Like a lot of people, I read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged in college, which is probably the worst damned time I could have done so. It was Freshman year, and like everybody else, I was still caught up in the high of being (what we called) free for the first time: Free to skip classes whenever we wanted, free to stay up until 4am wandering campus and climbing trees, and free to … [Read more...] about Fairy Tales for Adults: It’s Time to Outgrow Ayn Rand and ‘Atlas Shrugged’
Fusion-powered cars soon? Princeton U. accelerates its new energy research (Guest Editorial)
In the not too distant future, the main source of energy used around the world may be radically different from the fuels we use today to run our cars, heat our homes or provide the electricity to power our lives. The new energy will come from fusion, the same process used by our sun to provide… … [Read more...] about Fusion-powered cars soon? Princeton U. accelerates its new energy research (Guest Editorial)
Cartoons: Sleazy
Sleazy by Clay Jones This week I celebrated my birthday. It was the big one too. 5-0. Fifty sleazy years. Brutal. I start most days going through my list of subjects and I turn on the news to see if something more pressing hits. It’s usually my hope to draw a non-Trump cartoon, or at least go a couple days avoiding him. Then Trump opens his mouth and that witty Zyka idea … [Read more...] about Cartoons: Sleazy
Trump’s philanthropy fell short of promises
WASHINGTON -- The whole thing began with Donald Trump portraying himself as a philanthropist and promising to donate proceeds to charity. But the promised charitable contributions weren't made. The veterans fundraiser? Well, yes. But it turns out Trump did much the same thing with another of his undertakings in the news: Trump University. In the case of the fundraiser, Trump … [Read more...] about Trump’s philanthropy fell short of promises
Trump’s Essence: Grievance and Revenge
Josh Marshall sums up the essence of Donald Trump's character on Talking Points Memo. I was just watching the first segment of Hardball where the topic of discussion was Trump's non-existent impulse control and the persistent theme of grievance that is driving his attacks on the press, Judge Curiel and everyone else. Everybody had their idea. But how should this surprise us? … [Read more...] about Trump’s Essence: Grievance and Revenge
Pittsburgh Considers Banning Wild-Animal Acts
Pittsburgh Considers Banning Wild-Animal Acts by Andrea Sears, Public News Service - PA PITTSBURGH -- Clowns and animal-rights advocates crowded Pittsburgh's City Council chambers this week, speaking their minds about a proposed ban on wild-animal acts in the city. The ordinance, based on a similar law in San Francisco, would prohibit performances involving wild or exotic … [Read more...] about Pittsburgh Considers Banning Wild-Animal Acts
Why Trump hit a new low with his attack on “Mexican” judge (Guest Voice)
Why Trump Hit a New Low With Attack on 'Mexican' Judge By Dick Polman Predictably, America's Troll is still attacking the federal judge who's handling the lawsuit against Trump University. On Memorial Day, Donald Trump twice tweeted that the judge he derided last week as "Mexican" (Gonzalo Curiel was born, raised, and educated in Indiana) is "totally biased" against the … [Read more...] about Why Trump hit a new low with his attack on “Mexican” judge (Guest Voice)
Cartoons: Counterfeit
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoons: Counterfeit
Most Americans Get Their News From Social Media
What would have been unimaginable a few years ago is now official. Most of of the people in this country get their news from social media. Those are the findings of a new study published by the Pew Research Center. Whether from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube, 62% of all Americans get news from social… … [Read more...] about Most Americans Get Their News From Social Media
Gorilla Politics and the GOP (Guest Voice)
Gorilla Politics and the GOP Raging Moderate by Will Durst A hearty congratulations to conservatives for a seamless transition from party-wide disgust to near unanimous endorsement of a gorilla as their presidential nominee. Considering the tortuous undulations required, this metamorphosis seems to have occurred with shockingly few chiropractic adjustments. Having … [Read more...] about Gorilla Politics and the GOP (Guest Voice)
USA Today: Trump’s 3500 lawsuits unprecedented for Presidential candidate
