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This post was republished with permission from Zero HedgeThe other day Axios ran a piece that cited “findings” that a majority of people trusted their doctors and nurses. Turns…

This post was republished with permission from VigilantFox.comMegyn Kelly says Trump got “bamboozled” on Iran, warns the GOP is going to lose midterms because he was “too gullible” to “see through…

[embedded content] The Trump administration is floating a hardball move that could effectively ground international arrivals at major “sanctuary city” airports unless local leaders cooperate with…

Previously unheard live version was recorded in 1975 during Bernie Leadon's final performance with the band. Continue reading…

The singer has now been attacked by a spider and a bat on the same tour. Continue reading…

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the celebration is not merely a commemoration of a founding document or a date on a calendar. It is a tribute to the men and women whose leadership, courage, and discipline carried the American cause through its most fragile years. The success of the American Revolution depended heavily on the leadership of commanders who could inspire exhausted soldiers, intimidate enemies, and make bold decisions in moments of extreme uncertainty. Among the most important of these leaders was Anthony Wayne, a fearless Continental Army general whose aggressive tactics and uncompromising discipline earned him the nickname “Mad Anthony.” Related: George Washington’s secret spy code name was Agent 711George Washington relied on officers who could carry out daring operations when opportunities arose. Wayne proved to be one of his most reliable and aggressive commanders, playing key roles in battles such as the Battle of Monmouth, Battle of Stony Point, and the campaign culminating in the decisive American victory at the Siege of Yorktown.Without commanders like Wayne, men who combined daring with discipline and loyalty, the United States might never have survived its revolutionary beginnings. A Revolutionary Mindset Anthony Wayne was born on January 1, 1745, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, into a family of farmers and civic leaders. His father was a respected landowner and surveyor who had served in local government and participated in frontier defense during earlier conflicts. From a young age, Wayne absorbed lessons about land management, mathematics, and responsibility. He grew up in a world where self-reliance and preparedness were essential, particularly in frontier regions where conflict with Native tribes and European powers remained a constant possibility.As a young man, he worked as a surveyor in Nova Scotia, gaining firsthand experience in planning settlements and navigating difficult terrain. This background later proved invaluable in military operations that required engineering skill and logistical precision.When tensions between Britain and the American colonies escalated in the early 1770s, Wayne emerged as a supporter of colonial resistance. He joined local committees and militia organizations, demonstrating organizational ability and a willingness to confront British authority.By the time open conflict erupted in 1775, Wayne was already recognized as a capable leader. In 1776, he received a commission as colonel of the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion in the Continental Army. The newly formed army faced inadequate training, limited supplies, and uncertain prospects. Officers like Wayne transformed volunteers into disciplined soldiers capable of facing one of the most powerful militaries in the world. Rising Through the Continental Army The attack on Chew’s house during the Battle of Germantown in 1777. Wayne’s early campaigns revealed his strengths and established his reputation. He fought in the Philadelphia campaign of 1777, participating in the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Germantown. Though both battles ended in setbacks for American forces, they provided valuable experience. Wayne demonstrated bravery under fire and a willingness to take initiative, qualities that drew the attention of Washington and other senior officers.In September 1777, Wayne commanded forces at Paoli, Pennsylvania, where British troops launched a surprise nighttime attack. The engagement, often called the Paoli Massacre, resulted in heavy American casualties. While the defeat was painful, Wayne’s conduct under pressure reinforced his reputation as a determined leader. He demanded discipline and accountability from his troops, recognizing that survival depended on maintaining order and readiness even in the face of setbacks.Washington promoted Wayne to brigadier general later that year. The promotion reflected his battlefield performance and ability to enforce discipline. At a time when the Continental Army struggled with desertion and inconsistent training, Wayne’s insistence on high standards helped improve the effectiveness of his units. The Emergence of “Mad Anthony” The Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778. The summer of 1778 brought the