Volume 268 | No. 4

Mon, Nov 6

2018—Nevada’s 36th district elects brothel-owner Dennis Hoff to the State Assembly by a huge margin. He’s been dead for three weeks. 2016—FBI Director James Comey says never mind about those emails. 2012—Trump tweets, “The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.” 2000—Saddam Hussein stops accepting dollars for oil, thus undermining U.S. hegemony and possibly shortening his own life. 1998—Newt Gingrich says he’s resigning as Speaker of the House because he’s “not willing to preside over people who are cannibals.” 1984—Reagan defeats Mondale—it’s mourning in America. 1971—The AEC detonates a 5-megaton nuke—the largest ever exploded in the U.S.—one mile below Amchitka Island, 87 miles from …

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Sun, Nov 5

1986—In a hijacked helicopter, ’Nam vet Ron McIntosh springs his girl from the prison he recently escaped. 1974—In New Hampshire, Louis C. Wyman gets 355 more votes than John Durkin. It ain’t over yet, though; 317 days later, Durkin’s a U.S. Senator. 1968—George Wallace wins five states in the deep South. 1964—A loaded KC-97 crashes on takeoff at Pease: five crewmen die. 1949—Deranged WW II veteran and daily churchgoer Howard Unruh (1921—2009) shoots 16 people, killing 13, in Camden, N.J. 1935—After buying the anti-capitalist game cheap, Parker Brothers markets a pro-capitalist Monopoly. 1930—Thinking the phone call is a hoax, Nobel winner Sinclair Lewis imitates his …

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Let’s Meddle With Some Primal Forces

To the Editor: In a previous letter, I noted that ideological posturing both on the left and right are preventing collaborative action on serious issues. An example is the culture war over public education. The far right has mounted an organized attack on public education, criticizing educational content ostensibly based on critical race theory and gender identity. This strategy is facilitated by a campaign to ban books related to these topics. The focus on critical race theory is particularly disingenuous. CRT emerged from research in law schools and graduate programs to explain the lack of racial progress following the civil rights legislation of the Johnson …

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Worst-Case Scenarios? Not Bad Enough

Extreme Weather Is Outpacing Even The Worst-Case Scenarios Of Our Forecasting Models by Ravindra Jayaratne In the wake of the destructive Hurricane Otis, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in the history of weather forecasting. The hurricane roared ashore with 165 mph winds and torrential rainfall, slamming into the coastal city of Acapulco, Mexico and claiming the lives of at least 48 people. The speed at which Otis intensified was unprecedented. Within 12 hours it went from a regular tropical storm to a “category 5” hurricane, the most powerful category and one which might occur only a few times worldwide each year. This rare …

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“Only in America…”

Our headline today comprises a phrase which has long been used to preface anecdotes which cast the nation in a flattering light. That usage of the phrase, though, may soon become inoperative. In fact, as with the party once known for law and order, the meaning of the phrase “Only in America” seems destined for reversal. The House of Representatives just elected a new Speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson, of Louisiana. Citizens who have longed for a functioning national legislature may have been tempted to breath a sigh of relief. Those familiar with Hollywood tropes, of course, knew better. In well-done horror flicks, audience members may …

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