Do-it-yourself television shows make anything from building your own tiny home to baking your own wedding cake look simple. In reality, though, certain DIY projects can end up costing you additional time, money and headaches when you bite off just a bit more than you can comfortably chew. The DIY trend is hot right now, and it can be great for saving a few bucks and learning … [Read more...] about Should we really be DIYing everything?
Dear America: On Disrespect to Indigenous People (Guest Voice)
Last night, I watched the NFL AFC Championship game and had to listen and watch 70,000 Kansas City Chiefs fans chanting their “tomahawk chop”. Over the weekend, I became aware of the Nathan Phillips viral video, anUmo?ho? citizen, and the controversy surrounding the events that unfolded in your Capitol that afternoon. Finally, last week, President Trump once again invoked the … [Read more...] about Dear America: On Disrespect to Indigenous People (Guest Voice)
Bison are back, and that benefits many other species on the Great Plains
A young bull bison grazes on the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Matthew Moran, CC BY-ND Matthew D. Moran, Hendrix College Driving north of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, an extraordinary landscape comes into view. Trees disappear and an immense landscape of grass emerges, undulating in the wind like a great, green ocean. This is the Flint … [Read more...] about Bison are back, and that benefits many other species on the Great Plains
The Shutdown Trap: Hating government won’t improve it
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.''' Ronald Reagan's 1986 statement still invokes chuckles on the right and some nostalgia for the general good nature of his gibes. But the sentiment behind it remains one of the most destructive forces in our politics. If you bemoan the shutdown of so many … [Read more...] about The Shutdown Trap: Hating government won’t improve it
Cartoon: The Guiliani Defense
Is winter miserable for wildlife?
Yes, I am a bit chilly, why? tim elliott/Shutterstock.com Bridget B. Baker, Wayne State University While the weather outside may indeed get frightful this winter, a parka, knit hat, wool socks, insulated boots and maybe a roaring fire make things bearable for people who live in cold climates. But what about all the wildlife out there? Won’t they be … [Read more...] about Is winter miserable for wildlife?
The government that goes wrong
"The Play That Goes Wrong," a British slapstick comedy, finished a short run at the Kennedy Center this month, so most Washingtonians didn't get to see its characters stepping on each other, getting struck by falling objects and stymied by stuck doors, forgetting their lines, missing their cues, and eventually having the whole set fall down around them. But that's okay. Here … [Read more...] about The government that goes wrong
Grading Trump’s Second Year As President
It is time to grade Donald Trump's second year as President of the United States. Before giving out the grade, something needs to be set straight: Trump isn't the worst POTUS ever. The title of "Worst POTUS" goes to Andrew Jackson because he created the genocide known as the Trail of Tears. History.com reports, "President Jackson and his government frequently ignored the … [Read more...] about Grading Trump’s Second Year As President
No Takers on Trump Nothingburger
The White House proposal Saturday to end the shutdown was a feint, an illusion of compromise. Actually, it was a Nothingberder. The administration proposed three years of temporary protection for the Dreamers, which was DOA. The White House thought to act because the Supreme Court is unlikely to hear its appeal of the lower court’s rejection of Trump’s DACA termination. … [Read more...] about No Takers on Trump Nothingburger
Cartoon: Mitch McConnell
Razor burned: Why Gillette’s campaign against toxic masculinity missed the mark
Who knew a razor blade company could become so controversial? Gillette/YouTube Alan Abitbol, University of Dayton Gillette has launched a new marketing campaign, “The Best Men Can Be,” with an ad that has gone viral. The ad begins by depicting boys bullying other boys, women being harassed and cat-called, and a group of men excusing all of it as … [Read more...] about Razor burned: Why Gillette’s campaign against toxic masculinity missed the mark
What to make of the disputed Buzzfeed “bombshell” report on Cohen/Trump
OK, so what to make of the 24 hour BuzzFeed story extravaganza? To recap, BuzzFeed's two reporters, Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier, put out a story late Thursday night with this lede: "President Donald Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials … [Read more...] about What to make of the disputed Buzzfeed “bombshell” report on Cohen/Trump
Another Day, Another Trump Disaster, And Another, And Another…Beetlejuice Government?
It’s as if the country’s being run by Beetlejuice. by Michael Winship I’ve been trying to write something about the events of the past few days for the last week and a half, and every time I set out to achieve editorial brilliance, or at least try to keep typos and the splitting of infinitives to a minimum, something else wacky happens and it’s back to square one. I’d … [Read more...] about Another Day, Another Trump Disaster, And Another, And Another…Beetlejuice Government?
The Hathora (Hammer) Group and the Me Too Movement
Note: A victim of a crime is a victim only, without blame or shame, a victim only. Recently someone I know approached me with his experience of being at the receiving end of the Me Too Movement, an experience which devastated his life as he felt wrongly accused. I do not know the merits of the case, but it did get me thinking some. Me Too Movement, is real and here to … [Read more...] about The Hathora (Hammer) Group and the Me Too Movement
El Chapo trial shows why a wall won’t stop drugs from crossing the US-Mexico border
An artist’s sketch of Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán at a 2018 pretrial hearing in a Brooklyn Federal courthouse. Elizabeth Williams via AP, File Luis Gómez Romero, University of Wollongong Leer en español. The trial of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera has exposed just how powerful Mexico’s cartels really are. The trial has now … [Read more...] about El Chapo trial shows why a wall won’t stop drugs from crossing the US-Mexico border
Cartoon: Mitch McConnell
Pelosi seizes initiative in trench warfare with Trump
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is driving President Trump nuts -- a very short drive indeed -- by doing something he simply cannot abide: She's stealing the spotlight. She is also seizing the initiative in the trench warfare over Trump's government shutdown and his imaginary border wall, audaciously telling the president that the State of the Union address should … [Read more...] about Pelosi seizes initiative in trench warfare with Trump
Game, Set and Match?
If Trump specifically directed Cohen to conceal the true status of Trump Moscow in his Congressional testimony, that is subornation of perjury, a crime. It’s the kind of crime Congress can’t ignore. It would have to be that precise and there’s got to be corroborating evidence. Cohen vs Trump won’t do it. Wait! There’s More! Prior to his testimony, Cohen filed a written … [Read more...] about Game, Set and Match?
Male or female, who cares? Take responsibility for your kids.
Traditionally, women raised children while men went into the workforce, but this "Leave it to Beaver" scenario has become antediluvian. Nowadays, both men and women share equal responsibility for raising the children and bringing home the bacon. However, the legal field changes approximately as quickly as a snail can travel, and as a result, many family courts still exhibit … [Read more...] about Male or female, who cares? Take responsibility for your kids.
(FINAL UPDATE) ISIS Suicide Bomber Kills Four U.S. Personnel in Syria
FINAL UPDATE: The fourth American killed in the suicide bombing in Syria on Wednesday has been identified. She is 27-year-old Ghadir Taher, an Arabic interpreter and naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated to the United States from Syria in 2001. The Stars and Stripes: Born and raised in Damascus, Ghadir Taher became a naturalized U.S. citizen after … [Read more...] about (FINAL UPDATE) ISIS Suicide Bomber Kills Four U.S. Personnel in Syria