Daily Archives: February 23, 2017

A Libertarian Look at Free College – Being Libertarian – Being Libertarian

Posted: February 23, 2017 at 1:42 pm

There has been a lot of talk lately about free college. Being a Libertarian I initially scoffed at the idea. Then, as I normally do, I started to wonder if there was any idea that could improve the current college business model to attain most of the same perks that free college would be able to attain.

It would be nice if money were off the table when it came to choosing where to attend college. It would be nice if my income, or my familys income or social status, was not a factor. It would be nice if students were accepted solely based on their merit and potential, disregarding all other factors. To me, this is a principle that makes me want to find a solution as a Libertarian. I believe that I have done just that.

What if we had a business model that could remove the need for tuition, while making a college more profitable? What if colleges viewed students as investments and it was in their best interest to provide them with competitive degrees and to help them find employment quickly upon graduation? What if a college based its profitability off of the profitability of its alumni? What if colleges understood the needs of the market and focused its degrees on these areas to not only meet the needs of the market, but also to maximize alumni income? What if students that could not complete their program, and had to drop out, could walk away debt-free? What if the answer to all these questions is yes? Well, it is.

I have developed a business model that requires no upfront tuition to be paid by students. Instead, students agree that upon graduation, they will pay 12% of their income to the college for the next 12 years. With this basic agreement, the colleges profitability is not interlaced with the profitability of the student upon graduation. The college will want the student to find a high paying job quickly, and could offer services to help the student in this manner, and since the student is bound by this contract for 12 years, it is in the colleges interest to help its alumni for this entire time. The college wants to produce graduates that will earn a higher wage to maximize their profits.

In order to accomplish this, the college will focus degree programs on areas where there is a need in the market. Colleges would shift away from degree programs that earn little money and have little need in the market. Colleges would offer degree programs that would best fit the skill-set of the student and help the individual to be as successful as they can. The college now cares about counseling and motivating students to not drop out. The college now cares about each class within the degree program because it is in their interest to be as efficient as possible. Each class would be taking up vital space in a streamlined degree program designed to provide the best skill and knowledge to students to help them be as successful as possible.

Now the college would start to earn a reputation for itself and its alumni because of its better degrees. The market would constantly change and the degree programs would change in order to keep up, because that would be in the best interest of the college. This business model would remove the government from being loan officers, remove the need for grants for education, remove the debt that students face for decades, and create a contract between the college and its alumni that would be a mutually-profitable partnership.

In order to move this business model away from the theory and to test its validity, I took a look at the University of Colorado. During the Fiscal Year 2015-16 the University of Colorados revenue by tuition was $872.3 million, with a student headcount enrollment of 63,202 and awarded 14,479 degrees. If each of these graduates started out earning an average of $40,000 a year and received a 3% increase each year either through changing jobs or regular pay raises, once the 12 year span of alumni was full, the University of Colorado would be bringing in over $986 million dollars, an increase in revenue of over 13%. The average student would end up paying back $68,121 without any interest. These same 4 year degrees currently cost close to $120,000 with in-state tuition. If the average earnings of the alumni are $50,000 a year, the colleges income can increase to $1.2 billion, which would be an increase of over 41%. Understanding this, one can see why the colleges would focus on finding the best possible opportunities for its alumni.

I can hear you asking how does the university make more money while the student pays less? Its simple; we have removed the middle-man, the government. By doing so, we have removed compounding interest and all payments start off based on the graduates current income. If the college has graduates that are earning less than their peers, it is in everyones interest for the college to assist the graduate to find a higher paying job.

Students that attend college, but fail to graduate, owe nothing. This prevents the current problem of student debt without a degree. The student can always return later and complete their degree, or transfer to another college. Transferring credits would have the same effect as the college owning stock in the transfer student. The 12% that the student would pay upon graduation would be split based on their credits among the two colleges. There are sure to be challenges to this business model, but they could be overcome with creativity and resources.

The biggest challenge will be in the initial years until the college attains a full 12 year span of alumni that are paying their 12% payments. This could be overcome by using a hybrid of the tuition system with the 1212 program, or colleges with a large endowment might use some of it to attain this model. Harvard currently has the largest endowment in the world, just over $36 billion. It could be the first university to implement this business model as a social experiment.

There are solutions to these challenges, and these solutions lead us to a better business model when it comes to education costs in America.

