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. . . the idea of the future being different from the present is so repugnant to our conventional modes of thought and behavior that we, most of us, offer a great resistance to acting on it in practice. For a little more than two decades, the CIA, in conjunction with the director of National Intelligence, has created a forward looking document called Global Trends every four years for use by the Executive Branch for policy-making. The next installment, Global Trends 2035, will be given to the

He won't likely get much attention from the mainstream media, but one-term U.S. senator and former Navy secretary Jim Webb launched his presidential campaign on Thursday. Webb made the announcement on his campaign website and brings the total number of Democratic presidential candidates to five. USA Today reports: "After many months of thought, deliberation and discussion, I have decided to seek the office of the Presidency of the United States," he wrote. In his statement, Webb acknowledged t

As the number of Republican presidential candidates grows on a seemingly daily basis, the Democratic field is slowly becoming more crowded. It now includes Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley, Lincoln Chafee, and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). While Sanders entered the race as a distant second to Clinton, his campaign has gained momentum. Nevertheless, in the months ahead, his campaign will face three particular challenges. One potential challenge for Sanders could be gaining ballot access across the co

Since the movement launched in 2006, National Popular Vote has made significant progress to reform the way Americans elect their president. The group's plan involves a state-by-state approach. States that join the National Popular Voter Interstate Compact (NPVIC) agree that rather than having their electors cast their ballots for president according to whichever candidate won the most votes in their respective states, the electors will instead vote for the candidate who won the most votes natio

The 2012 presidential election was certainly the most expensive in American history. President Obama's re-election effort cost $1.1 billion, including nearly $700 million spent directly by his campaign. Mitt Romney's campaign spent over $400 million, but he received almost $800 million in additional outside help. The cost of the 2016 presidential election, however, is expected to surpass these figures. One estimate reaches as high as $5 billion, and Hillary Clinton's campaign might spend as muc

The headliners for the 2016 presidential campaign are likely to be Bush v. Clinton again. Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton have been rumored to be the nominees for months, nay years, prior to their official announcements. With obvious parallels to the 1992 election, these two political dynasties have come a long way since the early 90s. For those who remember 1992's presidential match-up between Bill and Bush Sr., the most apparent sign is that it is not 1992 anymore. Unfortunately, as their camp

We have all seen it, a slew of contestants vying for the attention and affection of an eligible suitor. Welcome to The Bachelor: U.S. Presidential Primary addition, where the contestants are candidates and the prize is a billionaire willing to shower the lucky winner with an endless supply of campaign cash. Look, there is nothing new about insanely wealthy interests getting involved in national politics -- I'm looking at you, Kennedys, Roosevelts, and Rockefellers. Hell money in politics is pra

Professor "Edward Schlosser" (a pseudonym) wrote a thought-provoking article for Vox on Wednesday about the role identity politics plays in the college environment and how that role has changed dramatically in a relatively short period of time. "The student-teacher dynamic has been reenvisioned along a line that's simultaneously consumerist and hyper-protective, giving each and every student the ability to claim Grievous Harm in nearly any circumstance, after any affront, and a teacher's formal

Some Republican presidential candidates are facing a serious problem: they may be denied access to some debates during the primary election season. The 2016 GOP presidential field is going to be huge, and it is going to feature current and former governors, senators, entrepreneurs, and even a retired neurosurgeon. The problem? There are simply going to be too many candidates to fit on one stage. The RNC, understandably, doesn't want the debates to turn into a circus, and the cable networks sim

Hog Country In 1993, when Elsie Herring returned to the property that her grandfather – a former slave – purchased back in 1891, she discovered she had a rather odorous neighbor. In the 1980s, a hog farmer set up an operation on an adjacent property, complete with two barns, a lagoon (a man-made pond for pig waste), and a spray field. The spray field is where hoses pump the animal excrement when emptying the lagoons: the edge of this particular spray field is just eight feet from her home. Els