Category: Aggregated

The eleven-year-old girl shrieked in horror as the shower curtain was ripped away, leaving her exposed to the view of a large male stranger. Her sense of  violation was compounded by the threat of immediate, violent death: The marauder was wearing body armor and aiming an assault rifle at the naked, terrified child. Downstairs, the offender’s comrades were ransacking the house and barking profane orders at the traumatized child’s family. Sterling Harrison, her 19-year-old brother, was sitting in front of a game console when three of the invaders burst into his upstairs room, bound him, and shoved him down the … Continue reading →

The release of the encyclical Laudato Si by Pope Francis last week had the predictable result of winning the Pontiff plaudits and huzzahs in the world’s press, and another round of bewildered head-shaking among observant Catholics. Whether in his formal remarks or his off-the-cuff observations, Pope Francis repeats many of the common objections to (and caricatures of) the market economy, objections we might encounter in the writings of any of the leftist thinkers who dominate the Pope’s Jesuit order. Meanwhile, so-called progressives in the Church, not normally so deferential to authority, triumphantly proclaim that matters of economics have been definitively … Continue reading →

Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known in history as Pliny the Elder, was an influential administrator, officer, and author during his life.  Although he was only fifty-six years old at the time of his death, he left behind a great legacy of political respect and appreciation, as well as a reputation for being one of the strongest ancient Roman historians whose work survives to this day.  Though he was not overly appreciated during his own lifetime, the writing of this privileged military general provides much knowledge of Roman life, science, and philosophy. Born in Como, Italy into a powerful and elite … Continue reading →

Paul Craig Roberts’ address to the Conference on the European/Russian Crisis, Delphi, Greece, June 20-21, 2015 The United States has pursued empire since early in its history, but it was the Soviet collapse in 1991 that enabled Washington to see the entire world as its oyster. The collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in the rise of the neoconservatives to power and influence in the US government. The neoconservatives have interpreted the Soviet collapse as History’s choice of “American democratic capitalism” as the New World Order. Chosen by History as the exceptional and indispensable country, Washington claims the right and … Continue reading →

Some of the news is good news. It’s not all shrapnel-spewing air bags, annoying buckle-up buzzers and engines that shut themselves (and the AC) off at stoplights to “save gas.” Here are some new features you’ll find in new cars that won’t make your teeth ache: * In-car WiFi – Did you know you no longer need to find a Starbucks to find WiFi when you’re on the road? Several new cars offer (or even come standard with) in-car “hot spots.” Wireless Internet – to go. Or, when you’ve stopped. GM’s system – which is standard in the new Chevy Impala … Continue reading →

June 2, 2015 — Obama signs The USA Freedom Act “Liberty isn’t a thing you are given as a present. He who thinks with his own head is a free man. Liberty is something you have to take for yourself. It’s no use begging it from others.” – Pietro Spina in Bread and Wine by Ignazio Silone The year made famous by George Orwell in his oracular novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, has long come and gone. Commentators have had a field day expounding upon Orwell’s hermetic vision of a possible totalitarian world. Big Brother, newspeak, doublethink, now accepted parts of our … Continue reading →

While much of the world focused last week on whether or not the Federal Reserve was going to raise interest rates, or whether the Greek debt crisis would bring Europe to a crisis, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague awarded a $50 billion judgment to shareholders of the former oil company Yukos in their case against the Russian government. The governments of Belgium and France moved immediately to freeze Russian state assets in their countries, naturally provoking the anger of the Russian government. The timing of these actions is quite curious, coming as the Greek crisis in the … Continue reading →

Does facilitating the buying and selling of drugs make one a libertarian? Of course it doesn’t. But that hasn’t stopped some libertarians from making Ross Ulbricht a libertarian hero. Ulbricht was the creator of the Silk Road website, an online marketplace for the sale of heroin, cocaine, and other illegal drugs. As all libertarians are painfully aware, Ulbricht, was earlier this year found guilty by a federal court of narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and other dubious federal crimes, and was recently sentenced to life in prison without parole. This is an outrageous and unjust sentence for a victimless crime. Too … Continue reading →

1. EAT BREAKFAST. How many times have you heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? It is, especially if you have low energy, headaches, and are stressed. What you eat for breakfast is important. Skip products made with white flour and white sugar – they will make you tired and more stressed. Make sure that you eat some form of protein – eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, leftover supper, protein smoothie, etc. 2. STAY REGULAR. Many health problems begin in the colon. Constipation is epidemic in America due to the processed nature of the typical diet. There … Continue reading →

The manager of one of Britain’s biggest bond funds has urged investors to keep cash under the mattress. Ian Spreadbury, who invests more than £4bn of investors’ money across a handful of bond funds for Fidelity, including the flagship Moneybuilder Income fund, is concerned that a “systemic event” could rock markets, possibly similar in magnitude to the financial crisis of 2008, which began in Britain with a run on Northern Rock. “Systemic risk is in the system and as an investor you have to be aware of that,” he told Telegraph Money. The best strategy to deal with this, he … Continue reading →

As fast as popular culture could erect wholesome depictions of American life in comics, television, or movies, Mad was there to tear them all down. A near-instant success for EC Comics upon its debut in 1952, the magazine has inspired generations of comedians for its pioneering satirical attitude and tasteful booger jokes. To fill the gaps in your knowledge, take a look at these facts about the Usual Gang of Idiots. 1. NO ONE KNOWS WHO CAME UP WITH ALFRED E. NEUMAN. Mad creator Harvey Kurtzman was in the offices of a Ballantine Books editor discussing reprints for the fledging … Continue reading →