* Jeffrey Smith served in the Army for 13 years, currently working as a Senior Operations Specialist and Analyst for a not-for-profit that proctors the clinical skills exam for medical students and has a masters degree in business administration from Excelsior College. Jeff is a long time Libertarian looking for opportunities to bring the Libertarian platform to everyday people.

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57th District It’s the Golden rule: J. Central moves into 7th straight finals – The Independent

Posted: at 1:42 pm

SALYERSVILLE Johnson Central punched its ticket to the 15th Region Tournament on Tuesday night with a 77-61 win over Paintsville in the opening round of the 57th District Tournament at the Magoffin County Fieldhouse.

The Golden Eagles, who won their 11th straight game, will play the winner of Sheldon Clark and Magoffin County on Friday for the district championship. The title game will mark the seventh straight for Central, which has won four district crowns since 2011 and is looking to win its fourth in five years.

Its a shame that either Sheldon Clark or Magoffin County will not be playing in the regional tournament, said Johnson Central coach Tommy McKenzie. Either one of those teams are good enough to win the regional tournament.

Centrals pressure defense set the tone early on. Paintsville turnovers quickly turned into easy transition baskets.

For a night that we didnt particularly shoot the ball well, we were fortunate to get some fast-break baskets, added McKenzie. Central (24-6)finished 39 percent from the floor on 26-of-67 shooting. It wasnt pretty, but it was a win.

Paintsville lost for the 11th straight time. Its a building process for Tigers coach Landon Slone, who led Paintsville (8-20) to its last 57th District title in 2008. That was the last time the Tigers played in the 15th Region Tournament.

Weve got a solid core of players, said Slone. The Tigers starting five included an eighth-grader, two freshmen, a sophomore and a senior.

Im proud of our players, and theyre going to write a new chapter in the history of our great program in time,he said.

Freshman Seth Williams had a game-high 26 points to lead the Tigers.

Johnson Central, which forced a running clock for most of the second half, had four players in double figures. Senior Cole Crace had 17 points. Senior Mason Blair followed with 12. He was issued a technical foul in the second quarter. Senior Austin Davis and sophomore Jacob Rice each finished with 10.

PAINTSVILLE 13 5 16 14 61

J. CENTRAL 28 21 15 13 77

Paintsville (61) Trent Vanover 0(2) 0-0 6; Seth Williams 4(5) 3-4 26; James Allen 0 2-2 2; Mason Moore 2(1) 2-4 9; Braxton Tharp 1 2-2 4; Ethan Hensley 1 0-0 2; Michael Prater 1(1) 2-2 5; Brandon Richmond 2 1-2 5; Ryan Moore 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11(9) 11-18 61.

Johnson Central (77) Leon Moshefy 2 2-4 6; Austin Davis 1(2) 2-2 10; Cole Crace 2(3) 4-4 17; Mason Blair 2(2) 2-3 12; Jacob Rice 2(2) 0-0 10; Caleb Price 1 0-0 2; Dalton Collins 1 1-2 3; Blake Delong 2 0-0 4; Gabe Ferrell 0(1) 0-2 3; Isaiah May 0 3-4 3; Jarrett Blair 1(1) 0-0 5; Cory VanHoose 1 0-2 2. Totals: 15(11) 16-23 77.

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United Way to present Golden Rule-Lightkeepers, Fabric of our Community Awards – Jacksonville Daily News

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The Golden Rule Lightkeepers Awards a partnership between the United Way and The Daily News along with the City of Jacksonvilles Fabric of Our Community Award will be presented at this years luncheon on Friday

Excellence will be recognized this week at a luncheon to honor community volunteers.

The Golden Rule Lightkeepers Awards a partnership between the United Way and The Daily News along with the City of Jacksonvilles Fabric of Our Community Award will be presented at this years luncheon on Friday at noon at the Courtyard by Marriott in Jacksonville.

The awards are something United Way Volunteer Onslow Director Shelly Kieweg said highlight the accomplishments of local volunteers.

When we recognize excellence, we acknowledge volunteer efforts that go above and beyond, which in turn makes them feel proud of their own accomplishments and want to continue to volunteer for us, Kieweg said. Volunteers are priceless. They are the backbone and add value to nonprofit organizations.

