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Articles by John Waters
McRaven Misfires on Public Execution
Admiral Bill McRaven, a retired Navy SEAL and former commander of U.S. special operations, has spoken out against the planned public execution of Nidal Hasan, the gunman who killed 13 service members in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting. Yet by focusing on the spectacle of the execution, McRaven avoids the fundamental moral issue.
Change is Gonna Come ... Soon
The self-proclaimed 'people's pundit' and director of BIG DATA POLL insists that young Americans are fed up with the status quo. While legacy pundits and corporate managers point to rising GDP and booming stock markets as evidence of prosperity, only 33 percent of young adults believe the American Dream is still achievable. They earn degrees and enter the workforce, only to watch home prices, rent, and inflation rise faster than they can save.
The Closet Poets
Do we automatically become poets at birth? A blank canvas to apply muted colors of every memory, emotion, and a lifetime of experiences. Anyone could be an artist, musician, or poet. The poets are the lowest of the breed, holding the cultural ladder to the top of art. Before the takedown of a systematic indoctrination into societal norms and the culture at large with rules and regulations that govern the nonsensical nature of existence.
Senate Passes Healthcare Cybersecurity Bill With New Standards and Support for Rural Providers
Senate Passes Healthcare Cybersecurity Bill With New Standards and Support for Rural Providers By John K. Waters 10/05/2026 The U.S. Senate has passed bipartisan legislation that would establish minimum cybersecurity practices for healthcare organizations and strengthen federal coordination when attacks threaten patient care. The measure also would support security improvements at rural providers, including migration to secure cloud platforms.
Change is Gonna Come ... Soon
Rich Baris has fired a warning shot. The self-proclaimed 'people's pundit' and director of BIG DATA POLL insists that young Americans are fed up with the status quo. While legacy pundits and corporate managers point to rising GDP and booming stock markets as evidence of prosperity, only 33 percent of young adults believe the American Dream is still achievable. They earn degrees and enter the workforce, only to watch home prices, rent, and inflation rise faster than they can save.
Infrastructure Accounts for More than Half of Worldwide AI Spending
The artificial intelligence industry is expected to generate an extraordinary $2.67 trillion in worldwide spending this year, according to a new forecast from Gartner. But relatively little of that money will be spent on the generative AI models dominating the industry's headlines. The much bigger business is everything required to make them run. Worldwide spending on AI infrastructure will reach nearly $1.5 trillion in 2026, accounting for about 56% of all AI spending.
AI's Role as Research Assistant Calls into Question Ownership of Scientific Discoveries
Scientists are being encouraged to trust the computing power of artificial intelligence with some of their hardest problems. They give AI systems unpublished ideas, experimental approaches, half-finished proofs, code, and questions they may have spent years learning how to ask. An awkward fact is buried in that relationship: The AI belongs to somebody else.
Superstar status
Wesley Smoot has expanded his Unleashed empire to include his own vodka brand and a series of podcasts STEVEN LINDSEY | Contributing writer [email protected] Wesley Smoot doesn’t seem to be someone who ever thinks small. He noticed the lack of a live, in-person queer festival, so he created Unleashed LGBTQ+ Conference & Festival in 2023. From day one, he’s welcomed a superstar lineup of queer talent, from Billy Eichner to John Waters.
The Next American Right
In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, author Thomas Kuhn argued that science progresses through long periods of stability within a shared paradigm, punctuated by revolutions when that paradigm breaks down. Kuhn devised his theory to explain scientific revolutions, but it explains Republican politics just as well. Fifty years ago, Ronald Reagan’s paradigm rested on a three-legged stool: free-market economics, social conservatism, and muscular foreign policy.
The Next American Right
In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, author Thomas Kuhn argued that science progresses through long periods of stability within a shared paradigm, punctuated by revolutions when that paradigm breaks down. Kuhn devised his theory to explain scientific revolutions, but it explains Republican politics just as well. Fifty years ago, Ronald Reagan’s paradigm rested on a three-legged stool: free-market economics, social conservatism, and muscular foreign policy.
Keeping Technicians and Dispatchers on the Same Page
Internal communication is pivotal. When the connection between the office and the field breaks down, consequences are immediate. A dispatcher might miss crucial information about a job running long, which delays other appointments and ultimately irritates customers. Or a technician on site might lack vital notes, leaving them flying blind. This can ultimately hurt your revenue.
