In just under five months, both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will, one assumes, step onto a debate stage at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. It’s one heck of an assumption, and for more reasons than one. We don’t know if there are going to be debates…

The post With Debate Months Away, It’s Clear Biden Isn’t Ready for a 1-on-1 with Trump appeared first on The Western Journal.

When jokes are so horrible, so obvious, so corny that they make your eyes roll, it’s a good chance that they’re what many call “dad jokes.” Bordering on lame, and all the more hilarious because of it, these jokes are so bad and yet fathers seem to get such joy from trotting out the perfect…

The post Man Posts Hilarious ‘Bad Dad Jokes’ Daily on Sign in Front Lawn To Spread Cheer to Neighbors appeared first on The Western Journal.

It’s not good for people to be alone. Quarantining has been difficult for many people who have gotten used to socializing daily, and because of that, some have found ways to follow the rules but feel a little less isolated. Some neighborhoods have decided to be social while maintaining the suggested distance apart, whether that’s…

The post ‘The Voice’ Contestant Alexa Cappelli Treats Neighbors to Weekly Performance in Her Cul-de-Sac appeared first on The Western Journal.

If you’re a big business and you abused the Small Business Association’s new Paycheck Protection Program, you’re getting very close to the deadline for you to pay the government back. If you don’t, that means the government is going to be coming after you — and you can definitely be ready for an audit. That’s…

The post Big Businesses That Abused Paycheck Protection Program Should Get Ready for an Audit appeared first on The Western Journal.

Sen. Ted Cruz was apparently about to get into mullet territory. He hadn’t had a haircut in three months. Things were looking grim for the Texas senator. Thankfully, Shelley Luther is able to do something about that. Luther is both famous and free after a viral clip of her standing up to a judge who…

The post Ted Cruz Stops by Shelly Luther’s Salon for a Trim, ‘True Authenticity’ Leaves Her Sobbing appeared first on The Western Journal.

Some House Democrats have decided that the COVID-19 pandemic is an appropriate time to implement a key plank of the campaign of former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts — who make up the…

The post ‘The Squad’ Pushes for Huge Student Loan Cancellation in Next Relief Bill appeared first on The Western Journal.

Something’s been bugging me about Tik Tok. I’ve almost downloaded it about a dozen times over the past few months. But I always stop short. I don’t have a ton of time (here’s why) so forgive me as I resort to some short form tricks here. To wit: China employs a breathtaking model of state-driven … Continue reading "Tik Tok, Tick Tock…Boom."

A new year brings another run at my annual predictions: For 17 years now, I’ve taken a few hours to imagine what might happen over the course of the coming twelve months. And my goodness did I swing for the fences last year — and I pretty much whiffed. Batting .300 is great in the majors, but it … Continue reading "Predictions 2020: Facebook Caves, Google Zags, Netflix Sells Out, and Data Policy Gets Sexy"

Who’s Really Behind That “Death of the Techlash” Narrative?   One of my least favorite kinds of journalism is the easy win. It’s the kind of story that just lands in your lap. It feels contrarian, yet of the moment, it’s often predicated by the appearance of a primary source dangling easy data, and unlike most … Continue reading "Will The Coronavirus Save Big Tech?"

“Outbreaks have sparked riots and propelled public-health innovations, prefigured revolutions and redrawn maps.” – The New Yorker, April 2020 “Nothing will be the same.”  That’s the overwhelming takeaway I’ve heard from dozens of conversations I’ve had with C-suite leaders, physicians, policy experts and media professionals these past few weeks.  When it comes to the business … Continue reading "An Open Letter To American Corporations: It’s Good Business (and Smart Marketing) To Support Quality Journalism"

As the coronavirus crisis built to pandemic levels in early March, a relatively unknown tech company confronted a defining opportunity. Zoom Video Communications, a fast-growing enterprise videoconferencing platform with roots in both Silicon Valley and China, had already seen its market cap grow from under $10 billion to nearly double that. As the coronavirus began … Continue reading "New Research Shows Why and How Zoom Could Become an Advertising Driven Business"

If you’ve read Shoshana Zuboff’s Surveillance Capitalism, you likely agree that the most important asset for a data-driven advertising platform is consumer engagement. That engagement throws off data, that data drives prediction models, those models inform algorithms, those algorithms drive advertising engines, and those engines drive revenue, which drives profit. And profit, of course, drives … Continue reading "Zoom Is YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp – All in Two Months."