For recipients to qualify for an award, they must be a volunteer in a capacity that helps the community and be nominated as Lightkeepers, from which the Golden Rule winners are also selected, by an individual or a community agency, Kieweg said. Golden Rule Award winners will then be nominated for the N.C. Governors Volunteer Service Award.

The Fabric of our Community Awards new this year will recognize community members who through a lifetime of work, have helped achieve higher civic education, improved the civic infrastructure of our community or performed efforts to advance citizenship, citizen participation and encouragement of our community.

For Kieweg, the experience of watching volunteers receive these awards is truly moving. Its something she said makes the staffs hearts happy.

Most volunteers dont volunteer for recognition, she said. They volunteer because they are giving back to their community, and that is what matters most. To see their faces when they are being recognized is priceless.

Kieweg said that while no award can match the satisfaction a volunteer can receive from serving a neighbor in need, the event is the least they can do. She encouraged the public to nominate individuals who do much to make the community better. To nominate a volunteer, visit JDNews.com/UnsungHeroes to fill out a nomination form.

The luncheon, catered by The Flame, is open to the public. Those who wish to attend can RSVP at UWOnslow.org. Tickets, which are $15 each, can be paid for online or at the door.

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Alan Colmes, liberal voice at Fox News, dead at 66 – CBS News

Posted: at 1:41 pm

Last Updated Feb 23, 2017 11:26 AM EST

NEW YORK -- Alan Colmes, the radio and television host and commentator best known as the amiable liberal foil to the hard-right Sean Hannity on the Fox News Channel, has died. He was 66.

Fox spokeswoman Dana Klinghoffer confirmed his death Thursday. Fox also aired a tribute to Colmes, narrated by Hannity, and a statement from his family saying that he died Thursday morning after a brief illness.

Colmes is survived by his wife, Jocelyn Elise Crowley, the sister of longtime Fox contributor Monica Crowley.

He was a great guy, brilliant, hysterical, and moral, the family statement said. He was fiercely loyal, and the only thing he loved more than his work was his life with Jocelyn. He will be missed.

In a statement issued through Fox, Hannity called Colmes one of lifes most decent, kind and wonderful people.

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Fox News Correspondents Alan Colmes and Sean Hannity attend the Fox News Channels 10th anniversary celebration on Oct. 4, 2006, in New York City.

Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Colmes was a New York City native and Hofstra University graduate who worked for years in radio, notably on WABC and WNBC, and standup comedy before joining Fox in 1996.

That same year he and the conservative Hannity began a 12-year run as co-hosts of the popular Hannity & Colmes program, which brought Colmes both fame and ridicule.

Admittedly a minority voice on the conservative channel, Colmes was often mocked as too nice and easily overshadowed by the ever-aggressive Hannity. The liberal media watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Media likened him to the hapless Washington Generals, the dependable losers to basketballs Harlem Globetrotters.

Al Franken, in his best-selling Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, imagined Colmes earning his salary by adding toner to the copiers and printers, loofah-ing Roger Ailes in his personal steam room, and ordering Chinese food for editors working on misleading video packages.

Colmes was aware of the criticism, but said that getting mean was not his style.

People say to me, Why dont you fight fire with fire? he told The Associated Press in 2003. You fight fire with water, not fire.

Colmes continued to appear as a commentator on Fox after his show with Hannity ended. He also was an author, his books including Thank the Liberals and Red, White & Liberal.

Former Fox anchor Megyn Kelly, conservative commentator Ann Coulter and Fox personalities were among those who took to social media following news of Colmes death.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Pence slams ‘liberal activists’ at town halls – The Hill

Posted: at 1:41 pm

Vice President Pence says liberal activists are partly to blame for the wave of protests at GOP lawmakers recent town halls.

The nightmare of ObamaCare is about to end, he said Wednesdayin Fenton, Mo. "Despite the best efforts of liberal activists at town halls around the country, ObamaCare has failed, and it has got to go.

Pence added the Trump administration will work with Congress on creating more flexibility for healthcare, including allowing it to be sold across state lines like car insurance and life insurance.

Republican lawmakers are facing tough crowds during this weeks congressional recess, with attendees challenging them on issues ranging from healthcare reform to President Trumps agenda.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday the recurring incidents are a mixture of real frustration and professional agitation.

Theres a hybrid there: I think some people are clearly upset, but there is a bit of professional protester, manufactured base in there, he said during his daily press briefing.

