Much energy and effort has been spent, not least by me, in trying to understand the Donald Trump phenomenon, what he stands for and why so many people are attracted to him. You would think that all possible theories would have been exhausted by now but I came across this article by Bobby Azarian, a cognitive neuroscientist at George Mason University, that sheds a possible new light on his motivations and methods.
[Read more…]
In Idaho, a panel of Republicans in the state senate has approved a bill to allow public school teachers to use the Bible as a reference book in the teaching of astronomy, biology, and geology. Not to be outdone, two Mississippi Democratic legislators think that they have found the solution to the world’s many problems. They have proposed that the Bible be the official state book.
[Read more…]
Jane Mayer, a superb investigative reporter for the New Yorker and author of the book Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, gave an interview to Rolling Stone magazine about the influence of big money in the election process and how in different ways, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are channeling voters anger at this corruption.
[Read more…]
One of the arguments used by supporters of Hillary Clinton against Bernie Sanders is that she has a better chance of beating the Republican candidate in November. But there has been little empirical support for such a belief. Now a new Quinnipiac polls says that Sanders would beat every Republican candidate while Clinton only ties or trails them.
[Read more…]
The Guardian had an interesting article about a new book.
Atheism is not a modern invention from the western Enlightenment, but actually dates back to the ancient world, according to a new book by a Cambridge academic – which challenges the assumption that humanity is naturally predisposed to believe in gods.
[Read more…]
A federal grand jury yesterday indicted Cliven Bundy and four others (including his two sons Ammon and Ryan) on 16 felony charges dating back to the 2014 standoff.
All were charged with conspiracy, carrying a firearm in relation to a violent crime, obstruction of justice, extortion, and assault and threats against federal law enforcement.
The charge of assault on a federal law enforcement officer carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the defendants would also have to forfeit at least $3 million worth of property secured through the crimes, the statement said
The program reviews the events in New Hampshire. This clip of Hillary Clinton’s concession speech with the subtext captions was hilarious.
[Read more…]
Tessa Stuart rounds up a list of potential nominees to replace deceased Supreme Court associate justice Antonin Scalia. Of course, all such lists are purely speculative. The Obama administration will keep its deliberations close to the vest, unless they decide to leak some names to test reactions prior to any announcement.
[Read more…]