If you're a political and media junkie, you know one truth: your head starts to spin after a while due to obnoxious, trite and overused phrases that have invaded and are now embedded in our culture. But they've also permeated every day life, with nothing to do with politics. Here are some phrases as welcome as chalk scraping on a blackboard or waiting in line at the DMV. 1. … [Read more...] about BAN THESE OBNOXIOUS PHRASES!
BATMAN VACCINATED (Cartoon)
U.S. Senate Democrats agree to $3.5 trln for budget reconciliation bill
Published by ReutersBy Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden's drive for big new infrastructure investment got a boost on Tuesday when leading Senate Democrats agreed on a $3.5 trillion investment plan they aim to include in a budget resolution to be debated soon, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. "We have come to an … [Read more...] about U.S. Senate Democrats agree to $3.5 trln for budget reconciliation bill
Biden calls voting rights fight ‘the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War’ in Philly speech
Published by The Philadelphia InquirerPHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden called the right to vote “a test of our time” and urged Americans to protect it amid GOP-led changes to election laws and threats to voting rights, casting the battle as a globally watched test of U.S. democracy in a speech at the National Constitution Center on Tuesday. “We’re facing the most significant … [Read more...] about Biden calls voting rights fight ‘the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War’ in Philly speech
Richard Branson didn’t really go into space – or did he?
Branson flight reignites debate about the location of the boundary between Earth and Space. Did Richard Branson really go into space? That question may seem silly because American media outlets have reported that Branson did reach space in his VSS Unity space plane. From CNN: "Richard Branson has boldly gone where no space baron has gone before, when he … [Read more...] about Richard Branson didn’t really go into space – or did he?
Texas Democrats vow to remain in Washington to block voting restrictions
Published by ReutersBy Susan Cornwell and Julia Harte WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled their state to thwart Republican efforts to pass new voting restrictions said on Tuesday they plan to stay in Washington as long as needed to derail the state legislation and push for federal voting reform. More than 50 Democratic lawmakers left Texas on Monday, … [Read more...] about Texas Democrats vow to remain in Washington to block voting restrictions
Facts Don’t Matter
Facts still don’t matter. Perception does. Half a year after Donald Trump unwillingly stepped down from the Presidency, his lies and falsehoods are still accepted as facts by the vast majority of his acolytes. The most damaging of his lies for America’s democracy is his insistence that he won the presidential election and that it was stolen from him by Joe Biden. Because of … [Read more...] about Facts Don’t Matter
GAME THEORY FOR DUMMIES
“To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies,… to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to believe that democracy was impossible and that the Party was the guardian of democracy, that was the ultimate subtlety…” – 1984, George Orwell, At first, I thought Donald Trump was Jesse Ventura in a wig. … [Read more...] about GAME THEORY FOR DUMMIES
LIMIT THE VOTE! (Cartoon)
Goats: unlikely allies in California’s fight against wildfires
Published by AFPGlendale (United States) (AFP) - Their mission, should they choose to accept it, is simple: graze. Goats are an unlikely but increasingly popular weapon in California's fight against the wildfires that rage through the western US state every year. On a recent hot July morning, a herd of 80 ungulates were deployed to a hilly patch of land in Glendale, just … [Read more...] about Goats: unlikely allies in California’s fight against wildfires
FASCIST PUTTER (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Last night, I binged every episode of the brand new Netflix series, “How to become a Tyrant.” It’s not an indepth look at different regimes, but if you had to take a test on any of them, it would be a decent Cliff Notes on each of the dictators it focused on. It’s narrated by Peter Dinklage who did a really good job with it. If you’re a history buff, you will have already read … [Read more...] about FASCIST PUTTER (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Thousands of Cubans take to the streets to demand the end of dictatorship
