Once again Steven Pinker apparently comes to the rescue. Pinker, a Harvard University psychology professor, has written a new book, entitled Enlightenment Now, which goes against the prevailing gloom and doom sentiment that everything is getting worse. He is an optimist, a data-driven rationalist. In the new book he provides mountains of facts showing how life in the United … [Read more...] about Enlightenment Now?
Cartoon: Parkland Smears
Why You Need to Capitalize on Sustainable Farming
It doesn’t matter what you like to eat — we all need the things that farming can offer. Growing crops and raising livestock are both forms of farming. Whether you enjoy a good hamburger or prefer a vegan diet, everyone can benefit from capitalizing on sustainable farming. What is sustainable farming, and how can you incorporate its benefits into your own life? What is … [Read more...] about Why You Need to Capitalize on Sustainable Farming
Does Sinclair Own Your Local News Station?
Updated | Public outrage toward Sinclair Broadcast Group peaked over the weekend, culminating with the creation of a viral hashtag urging viewers to boycott the media behemoth's TV news stations. The latest uproar came after a video emerged showing dozens of Sinclair news anchors giving identical scripted spiels against "bias and false news" and dishonesty in… … [Read more...] about Does Sinclair Own Your Local News Station?
‘This Is Extremely Dangerous to Our Democracy’
[Ah, the good old days, when we could trust our TV reporters] Back in November 2017, Ryan Lizza at The New Yorker wrote a story about how a former editor at Russia’s largest state media company had been given clear instructions by the Kremlin during the 2016 U.S. election on how to “show Donald Trump in a positive way, and his opponent, Hillary Clinton, in a negative … [Read more...] about ‘This Is Extremely Dangerous to Our Democracy’
The Trump Base Is Hitting a Wall
I ran in an election once. Each candidate had to give a speech before the assembled student body. During my speech, I referred to the low pressure in the school water fountains, eliciting titters from the crowd. I won the election but I got my comeuppance about a month later. A student passing in the hall asked, “How are you doing with those water fountains?” I … [Read more...] about The Trump Base Is Hitting a Wall
Donald Trump May Have Run Out Of Luck As His Bad Karma Finally Catches Up To Him
Repeated misbehavior almost always has a way of biting perps in the ass. It's called bad karma, and Donald Trump has accumulated several lifetimes worth of it. But Trump may finally have run out of luck as he faces the greatest crisis of his presidency not involving a porn star with capacious breasts. He has been abandoned by his most able and most experienced lawyers as he … [Read more...] about Donald Trump May Have Run Out Of Luck As His Bad Karma Finally Catches Up To Him
Your Own Breath
filename-1-1 (1) by Kim Mooney When you ask most people how they want to die, they say Just don’t keep me alive on life support; I don’t want to be a vegetable. Vegetables are offended. (and it’s an unfortunate term for an unconscious human who is likely to never wake up again). I have seven words for you: Too much TV. Not enough real life. Life support equipment … [Read more...] about Your Own Breath
The Realignment of the American Political Mind
Recently we’ve seen the electorate change as past notions of left verses right have been bent into new alignments. Family favorites like guns, God and abortion still divide us predictably, but two new factors have rearranged former loyalties. Now the sides are educated or not, and angry or not. While Democrats and many traditional conservatives stand shocked and agog at … [Read more...] about The Realignment of the American Political Mind
Glaciers in Mexico May Disappear Completely By 2023
Some of Mexico’s glaciers may be gone by the year 2023. It’s tricky to estimate exactly when the massive chucks of ice will become extinct, but at least one glaciologist believes the glaciers of Iztaccihuatl, a dormant volcano and the country’s third tallest, could be gone within the next decade—or even sooner. Related: Archaeologists Race Melting… … [Read more...] about Glaciers in Mexico May Disappear Completely By 2023
Surprise: Trump’s newest cabinet nominee has no relevant experience
