The Latest Breaking News from HL Mencken

"Bible Belt" oversimplifies the South

Beneath commonalities, religious life was divided by both race and class

Salon · Sep 10

A journalist coined ‘the Bible Belt’ 100 years ago – it’s been oversimplifying the South ever since

“Look No Further!” a billboard on the side of the highway beckons, drawing my gaze toward the red cover of a Bible. “You Are Worthy of Redemption!”

The Conversation · Sep 9

Terrible poll ratings would bother some politicians. Donald Trump isn’t one of them

A low approval rating will not cause the US president to hang his head in shame. He’s more likely to dig in, writes Arwa Mahdawi

The Guardian - UK · Apr 21

Review: Charles Fort's Underrated Influence

The eccentric writer cast a long shadow, leaving a mark not only on the world of Bigfoot hunters and UFO buffs but in literature and radical politics.

Reason · Jun 14, 2024

It’s all the media’s fault

We’re a consolidated lazy miasma of ignorance – and the government is to blame for that

Salon · Apr 27, 2024

Among the Trolls by Marianna Spring review – into the cesspit of online hatred

An unflinching exploration of conspiracy theories and their knock-on effects also makes heroic attempts to understand the people behind them

The Guardian - UK · Mar 3, 2024

Will Navalny's death break MAGA spell?

The Russian dissident's apparent murder may yet lead a handful of the Trump faithful back to sanity

Salon · Feb 22, 2024

The curious case of the missing column

Many thanks to readers who expressed concern about the non-appearance of PostScript last Sunday. Some feared Crutch might have been under the weather or had even departed for the Great Typewriter in the Sky. Others thought I had fled the scene in a bid to escape Songkran, which in retrospect…

Bangkok Post · Apr 15, 2023

After the midterms, get ready for the antics

If Republicans take over the House of Representatives — as normally happens during off-year contests — all they’re really going to do over the next couple of years is put on a show. A Fox News-themed extravaganza.

Chicago Sun-Times · Oct 28, 2022

50 years ago, an artist convincingly exhibited a fake Iron Age civilization – with invented maps, music and artifacts

Invented civilizations are usually thought of as the stuff of sci-fi novels and video games, not museums.

The Conversation · Sep 14, 2022