Battle of Monmouth, one of the largest engagements of the Revolutionary War. Fought in extreme heat, the battle tested the endurance and professionalism of the Continental Army. Wayne commanded advance elements and engaged British forces in intense fighting. His aggressive tactics and personal bravery stood out during the chaotic engagement.Around this period, stories about Wayne’s fiery temperament began circulating among soldiers and officers. He was known to react strongly to disobedience and incompetence, and he demanded strict adherence to orders. The nickname “Mad Anthony” reflected not irrationality but intensity. It suggested a commander who stopped at nothing to achieve his objectives, who expected total commitment from his soldiers, and who personally shared in the dangers of combat. For his troops, the name became a badge of confidence. Serving under “Mad Anthony” meant participating in bold operations led by a commander who would not ask others to do what he would not do himself. Stony Point and Daring Leadership A wounded Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne leads the Continental Army at the Battle of Stony Point. Wayne’s most celebrated moment came in July 1779 at the Battle of Stony Point. British troops established a fortified position at Stony Point on the Hudson River, threatening American control of the region. Washington wanted to strike a blow that would disrupt their plans and raise American morale. He chose Wayne to lead the attack.He organized a force of light infantry trained for rapid movement and close combat. To maintain surprise, the soldiers advanced at night with unloaded muskets and relied on bayonets. Wayne divided his force into columns that would attack from multiple directions and overwhelm the defenders.During the assault, a musket ball grazed Wayne’s head, but he refused to leave the field. He reportedly urged his men forward and insisted on remaining in command. The Americans captured Stony Point in a swift and decisive attack, taking hundreds of prisoners and securing valuable supplies.Although the position was later abandoned for strategic reasons, the victory electrified the Continental Army and the American public. Congress awarded Wayne a gold medal in recognition of his leadership. The operation became a textbook example of disciplined aggression combined with careful planning. The Road to Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown. Following Stony Point, Wayne continued to take part in major campaigns, playing a role in efforts to disrupt British control in Georgia and the Carolinas, and maintaining pressure on British forces across multiple theaters. His leadership style, bold, direct, and uncompromising, proved valuable in fast-moving and unpredictable campaigns.His contributions helped set the stage for the final phase of the war, culminating in the American and French victory at the Siege of Yorktown. The surrender of British Gen. Cornwallis marked the effective end of major combat operations and secured American independence.By war’s end, Wayne was one of Washington’s most trusted field commanders. His willingness to act decisively complemented Washington’s broader strategic vision. Together, they helped sustain the revolutionary cause through years of uncertainty and hardship. Postwar Service and the Northwest Indian War A painting from Howard Chandler Christy of ‘Mad Anthony’ Wayne at the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in Ohio in 1795. (U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence) After the war, Wayne returned briefly to civilian life and served in state government and later in the U.S. House of Representatives as a delegate from Georgia between 1791 and 1792. However, the young nation soon faced new challenges on its western frontier. Conflicts in the Northwest Territory resulted in devastating defeats for United States forces and threatened national stability.Washington appointed Wayne as the senior officer of the U.S. Army in 1792, tasking him with rebuilding the army and restoring American control in the region. Wayne reorganized the army into the Legion of the United States, a more flexible and disciplined force that combined infantry, cavalry, and artillery. He emphasized training, logistics, and professionalism, creating a model for future U.S. military organizations.Wayne’s efforts culminated in the American victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, which forced Native American resistance forces to negotiate. The subsequent Treaty of Greenville opened much of the Northwest Territory to American settlement. While controversial in its long-term consequences for Native communities, the campaign demonstrated Wayne’s ability to lead complex military operations in challenging terrain. Death and Historical Legacy Wayne died in 1796 while still on active duty at Presque Isle, near modern Erie, Pennsylvania. His death in service underscored his lifelong commitment to the nation. Over time, Wayne’s legacy has been honored through monuments, place names, and historical study. Towns, counties, and institutions across the United States bear his name.Wayne’s