Do you still have to pay your debts if they’re sold to a collections agency?
The number of Americans in debt, especially due to credit card use, continues to be dangerously high. A confluence of factors — including rising prices, stagnant wages, mounting medical bills and overspending — may all play a role in why so many people are in the red. The good news is that untold numbers of consumers… … [Read more...] about Do you still have to pay your debts if they’re sold to a collections agency?
In Pennsylvania, It’s Open Season on Undocumented Immigrants
QUAKERTOWN, PA — From the time they first flirted at a party, Anne and Ludvin Franco were inseparable. It did not matter that Anne, a waitress, was Pennsylvania Dutch going back generations, while Ludvin, a cook, had grown up in the scrublands of eastern Guatemala. It also did not matter to Anne or her open-armed family… … [Read more...] about In Pennsylvania, It’s Open Season on Undocumented Immigrants
Trouble in Paradise: Tourism surge lashes Southeast Asia’s beaches
Hordes of tourists clamber across the white sand with selfie sticks as Thai park rangers wade into turquoise waters to direct boats charging into the cliff-ringed cove. Made famous by the 2000 movie "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Maya Bay on the western Thai island of Koh Phi Phi Ley is now a case study in… … [Read more...] about Trouble in Paradise: Tourism surge lashes Southeast Asia’s beaches
Lawyers keep secrets locked up – so they get asked to do the dirty work
By Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon. Attorney Michael Cohen was recently the target of an FBI raid. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer Lawyers seem to at the center of lot of scandals lately. President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, whose office and hotel were raided by the FBI, is only the… … [Read more...] about Lawyers keep secrets locked up – so they get asked to do the dirty work
Mueller the War Hero, Trump the Complete Zero
After blabbering about pending military actions -- having repeatedly condemned those who allegedly “telegraphed” such actions in the past -- after alerting the perpetrators of the chemical attacks in Syria and their supporters so they can take defensive and counter-measure actions potentially putting out troops at risk, the commander-in-chief went on to promote a Fox Sean … [Read more...] about Mueller the War Hero, Trump the Complete Zero
The GOP’s ‘Hollow Men’: Spineless in the Face of Crisis
Whenever I ponder the despicable impotence of the congressional Republicans - especially now, as we lurch toward a national crisis long in the making - I am reminded of a famous poem by T. S. Eliot: We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw... There's a lot more, but you get the drift. And here's a straw head in … [Read more...] about The GOP’s ‘Hollow Men’: Spineless in the Face of Crisis
Experts Warn Prescription, Over The Counter Drugs Polluting World’s Rivers
The world's rivers and fresh water systems are full of pollution from prescription and over-the-counter drugs and it is taking a toll on the environment and wildlife, experts say. Scientists meeting Tuesday in Vienna said if no action is taken, the problem will increase by 65 percent by 2050. The drugs include painkillers, hormones, anti-depressants and… … [Read more...] about Experts Warn Prescription, Over The Counter Drugs Polluting World’s Rivers
The law that made Facebook what it is today
By Frank LoMonte, Director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, University of Florida. Cutouts depicting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wearing 'Fix Fakebook' displayed on Capitol Hill on April 10, 2018. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster Facebook is facing a reckoning in the court of public opinion for how the social media giant and its partners handle… … [Read more...] about The law that made Facebook what it is today
Raiding the Fixer (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Donald Trump said the raid on his private attorney’s office is an attack on our country and what we all stand for. Apparently, we all stand for money laundering and paying porn stars hush money. Michael Cohen is less of an attorney and more of a personal fixer. It helps when you have a law license. On Mueller Monday, April 9, the FBI raided Cohen’s office at 30 Rockefeller … [Read more...] about Raiding the Fixer (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Paul Ryan’s curdled idealism
WASHINGTON -- Paul Ryan started his political life hoping to be the champion of a sunny, forward-looking conservatism. He will step down from the House speakership as the personification of conservatism's decline. One is tempted to call Ryan's journey tragic, the tale of a young, idealistic family man transformed into an enabler for the most morally indifferent and utterly … [Read more...] about Paul Ryan’s curdled idealism
All 100 “WW1 Centennial Memorials” Have Now Been Announced
In August 2016, the World War One Centennial Commission — the same organization that is sponsoring the design and construction of the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. (below) — along with the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and with support from the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars announced a unique project to encourage individuals and … [Read more...] about All 100 “WW1 Centennial Memorials” Have Now Been Announced
House Speaker Paul Ryan won’t run for re-election
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election, according to people close to the Wisconsin lawmaker. AXIOS SCOOP: Paul Ryan confidants say he's not running again. He plans to tell colleagues today. https://t.co/5MZr4teH0S -- Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) April 11, 2018 Ryan's plans have been the source of much speculation, amid Republican concerns over … [Read more...] about House Speaker Paul Ryan won’t run for re-election
(UPDATED) Michael Cohen: Trump’s Favorite Crook & The Grand Master Of Intimidation
“Leave Donald Trump alone. Forget the story. . . .That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom . . . ” ~ UNIDENTIFIED MAN TO STORMY DANIELS, 2011 "You write a story that has Mr. Trump’s name in it . . . and I’m going to mess your life up." ~ MICHAEL COHEN TO A REPORTER, 2015 It figures that if anyone would be more vile than Donald … [Read more...] about (UPDATED) Michael Cohen: Trump’s Favorite Crook & The Grand Master Of Intimidation
‘For one day in Memphis, America was a Beloved Community’
Flying into Memphis last Tuesday, through purple mists and hovering ghosts, the plane reeling from the clouds and rain, I felt Dr King’s sad spirit floating over the grayish Mississippi River, the verdant magnolia-laden landscape, and the brownish buildings below. The 50th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel was upon us—the … [Read more...] about ‘For one day in Memphis, America was a Beloved Community’
As White House roils over Trump investigation, Republicans in Congress try to ignore the chaos
WASHINGTON — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg took the stand at a Capitol Hill hearing Tuesday afternoon to an almost audible reaction from Republican members of Congress: Finally, someone else's turn in the hot seat. On Tuesday the usual strategy by congressional Republicans in dealing with President Donald Trump — lobby privately, support publicly, criticize rarely —… … [Read more...] about As White House roils over Trump investigation, Republicans in Congress try to ignore the chaos
An Attack on Our Country?
No comment necessary https://www.facebook.com/CBSNews/videos/10155693613640950/ … [Read more...] about An Attack on Our Country?
Radio Host Resigns After Allegedly Threatening David Hogg
A radio show host from St. Louis resigned from one of his two broadcast jobs on Monday after a controversial tweet about ramming "a hot poker up David Hogg's ass.” The radio host identified as Jamie Allman, whose show “Allman in the morning” runs on conservative station KFTK, 97.1 FM, tweeted on March 26 saying: "When… … [Read more...] about Radio Host Resigns After Allegedly Threatening David Hogg
Lest We Ever Forget, Three Lists for Donald Trump
Whoever came up with that old saying, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit," saw this guy coming from a country mile by Michael Winship You may know this famous old political joke, but please indulge my current fantasy. Call it the tale of three envelopes. The outgoing president of the United States tells the new president, “I’ve … [Read more...] about Lest We Ever Forget, Three Lists for Donald Trump
A Brief History on Gold in America
“There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills!” Most of us have heard that old saying before. We’ve heard it in cartoons, and in old songs. It’s an expression and a call to action referring to the California Gold Rush, which began in 1848. The saying was first in print in Mark Twain’s 1892 novel The American Claimant. Gold has been a precious metal to cultures worldwide throughout … [Read more...] about A Brief History on Gold in America