Microsoft, Nvidia Move Enterprise AI Toward Active Cyber Defense
AI security is entering a new stage as organizations look beyond protecting models from prompt injection, unauthorized access, and data exposure. Separate announcements from Microsoft and Nvidia recently outlined how AI could become an active part of cyber defense, with autonomous systems helping organizations detect threats, evaluate risks, and respond at machine speed.
Keeping Technicians and Dispatchers on the Same Page
Internal communication is pivotal. When the connection between the office and the field breaks down, consequences are immediate. A dispatcher might miss crucial information about a job running long, which delays other appointments and ultimately irritates customers. Or a technician on site might lack vital notes, leaving them flying blind. This doesn’t just lead to internal frustration; it can ultimately hurt your revenue.
Cybersecurity Researchers Identify First Fully Autonomous AI-Driven Ransomware Attack
Threat researchers at cloud security firm Sysdig have disclosed what they describe as the first documented ransomware operation carried out end-to-end by an autonomous AI agent, with no human typing commands or directing individual steps once the attack was underway. The firm named the threat actor JADEPUFFER and published its technical analysis between July 4 and July 6.
Microsoft Moving to Internally Developed AI Models in Office Apps
Microsoft is reportedly using its own in-house artificial intelligence models to handle some workloads in Excel and Outlook, offering new evidence that the company is moving its AI strategy beyond model development and into large-scale cost reduction. According to Bloomberg (paywalled), Microsoft has begun replacing some OpenAI and Anthropic models in Microsoft 365 applications with its MAI models for selected tasks.
Anthropic Launches Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5
Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 5 on June 30, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.
The Modern to premiere a new documentary on lesbian poet Mary Oliver
Next month, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will screen the new documentary Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World. The film opens for a limited engagement on July 10 through July 12. Directed and produced by Sasha Waters, the film considers Oliver’s life and work and how natural beauty was a big inispiration, but also, the director dug deeper. “There’s a public image of Mary Oliver as being almost saintly,” Waters told Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. “And she’s not.
Tessa Thompson Doesn’t Want Fashion to Feel Like Armor
The Good Buy is a podcast from Harper’s Bazaar in which editors Leah Chernikoff and Lynette Nylander invite celebrities, designers, models, and tastemakers to talk shop: what they buy, where they got it, and why it matters. Come down the fashion rabbit hole and take a peek inside the closets and shopping carts of the world’s most stylish people. Learn how they use style to tell their stories. Tessa Thompson is deeply intentional when it comes to clothes.
John Waters, Billy Porter and Julio Torres Set For Second Season of ‘Finding Fire Island’ Series
Billy Porter, John Waters, Julio Torres, Cody Rigsby, Jay Jurden Leon Bennett/Getty Images; Dominik Bindl/Getty Images; Manoli Figetakis/Getty Images; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images; Jerod Harris/Getty Images Finding Fire Island has found its way back. The GLAAD Award nominated documentary podcast series is set to debut a second season on June 11. The new batch of episodes focuses on the Pines, a section of the island notable for its parties and exclusivity.
IBM Announces New AI-Powered Cybersecurity Tools
IBM has announced an expanded portfolio of AI-powered cybersecurity products, positioning the company to compete more aggressively in a rapidly evolving market where enterprises are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to defend against automated cyber threats.
Art and War with a Master Storyteller
He begins by probing his own feelings—the things he loves and the things he hates. The things that pique his interest and pierce his heart; the things he fears but will never admit. He distills these insights into a story about life, and through his words seeks to induce a feeling in the reader, to make the reader love or hate or identify with people who do not exist. The novelist entertains, delights, grieves, and consoles us.
A poem by John Waters: ‘Catch’
John Waters is a writer, a film director, an actor, and a visual artist best known for his films, including Hairspray , Pink Flamingos , and Serial Mom . He is the author of the national best sellers Role Models , Carsick , and Mr. Know-It-All . His spoken word show Going to Extremes continues to be performed around the world.