South Korea's capital closed down more than 2,100 bars and other nightspots Saturday because of a new cluster of coronavirus infections, and Germany scrambled to contain fresh outbreaks at slaughterhouses, underscoring the dangers authorities face as they try to reopen their economies.

CTVNews.ca asked Canadians to share how they were using their CERB payments and got a flood of responses. Most said they were covering the basics -- housing, groceries, transportation and medicine.

"We're writing off too many people," Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) says in "Immigration Battle," a feature film presentation from FRONTLINE and Independent Lens that airs tonight on PBS.

The U.S. has deported an average of 403,500 people each year during the Obama administration. What else do the numbers say about the nation's immigration system?

Nearly 10 years after Congress passed a law to curb online gambling, a new investigation finds offshore sites are not only still thriving, but in some cases routing crucial parts of their operations through equipment based in the U.S.

The Defense Department's Inspector General has opened an investigation into whether U.S. troops were discouraged from reporting the rape and sexual abuse of children by their Afghan allies.

The online gambling ring allegedly used an offshore website to help book $32 million in illegal sports wagers placed by more than 2,000 bettors in the United States.

This November, explore an unsolved string of murders from the past, and the dangerous new rise of ISIS in Afghanistan.

Ahmad Chalabi helped lead the U.S. into war in Iraq, but if he ever had regrets about his role in the invasion, and the years of violence it unleashed, "he never voiced them to me," writes FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith.

Unless the Supreme Court acts fast, the window might be closed for President Obama on immigration reform.

As ISIS expands its reach into Afghanistan, it is training children and teenagers to become the next generation of jihadis.

Just days after the attack in Paris, America’s top intelligence official suggested that recent leaks about classified surveillance programs were partially responsible.

Najibullah Quraishi has covered the war in Afghanistan for more than a decade, but embedding with ISIS fighters who've recently emerged there "was the most risky and dangerous job ever I've done in my life," he says.

It appears ISIS-allied fighters are gaining a foothold in Afghanistan, but just how similar are they to the group's branches in Iraq and Syria?

BEST DEALS ON GAMING LAPTOPS:

• MSI - Modern 15 15.6" Laptop — $749

• ASUS - ROG G531GT 15.6" Gaming Laptop — $999.99

• Dell - G3 15.6" Gaming Laptop — $999.99

It's time to level up.

If you didn't already know, PC gamers take great pride in the way they play. These are the folks who delight in the fact that PC gaming is just so much better than playing on a console, and if this Reddit thread is any indication — this way of thinking isn't going away any time soon.

While it can take a year or two for gaming consoles to adapt to updated technology, PCs see that improvement hit almost instantly. New rigs and laptops hit the market faster, as opposed to consoles that make you wait for months until their release.  Read more...

BEST DEALS ON GAMING LAPTOPS:

• MSI - Modern 15 15.6" Laptop — $749

• ASUS - ROG G531GT 15.6" Gaming Laptop — $999.99

• Dell - G3 15.6" Gaming Laptop — $999.99

My first gaming laptop cost $1,500 more than 10 years ago, and that was considered affordable. It wasn't a top-of-the-line model, but it wasn't a slouch either, sporting one of the better mid-tier graphics cards and a reliable processor/RAM combination.  

But my, how things have changed.

Today, you can go on Amazon and find plenty of laptops for less than $1,000 that would have been at least $1,500 a few years ago, thus opening doors to people who want to try out PC gaming for themselves. (And if it's Prime Day or Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you can expect deal prices to dip even lower.) But sorting through all of the options and deciding which is best presents its own unique challenge. Read more...

BEST DEALS ON SEX TOYS:

• Ella Paradis — Get up to 80% off

• Lovehoney Jessica Rabbit 10 Function Silver Rabbit Vibrator — $39.99

• Lelo Sona Cruise — $99 (save $40)

If Instagram is to be believed, then self care for women basically amounts to face masks and daily affirmation apps.

Hot take: Sex toys are the ultimate self-care purchase.

Orgasms release oxytocin, the anti-stress hormone that gets you warm and fuzzy when cuddling, while dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep, also makes an appearance. It stands to reason, then, that "I need to get laid" is a thing that actually makes sense to say when you're having a rough week. Read more...

