Tag Archives: US News

Should We Freak Out About H.R. 1955?

One of the more disturbing bits of news to hit headlines today was that back in October, the House of Representatives passed a bit of legislation entitled Violent RadicalizationPhoto by kaerast. (License: Creative Commons Attribution) and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, H.R. 1955. Reading quick synopses and evaluations of this bill, one might think [...]

Why We Need Halloween

Photo by Matt Reinbold. (License: Creative Commons Attribution) Even outside the church, there are concerns that it promotes unhealthy food choices. It scares the little ones. And to top it all off, it’s dangerous, with its glorification of violence, poisoned and razor-bladed treats, and the way it encourages children to take candy from strangers (not [...]

Staring Into The Abyss

The real thing doesn”t photograph well. You will have to go with my symbolic representation. Pic by me. For some people, it is simply a culmination of small things, over the years, and it is impossible to pinpoint the one that tipped us over. However we get there, most people, sooner or later, find themselves [...]

I Hate Babies

In case you missed the “satire” tag…of course I believe everything I said here. Photo by billy verdin. (License: Creative Commons Attribution) **PLEASE NOTE BEFORE COMMENTING*** This article is satire.  That means (in case you can’t be bothered to click the link) that it’s not meant to be read literally.  It’s a comment on many [...]

The Way of Books: An Interview With Brendan Sherar, CEO of Biblio

The Lord of the Books Seven years later, the company has managed to carve a solid niche for itself in the field and continues to grow and thrive from its base in Asheville, North Carolina. I contacted Biblio’s CEO, Brendan Sherar, for an interview, hoping to get a little insight both into how this tiny [...]

Legalize Marijuana or Hand Over Your Guns

It came up when I searched for “high”. Photo by Coulsey. (License: Creative Commons Attribution) Let’s take just a moment and consider some fundamental paradoxes within the United States’ legal system. We like to think we are the nation of freedom, the nation of get-ahead, the nation of self-made men and women who just have [...]

Getting On The Terrorist Watch List

Everyone is suspect, now… Photo by Bryan Rosengrant. (License: Creative Commons Attribution) After reading a report earlier this week which references various law enforcement pamphlets which detail behaviours of potential terrorists (“If you encounter any of the following, call the Joint Terrorism Task Force”), I was quite naturally inspired to look back over the body [...]

The New Battleground: Freedom of Speech

Photo by Miyoko Schmez. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” —First Amendment of [...]