Little Richard: I am everything
Lisa Cortés erzählt in ihrem Dokumentarfilm die Geschichte der schwarzen und queeren Ursprünge des Rock 'n' Roll, und sprengt den weiß getünchten Kanon der amerikanischen Popmusik, um den Innovator und Erfinder Richard Penniman alias Little Richard zu enthüllen. Anhand einer Fülle von Archivmaterial und Performances, die uns in Richards komplexe Innenwelt führen, spult der Dokumentarfilm die Lebensgeschichte der Ikone mit all ihren Wendungen und Widersprüchen ab.
Anthropic's New AI Model Targets Coding, Enterprise Work
Anthropic has released Claude Opus 4.6, introducing a million-token context window and automated agent coordination features as the AI company seeks to expand beyond software development into broader enterprise applications. The San Francisco-based firm said the model improves performance on coding tasks, financial analysis, and document processing compared to its predecessor.
The Highland County Press
By John Waters and Adam Ellwanger Real Clear Wire For 250 years, we have attacked the earth, sky, sea, and space, not to conquer or control but to improve the conditions of human life. We blazed trails and broke the plains. We were first in flight and first to the Moon. We were first to electrify our cities, which powered our mighty industries. And on the evening of July 5, 1954, during a recording session at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, we were first to play rock and roll.
Apple and Google Strike AI Deal to Bring Gemini Models to Siri
Apple and Google announced they have embarked on a multiyear partnership that will put Google's Gemini models and cloud technology at the core of the next generation of Apple Foundation Models, a move that could help Apple accelerate long-promised upgrades to Siri while handing Google a high-profile distribution win on the iPhone.
CrowdStrike to Acquire Identity Security Firm SGNL
CrowdStrike has announced the acquisition of identity security firm SGNL for $740 million to enhance its capabilities in continuous, real-time access control for both human and AI identities. The acquisition expands the Falcon platform's identity security capabilities, enabling dynamic authorization across SaaS and cloud environments to address risks posed by autonomous AI agents and non-human identities.
Break the Asian Machine Age
Two years before the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, two senior military officers in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) published the book Unrestricted Warfare (1999). They argued that to defeat a technologically superior opponent, an inferior power must erase the boundaries between the battlefield and civilian life and pursue a modern, asymmetric strategy. “The first rule of unrestricted warfare is that there are no rules, and nothing is forbidden,” the authors wrote.
Obliterate Europe’s Managerial Plantation
You know about the annual meeting in Davos, where anonymous shareholders and genderless bureaucrats mingle at private chalets. Like knowledge deities, they take a bird’s eye view of the global situation and ponder how to extract more riches for a privileged few. Their old citadels—London (finance), Brussels (administration), Paris (state-control)—have been revived and metropolized to serve the interests of a gilded elite disaffiliated from their home countries.
Obliterate Europe’s Managerial Plantation
Obliterate Europe’s Managerial Plantation You know about the annual meeting in Davos, where anonymous shareholders and genderless bureaucrats mingle at private chalets. Like knowledge deities, they take a bird’s eye view of the global s Read Full Article »
How Trump Changed America
Since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers, many have designated Sept. 11, 2001 as the true close of the 20th century. That event indeed changed many things in the United States and in the world. It was a sign that the American-led global order established after World War II had become fragile and hollowed out.
Steven Soderbergh Documentary To Focus On John Lennon’s Final Interview
Director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11, Magic Mike) is creating an as-yet-untitled documentary centered on John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s last interview, conducted hours before Lennon’s December 8, 1980 murder. “I’m not looking to re-invent the form [of documentary]. I’m just hoping to create a film that gets as many people as possible to hear what John and Yoko had to say on that afternoon before he was killed,” he said.
In the Room With Reagan and Nixon
Ken Khachigian, 81, of Orange County, California, was in the room with Reagan and Nixon. In the fall of 1967, Khachigian was a second-year law student at Columbia University when he wrote a letter to Richard Nixon at his New York law office to volunteer for his presidential campaign. He was hired by Patrick J. Buchanan as an aide and assistant before joining the Nixon White House as a junior speechwriter.
Ashley Tisdale Adopts Married Name, French, Professionally After 11 Years
Ashley Tisdale announced she will professionally use her married name, Ashley French, eleven years after wedding husband Christopher French in 2014. The 40-year-old High School Musical actress revealed her decision in a TikTok video. “I’ve been Ashley French for so long at home, but I really never changed [it] publicly because everyone knows me as Ashley Tisdale,” she said.
