By Filippo Trevisan, Assistant Professor, American University. Silvio Berlusconi, left, arrives to vote as a bare-breasted woman protests in background AP Photo/Luca Bruno Although there were no outright winners in Italy’s parliamentary election on March 4, there were two clear losers – the European Union and immigrants. No one party or coalition won a majority and… … [Read more...] about In Italy, fake news helps populists and far-right triumph
Go ahead, marry your cousin—it’s not that bad for your future kids
Just don't turn it into a family tradition. Albert Einstein and his second wife (and first cousin), Elsa Einstein, took family marriage to a new level. They were related through both maternal and paternal lineages: Their mothers were sisters and their fathers were first cousins. Wikimedia Commons Yaniv Erlich has a soft spot for genealogy. A… … [Read more...] about Go ahead, marry your cousin—it’s not that bad for your future kids
Ex-Trump aide vows to defy special counsel but hints at Russia case against president
WASHINGTON — In a bizarre episode, Sam Nunberg, a former aide to Donald Trump, vowed Monday not to cooperate with the special counsel investigating Russian political interference even as he suggested that the president "may have done something" improper during the campaign. It was a head-snapping statement from a onetime Trump loyalist, although it was unclear… … [Read more...] about Ex-Trump aide vows to defy special counsel but hints at Russia case against president
Cartoon: Trump’s Game
Mike Slosberg is a cartoonist and novelist. He lives with his wife and hundreds of drawing pens on the Upper Westside of Manhattan, New York. You can see more of his cartoons and learn about his books by going to: mikeslosbergbooks.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Trump’s Game
Report: State Dept. Was Granted $120 Million to Fight Russian Meddling. It Has Spent $0
You now have to conclude that President Donald Trump and his administration are either a)historically incompetent, or, b)not taking action against Russia for its interference in American politics because they want a re-run of 2016, only this time with the Russians pushing down the scale in favor of the Republican Party's continued control of Congress. Or is it both? Note this … [Read more...] about Report: State Dept. Was Granted $120 Million to Fight Russian Meddling. It Has Spent $0
Real Estate: Why Interest Rates Have to Go Up Very Slowly!
Banks make money by making loans. When interest rates are low for a long time, as they have been for several years now, the interest rates on each bank’s loans have time to adjust downward, tightening their spread. Even though profit percentages can still be decent, they are now based on lower overall numbers. As a result, banks feel pressure to make more loans to generate the … [Read more...] about Real Estate: Why Interest Rates Have to Go Up Very Slowly!
Trump’s chaotic leadership drives people to the exits
[facebook] WASHINGTON -- Whom the gods would destroy, they first make toil for Donald Trump. Jeff Sessions had been a four-term U.S. senator, had served as the top Republican on important committees and had a strong following among hardcore conservatives. Then he went to work for the Trump administration. Now he is publicly ridiculed and mocked -- by President … [Read more...] about Trump’s chaotic leadership drives people to the exits
The hidden threat of teacher stress
By Brandis M. Ansley, Graduate Research Assistant, Georgia State University, Kate McPhee, Graduate Research Assistant, Georgia State University, Joel Meyers, Regents Professor, Center for Research on School Safety, School Climate and Classroom Management, and Kris Varjas, Professor and Director of the Center for Research on School Safety, School Climate and Classroom Managment, … [Read more...] about The hidden threat of teacher stress
Trump praises China’s Xi for lifetime mandate extension
Donald Trump on Saturday appeared to cheer on China's Xi Jinping for paving the way to a limitless tenure, while delivering a lighthearted address at a Florida fundraising event. Trump seemed to jokingly muse over making such power consolidation moves himself, according to audio from the closed-door event at his Mar-a-Lago resort published by news outlet… … [Read more...] about Trump praises China’s Xi for lifetime mandate extension
Trying On A Long View
Four years later ... The image is in the Sierras. Gold rush. This image is a couple hundred feet from the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara County. There are lots of similarities. Hundreds of miles apart. Like America. When people, places and things push my buttons I work on changing my attitude. The practice involves pausing and remembering our basic … [Read more...] about Trying On A Long View
WATCH: GOP Senator Forced To Apologize After Calling More Than Half Of America ‘Dumbasses’
On Thursday, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch, who is retiring to make room for Mitt Romney in the US Senate, proved once again that anyone who gets praised by Donald Trump publicly is probably an asshole in private. During a speech to the American Enterprise Institute, a right-wing think tank that's bankrolled countless Republican campaigns over the… … [Read more...] about WATCH: GOP Senator Forced To Apologize After Calling More Than Half Of America ‘Dumbasses’
Jared Kushner’s No Good Very Bad Week
By Graham F. West It's been a rough week in Washington for Jared Kushner. Kushner - a senior advisor to his father-in-law, President Trump - has been formally downgraded from his Top Secret security clearance. As of the time of writing, he appears to be staying in the White House, ostensibly continuing work on his massive portfolio via a temporary clearance of a lesser … [Read more...] about Jared Kushner’s No Good Very Bad Week
Pooping on a mountain is even more complicated than it sounds
Our guide to evacuating ethically in the wilderness. Their bags better be full of poop. DepositPhotos Even most casual hikers know to “pack out” their garbage—burying paper products on the trail in the hopes they'll biodegrade and not cause harm is a naive act. Slightly-less-casual hikers will reluctantly admit that this extends even to used toilet… … [Read more...] about Pooping on a mountain is even more complicated than it sounds
Will Trump’s New Tariffs Start a Trade War?
President Donald Trump finally did something that people were expecting since he came to office: incite an international trade war. On Thursday, Trump announced his plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on all steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports. He pledged that the new tariffs would be signed into law next… … [Read more...] about Will Trump’s New Tariffs Start a Trade War?
President Trump is Coming For Your Guns
The gun lobby has long stoked its constituents with the nightmare scenario of a president who'd swipe their God-given right to own weapons. The NRA frequently warned that Barack Obama was "coming for our guns," and that Hillary Clinton would "come for your guns." The group cringed at the prospect of a president saying something like this: "I like taking the guns early ... Take … [Read more...] about President Trump is Coming For Your Guns
Cartoon: Jared LaLaLa
Why is the NRA boycott working so quickly?
By Jerry Davis, Professor of Management and Sociology, University of Michigan. The boycott of the National Rifle Association following its response to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, came fast and furious. Car rental companies, airlines, trucking businesses, tech firms, insurers and a bank that issued an NRA-branded credit card all severed their relationships with … [Read more...] about Why is the NRA boycott working so quickly?
Using the courts to destroy unions
WASHINGTON -- Many conservatives believe in the untrammeled rights of employers. Consequently, they despise unions. They also can't stand it that organized labor usually backs Democrats and they especially detest public employee unions which, by their very nature, advocate for government. For decades, these same conservatives criticized the politicization of the courts, … [Read more...] about Using the courts to destroy unions
The visual effects pioneer responsible for the original ‘Star Wars’ thinks movies today may rely too much on effects
There’s this old home movie you can find online. Shot on grainy film in the 1970s, it shows a group of young men and women working with cameras and miniature space ships while doing a lot of goofing around in front of the camera. They’re working on the special effects for a film the world doesn’t… … [Read more...] about The visual effects pioneer responsible for the original ‘Star Wars’ thinks movies today may rely too much on effects