reputation remains complex. Admirers praise his courage, discipline, and effectiveness. Critics note his harsh methods and aggressive approach. Yet his contributions to the success of the American Revolution and the early republic are undeniable. His leadership helped establish traditions of readiness, professionalism, and decisive action that continue to shape American military culture.As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, remembering figures such as Anthony Wayne provides insight into the character and determination required to build and defend a nation. The Revolutionary War was a prolonged struggle marked by setbacks, shortages, and uncertainty. Victory depended on leaders who could inspire confidence, enforce discipline, and seize opportunities.George Washington’s ability to rely on capable subordinates such as Wayne was crucial. Without such commanders, the Continental Army might not have survived long enough to secure independence. Wayne’s daring at Stony Point, resilience at Monmouth, and effectiveness on the frontier illustrate the kind of leadership that sustained the American cause.The legacy of “Mad Anthony” endures not only in the annals of American history but also in the traditions of the U.S. military and the continuing story of a nation shaped by those willing to lead from the front. 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Loneliness among American teens has been growing by leaps and bounds over the last 15-to-20 years. In 2023, U.S. surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy declared that widespread loneliness was nothing less than a public health epidemic. Murphy said that social isolation poses health risks equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day—including larger chances of stroke and heart disease and a 30% higher risk of premature death. And he declared that those threats hit young people between the ages of 15 to 24 particularly hard. One recent survey indicated that 73% of Gen Z felt isolated and alone. Of course, when we hear those sorts of statements and statistics, we start wondering why all this is happening. What’s changed in the last 20 years? Are we hurting from too much screen time and the negatives of social media? Are kids suffering because they aren’t going outside to play anymore? Are today’s parents too restrictive? Too lax? Perhaps this loneliness issue is attributable to our society’s rising divorce rate and a crumbling family structure. Or maybe this epidemic can be linked to the fact that people don’t go to church anymore; they don’t cling to the same moral foundations that they used to. The truth is that all those things can and do have a negative impact on our lives. But the better question is, how do we fix things? Since there isn’t a pill, an app, a time machine or a magic wand to make our loneliness woes disappear, what’s to be done? Well, a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that a solution to this growing loneliness problem may be closer to home and easier to facilitate than we think. And it doesn’t require a lot of money or signing up for years of psychotherapy either. In fact, it’s a solution that we all can have an important hand in right now. Researchers tracked more than 7,000 Americans from age 16 into their late 30s. And they found one interesting element that the subjects had in common: Teens who built strong bonds with their parents and their family had a much higher chance of establishing good, healthy relationships later in life. In fact, they were 2.5 times more likely to have more satisfying friendships, more fulfilling marriages and closer relationships with their own children. And that was true regardless of the individuals’ income, gender, race or education. Across the board, close, loving families became training grounds that gave their kids the skills they needed to become far better friends and family members later in life. Teens watched how their parents make choices—and saw what an impact those positive choices made. If they came home upset, they found someone who listened and cared. They felt that they mattered. The study also asked the teens five telling questions that might help you when you’re thinking about positive choices to make with your family. They were: Do your parents care about you? Does your family understand you? Do you have fun together? Does your family pay attention to you? Do you feel loved and wanted? Now, those might seem to be basic elements that all families strive for. But many of the study’s families did not earn a resounding thumbs up in those areas. Would yours? If nothing else, it’s good to know that the relationships we forge with our kids in their early years can shape the relationships they build later in life. The JAMA study encourages us to take the long view. In the thick and thin, during the ups and the downs, it’s the fun, loving choices we make and the stop-and-listen, caring moments we share that can make a difference. Anyone feel like sitting at the same table for dinner again? I hear Dad can whip up a mean ice-cream sundae. The post Family Bonds and the Loneliness Crisis appeared first on Plugged In.

