Comparing Trump to Hitler

The coiner of Godwin’s law gives his blessing.

Israel, Hamas, and the Laws of War

It’s . . . complicated.

Dick Butkus, 1942-2023

The legendary football player and pitchman is gone at 80.

Widely-Sold Decongestant Doesn’t Work

A tale of slow-moving bureaucracy.

Robbie Robertson, 1943-2023

The leader of The Band is gone at 80.

The Injustice of Place

A new book looks at the confluence of geography and disadvantage.

History! What is it Good For?

Absolutely something!

Thinking about the Past

Thoughts after reading Part 2 of the Reuter’s series, “Slavery’s Descendants”

Coverage of the Trump Indictment Keeps Emphasizing the Wrong Thing

The problem is not the indictment; it is the indicted.

Culture and Our Brains

Our surroundings quite literally change how we see the world.

AM Radio’s Slow Demise

Car manufacturers are slowly removing an old format.

Most of the World Doesn’t Care About Ukraine

Many in the Global South see the war very differently than we in the West.

Raquel Welch, 1940-2023

A Hollywood star is gone at 82.

David Crosby, 1941-2023

The folk rock legend is gone at 81.

Jeff Beck, 1944-2023

A legendary guitarist is gone at 78.

Bolsonaro Supporters Storm Brazil’s Presidential Palace, Congress, and Supreme Court

Latin America’s answer to Donald Trump has his own insurrection attempt.

The free high-resolution photo of food, holiday, christmas, lighting, decor, cake, birthday cake, christmas decoration, candles, sweets, event, birthday, baked goods, white cake, vanila cake , taken with an NIKON D3000 03/05 2017 The picture taken with 48.0mm, f/5.6s, 1/200s, ISO 800 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of food, holiday, christmas, lighting, decor, cake, birthday cake, christmas decoration, candles, sweets, event, birthday, baked goods, white cake, vanila cake , taken with an NIKON D3000 03/05 2017 The picture taken with 48.0mm, f/5.6s, 1/200s, ISO 800 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

South Koreans Getting New Birthdays

A move away from a centuries old Asian practice.

Calcified Democracy

A deep dive into why our politics are so broken.

NFL and College Football Going Head to Head

The most popular television product is running out of room to expand.

Loretta Lynn, 1932-2022

A country music icon is gone at 90.

QEII and the Empire

How much blame did the 70-year constitutional monarch share?

Anti-Zionism Isn’t Anti-Semitism

Many young, progressive Jews are feeling unwelcome in young, progressive circles.

Bill Russell, 1934-2022

The iconic basketball player, coach, and civil rights leader is gone at 88.

Minority Rule in a Winner-Take-All System

How long can the unsustainable be sustained?

Taking Notes on a Criminal Conspiracy

The Proud Boys, Trump family, and Alex Jones all filmed documentaries of their actions leading up to January 6.

Watergate at 50

Half a century have passed since a botched burglary changed history.

Riot (or Worse) Thwarted in Idaho

A group of extremists are stopped from instigating a riot.

Time for a New Generation to Lead?

The Silents and Boomers have been in charge too long.

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Why America Can’t Build

Are we too regulated for our own good?

Mass Shootings, Ideology, and Mental Illness

We know a lot less about the motives of spree killers than the public discourse suggests.

Neal Adams, 1941-2022

The legendary comic book artist is gone at 80.

President Joe Biden calls New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Wednesday, November 3, 2021, in the Oval Office Study. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) President Joe Biden calls New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Wednesday, November 3, 2021, in the Oval Office Study. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Presidents Aren’t Magicians

We expect far more from the Oval Office than is reasonable.

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CRT? Tired. Groomers? Wired!

The latest strategic moral panic from the far right

More Details On 7 Hours “Missing” From 1/6 White House Phone Logs

They’re not missing and that points to a systemic issue

Merriman Smith ‘Canceled’ Posthumously

A man most have never heard of is being reassessed more than a half-century after his death.

Sidney Poitier, 1927-2022

A pioneering Black actor is gone at 94.

Mayberry and White America

When life doesn’t imitate art.

Harry Reid, 1939-2021

The longtime Senate leader is gone at 82.

Bob Dole, 1923-2021

The longtime Senator and Vice Presidential and Presidential nominee is gone at 98.

The free high-resolution photo of writing, pencil, number, font, text, handwriting, document, testing, test, exam, bubble form, test form, exam form, bubble sheet, multipe choice , taken with an SM-N900V 02/12 2017 The picture taken with 5.0mm, f/2.2s, 1/17s, ISO 200 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of writing, pencil, number, font, text, handwriting, document, testing, test, exam, bubble form, test form, exam form, bubble sheet, multipe choice , taken with an SM-N900V 02/12 2017 The picture taken with 5.0mm, f/2.2s, 1/17s, ISO 200 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

The College Admissions Rat Race

An interesting argument, albeit about a tiny and vastly over-discussed segment.

Is Autocracy Really Winning?

A depressing magazine piece argues it is.

RVA Pro Gun Rally 2020-11 Streets of Richmond, VA RVA Pro Gun Rally 2020-11 Streets of Richmond, VA

Trump, the GOP, and Stochastic Terrorism

A conversation in two parts.

Max Cleland, 1942-2021

The Vietnam War hero and one-term Georgia Senator has died at 79.

Evangelical Politics in the Time of Polarization and Covid

A piece in The Atlantic inspires thoughts.

The Psychology of Internet Fame

Our brains are wired to seek approval but may not be equipped to handle our modern existence.

Donald Rumsfeld, 1932-2021

He was both the youngest and oldest man to run the Pentagon.

Book Review: Kill Switch

Discussing the filibuster.

G. Gordon Liddy, 1930-2021

The Watergate conspirator, author, and talk show host was 90.

Culture Clash at the New York Times

America’s Newspaper of Record needs to figure out what it wants to be.