Sanity Sunday- Mathieu Terrade on the Harpejji

by Nomad

It must be one of life's greatest rewards to be acclaimed as a master at something. When it comes to playing the harpejji, French musician Mathieu Terrade is probably the most celebrated.
A few "notes" about this unique instrument:

• Developed in 2007 by Tim Meeks, founder of Marcodi Musical Products.
• The instrument aims to bridge the gap in sound and technique between the guitar, bass guitar, and piano.
• Stevie Wonder features the instrument in his stage performance
• There are no formal rules on how to play the instrument and new techniques are emerging all the time. 

Ungovernable: How Partisanship Wrecked US Politics Just as George Washington Predicted

by Nomad

Trump the Partisan President

Commentator John Dickerson on a recent episode of the podcast Slate's Political Gabfest, was talking to the show's host, David Plotz, about why President Donald Trump represents something new and foreboding in American politics.

He pointed out:

"One thing we are witnessing is our first purely partisan president. The rise of partisan politics in the presidency has been increasing since 1980 for a variety of reasons. But the idea of the president who could build a coalition from members of both parties- kind of fly above the party fights and pass legislation- has been declining.

According to Dickerson, there has been a sea change in the rhetoric under Trump. There was a time when a president would, at the least, give a nod to the idea of  Americans' putting aside their differences and working together. True, most of it was less than sincere when push came to shove. 

Donald Trump and the Swamp Thing

by Nomad

You might have missed it but the final chapter in the "Drain the Swamp" saga was, at long last, posted. And it was just as ridiculous and sickening as you expected it would be.

Three Little Words

Back in October 2016, Candidate Trump issued a press release which declared his intention to "drain the swamp in Washington, D.C."

In specifics, Trump was planning to introduce "sweeping ethics reforms" and pledged to "make our government honest once again."
From the outset, the very idea of Trump bringing honesty to anything at any time seemed fairly outlandish. That was true even before he embarked on a political career.

The 2018 Women's March and Beyond: How to Make the Next 300 days Count

by Leadfoot

On November 6 of this new year, we could take back the Senate and the House – which means we could take back the country! November 6 is about 300 days from now. Will you pledge to make at least 10 of those 300 days count?

California and Jeff Sessions' Big Marijuana Legalization Hang-up

by Nomad

I produced this short film about a surprising moment in California history and the man who would like to see that history reverse itself.

Last week, recreational use for cannabis became legal - at least, in some areas- for the first time since the state officially declared marijuana illegal in 1913.

It was a high point in the state's history, you might say.