Once upon a time, video games were almost as crude as a cave man’s drawings—a pixelated blip bouncing between two paddles. But as the medium has progressed in the decades since Pong’s inception way back in 1972, so has it’s impressive realism. Today’s games offer players an immersive, interactive and cinematic experience that plunges them into intricate, morally complex storylines for hours on end—not to mention giving them the chance to test their digital mettle against other competitors online. Which begs the question: How does this compelling medium influence those immersed in it? Or, to put it another way, are video games ultimately a boon for players? Or a bane? In a word, the answer might just be … yes. Here are two perspectives on video games, one for and against. The first will cover the ways in which the medium has had a positive influence—on families and society as a whole. The second will offer a more cautionary note on the world of video gaming. The Case for Video Games by Bob Hoose If you’re bitten by a mean dog, you’re probably going to be a little shy around the neighbor’s hound. For that matter, you might even think the whole species is just a bunch of no-good, rotten mutts. You’d be mistaken, but it’s understandable that you might feel that way. Well, let me suggest that video games are the misunderstood mutts of the media world. Many people lump these digital amusements together as growling, addictive beasts filled with violence and language and all sorts of foulness. But I’m here to put forth the idea that even a video game can be worthy of a pat on the head now and again. Let me admit that I love video games. I’ve played them all my life. And I could even share tales of how playing video games helped me keep the communication lines open with my kids at key teen angst crossroads. But I’m not going to toss you anecdotes for this gaming apologetic. This defense deserves science! There have been scores of studies that point to physical and mental benefits linked to gaming. The Benefits of Gaming First off, hand-eye coordination boosts are self evident. You don’t even need a study to see how timing a button punch with onscreen activities could help you improve in that department. (But here’s one, anyway.) And the muscle-flexing, heart-pumping benefits of a get-up-and-move games such as Nintendo Switch Sports are pretty obvious too. And there are other plusses to be found. Boosting Brain Function Strategy-based games that involve long-term planning and the management of resources, such as the Civilization titles, have been shown to boost high-level brain functions, including multitasking, planning and working memory. Puzzle games can fire up the mind, as well. A study out of the School of Medicine at the University of California examined the effect of Tetris, a game in which players have to rotate and fit falling shapes into a stacking puzzle. It found that the game made patients’ brains more efficient while boosting their mood and reducing both stress and physical pain. In fact, the study says that cortex of the brain, which influences how well people see and pay attention to things, was shown to actually thicken among Tetris players. (That’s a good thing, the scientists say.) Increasing Plasticity & Cognition Research published in the Archives of Surgery found that laparoscopic surgeons who played a video game before surgery had almost 40% fewer errors during those procedures. And though there’s always a justifiable concern when it comes to nasty content in a game, a study at the University of Rochester determined that action games could deliver those same kinds of benefits. The study revealed that the games induced what’s called “plasticity” in the visual cortex. That plasticity is essential to improving cognitive abilities and maintaining mental fitness. There are plenty of other studies that connect video games with everything from improved vision to strengthened teambuilding skills, but let me bring things a little closer to home. The fact is, we as people are hardwired to be constantly learning, whether we’re reading, walking through the park or, well, playing a video game. Video games incorporate not only visual and auditory modes of input but also tactile (touch) and kinesthetic (movement) forms of communication. Video Games & Healthy Families Now, I’m not saying that you should run right out to buy Junior the nastiest M-rated game out there. Bloody third-person shooters or f-bomb-laden sleazefests are never going to be an uplifting experience. But it is possible to incorporate gaming into a healthy family environment. My suggestions? 1. Talk it out. Make sure your kids know exactly what your family’s standards are. 2. Understand the ratings system. Figure out what the difference is between an “E” and an “M” rating. And use those ratings as a starting point—but not a stamp of approval. 3. Make it social. Get the play out in the open, buy multiplayer games and keep plenty of controllers handy. 