You’ll forgive us if from here on out we refer to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer as “Spicey.” That’s because Melissa McCarthy’s return to “Saturday Night Live” for another round as the combative, fact-challenged voice of the Trump Administration may have sealed the deal on how we view him going forward. McCarthy’s fist surprise…
Month: March 2019
Ending impunity in Europe?
US European Command's Joint Assessment team and officials from the Georgian government touring Gori homes to assess damage find this Russian missile booster largely intact, August, 2008. Wikicommons/ US Navy/Lt.Jim Hoeft. Some rights reserved.On 27 January the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague made a milestone decision for international justice when it decided to…
How Much Bank Do You Really Need To Have A Baby?
When Capri and Dennis Prentice, 25 and 28 years old respectively, found out they were having twins, the first thing that ran through their minds was “Can we afford this?” Babies are expensive — this we know. Yet potential parents tend to underestimate just how much those bundles of joy actually cost. Here’s an infographic from the…
Israel, ISIS and the Paris attacks
Demotix/Oren Nahshon. All rights reserved.While the world was mourning the victims of the terror attacks in Paris, Beirut, Egypt’s Sinai desert, and elsewhere, Israel was occupied with other matters: how to make the best use out of these attacks locally, regionally, and globally. Let me explain what I mean. Globally, Israel used last week’s attacks…
You Don’t Need To Be An Athlete To Think Of Exercising As Your Job
Thanks to increasing globalization and human-replacing technology, the bar for intellectual performance is higher than ever. As a result, workplace doping — or the illegal use of drugs such as Adderall and other stimulants to enhance cognitive performance — is growing rapidly. But there is a far more healthy and ethical way to get the same (if not greater) mental…
Jeremy Corbyn’s first 100 days
David Cameron has just celebrated his first hundred days as leader of a government that has moved quickly to consolidate its vision of a neo-liberal conservative age and making the most of what was expected to be a lacklustre but usefully diversionary Labour leadership contest. As in 2010, the consolidation has met with much success….
‘The Art of the Deal’ in the Arab Gulf: how Trump could strike a new bargain with Bahrain
Victoria Jones PA Wire/PA Images. All rights reserved.America’s new president, Donald J. Trump, has yet to fully articulate his foreign policy strategy – or to at least unify the divergent views of his cabinet – but one thing is abundantly clear: the next four years are going to be a far cry from the Obama…
Pentagon Tells Employees Not To Stream March Madness Because They’re Wasting Military Resources
On the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA tournament, basketball is televised nonstop during the workday and into prime time. Consequently, it’s one of the few sporting events that forces employers to worry that their workers are spending company time watching instead of working. The Pentagon is no different. Ok, it’s a little different. But rather than…
New York City Bans Employers From Asking For Your Salary History
On Wednesday, the New York City Council approved legislation that bans employers in the city from asking prospective employees about their salary history. The bill, sponsored by Public Advocate Letitia James and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, will prohibit both public and private sector hiring managers from using previous salary history to determine a new salary offer. Banning the question…
Populism and the return of the political
Trump, February 2016. Wikicommons/Marc Nozell from Merrimack, New Hampshire, USA. Some rights reserved.Trump's victory marks a geopolitical turning point that has led many to start talking about ‘the populist era’, in shock at the crushing arrival of this New York tycoon in the capital of Empire. Faced with events of this magnitude, it’s appropriate to…