Published by Miami HeraldIn an unprecedented display of anger and frustration, thousands of people took to the streets Sunday in several cities and towns in Cuba, including Havana, to call for the end of the decades-old dictatorship and demand food and vaccines as shortages of basic necessities have reached crisis proportions and COVID-19 cases have soared. From the Malecón, … [Read more...] about Thousands of Cubans take to the streets to demand the end of dictatorship
British billionaire Branson takes off for space
Published by AFPSpaceport America (United States) (AFP) - Billionaire Richard Branson took off Sunday from a base in New Mexico aboard a Virgin Galactic vessel bound for the edge of space, a voyage he hopes will lift the nascent space tourism industry off the ground. A massive carrier plane made a horizontal take-off from Spaceport, New Mexico at around 8:40 am Mountain Time … [Read more...] about British billionaire Branson takes off for space
Discarded fishing nets are a menace to corals and marine life
By Darunee Sukanan Fishermen around the world often discard and abandon their fishing nets and other plastic gear in the seas without giving them a second thought. Out of sight, out of mind. Yet such plastic waste, which can take decades or even centuries to degrade, adds to the colossal amounts of trash already sloshing around in the oceans and borne far and wide by … [Read more...] about Discarded fishing nets are a menace to corals and marine life
‘A Great Day’: Biden Fires Trump’s Social Security Boss Who Refused to Resign
'Andrew Saul and David Black were appointed by former President Donald Trump to undermine Social Security.' by Common Dreams Staff President Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, after Saul refused a request to resign. Saul's deputy, David Black, who was also appointed by former president … [Read more...] about ‘A Great Day’: Biden Fires Trump’s Social Security Boss Who Refused to Resign
America’s founders believed civic education and historical knowledge would prevent tyranny – and foster democracy
The founders believed education was crucial to democracy. Here, a one-room schoolhouse in Breathitt County, Ky. Photograph by Marion Post Wolcott/Library of Congress Maurizio Valsania, Università di Torino The majority of Americans today are anxious; they believe their democracy is under threat. In fact, democracies deteriorate easily. As was … [Read more...] about America’s founders believed civic education and historical knowledge would prevent tyranny – and foster democracy
Urgency to Evacuate Afghan Allies Grows (UPDATES)
UPDATE II: As is often the case, a "cartoon" (hate to use that term when referring to what could become a humanitarian tragedy) says it all: UPDATE I: In announcing on Thursday that the military mission in Afghanistan will end Aug. 31, President Biden also briefly addressed the plight of Afghan interpreters and other Afghans who aided U.S. troops at great peril … [Read more...] about Urgency to Evacuate Afghan Allies Grows (UPDATES)
LOST IN AFGHAN TRANSLATION
The United States is finally pulling out of Afghanistan. I don’t care who’s saying it’s too soon to leave Afghanistan and we’re allowing the Taliban to take it back because 20 years is more than enough time to spend on that nation. How much more is the United States supposed to sacrifice for that nation? We were in Iraq and Vietnam too long, and never should have stepped one … [Read more...] about LOST IN AFGHAN TRANSLATION
RUPERT MURDOCH IS LAUNCHING FOX WEATHER. WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE…
This is for real: Rupert Murdoch will soon launch a new platform, Fox Weather. Wrap your head around that one. Brian Wieser, a prominent media analyst, said it best the other day: “How do you address the fact that weather changes are caused to some degree by humans when you have a media property with a history of challenging that fact?” Hmmm. “…And for the latest Big … [Read more...] about RUPERT MURDOCH IS LAUNCHING FOX WEATHER. WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE…
Before Shark Week and ‘Jaws,’ World War II spawned America’s shark obsession
A painting for the U.S. Army’s Stars and Stripes newspaper shows a downed pilot fending off sharks with a knife. Ed Vebell/Getty Images Janet M. Davis, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts Every summer on the Discovery Channel, “Shark Week” inundates its eager audiences with spectacular documentary footage of sharks hunting, … [Read more...] about Before Shark Week and ‘Jaws,’ World War II spawned America’s shark obsession