The Bizarre Regulatory Idolatry of the Patent Lobby

With patent reform likely back on the docket for 2017 once Congress finishes with bigger ticket items like Obamacare repeal, you can count on hearing a lot of easily debunked nonsense from various confused "conservatives" about the patent system. Predictably, many will try to frame any reform of that system as an attack on patents themselves, which they will claim is really cover for an assault on property rights generally.

Gormley: Kevin O’Leary’s run for Tory leader is, well, ‘quite bizarre’

As what was once ordinary becomes strange, and what was once outlandish takes on the appearance of the everyday, we may struggle to recall what normal has always been, and why it has ever mattered, and in what ways it may matter still. We must ask questions like this, for instance: Is it normal for a politician to live mostly in one country while campaigning to lead a political party of another? The short answer: no.

The strange (tall) tale of armed border crossers

Once upon a time - this photo is from 1998 - there was a bridge that crossed the Rio Grande and connected Candelaria, Texas to San Antonio Del Bravo in Mexico. It's the one Maria Evagelina Garza and her grandfather Vicente dela O crossed in this February 1998 file photo.

The strange adventures of a little stone

Why does the Polish president's visit to Yoni's grave prove that Netanyahu is incapable of doing his job? Several days ago Polish President Andrzej Duda visited the State of Israel. During his visit to Mount Herzl Duda paid his respects at the grave of Lt.-Col.

Editorial: GOP leaders need to stand up to Trump on bizarre immigration policy

The ban on travelers from seven primarily Muslim countries and the chaos that ensued at airports across the United States over the weekend have called the question. The day-long reality show drama that culminated in the president firing defiant acting attorney general Sally Yates, an Obama administration appointee, hardly added the American public's confidence that our new so-called “executive in chief” knows what he is doing.

The strange obsessions of President Donald Trump

It took only a week for US President Donald Trump to dash any lingering optimism that once sworn into office he might rise above his petty obsessions. Instead of seeking to govern in a fashion that will bring people together, Mr Trump has set out to do precisely the opposite.

The Russian-Turkish-Iranian axis: Strange bedfellows

Russia has fulfilled a long-held dream of reaching the warm water of the Mediterranean and is casting itself as the hegemon in the region. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan arrive for a joint news conference following their meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, last year..

The strange experiences of a Bulletin reporter

... again for barging in on me while I was watching The Simpsons. Then, she paused. "By the way," she said, "this is a weird question, but do you know Jerry Picker? He's also from Martinsville." I hadn't even told this woman my name, let alone the fact ...

Opinion: A lesson in ‘weird’

... Portland seems to thrive on being, uh, different. That's all well and good, but when one sees "Keep Portland Weird" plastered everywhere in the Rose City, it creates an opportunity for pause. Portland is doing just swell in that regard. From ...

Why does Trump go googly-eyed for Putin?

Coming from a presidential candidate, Donald Trump 's misty-eyed admiration of Russia and its autocratic leader was weird. Coming from a president-elect, it's nothing short of alarming.

‘The OA’ and the hypnotic allure of weird TV

We're more likely to remember the peak TV era for its quantity than its quality, looking back on these years as a period in which there was too much to watch that was pretty good and fairly intriguing, but often got more buzz than it deserved. It's an embarrassment of riches, and, if and when some networks scale back , I'll also fondly remember peak TV as a period of weird television.

Struggling to understand the strange new America

China's financial capital is known for its glamorous riverfront. The neon-lit skyscrapers of the Pudong district are on one side and the beloved Bund, or embankment walkway, on the other, fronted by historic colonial-era bank buildings that now host high-end restaurants.

Trump’s Perry pick for DOE strange, but no joke

To continue reading up to 10 premium articles, you must register , or sign up and take advantage of this exclusive offer: President-elect Donald Trump has every right to select whomever he wants for his Cabinet and chief advisory positions. Some of his choices, however, make it harder to distinguish between the reality of our 45th president and the parodies of him on “Saturday Night Live.” Sometimes it seems as if Trump is playing jokes.