Pence's and Spicers remarks both echo Trumps, who tweeted Tuesday that the so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists.

Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) pushed back on the administrations claim Wednesday, noting his town hall in Mount Pleasant, S.C., last Saturday wasnt an artificial crowd."

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Emmanuel Macron: a populist eruption from the liberal centre – New Statesman

Posted: at 1:41 pm

Oh, piss off Doris, cried the nation in unison this morning. No, it wasn't that everyone's local cantankerous old lady had thwacked our ankles with her stick. This is a different, more aggressive Doris. Less Werthers, more extreme weathers. Less bridge club, more bridge collapse.

This is Storm Doris.

A storm that has brought snow, rain, and furious winds up to 94mph to parts of the UK. There are severe weather warnings of wind, snow and ice across the entire country.

But the real question here is: why is it called that? And what impact does the new Met Office policy of naming storms have on us?

Storm Doris is the latest protagonist in the Met Offices decision to name storms, a pilot scheme introduced in winter 2015/16 now in its second year.

The scheme was introduced to draw attention to severe weather conditions in Britain, and raise awareness of how to prepare for them.

The Name our Storms initiative invites the public to suggest names for storms. You can do this by tweeting the @metoffice using the #nameourstorms hashtag and your suggestion, through its Facebook page, or by emailing them.

These names are collated along with suggestions from Met ireann and compiled into a list. These are whittled down into 21 names, according to which were most suggested in alphabetical order and alternating between male and female names. This is done according to the US National Hurricane Naming convention, which excludes the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z because there are thought to be too few common names beginning with these letters.

They have to be human names, which is why suggestions in this list revealed by Wired including Apocalypse, Gnasher, Megatron, In A Teacup (or Ena Tee Cup) were rejected. The Met Office received 10,000 submissions for the 2016/17 season. According to a spokesperson, a lot of people submit their own names.

Only storms that could have a medium or high wind impact in the UK and Ireland are named. If there are more than 21 storms in a year, then the naming system starts from Alpha and goes through the Greek alphabet.

The names for this year are: Angus (19-20 Nov 16), Barbara (23-24 Dec 2016), Conor (25-26 Dec 2016), Doris (now), Ewan, Fleur, Gabriel, Holly, Ivor, Jacqui, Kamil, Louise, Malcolm, Natalie, Oisn, Penelope, Robert, Susan, Thomas, Valerie and Wilbert.

Doris is an incongruous name for this storm, so why was it chosen? A Met Office spokesperson says they were just at that stage in their list of names, and theres no link between the nature of the storm and its name.

But do people send cosy names for violent weather conditions on purpose? Theres all sorts in there, a spokesperson tells me. People dont try and use cosy names as such.

We know that giving names to objects and animals immediately gives us a human connection with them. Thats why we name things we feel close to: a pet owner names their cat, a sailor names their boat, a bore names their car. We even name our virtual assistants from Microsofts Clippy to Amazons Alexa.

This gives us a connection beyond practicality with the thing weve named.

Remember the response of Walter Palmer, the guy who killed Cecil the Lion? If I had known this lion had a name and was important to the country or a study, obviously I wouldnt have taken it, he said. Nobody in our hunting party knew before or after the name of this lion.

So how does giving a storm a name change our attitude towards it?

Evidence suggests that we take it more seriously or at least pay closer attention. A YouGov survey following the first seven named storms in the Met Offices scheme shows that 55 per cent of the people polled took measures to prepare for wild weather after hearing that the oncoming storm had been named.

There was an immediate acceptance of the storm names through all media,said Gerald Fleming, Head of Forecasting at Met ireann, the Irish metereological service. The severe weather messages were more clearly communicated.

But personalising a stormcan backfire. A controversial US study in 2014 by PNAC (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) claimed that hurricanes with female names lead to higher death tolls the more feminine the name, like Belle or Cindy, the higher the death toll. This is not because female names are attached to more severe storms; it is reportedly because people take fewer steps to prepare for storms with names they perceive to be unintimidating or weak.

In judging the intensity of a storm, people appear to be applying their beliefs about how men and women behave, Sharon Shavitt, a co-author of the study, told the FT at the time. This makes a female-named hurricane . . . seem gentler and less violent.

Names have social connotations, and affect our subconscious. Naming a storm can raise awareness of it, but it can also affect our behaviour towards it.

