The racially sensitive came chirping on this Presidents Day, reminding us all that past presidents owned slaves. At the same time we discussed how there are more prisoner’s in the United States currently than there ever were slaves. President Obama, you have some explaining to do. Yes, yes, you inherited…
There are more black people in Jail today than what were slaves before that was abolished. This is truly unbelievable to ponder, especially considering many of the people throwing around the trendy racism card when it fits them nicely. Data reported in Adam Gopnik’s New Yorker essay of January 30,…
Most people under 40 who are avid music fans own pirated music. It is a fact of life and there is nothing anybody can do about it. Independent artists love it because it helps them publicize their bands. The record industy does not enjoy the free publicity for their artists…
I’ve long been an opponent of mandatory workplace drug testing, either for pre-screening or random suspicion-less testing. I would never work for a company that requires it.
For one thing, workplace drug testing establishes a relationship that says the employee (and his/her body) is somehow “property” of the company, rather…
Placebos reduce pain by creating an expectation of relief. Distraction—say, doing a puzzle—relieves it by keeping the brain busy. But do they use the same brain processes? Neuromaging suggests they do. When applying a placebo, scientists see activ...…
Heckled during speech, Mexico’s president defends drug war
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has once again clashed with a citizen angry about the effects of the country’s drug war, this time during a speech in which a man in the audience shouted, “How many more dead?” [...]
“The deaths in the…
This past Friday, Truthout published an article on the record (and still-growing) numbers of incarcerated mothers in the United States. I was one of the people interviewed for the article (but that's not the only reason you should read it): It is we...…
Surprisingly, a diet has a very strong effect on how skin ages. Numerous raw food enthusiasts swear by the fact that the consumption of raw foods is the only factor in their incredibly youthful appearance. Oprah recently interviewed a woman who litera...…
Newt Gingrich is a funny character. Even funnier are some of his past beliefs. Ezra Klein in the Washington Post: On Saturday’s edition of “Up With Chris Hayes,” Gary Johnson brought up an old Newt Gingrich idea I hadn’t heard before: Putting individuals who brought more than two ounces of…
Recently my good bud JJ Schlessinger posted over at FreeKeene.com: Several months ago Ademo Freeman was arrested outside Keene District Court in Keene, New Hampshire. Initially there was a lot of mystery surrounding the circumstances and what he did to get arrested. Early reports indicated that he had simply been…
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