BEST FITNESS TRACKER DEALS:

• Fitbit - Charge 3 Activity Tracker + Heart Rate — $99.95 (save $30)

• Garmin - Forerunner 645 Music GPS Heart Rate Monitor Running Watch — $449.99

• 3Plus - HR Activity Tracker + Heart Rate — $49.99

Wellness is a buzzy word lately. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a surge in all things health, wellness, and spirituality. Juice bars are popping up, boutique studios are becoming more accessible, and essential oils are chilling us out. Self-care is becoming more of the norm too, but amidst all this hype, it can be challenging to find the right routine that promotes good exercise, sleep, vitals, and mindset.  Read more...

BEST PILLOW DEALS:

• Sealy - Essentials Molded Bed Pillow — $19.99

• Beautyrest Latex Pillow with Removable Cover —  $39.88

• Samsonite - Long Memory Foam Pillow — $24.99

Achieving a good night’s sleep isn’t always easy. Busy schedules, frequent stress, and bad rest environments can be culprits for sleep troubles. And it’s more common than you think. 

According to the American Sleep Association, 50 to 70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder. If your sleepless nights are taking a toll on your health, it might be time for you to buy a new pillow. 

BEST DEALS ON HEADPHONES:

• Jaybird - RUN XT Sport True Wireless In-Ear Headphones — $179.99

• Plantronics - Backbeat FIT 3150 True Wireless Sport Headphones — $99.99 (save $50)

• Bose - SoundSport Free True Wireless Headphones — $149.99 (save $50)

The only thing more important to runners than their sneakers is a quality pair of headphones and a killer playlist. Running without music is like some form of medieval torture: it sucks. And cheap, crappy headphones just aren't going to cut it.

When shopping for a quality pair of headphones to wear while running, you'll want to look at a few key factors: Are they sweatproof/waterproof? Will they stay in your ears? Are the volume controls easily accessible? If you answer no to any of these questions, then you know the headphones aren't going to work. Read more...

Bitcoin will “halve” for the third time next week, slowing down the discovery of new bitcoins and preventing disruptions from new miners. Read more...

Striso is a digital instrument with pressure-sensitive buttons that plays a variety of acoustic-like sounds.  Read more...

Google's video chat app got new features this week. No, the other one. No, the other other one.

In a Friday blog post, Google announced some snazzy new features for Duo, one of its three video chat services. Let's get this out of the way early: Duo is the one that's mobile-friendly and resembles FaceTime more than Hangouts and Meet.

The new features make more sense with that in mind. Google added something called "Family Mode" to Duo, in which you can draw silly little doodles on the video feed, presumably to amuse the little ones on the call. There are also AR effects you can use on one-on-one calls on Android and iOS, similar to those available on Facebook's video calls. Read more...

'Hollywood' actor Samara Weaving lets us in on all of the movies and television she's been watching during quarantine.   Read more...

Between the infamous Peloton commercial, the wild Boyhood wannabe that ended up being a Subway ad, and the endless #girlboss marketing reminding you that even women can be part of the capitalist machine, 2019 was a year for advertising. 

But nothing quite tops this one, which was released in September but resurfaced in a viral tweet on Friday.  

The ad starts off with a bleak statistic: women hold just 10 percent of all patented inventions. Then, it pans over to a delightful montage of ambitious young women. Each one is filmed preparing for their career goals, from mixing delicate chemicals in a laboratory to carefully testing the consistency of soil.  Read more...

Apple, dear reader, has been missing you — and it's banking on the fact that you've been missing the opportunity to touch its products before you buy them, too. 

In an effort to ease this assuredly mutual feeling of longing, the company confirmed on Friday plans to begin reopening some of its U.S. stores as early as MondayApple had been aiming for a May reopening for some time, but now it's official. 

So reports CNBC, which notes that the openings are, for now, limited to stores in four states: Idaho, South Carolina, Alabama, and Alaska.

"We've missed our customers and look forward to offering our support," an Apple spokesperson told CNN Business.  Read more...

TL;DR: You don't have to buy a drum set to learn how to play the drums. Instead, just grab the Senstroke by Redison bluetooth drum kit for $189.95, on sale for 5% off as of May 9.

If you want to learn how to play the drums, then a quality set may cost you upwards of $1,000. Not only is this a hefty price to play for individuals who aren't fully committed to the instrument yet, but their massive size may be impossible to fit inside your space. Or at least your housemates may not appreciate it.