We should also spare a thought for the impact sharing a name with a notorious weather event can have on a person. Katrina Nicholson, a nurse who lives in Glasgow, says it was horrible when the 2005 hurricane one of the fifth deadliest ever in the US was given her name.

It was horrible having something so destructive associated with my name. Homes being destroyed and lives being lost shouldnt be named after any person, she tells me over email. I actually remember at the time meeting an American tourist on a boat trip in Skye and when he heard my name he immediately linked it to the storm although he quickly felt guilty and then said it was a lovely name! I think to this day there will be many Americans who hate my name because of it.

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Alan Colmes, liberal voice on Fox, dead at 66, and more in entertainment news – Press of Atlantic City

Posted: at 1:41 pm

Alan Colmes, the radio and television host and commentator best known as the amiable liberal foil to the hard-right Sean Hannity on the Fox News Channel, has died.

Fox spokeswoman Dana Klinghoffer confirmed his death Thursday. Fox also aired a tribute to Colmes, narrated by Hannity, and a statement from his family saying that he died Thursday morning after "a brief illness." Colmes was 66 and is survived by his wife, Jocelyn Elise Crowley, the sister of longtime Fox contributor Monica Crowley. In a statement issued through Fox, Hannity called Colmes "one of life's most decent, kind and wonderful people."

Colmes was a New York City native and Hofstra University graduate who worked for years in radio, notably on WABC and WNBC, and standup comedy before joining Fox in 1996. That same year he and the conservative Hannity began a 12-year run as co-hosts of the popular "Hannity & Colmes" program, which brought Colmes both fame and ridicule. Admittedly a minority voice on the conservative channel, Colmes was often mocked as too nice and easily overshadowed by the ever-aggressive Hannity. The liberal media watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Media likened him to the hapless Washington Generals, the dependable losers to basketball's Harlem Globetrotters. Al Franken, in his best-selling "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them," imagined Colmes earning his salary by "adding toner to the copiers and printers, loofah-ing Roger Ailes in his personal steam room, and ordering Chinese food for editors working on misleading video packages."

Colmes was aware of the criticism, but said that getting mean was not his style.

"People say to me, 'Why don't you fight fire with fire?'" he told The Associated Press in 2003. "You fight fire with water, not fire."

Colmes continued to appear as a commentator on Fox after his show with Hannity ended. He also was an author, his books including "Thank the Liberals" and "Red, White & Liberal."

FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2016 file photo, singer Rihanna poses for photographers as she arrives to Christian Dior's Spring-Summer 2017 ready-to-wear fashion collection presented in Paris. Harvard University will present the singer with the Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, during a ceremony on campus in Cambridge, Mass., (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

Singer Rihanna to receive Harvard humanitarian award

Grammy Award-winning singer Rihanna has been named the 2017 Harvard University Humanitarian of the Year.

She will receive the Harvard Foundation's Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award at a ceremony scheduled for Tuesday.

Rihanna is being honored for several philanthropic efforts. She built a state-of-the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer in her home nation of Barbados, and also created the Clara and Lionel Foundation Scholarship Program named for her grandparents for students attending college in the U.S. from Caribbean countries.

She also supports the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project to provide children with access to education in more than 60 developing countries.

Previous winners include actor James Earl Jones, gender rights advocate Malala Yousafzai, and four U.N. Secretaries General.

Nick Cannon welcomes baby boy

Nick Cannon has welcomed a new baby boy.

The "America's Got Talent" host posted a picture of himself Wednesday on Instagram holding son Golden "Sagon" Cannon. He writes in the caption, "No matter how hard the world may hit you, God always reminds us of our purpose!" He adds: "Welcome to Earth Son!"

The 36-year-old Cannon announced in November that he was expecting a baby with his ex-girlfriend, Brittany Bell, a former beauty queen.

The baby is Cannon's third child. He also has 5-year-old twins with ex-wife Mariah Carey.

Oprah Winfrey to speak at upstate NY college's commencement

Oprah Winfrey will be a speaker at the graduation ceremony for an upstate New York college attended by some of the graduates of her South African school.

The Skidmore College website says the author, actress and former talk show host will be a speaker at the May 20 commencement at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Winfrey will receive an honorary Doctorate of Letters in the Arts from the private liberal arts college located in Saratoga Springs, 165 miles north of New York City.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, a boarding school for underprivileged South African girls, opened outside Johannesburg in 2007. Several graduates of the school have attended Skidmore.

