IMPORTANT READS

IN SEARCH OF HOPE--Nearly a century ago, Mohandas Gandhi started a new publication to share his vision of nonviolent organizing, filling it with inspiring quotations and political insights. He titled the journal Young India, to indicate that its teachings were intended to help the people plan for eventual independence, fusing the methods of building a movement with those required to begin (re)building a nation. Gandhi saw the means and ends as interconnected, and reflected this in his personal practices and societal aspirations.

TRUMP WATCH-The discovery of the Russian influence in the fake news arena comes as no surprise to those of us that were monitoring the campaigns. The mere fact that the extreme left and right were basing their social media feeds on the same so-called “news” topics became quite apparent from the get-go.

SQUEEZING THE WORKER-When we give someone a tip, we expect the money will go to the workers who provided us with service. We might leave a little extra because someone went above and beyond for us. Or because we want that person to have a slightly easier time getting by. Whatever the circumstance, we trust that the money will help the workers who served us. 

TRUMP WATCH-It’s common knowledge that if you are forced to listed to Trump’s rhetoric, he will always tell you what he is guilty of because he makes accusations of others of what he himself has done. This was apparent early on during the campaign as he accused Hillary Clinton of being involved in so many weird situations that we assumed he was simply nuts. 

TRUTH WATCH-This is one of the most important questions of our time. As we continue to be horrified at the daily onslaught of conservative Republican and Trump blatant disregard of both law and the people, we need to establish a firm concept of who and what we want to represent our forward-thinking views. 

TWO STATE SOLUTION IN DOUBT-The United States has been and remains the staunchest supporter of Israel, and its unqualified support will cause significant damage to Israel’s future wellbeing. The United States’ continued political, military and economic backing has enabled Israel in the past to maintain the occupation and create new political and physical conditions in the West Bank that have severely undermined, if not destroyed, the prospect of a two-state solution.

WHAT I SAW--This was a highly anticipated speech. Would Trump go off script? Would he be combatitive, or attempt to bring everyone together? What color would his tie be? Would any members of the Congress walk out? Would some wear white, black, have roses on their lapels?

TRUMP WATCH-There are a lot of people speaking out right now against obstruction of justice, calling for rule of law.

BIZ POLITICS--Growing tension between California and the federal government over immigration has business owners in the crosshairs, worried about the potential effect on their enterprises and unsure which laws they should follow. 

DC DISPATCH--In American Pravda: My fight for truth in the era of fake news by James O’Keefe, delivers an interesting, thought provoking piece of reading. Basically, it raises questions on the role of media, equating the American journalism, as it stands today, and Stalin’s suppression of freedom of speech in 1930’s. Pravda was of course the Soviet Union’s bastion that became Stalin’s vehicle back then. He used it extensively to propagate lies, which nobody dared to oppose. People accepted those lies, even though they knew them to be so. Americans have always prided themselves of being free from similar constraints, proclaiming democracy to be the best form of governance, with freedom of speech being at its core. 

DC DISPATCH-For the past few months, Bitcoin has been making more headlines than normal. In July 2011, Bitcoin had parity with the U.S. dollar and has since catapulted to an all-time high of 17,900 on December 15, 2017. So many have asked, what is propelling this exponential growth? 

TRUTH WATCH--Comparing Trump to Hitler may sound like it has been overplayed, but there has never been any administration in the history of the United States that followed the fascist doctrine so closely. It was well-know that Trump studied Hitler’s speeches and this was validated in a 2016 Vanity Fair interview with his former wife, Ivanka. 

CHANGE AGENCY-Assume, for the sake of argument, that Mueller’s team believes Donald Trump is a crook. They’ve discovered evidence of something  --  obstruction as president, collusion as a candidate, money laundering that leaves him compromised, whatever -- that convinces them Trump should be removed from office.

RELIGION AND POLITICS--Today, just about everyone -- including lobbyists, state legislators, and Supreme Court litigants -- assumes that freedom of religion naturally means opposition to same-sex marriage and reproductive rights, and sits in tension with anti-discrimination and civil rights laws. 

RACISM AND POLITICS--In the past couple of weeks, thanks to the president’s racist comments about Haiti and African countries he can’t even name -- remember “Nambia”? -- as well as the stamp of approval he awarded future immigrants from Norway, we’ve seen a surprising amount of commentary about that fortunate country.

MEDIA WATCH--American mass media journalism is broken. There are some simple elements of U.S. journalistic practice that have proved easy for special interests to hack, and the editors at least have allowed themselves to be used by sinister forces. (I am speaking primarily of television news here, and primarily of the 24 hour channels).

DC WATCH--If you google the phrase “locker room talk,” (LRT)  you won't see an image of a sunset-hued Neanderthal dressed in a  kosovorotka, but a definition put forth by the Urban Dictionary. This method of communication is defined as “any manner of conversation, that polite society dictates be held privately - with small groups of like-minded, similarly gendered peers - due to its sexually charged language, situations or innuendos.” 

THE END OF CIVIL DISCOURSE-The funeral has begun. The casket lies open on the altar of decency and the asterisk rests quietly within, while the officiant prepares to close the coffin and lower it into its grave.

POLITICS--Former Maricopa County Sheriff and U.S. Senate candidate Joe Arpaio at his office on January 10, 2018, in Fountain Hills, Arizona

THE PRICE OF A TRUMP PRESIDENCY--The United States' global standing has plummeted under the Trump administration, according to Human Rights Watch's (HRW) annual report and an international Gallup survey regarding the country's reputation as a world leader.

SCIENCE AND AGING-A start-up company in California called Alkahest has an unconventional, and rather vampiric, idea for curing Alzheimer's disease. The founders believe that the disease can be slowed, stopped, or possibly reversed using blood from young people.