at gharms@gmail.com

TED X Nomination

Friend and colleague Michael Slager posted a set of links on April 7 for my nomination to speak at TED X. Please consider clicking and signing up yours truly for a TED talk.

The topics I plan on discussing are:

• How the population is the most powerful entity in the country
• How the population is not divided and generally agrees to the tune of two-thirds
• That the political center is liberal and the two major parties are to the right of the population
• How our moral conscience and spiritual/religious inclinations lie at the center of what we are as a species—and how scientific research bears this out
• Why we should be talking about politics and religion as they highlight what we share in common

Please click the link below to help get me on the TED stage and share the basics of my book “No Politics, No Religion?” It's short and easy.

I can’t promise I won’t embarrass you, but I can promise you that it will be fun and memorable.

Speaker Nomination: https://speaker-nominations.ted.com/

Naperville City Council

I spoke truth to power last night. I’m sorry I have no photos or video of me in action. The friend who took me there, Kate, was preoccupied making sure I didn’t fall down at the podium.

What I said to the council was that, yes, what Hamas did on Oct. 7 was terrible. I have described Hamas’s tactics as “immoral, illegal, and stupid.” However, I was quick to point out that Hamas is a resistance movement—one resisting the occupation of Palestine. Many former intelligence and military elites have pointed out that the occupation is the reason Israel has security concerns. The occupation, we could say, is also “immoral, illegal, and stupid.” And I pointed out that the municipality of Naperville has a voice and should use it. I just hope the mayor heard what I and all the speakers were saying.

I met a bunch of good people last night, people who are sympathetic and dedicated to the Palestinian cause and Gaza’s suffering.

Iran, US-Israel Relations

Given Iran’s recent attack on Israel, some are likely pondering what is happening. Specifically, some might be wondering why Iran would do this and why the United States stands by Israel no matter what.

This is not to plug my own work. It’s just that I have covered US-Israel relations in some depth. Readers might find my second book, Straight Power Concepts helpful in navigating the news coverage.

Those curious could feasibly limit their reading to chapters 2, 3, and 4. In those chapters, the reader will hopefully come away with a better sense of US-Israel relations—and I discuss Iran quite a bit as well.

Tensions between Iran and Israel date back decades. One need bear in mind that the tensions between Tehran and Washington are closely related to the tensions that lie between Tehran and Tel Aviv. In 1979, Iran underwent the Iranian Revolution, whereupon the West-favored Shah was overthrown by a theocracy headed by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Since 1979, Iran has been noncompliant with US designs in the Middle East and has provoked Uncle Sam’s wrath for the last 45 years. When Israel became an adjunct to US power in the 1950s, the former adopted the latter’s point of view. Things have been tense ever since.

Israel joined the nuclear club in the 1960s. The United States now had a nuclear-capable ally in the region. This gave Israel considerable prestige, and therefore Israel has always been leery of Iran joining the club; Israel fears the United States developing a close relationship with Iran. Likewise, Washington is not thrilled with the idea of a critical change in the balance of regional power. Therefore, both do not want to see Iran become a state with nuclear weapons.

There is much hysteria in the US news commentary about Iran’s so-called nuclear ambitions. In 2015, the United States and Iran entered into an agreement, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). As summarized by the Council on Foreign Relations:

Under its terms, Iran agreed to dismantle much of its nuclear program and open its facilities to more extensive international inspections in exchange for billions of dollars’ worth of sanctions relief.

Trump put the JCPOA through the shredder in 2018 and Iran is now enriching uranium at higher levels.

According to an April 15 report in the Wall Street Journal:

[R]epeated U.S. intelligence reports, including last month's annual national intelligence assessment, have said there is no evidence that Iran has resumed work on the production of a nuclear missile….

Iran is enriching uranium at 60 percent (weapons-grade is 90 percent), and therefore has enough *near* weapons-grade uranium for maybe three bombs.

That said, if Iran isn’t at least pondering a nuclear weapon—I’m sure it’s crossed their minds—I would be very surprised. The so-called “shadow war that exists between Israel and Iran has recently escalated to Israel attacking an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, killing a number of Iranian officers. Iran in response launched hundreds of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles at Israel. This was described by some observers as “choreographed,” pointing out that Iran made efforts to minimize destruction and casualties, and gave regional powers plenty of heads up, which was shared with Israel, the United States, and others. Israel’s multitiered anti-missile system proved truly impressive, but Israel had American help, British help, French help, and Jordanian help. And they all had 72 hours of heads up.

Iran is routinely described as a regional lunatic; but you don’t stay in power for 45 years by being halfwitted and mercurial. Moreover, the intelligence communities from the United States and Israel have described the Iranians as rational actors. What we saw over the weekend was control and calculation.