Winfrey was at Skidmore in October 2013 to visit two of her South African school's graduates.

This panel of black and white self-made photographs provided by Karl Baden shows Baden over the last three decades beginning Feb. 23, 1987, top left, through Feb. 21, 2017, lower right. The Boston College professor's "Every Day" project has chronicled his visage in nearly 11,000 photos in various locations with the same lighting and background each day for thirty years. He intends to do it the rest of his life. (Karl Baden via AP)

Professor takes 'selfie' every day for last 30 years

Long before they were called selfies, Karl Baden snapped a simple black and white photo of himself. Then he repeated it, every day, for the next three decades.

Baden's "Every Day" project officially turns 30 on Thursday and he says he has no intention of stopping. The stark contemplation on mortality and aging has prompted some to dub the Boston College professor the unwitting "father of the selfie."

The 64-year-old Cambridge resident grumbles at comparisons to the pouty face, self-congratulatory portraits that fill Instagram and Facebook. But he recognizes the ubiquity of the "selfie" a word that didn't become widespread until this decade has helped raise the profile of the project, which has been exhibited in art galleries in Boston, New York City and elsewhere over the years.

Robert Mann, a New York City gallery owner that exhibited Baden's work on its 10th anniversary, says he's impressed with how Baden has stuck to his process. "Watching Karl age (gracefully) in front of the camera has been an honor," he said.

And there's been just one day over the past 30 years where Baden admits he neglected to take a photo: Oct. 15, 1991. "It was a dumb moment of forgetfulness," he said.

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2017, file photo, Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump listen to the singing of the national anthem by Jackie Evancho during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Evancho asked Trump in a tweet on Feb. 22, 2017, to meet with her and her transgender sister on transgender rights. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Jackie Evancho wants to meet Trump on transgender rights

More than a month after performing at President Donald Trump's inauguration, singer Jackie Evancho says she and her transgender sister want to meet with him about transgender rights.

The 16-year-old made the request in a tweet Wednesday night . Evancho appeared alongside her sister, Juliet, on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday . Juliet Evancho says they hope to "enlighten" the president.

The tweet followed the Trump administration's move Wednesday to end federal protection for transgender students that allowed them to use public school bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identities.

The former "America's Got Talent" contestant sang the national anthem at Trump's Jan. 20 inaugural and tells 'GMA' that she would do so again. She says she sang not because of politics, but for "the honor and privilege" of performing for her country.

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Liberal activists warn party’s lawmakers: Primaries are coming – McClatchy Washington Bureau

Posted: at 1:41 pm


McClatchy Washington Bureau
Liberal activists warn party's lawmakers: Primaries are coming
McClatchy Washington Bureau
Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, shown speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, is among the Democrats up for re-election in 2018. Liberals warn of primary challenges if Democrats don't do their best to take on President Donald ...
Liberals copy Tea Party tactics to protest Trump at town hallsWashington Examiner

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Rogue Twitter Feeds as Liberal Self-Care – Slate Magazine

Posted: at 1:41 pm

Liberal timelines have been clogged with wish fulfillment from these rogue accounts.

Photo illustration by Slate. Images via Twitter.

In a media climate shot through with both angst and alternative facts, a few pranksters have inevitably combined the two. Fake rogue government Twitter accounts! Welcome to the latest exercise in liberal self-soothing.

Katy Waldman is a Slate staff writer.

Last week, someone posing as disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn fooled thousands of readers (and Nancy Pelosi). While I accept full responsibility for my actions, faux Flynn wrote, I feel it is unfair that I have been made the sole scapegoat for what happened. But if a scapegoat is whats needed for this Administration to continue to take this great nation forward, I am proud to do my duty. Meanwhile, a counterfeit Stephen Miller favorited a tweet from David Duke, earning notice from at least one liberal magazine editor.