4. Play along. Knowledge is power, and the more you know about a game the easier it is to pat it on the head or send it away when it comes time to, once again, address suggestion No. 1. And as a side benefit, when the alien hoards do someday show up in attack formation, you’ll know exactly how to save the day. The Case Against (Violent) Video Games by Adam Holz If science shows some positive outcomes in this area, there’s a raft of other scientific evidence that video games—especially those drenched in violence—perhaps have done something to deserve the “mad dog” label. The Downside of Video Games I’m not an anti-video game crusader. I spent countless hours playing both console games and their arcade cousins in my formative years. Still, I’ve been persuaded to pay attention to the weighty stack of studies that draw strong correlations between video games and problematic behavior. Teaching Aggression Few people have spent as much time exploring games and their effects than Iowa State University assistant professor of developmental psychology Dr. Douglas Gentile, who heads up the school’s Media Research Lab. In 2007, Gentile teamed up with his father, J. Ronald Gentile (a teaching professor emeritus of educational psychology at the State University of New York at Buffalo) to examine how games may teach aggression. Said the younger Gentile: “We know a lot about how to be an effective teacher, and we know a lot about how to use technology to teach. Video games use many of these techniques and are highly effective teachers. So we shouldn’t be surprised that violent video games can teach aggression.” The Gentiles’ study focused on three groups of youth: 3rd-5th graders, 8th-9th graders and older adolescents with an average age of 19. After factoring for things like race, sex and prior aggressive behaviors, the father-son team found that violent gameplay was an accurate predictor for increasing aggression. For instance, elementary students who played multiple violent games were 73% more likely to act aggressively (as rated by peers and teachers) than those who played a mix of violent and nonviolent games. Compared to those who only played nonviolent games, these students were a whopping 263% more likely to exhibit aggression. Decreasing Empathy And Gentile isn’t the only researcher to find a link between games and aggression. Dr. Craig Anderson, director of Iowa State University’s Center for the Study of Violence, analyzed 130 separate video game studies in 2010 encompassing more than 130,000 gamers in the United States, Europe and Japan. Overall, he said, the collective research “strongly suggests” that the medium can increase players’ aggressive thoughts and behavior, as well as decrease their empathy, “regardless of … gender, age or culture.” Anderson doesn’t believe the majority of kids who play violent games are going to go on shooting rampages. But, he says, the violence found in games is “the only causal risk factor that is relatively easy for parents to do something about. … Any game that involves killing or harming another character in order to advance is likely to be teaching inappropriate lessons to whoever is playing it.” Other Problematic Behaviors Video games have been linked to other problematic behaviors as well. Dr. Laura Padilla-Walker of Brigham Young University published research in 2009 that links game play among college students to a higher incidence of drinking, using drugs and having poor relationships with family and friends. And then, of course, there are those tragic cases where video games have been implicated as an influence in the actions of someone who takes others’ lives. In his 2006 shooting rampage at Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec, Kimveer Gill killed one person and wounded 19 others before police fatally gunned down the 25-year-old. Website postings from Gill revealed his fascination with 1999’s Columbine killings and his enjoyment of the game Super Columbine Massacre. Likewise, police found violent video games (among other problematic media) on the computer of German teen Tim Kretschmer, who killed 15 people in 2009. That same year, 17-year-old Daniel Petric killed his mother and shot his father when they banned him from playing Halo 3. The Grand Theft Auto franchise has been repeatedly linked to copycat crimes involving shootings, violence and other crimes. And let’s not overlook how a video game’s innate ability to “teach” its users can be consciously abused. Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people, said he used Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as “part of my training simulation.” Guarding Kids’ Hearts & Minds Again as Anderson noted, most kids who play violent video games aren’t going to turn into mass murderers. But the body of research regarding the potential influence of these games does, I think, mean that families should approach gaming with extreme caution. My wife and I have decided that we will not have a video game console in our house. It’s a conviction that I’m sure we’ll have to defend as our kids, especially our son, gets older. But he gets enough screen time already, even as we work diligently to guard that boundary, too. What Do You Think? What are your thoughts? Do you think the effect of video games trend more positive or negative? What decisions have you made for yourself or your family regarding video games? Let us know in the comments below! The post Video Games: Boon or Bane? appeared first on Plugged In.

At a CUNY-hosted conference, apologists for Cuba’s Communist regime planned street protests and discussed strategies for bypassing U.S. sanctions.