With the Senstroke by Redison Bluetooth Drum Kit and App Bundle, you can practice, play, and record on just about any surface for a much more affordable price — and it'll take up little to no space.  Read more...

TL;DR: Skate just about anywhere you please with the lightweight Ubran E-Skateboard for $124.95, a 75% savings as of May 9.

When in doubt, skate it out. But not everyone is cut from the same cloth as Tony Hawk, and it won't make sense to try and skateboard if you know you're just going to fall flat on your butt. 

Luckily, the universe is on the side of frustrated skaters everywhere with the emergence of devices like the Urban E-Skateboard. Not only does it take all the guesswork out of skating, but it's eco-friendly, too. And for a limited time, you can get it on sale for $124.95.

At only 7 pounds and 17 inches, the Urban E-Skateboard makes it easy for you to transport it anywhere you go. When you're not, you know, skating, you can easily stuff it in your bag for fuss-free storage. It connects with a wireless remote that allows you to control your speed and choose between three speed modes, accommodating just about every rider's experience level. Read more...

TL;DR: Get trained in cybersecurity with The Ultimate 2020 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle for $39.90, a 97% as of May 9.

When you think of superheroes, you probably picture capes and some sort of otherworldly powers. But in the digital world, superheroes are actually normal people like you and me. They just happen to know a thing or two about stopping cybercriminals in their tracks.

These superheroes are in short supply across the world. In fact, there are over half a million cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. alone. That just means this could be your chance to swoop in, superhero style, and save the day. But first things first, you need to learn the ropes and the Ultimate 2020 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle is a great place to start. Read more...

The coronavirus pandemic has many of us nostalgic for a simpler time — maybe when we were teenagers and/or watching our favorite early oughts sitcoms. 

Actress Cobie Smulders seems to be feeling that itch, and sensed we are too. The former How I Met Your Mother actress decided to recreate her character Robin Scherbatsky's hit song from the series, "Let's Go to The Mall."

For those who need a refresher, "Let's Go to The Mall" was released during Robin's short career as a pop star (under the name Robin Sparkles) in her homeland of Canada. While it has all the flair of an '80s banger — jelly bracelets, worshipping the mall — it was released in the '90s because apparently that's when '80s culture reached Canada.  Read more...

Work(out) From Home is a weekly column where we review smart fitness machines and apps in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Thanks to technology, there are still plenty of ways to exercise if your gym is closed. Read more...

With all the stress in the world — you know, a deadly, terrifying global pandemic — Spotify dropped a new service: a daily, personalized aimed at wellness. Fittingly, it's called Daily Wellness and I gave it a try. 

OK, first, let me drop my biases: I can be a cynical person and I'm pretty high energy — like hyper hyper — which has made meditation difficult for me. I can get both mentally and physically uncomfortable while trying anything resembling meditation or therapy or sincere reflection.

That being said, amid the pandemic — and battling some, let's say, serious anxiety — I've been taking active steps to try to improve my mental health. Therapy, meditation, exercise, whatever else, it all seemed like a good idea to help me get through the day. Read more...

What happens when memers meet the subject of their memes? In the case of the BA Test Kitchen meeting the brains behind @meme_appetit, pure gold. Harry Kersh and Will Martin started the accounts when they discovered their shared love of BA videos, and the Instagram and Twitter accounts have since taken off. 

Now with almost 400,000 followers on Instagram, the account has a lot of fans — including some members of the test kitchen. In this video, the BA cooks explain why they love (or dislike) some of the account's memes, whether it's accurate, and whether they even "get it." Watch them react to various memes and Kersh and Martin attempt to explain their reasoning behind them. Read more...

In a startling turn for a robot that has long haunted your dreams, Boston Dynamics' Spot has been tasked to encourage healthy behavior. 

According to the Straits Times, the robot "dog" has been assigned to patrol the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park in Singapore with the express purpose of encouraging social distancing. 

"Let's keep Singapore healthy," sounds a recording from the robot as it trots by two terrified people relaxing on a park bench in the above video. "For your own safety, and those around you, please stand at least one meter apart. Thank you."

Notably, Spot's jaunt is part of a two-week trial that began Friday. The robot will supposedly not collect any personal information on the people it admonishes.  Read more...