The tweets hit the masochistic lefts erogenous zones, flooding us with pleasure and pain. Of course Miller was a shameless racist. And Flynns posts confirmed what everyone already suspected: The adviser hadnt courted Moscow alone; his overtures manifested a deeper White House rot. To the Democratic lawmakers who immediately called for a public hearing on Team Trumps ties to Russia, Flynns tweets told a damning story about a ruthless and dishonest administration that thought little of sacrificing its loyal foot soldiers. (And just look at that lackey persisting in his mindless obedience! I am proud to do my duty ghastly.) Amid the torture of Trumps presidency, the posts meant that the opposition might finally succeed in nailing some hides to the wall. Whats more, their rancidness provided a faint, secondary consolation: We were right.

Elsewhere in Shangri-La, progressives thrilled to a fake feed that sprouted after Sally Yates got fired for refusing to enforce the Muslim ban. You know you have made the right decision when there is peace in your heart, @SaIIyYates tweeted on Feb. 2. The subsequent missives seemed as relatably banal as our own bursts of online anti-Trumpism. Yates must feel impotent too, we observed, our empathy streaked with delicious self-pity. Still, it was comforting to think that the venerated legal figure had not lost her iron spine. Tender uplift (and questionable grammar) was also available from a bogus Bollywood starturnedYates impersonator, who claimed: I took and uphold oath to defend the constitution not to someones personal likings. (Meanwhile, the former deputy AGs actual account has been deactivated.)

One month into re-greatened America, liberal timelines are clogged with wish fulfillment. Its not only hoaxers targeting any Trump staffer (or ex-staffer) with an L in his name that can easily be replaced in a Twitter handle with an uppercase I. Theres also a crop of alternative government agencies@AltStateDpt, @Alt_DeptofEd, @Alt_CDCconjuring a shadow bureaucracy of men and women who share progressive values and want to fight. A Rogue POTUS Staff account (845K followers) proclaims itself the unofficial resistance team inside the White House. In language reminiscent of the jacket copy on a Le Carr novel, it continues: We pull back the curtain to expose the real workings inside this disastrous, frightening Administration. Typical tweets describe Trump as a tyrant, mock his statements to the press, and attempt to organize rallies. The other dark agencies post fact checks and strategy reads for the #resistance.

Like Josiah Bartlet, this person is probably a fabrication.

Then there is @AngryWHStaffer, whose bio flatly declares, I work at the White House. This is a disaster. This fantasy employee whispers blandishments like Its like rats off a sinking ship here. Full on crisis mode. Our inside guy promises: Give what Im seeing here, Im left with one option to save this nation. Im going to start leaking EVERYTHING.

True or not, the narcotizing vision of a White House riven by infighting and ineptitude is Chicken Soup for the Leftie Soul. Meanwhile, the accounts tone, neither inflammatory nor trolly, is a perfect counterweight to that unruly picture: It suggests an everyman driven to desperation by the chaos and malice around him. This is crazy, the staffer will say. Please dont let this happen. Our spy speaks for the silent, sane majority that imagines it would heroically leak some intelligence if given the chance; the beleaguered citizens who come home from work, rub their temples, and fire up The West Wing on Netflix. Like Josiah Bartlet, this person is probably a fabrication. But so what? The notion that decent, well-meaning folks are keeping vigil on Trump from inside the palace walls is a form of escapism, like alcohol or James Bond movies. Properly understood, its not fake news; its fiction as self-care.

To that end, many of the rogue accounts take pains to distance themselves from the official federal government. Yet they remain wildly popular: @AltStateDpt, for instance, has 153K followers despite a bio larded with disclaimers. The Alt U.S. National Park Servicethe first sham feed of them all, established when Trump silenced the real NPS after a feud about inaugural crowd sizesannounces that it is explicitly against political untruths, which is either encouraging or ironic depending on your perspective. Its bio: The #Resistance team against #AltFacts #FauxNews #FauxScience. #Science #Climate #Facts Run by non-gov individuals.

Top Comment

Oh I thought this was an article about people retweeting accounts they knew were fake because they were posting funny things. Yeah, please stop retweeting things you think are real unless they've been confirmed. More...

Its unclear how many people seek out these handles because they want information about the government and how many are chasing a psychic pick-me-up. For the first group, the persuasive value of a given post often lies in the retweet, which lifts the momentarily convincing message out of its questionable context.

For savvier consumers, though, the accounts may more resemble the Chrome extensions that convert Trumps tweets into crayon scribbles or swap his face for cat photos, literally altering reality to make it go down easier. Here is where the line between fiction as self-care and willful ignorance grows blurry. Of course we all need a break sometimes. And surely a few well-chosen parody accounts do not a filter bubble make. But as more and more imaginary good guys give us permission to turn inward, its worth asking whether the solace of a slightly rosier worldview comes at too steep a cost if it means disengaging from the truth.

