Candidate for the US Presidency Rick Perry recently released a campaign ad that struck many people as bigoted, out of touch, and indicative of the kind of thinking they definitely don’t want in the White House. Watch the ad here and my responses to it, which include incredulity, mockery and ...
Read MoreEtsy outtakes
My parody of the Etsy community (here) was partly improvised by Ariana with my direction. Watch some of the process here, with my line suggestions and their amusing results.
Read MoreSomewhere becoming rain
Christopher Hitchens, in his last days, had a debate with his friend Ian McEwan about whether Philip Larkin, in his celebrated poem ‘The Whitsun Weddings’, concluded the poem in a ‘horribly dark’ way: “I set the poem up and read it, and when I reached that celebrated end, “A sense ...
Read MoreChristopher Hitchens
Well, yet another of the people who inspired and influenced me has died. Christopher Hitchens was a towering intellect, ferocious wit, brilliant polemicist, and the kind of writer that is in short supply. His vast knowledge, his sense of humour, the ‘Hitch slap’… damn, I’m going to miss it all. ...
Read MoreMan Meets God
Money Instant I interviewed New York Times bestselling author Eric Weiner today about his new book Man Meets God, which documents his journey to start with a blank slate in a search for the ‘right’ religion. I ask him about the importance of whether a religion is ‘true’, and explore ...
Read MoreBiden wrong: crime is falling, not rising
If we don’t pass Obama’s jobs bill… horror awaits, according to Vice-President Joe Biden. Murder. Rape! Watch Joe Biden in this short clip from HumanEvents.com: So now we know. Unemployment causes rape and murder. Isn’t that what the Vice-President is saying? That’s why we must pass the jobs bill, because ...
Read MoreSteve Jobs
Someday, I’ll sit down and write at more length about what Steve Jobs meant to me. From the time I was first exposed to the Macintosh in the mid-80s (when I was still a little boy), I was fascinated by his company, Apple. My first proper personal computer was a ...
Read MoreDoes Facebook cause drug abuse? No.
The headlines screamed the results of this Columbia University poll over the weekend: “Here’s another reason to fear Facebook” “New survey links drug abuse to Facebook” “Are Social Networking Sites Turning Teens into Substance Abusers?” “Facebook Linked to Teen Drug Use” This annual poll by The National Center on Addiction ...
Read MoreMy skirmish over a federal judge and porn
In 2008, the Los Angeles Times published a response I made to the news that federal judge Alex Kozinski – a tireless defender of liberty in the 9th Circuit Court – had had his private file server hacked, which revealed that it contained pornographic images. I just read an editorial ...
Read MoreCasey Anthony: a professional opinion
I spent a good deal of time talking about the ‘Not Guilty’ verdict in the Casey Anthony murder trial, because I believe it’s a fine example of reason winning out over emotion, and the reaction of an ignorant, bloodthirsty public makes the contrast even more stark. I interviewed Courtney Armstrong, ...
Read MoreDo YOU have the evidence to convict Casey?
After the news of a ‘Not Guilty’ verdict in the Casey Anthony case, we’ve been listening to the strong, steady drumbeat of what HuffPost writer Thane Rosenbaum calls “an angry Greek chorus” against the verdict, and even against the justice system itself. There is a disconnect between the people and ...
Read MoreAmerica’s laws = God’s laws? A Game
Many people tell me that America’s laws are based on God’s laws in the bible. It happens often enough that I’ve developed a little game that I play with them. When they tell me America’s government is based on the bible, I take two pieces of paper and write on ...
Read MoreUniversity bloodbath provokes outrage
Keywords: sex, sexuality, human sexuality, university, education sex ed, sexual education) Northwestern University came under fire this week after a demonstration held by a biology professor which involved the dissection of real live frogs. Around 100 students stayed for the optional session after being given an opportunity to leave. The ...
Read MoreOn the practice of making schoolchildren repeat the Pledge of Allegiance
I’m not from the United States, so occasionally I get into trouble for airing views which reflect a more British approach to subjects like patriotism and flags and national pride. This is one of those occasions. I made the following unwise comment yesterday on my Twitter feed: The sound of ...
Read MoreDisagreeing on Assange
John- I strongly disagree with you about Assange please warn your audience when you are going to talk about him because when i hear you praise him I get Pissed off at you and change the station (twice this week) I wonder if you would feel the same if some ...
Read MoreSalvia and other drugs
Miley Cyrus is not a child anymore. She is 18 years old and experimenting with adulthood. Her act is becoming more sexually aware, shocking the mothers who forgot what sex is. But that was mild compared to the recent video clip showing her taking a hit of Salvia divinorum, a ...
Read MoreOn the benefits of having an only child
Melissa and I have a son called Tyler who’s about to turn 8 years old. I’d like to tell you that everything about our decision to have a child in 2003 and then not to have another (at least by this time of writing) was the result of well-considered intention, ...
Read More3 Unnecessary American Road Rules
Three U.S. rules that don’t make sense As a person from the United Kingdom living in the United States, I immediately noticed customs here that I preferred: petrol pumps that can continue to fill without you holding the handle. Turning lanes. ‘Right on red.’ Drive-through ATMs. These are things I ...
Read MoreIs the hipster dead? And am I one?
Some people say the hipster is dead. Long live the fauxhemian! (Someone who conforms “to a safe, middle class lifestyle but with the superficial pretense of an alternative or Bohemian lifestyle”, according to the Urban Dictionary). And just when I was trying to work out whether I am one or ...
Read MoreMarijuana and alcohol policy should be identical
Conservatives wish, by definition, to conserve the status quo, right? So, even when the status quo makes no sense, such as America’s prohibition of marijuana, they’ll seek to conserve it. Tomorrow, marijuana is a factor in voting in the two US states where I spend the most time; Arizona and ...
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