WASHINGTON -- You can't make this stuff up: President Trump has announced he will nominate a medical doctor who has no discernible management experience to run the second-largest agency in the federal government. Can presidents be sued for malpractice? The man Trump has named to become secretary of veterans affairs, Dr. Ronny Jackson, happens to be the president's … [Read more...] about Surprise: Trump’s newest cabinet nominee has no relevant experience
A Series of Unfortunate Events (2018)
In life, we are presented with different challenges and, sometimes, great difficulties. We are forced to deal with and learn from them, so as to avoid them in the future. This happens with the hope of success and happiness. However, when it comes to the Baudelaire Orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, it seems that everything that could go wrong does go wrong. The story of these … [Read more...] about A Series of Unfortunate Events (2018)
Trumpism can’t be treated as a normal political moment
by Michael Gerson Washington Post Writers Group Columnist WASHINGTON -- Is it time for anti-Trump conservatives to recognize that they have lost the political and policy battle within the GOP and to accommodate themselves as best they can to an uncomfortable reality? This is the argument of the Ethics and Public Policy Center's Henry Olsen, one of the most thoughtful … [Read more...] about Trumpism can’t be treated as a normal political moment
An Early April Fool’s Proclamation
The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has declared April as “National Sexual Awareness and Prevention Month.” While the proclamation by this president should be posted tomorrow, April First, it is being posted today out of respect for the meaning of Easter Sunday, without any commentary. It is also posted with every reverence for the real meaning and … [Read more...] about An Early April Fool’s Proclamation
Bully Laura is all bark (Cartoon and Column)
The viewpoints of survivors of horrific tragedies are not infallible. You can disagree and challenge their opinions. While nearly every survivor of the Parkland school shooting is in favor of gun control and a ban on assault-style weapons, Kyle Kashuv, another student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, disagrees with his classmates and thinks there shouldn’t be any … [Read more...] about Bully Laura is all bark (Cartoon and Column)
Japan whalers return from Antarctic hunt after killing 333 whales
Japanese whaling vessels returned to port on Saturday after catching more than 300 of the mammals in the Antarctic Ocean without facing any protests by anti-whaling groups, officials said. A fleet of five whalers set sail for the Southern Ocean in November, as Tokyo pursues its "research whaling" in defiance of global criticism. Three of the… … [Read more...] about Japan whalers return from Antarctic hunt after killing 333 whales
Why Stormy’s Story Still Matters
Approximately 22 million viewers tuned in to "60 Minutes" last Sunday to watch as Anderson Cooper interviewed Stephanie Clifford. Clifford, better known as adult film actress Stormy Daniels, alleges that she had an affair with now-President Trump in 2006. Daniels is currently in the midst of an escalating legal battle with the president and his hapless Attorney Michael … [Read more...] about Why Stormy’s Story Still Matters
Back to the Future
This weekend shapes up to be uneventful, and that’s a good thing. There's too much going on, especially here in the land of the free and the home of the brave . We’re going through another national identity crisis. It happens every fifty years or so. Watergate There is a podcast series called "Slow Burn," a retelling of the story of the Nixon presidency. By design, its … [Read more...] about Back to the Future
Brownshirt Projection
Listen: David Hogg would've made a good brownshirt Cheryl K. Chumley / Washington Times — ANALYSIS/OPINION: — David Hogg, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high-schooler who seems to have set himself up as Laura Ingraham's arch nemesis, has been making national television rounds of late, pretty much calling for adults to step aside … When does aiding and abetting, lying … [Read more...] about Brownshirt Projection
‘Sunrise, Sunset Swiftly Flow the Days’
Sunrise is the time at the beginning of the day when the sun crosses the horizon with its accompanying expectations effects. Sunset is the disappearance of the sun at day’s end with its accompanying nostalgic effects. These are oversimplified, unscientific definitions of what are perhaps the most beautiful, breathtaking and sentimental moments of the day. They have … [Read more...] about ‘Sunrise, Sunset Swiftly Flow the Days’