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Contrary to popular belief, “May you live in interesting times” isn’t actually a Chinese curse. And even if it were, I can easily think of a lot of interesting times in which the good outweighed the bad. So it doesn’t … Continue reading
Category Archives: News and politics
At the start of last week the latest report from the Social Security Trustees (link) was released, leading to predictable but misleading warnings that the system was going to "run dry." For example, the headline on this article from the … Continue reading
When Banting and colleagues discovered insulin and saved countless lives they refused to profit from it. Their successors are making millions from Americans. The price used to be low, and it's still low elsewhere, but pharmaceutical companies have jacked up … Continue reading
It took me a while to figure out it was Michael Keaton:Link:https://youtu.be/dvLfK0iOyD4 By the way, I've been griping that the news media haven't answered the most important question about Julian Assange's arrest, namely, what happened to his cat? The Washington … Continue reading
Stephen Colbert has fun with the conspiracy theory that a double regularly appears in place of Melania Trump: Link: https://youtu.be/7pgiSs33qYI by … Continue reading
As usual I'm late getting around to this, but here's this year's State of the Union address as interpreted by the folks at Bad Lip Reading: Link: https://youtu.be/066WAeG5muE And for old time's sake, here's Trump's inauguration courtesy of the same … Continue reading
On Late Night with Seth Meyers (back in February), Don Cheadle recalls the night he, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, et al decided to walk a few blocks in packed London streets despite an expectation of being mobbed. … Continue reading
British mathematician, humorist, and author Matt Parker (whose YouTube channel is "standupmaths") describes how rounding can have unexpected effects, even on how the Trump administration tried to get around a provision in the Affordable Care Act to please insurance industry … Continue reading
This PBS NewsHour segment was originally broadcast at the end of January but it's still current because it's about a continuing disaster, namely the collapse of local newspapers and news coverage. Link: https://youtu.be/1KvsAwvXe8M Local television stations and their websites have … Continue reading
Alex Berenson's book Tell Your Children has provoked a lot of discussion concerning the potential dangers of marijuana. (See this favorable review from Stephanie Mencimer in The Washington Monthly here.) I haven't read it, but I gather a Berenson has … Continue reading