Maybe it takes an extraterrestrial event to bring this shredded country together. For a phenomenon that traversed the country from the contentious southern border to the far reaches of New England‚ Mondays eclipse attracted remarkably few conspiracy theories or accusations. From where I stood‚ in Buffalo‚ the major threat to the moment was a forecast of heavy clouds.Bring on the ominous metaphors: We dont have the foggiest idea where were going. This year‚ the eclipse passes America by....

The Supreme Court will hear oral argument on April 16in the case of a former police officerfrom Pennsylvania who entered the Capitol during the Jan. 6‚ 2021‚ attacks. Joseph Fischer‚ who was charged with (among other things) assaulting a police officer‚ disorderly conduct in the Capitol‚ and obstruction of a congressional proceeding‚ has asked the justices to throw out the charge that he obstructed an official proceeding‚ arguing that the law that he was charged with violating was...

The growing uncommitted vote movement‚ which has caught fire in Democratic presidential nominating contests and led to reportedly 500‚000 votes being cast nationally against President Joe Biden‚ is becoming a significant liability threatening his reelection prospects.Frustrationwith the Biden administrations handling of Israels response to Hamass October terrorist attacks is mainly driving theuncommittedmovement‚andpolling datareveals that there...

Donald Trump is close to running out of time in his last-ditch bid to stave off the historic stigma of being the first former president to go on criminal trial next week.The presumptive Republican nominee suffered yet another courtroom defeat on Monday in an attempt to delay his hush money trial and move it out of Manhattan. His latest legal defeat moves him and the nation to the threshold of a divisive spectacle that will further strain the justice and political systems and that could...

Workers in 2024 say they prefer hybrid work to remote work‚ reversing a trend seen in the immediate aftermath of the global pandemic‚ according to a newMorning Consult State of Workers survey published on Tuesday.In January 2024‚ workers for the first time in the last couple years said they prefer hybrid to remote work: 29 percent prefer hybrid and 23 percent prefer remote.

Election officials across the country are leaving their jobs at the highest rates in decades‚ according tonew researchshared first with NBC News‚ putting thousands of new officials in place to oversee a tense and high-stakes 2024 presidential contest.At least 36% of local election offices have changed hands since 2020‚ following a similar exodus in the run-up to the midterms in 2022‚ when 39% of jurisdictions had new lead election officials from four years previously. Both...

Snapchat demoted a controversial feature that ranks friends based on their relationship to the user after concerns that it was fueling insecurity among its teen-heavy audience.The social media site said that it would deactivate the default setting that automatically enabled the Solar System function on its Snapchat+ $4-per-month subscription service.The tool is a ranking mechanism that assigned one of the nine planets to a friend based on the frequency with which they communicated...

Chip-design companyArmmade its name by devising ways to minimize smartphones power consumption and extend battery life. Now‚ the companys head says the same push for energy efficiency is needed in artificial-intelligence applications.Rene Haas‚ chief executive of Arm‚ spoke ahead of an announcement Tuesday by the U.S. and Japan about a $110 million program to fund AI research at universities in the two countries. U.K.-based Arm and its parent‚ Tokyo-basedSoftBank Group‚...

Courtroom reality shows have a decades-long history. These shows bring real-life disputes into the television world‚ providing viewers with a unique blend of small claims cases and legal education. The pioneer of the genre is The Peoples Court‚ which first premiered in 1981 with original judge Joseph Wapner. Over the years‚ other notable courtroom shows like Judge Judy and Judge Mathis have captivated audiences with their no-nonsense rulings and entertaining drama. Judged by Matt Walsh‚ endeavors to add its own little twist with Walshs signature deadpan delivery and unsparing sensibilities.Judged by Matt Walsh (season 1: episode 1)Matt Walsh is known for his Sahara-dry wit and utter contempt for willful stupidity. Fans of his long-running program‚ The Matt Walsh Show‚ appreciate his ability to reduce political propositions to their wick while dropping sardonic bombs of irony-laden contempt on those who propagate them.With his pedigree of disdain‚ it would seem as though pitting Matt against litigants of moral rectitude and intellectual potency to rival prostitute slugs is a Michelin recipe for wagyu wackiness‚ and it just might be eventually. As it stands‚ this first episode suffers from some fairly normal growing pains.The set design borrows heavily from the original Peoples Court. However‚ it feels cheap and hollow‚ lending to a justifiable air of contempt felt by the entirety of the cast and crew for those who have bafflingly agreed to have their potentially costly problems mediated by a man whose credentials peaked at the zenith of a high school diploma.Equally inadequate is the programs narrator. The performers willowy voice lacks the tonal gravitas to either command or condemn and lends to the overall slightly slapdash atmosphere.Adding to the shows inconsistent quality‚ Matts every entrance is accompanied by a cringy gag that falls flatter than a week-old rootbeer float. Unfortunately‚ all of these are hubcaps on a tractor‚ i.e.‚ unneeded distractions. The premise‚ ridiculous petitioners‚ and Matt are enough alone‚ or at least they could be. Matt is still finding his groove in this first episode of Judged by Matt Walsh.Its one thing to lay waste to policymakers and pundits who place themselves in the crosshairs or to level reality buckshot at an arrogant college student in an auditorium full of sympathetic audience members. Its completely another to eviscerate someone while looking into their eyes from 8 feet away‚ knowing that one of your goals is to compound their self-served stupidity with truth and barely restrained scorn.Unlike in his magnum opus‚ What is A Woman‚ where his stony silence drew ideological poison from the insane and inane like a witchs poultice‚ for Judged to work‚ Matt will have to channel some of his internal fire and ratchet the energy up to at least a five if he hopes to illicit the needed drama to entertain and engage on a consistent and meaningful level.That said‚ properly focused‚ Matts effortless on-the-spectrum-like demeanor has the potential to rival Judge Judys soulless and uncaring black heart when dealing with those he adjudicates. Once he gets more comfortable in the role and loses his distaste for hurting feelings as well as the Gallagher Two prop humor‚ I have no doubt that Judged by Matt Walsh will be Worth it.One final thought: if there was ever a Courtroom reality show that would benefit from a post-trial interview with the participants‚ its this one. It would provide the chance for additional humor as offended plaintiffs‚ and defendants whine about the insulting injustice that just befell them while breaking up the shows otherwise unavoidable monotony.WOKE ELEMENTSAre You Kidding?NoneThe post Judged by Matt Walsh first appeared on Worth It or Woke.

The baby steps of a rock giant.The post The David Bowie song he believed had no direction: I dont think I had a focus first appeared on Far Out Magazine.