As James Comey answers questions before Congress during his confirmation hearings, a renewed focus has come on the changing role of the FBI, especially since 9/11. As the role has expanded from federal law enforcement to counterterrorism, surveillance, and domestic intelligence gathering, many questions have arisen. Should the FBI use unmanned drones for surveillance, and to what extent? Can the FBI collect metadata on U.S. citizens without probable cause? Can the FBI read the content of emails after they “mature” to the 180 day rule? All of these questions were asked at the hearing. Continue reading “Federal Police Power”
Category: Adam Goldfein Show
Fear Itself
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.” H.P. Lovecraft Continue reading “Fear Itself”
Fake Plastic Face
Cosmetic enhancement is very popular these days. From fake boobs to nose jobs, Americans spent $11.5 billion on 11 million cosmetic procedures in 2012. That makes this industry worth more than the NFL, which only made $9.5 billion in 2012. Continue reading “Fake Plastic Face”
The Changing Face of the American Family
Over the past 50+ years the U.S. has seen more female breadwinners, more single mothers, more divorces, more college degrees, more births out of wedlock, but less religion. In 2012, for the first time since records began in 1940, less than half (48.4%) of all households contained a husband and wife. The turn of the millennium marked the first time that less than a quarter (23.5%) of households had a married man and woman with one or more children. We’ve come a long way from a country where 45% of households were these nuclear families in 1960. Continue reading “The Changing Face of the American Family”
Eyewitness Misidentification and False Memories
A wise Jedi once said, “Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.” He was right, and many innocent people have gone to jail because of this. Mistaken eyewitness testimony is the number one cause of innocent people ending up behind bars with 75% of all exonerations involving mistaken eyewitness testimony in the conviction, according to the Innocence Project. Continue reading “Eyewitness Misidentification and False Memories”
The Theory of Evolution
Scientists recently uncovered a fossil of a Homo erectus scull in current day Georgia (Asia). This discovery provides new clues into how humans developed. It suggests that a single species of Homo erectus left Africa and populated the globe. Homo erectus is the first species in the genus homo, which is believed to have evolved into Homo sapiens, the scientific name for the human species. Continue reading “The Theory of Evolution”
Evil Lurks Within Us All
We see the faces of evil every day. Dr. Kermit Gosnell was convicted Monday of murdering three babies by snipping their spines as they wriggled helplessly. Ariel Castro is standing trial for kidnapping three young women who were age 14, 16 and 21 at the time of their capture. He is accused of raping and abusing them for 10 years, forcing miscarriages by blunt trauma to the stomach and starvation, and also imprisoning his daughter who was born in a plastic tub to one of the three women. James Holmes is accused of walking into a movie theatre and opening fire on the audience, killing 12 and injuring 58 people. On December 14, 2012 Adam Lanza shot his mother dead in her bed. He then walked to an elementary school and shot dead 26 more people, 20 of which were school children age 6 and 7. Continue reading “Evil Lurks Within Us All”
Entrepreneurship Success and Failure
The startup rate fell to an all-time low in 2012 at 7.87% of businesses. Fewer than 35% of companies are considered “young” compared to nearly 50% in the 1980s. Despite this, 0.32% of adults create a new business each month on average. Immigrants are almost twice as likely to start up a business as the native born, 0.51% to 0.28%. Continue reading “Entrepreneurship Success and Failure”
Elder Abuse
Across America, seniors are suffering in silence. About one in 10 seniors has suffered some form of abuse at least once, and many of these go unreported. Most abuse comes at the hands of family members, but a substantial amount happens in nursing homes. With the Amount of Americans 65 and over projected to double by 2030, this problem will only get worse if not addressed properly. Continue reading “Elder Abuse”
Egypt
The United States has many strategic national interests in Egypt. We receive preferential access to the Suez Canal. The 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel has long served to keep peace between the two most powerful militaries in the region. Given the al Qaeda havens and support provided by chaos in other countries around the region, a stable Egypt serves as a security linchpin in the ongoing “War on Terror”. Continue reading “Egypt”
Ronin Pen 