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Rogue Twitter Feeds as Liberal Self-Care - Slate Magazine

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Get Out review white liberal racism is terrifying bogeyman in sharp horror – The Guardian

Posted: at 1:41 pm

A provocative, button-pushing shocker that buries itself under your skin and lingers ... Daniel Kaluuya and Alison Williams in Get Out. Photograph: Justin Lubin/Universal Pictures

Theres a great, often under-appreciated, history of social commentary within the horror genre. From John Carpenters politically charged They Live to Bryan Forbes haunting adaptation of The Stepford Wives, Ira Levins icy take on the male fear of second-wave feminism, scares and satire used to arrive simultaneously. But somewhere along the way, that tradition has been jump-shocked out of its seat, popcorn flying, and replaced with vapidity, an impatient teenage audience force-fed predictable thrills over a story that might provoke or inspire debate.

Jordan Peele doesnt want to make things easy for his audience. Like the greatest sketches from his co-authored Comedy Central show Key & Peele, his new film Get Out is designed to lift the facade of post-racial America and showcase the ugliness that lies beneath. Whats quite astounding is not only how sharply he manages this but that he does so while also crafting a terrifying horror film.

Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is understandably nervous. His girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), is taking him home to meet her parents for the first time. Its a frightening rite of passage for anyone, but Chris has an added level of concern: hes black and shes white. Rose brushes off his worry, assuring him that he has nothing to fear and initially, it seems like shes right. Her father (Bradley Whitford) is perhaps a bit too self-consciously woke (I would have voted for Obama for a third term he insists) and her psychiatrist mother a bit too keen to hypnotize him out of his smoking habit, but theyre friendly and seemingly unperturbed by his race.

But Chris starts to feel uncomfortable. Theres something up with the other black people in the house: a rather spooked groundskeeper and maid. Why are they acting so strange? Why is Roses mother so obsessed with hypnotizing him? And why the hell are all these white people suddenly descending on the house?

While writer-director Peele could have taken the easier, oft-trodden route of exposing the racism of redneck hillbillies, hes decided to target the underlying bigotry of rich liberals instead and, in doing so, has made something fiercely original. The white people Chris encounters wouldnt consider themselves racists but name-checking Jesse Owens doesnt give one a free pass. Referring to how well-endowed Chris must be or how his genetic makeup would make him a beast in a fight arent compliments, theyre reductive and offensive stereotypes that only serve to make him feel uncomfortable and fetishized.

As these micro-incidents stack up, Chris experience becomes a microcosm of what many black people experience in the US and beyond: telling someone that theyre welcome is different from actually welcoming someone. While the mechanics of the nefarious plot thats ultimately uncovered might be a tad silly, theyre grounded by the uneasy journey that weve taken to get there. The grotesquery of the white suburbanites might seem exaggerated at times but theres an embarrassingly well-observed truth to the interactions we see and Peeles comedic background ensures that nervous laughter is never too far away.

But Peele isnt interested in purely making a point, hes also determined to make a genuinely scary horror film and doesnt disappoint. Theres a refreshing lack of tired jump scares with Peele instead utilizing a queasy atmosphere of dread and a terrifically choreographed escalation of suspense and crowd-pleasing thrills. Its an artfully framed and remarkably accomplished debut film, and Peele has carefully cast an ensemble of skilled actors who effortlessly conjure up a believably fraught dynamic. Theres a successful piece of stunt casting with Williams, a star of HBOs Girls, but her white privilege isnt over-egged and instead, her character seems even more shocked at what unfolds around them. Its in smart opposition to the British actor Kaluuya, who, in a star-making role, calmly and glumly accepts the insidious racism around him before letting rage take over.

Get Out is a provocative, button-pushing shocker that buries itself under your skin and lingers, its genre trappings serving as devious delivery for a scathing takedown of liberal white suburbia. Its rare for a studio horror film to feel this fresh and daring and its arrived at a frighteningly topical moment for a country where racism is scarier than ever.

Get Out is released in US cinemas on 24 February and in UK cinemas on 17 March

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Get Out review white liberal racism is terrifying bogeyman in sharp horror - The Guardian

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