What we see next might not be. Biden is hoping Israeli PM Netanyahu stays calm, but it would seem Netanyahu has chewed through the leash. The future of Gaza and the region are uncertain. What seems certain is the United States supplying Israel with weaponry.

Tending to Israel’s militancy is conventional doctrine for whoever sits behind the Resolute desk. Militancy is Israel’s job; it’s expected of them. But there are lines that it’s expected to color inside of. Biden has done a lot of private grumbling, so Netanyahu knows very well the boss is not happy. Netanyahu doesn’t seem to care. But he might if Israel attacks Iran and gets more than it bargained for and the boss stays home—which it has said it plans on doing.

Fun fact: Prior to the weekend attacks, Iran had not invaded or attacked a neighbor in the modern period. Can Israel make the same claim?

https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Power-Concepts-Middle-East/dp/0745327095

The Bonobo and the Atheist

Primatologist Frans de Waal (pronounced de-vawl) wrote an excellent book here. I use it in the classroom, and I used it for my book, No Politics, No Religion? It’s about how human morality is on display in (principally) chimp and bonobo behavior. This is not to suggest that chimps and bonobos are moral agents. They’re not. But, the building blocks of what became our morality is in view in primate behavior. For that matter, animal behavior is a lot less dog-eat-dog than we have been led to believe. This book is short and easy to read. Such a pleasure, and you will learn a lot. Promise.

See YouTube link below for a TED Talk by De Waal.

http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist.../dp/0393347796/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcJxRqTs5nk

Frans de Waal

I learned late last night that primatologist Frans de Waal passed away. I am very saddened by this news. His contributions to primatology and moral origins were quite significant—and good. He had an influence on me, and I discuss his work in my most recent book. He almost blurbed my book, but felt the subject matter was too far afield for him. I did not hold it against him, though I was admittedly bummed by this.

I highly recommend his book The Bonobo and the Atheist. I did a review of it here on the blog, and will repost it shortly.

Thanks, Frans. You were a class act.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/science/frans-de-waal-died.html

Elementary

I’m not sure if this is a Greg-just-likes-it situation or if it’s really that good. Everyone who knows me knows that I am a dedicated Sherlock Holmes enthusiast. I love the books, the Robert Downey Jr. films, the BBC Cumberbatch series (seasons 1-3 anyway), and even House, which was based on Sherlock Holmes. You could say I’m partial, I guess.

So, I just finished all seven seasons of Elementary again. And by again, I mean I have watched the whole series five times. I will wait a year and then do it again. I have a problem.

For those perhaps unfamiliar, Elementary is a modern reinterpretation of the stories. Holmes is living in Manhattan and meets Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), who becomes his sober companion for a time. Sherlock has had a bit of trouble with heroin, and Watson is hired by Sherlock’s billionaire father to help keep him on the straight and narrow.

I guess what I love most about the series, in addition to the superb casting, is the moral integrity of the show. The series is really about being a better person, being a better friend, and the principals—Holmes and Watson—eschew guns and abhor violence. They have dedicated their lives exclusively to working and making the world a better place. Wealth is given to charity and Watson engages in various humanitarian endeavors along the way. All down the line, Holmes and Watson attempt to do—and usually do—the right thing. Sure, they color outside the lines a bit when it comes to maybe circumventing a warrant, and Holmes does have his moral struggles, but always returns to center.

I like Lucy Liu in this series. Watson is smart and tough. When Liu discussed possible involvement in the project, Liu was very clear that she was not going to walk around with her foot stuck in a bucket. (Watson in the books is no dope; he was turned into that later for television.) Liu told the producers the character has to be, well, smart and tough. Good for you, Lucy. As a result, Liu created an outstanding character. And Johnny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes simply owns the role. He is perfect. Such a good job.

I don’t expect folks to become obsessed like I am, but I do very much recommend this series. The writing is quite good; the episodes are well crafted and refer to the books loosely. It’s mostly its own thing. That said, fans of the books will find a lot here to enjoy. And there is the occasional line from the books; Sherlock quotes from them on a regular basis: “I’m the laziest devil to ever stand in shoe leather.” Just wonderful.

Another aspect of this series I appreciate is the writers did not allow it to go on too long. Many series overstay their welcome; they end up redrawing characters, “jumping the shark,” and spiraling into absurdity merely for the sake of keeping the train going. Elementary did not do this and the series ends. And it ends well, with its integrity intact.

Now, I have a year or so to kill. I tried watch the new True Detective season and made it one episode. It’s ludicrous, and Jodie Foster could not save a stupid series. So, I have turned my attention to Mare of Easttown. While not a huge fan of Kate Winslet, so far the series is not bad. I’ll keep it going—something to do until the new season of Slow Horses comes out, which won't be for a while. New episodes of Abbott Elementary are being rolled out, thank God.