Donald Trump has just set a new record, of sorts, according to USA Today. The paper did a tally of all of the lawsuits he and his company have been involved in and came up with 3500 -- a number unprecedented for a Presidential candidate. " No candidate of a major party has had anything approaching the number of Trump’s courtroom entanglements," the paper reports. This … [Read more...] about USA Today: Trump’s 3500 lawsuits unprecedented for Presidential candidate
A one-man Lloyd’s of London
WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump makes more guarantees than a used-car salesman. I guarantee you. He guarantees Mexico will pay for the border wall. "I'll get Mexico to pay for it one way or the other. I guarantee you that." He guarantees that his still-secret tax returns are the hugest ever. "They're very big tax returns," he said after the New Hampshire primary. "I … [Read more...] about A one-man Lloyd’s of London
Stephen Hawking Defines Donald Trump and Confuses His Supporters (Update)
Update: Trump has not yet reacted to British scientist Stephen Hawking’s on-target definition of Trump as “a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator.” When he does, expect another one of Trump’s vicious, deranged retaliatory outbursts. However, his loyal muck carrier, Ann Coulter, has already launched a retaliatory strike via Twitter-- and what a … [Read more...] about Stephen Hawking Defines Donald Trump and Confuses His Supporters (Update)
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley is madder than a jackass chewing on bumblebees (Guest Voice)
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley is madder than a jackass chewing on bumblebees by Stephen Cooper The last time Alabama Governor Robert Bentley penned a column for al.com, I wrote in The Alabama Political Reporter that his op-ed proved he was delusional, but this time, as it concerns his May 29 open letter to all Alabamians (“Governor Bentley wants to hear from you”), I … [Read more...] about Alabama Governor Robert Bentley is madder than a jackass chewing on bumblebees (Guest Voice)
The menace that is social media (Guest Voice)
The menace that is social media Tony Katigbak (The Philippine Star) - June 1, 2016 - 12:00am I have never been a social media addict. Call me traditional, and yes I admit that I am, but it has just never really been appealing to me. In our home, as I am sure is the case in… … [Read more...] about The menace that is social media (Guest Voice)
Blaming Trump For Democrat Money Woes
The chairman of the DNC's Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee is blaming Donald Trump for insufficient funds to pay for the 2016 Democratic Party convention. From The Hill: "The Democratic Party is millions of dollars short of the money it needs to host the Democratic National Convention in July, a key Democrat told Buzzfeed on Friday. Ed Rendell, a former Pennsylvania governor … [Read more...] about Blaming Trump For Democrat Money Woes
Toward a More UNITED United States
On the eve of Memorial Day weekend, 2016, my old next-door neighbor from back home, Kevin Buist, e-mailed three photographs to his family and a few selected friends (myself included). The photos were of his late father, Walter S. "Scotty" Buist, at three stages of his life: as a young airman serving in the Army Air Forces during World War II... in middle age, dressed in … [Read more...] about Toward a More UNITED United States
Time To Call Trump What He Is… A Big Fat Liar (Guest Voice)
Time To Call Trump What He Is... A Big Fat Liar by By Andrew Feinberg There must be a better way. I am so tired—you don’t know how tired—of watching Donald Trump go on TV and lie with impunity. Our outmoded “journalism nice” rules, under which all stories have two sides and no one is branded a liar even for saying the unemployment rate is 42% or “I don’t know anything … [Read more...] about Time To Call Trump What He Is… A Big Fat Liar (Guest Voice)
Becoming a refugee: Essays by Syrians living in Germany
This past Saturday at the Vatican, the Pope sat to address a group of several hundred children. He held an orange life jacket in his lap. What he planned to talk about was obvious. There are few people these days that can see that classic orange vest and think of anything but desperate refugees pouring across… … [Read more...] about Becoming a refugee: Essays by Syrians living in Germany
TECH COMPANIES TO CRACK DOWN ON HATE SPEECH
Tech Companies to Crack Down on Hate Speech by Miriam Rafferty May 31, 2016 (San Diego) – A lawsuit filed against Twitter, Facebook and Google by a Jewish youth group in France in April has resulted in major social media and Internet companies pledging to remove hate speech in 24 hours or less after a complaint is filed. The firms named in the suit, along with … [Read more...] about TECH COMPANIES TO CRACK DOWN ON HATE SPEECH