‘Walking Dead’ Creator Greg Nicotero Launches Horror Reality Show ‘Guts & Glory’
Walking Dead mastermind Greg Nicotero has created a new horror reality competition series called Guts and Glory, now streaming on Shudder. The show combines elements from Survivor with The Blair Witch Project, placing contestants in wilderness settings where they face elimination by a demonic entity rather than traditional voting. Nicotero serves as both creator and host, using his special effects expertise to stage graphic “deaths” that appear real to participants.
Tate McRae Shares Track List For ‘So Close To What’ Deluxe Edition, Featuring Five New Songs
On Monday (November 17), Tate McRae took to Instagram to reveal the full 21-song tracklist for the deluxe edition of So Close to What???. The expanded version of McRae’s recent Billboard No. 1 album is set to be released on Friday (Nov.
‘The View’ Edits Segment After Mentalist Reveals Sara Haines’ Real ATM PIN On Air
The View edited out footage where celebrity mentalist Oz Pearlman accidentally revealed cohost Sara Haines’ actual ATM PIN during Tuesday’s live broadcast. The Emmy winner appeared on the show promoting his book Read Your Mind when he demonstrated his skills by correctly identifying personal details about other cohosts. Pearlman asked Haines to write a fake PIN on a card, then revealed both the fake number and her real four-digit bank code on air.
Joe Rogan Claims Top Spot On Apple’s 2025 Podcast Charts, Overtaking ‘The Daily’
Apple released its 2025 podcast rankings Tuesday, showing “The Joe Rogan Experience” as the year’s most popular show based on global listener data. Rogan displaced “The Daily” from The New York Times, which dropped to second place, while “The Mel Robbins Podcast” ranked third. Rogan’s episode featuring Elon Musk became the fourth most-listened episode of 2025.
Entertainment Tidbits
Singer D4vd has been identified as a suspect in the death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were discovered in his Tesla’s trunk, according to a LAPD source. Police found Hernandez’s body September 8 in the vehicle at a Los Angeles impound lot after it was towed for being parked several weeks. She was reported missing, last seen April 5, 2024.
AMC Networks Debuts All Reality Streaming Service On Prime Video For $4.99 Monthly
AMC Networks launched its new streaming platform All Reality on Tuesday as a Prime Video add-on for $4.99 per month, with additional platforms planned. The service debuts with 2,500 hours of unscripted content from We TV and other AMC brands, featuring shows like “Love After Lockup,” “The Braxtons,” and “Mama June.” A revamped “Bridezillas” narrated by Tamar Braxton will serve as the platform’s first original series.
Idaho Man Sets World Record Carrying Seven Bowling Balls On Unicycle
David “Record Breaker” Rush has claimed another Guinness World Record by carrying seven bowling balls while riding a unicycle. The Idaho man, who has broken more than 300 world records, got the idea during a family dinner at Uncle Bob’s Pizza in Meridian. Rush watched a highlight reel of unusual records on the restaurant’s TV screens when he spotted someone balancing bowling balls on a unicycle. “Then I saw it. Someone balancing a stack of bowling balls on a unicycle.
Passenger Found With Meat Cleaver On Plane At Portland Airport
A Delta flight to Salt Lake City was delayed on Thursday evening at Portland International Airport after crew members discovered a passenger had carried a meat cleaver through security screening. Staff reported the “hazardous item” to TSA officials after finding it aboard the aircraft. All passengers were ordered off the plane and required to go through security screening a second time. No arrests were made in connection with the security breach.
Chelsea Handler Returns As Critics Choice Awards Host For Fourth Consecutive Year
Chelsea Handler will serve as host for the Critics Choice Awards for the fourth straight year. The ceremony airs January 4 at 7 p.m. EST on E! and USA Network. This marks the second year on E! and the first time on USA Network. The show will broadcast live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. “Kicking off the year with the Critics Choice Awards feels right,” Handler said in a statement.
Tom Cruise Receives An Honorary Oscar At Academy’s Governors Awards
Tom Cruise finally received an Academy Award Sunday at the Governors Awards, accepting an honorary Oscar for his career achievements. “I want you to know that I will always do everything I can to help this art form,” Cruise said. “Hopefully without too many more broken bones.” Director Alejandro Iñárritu presented Cruise’s award, saying “Tom Cruise doesn’t just make movies, he is movies.” Cruise has received four competitive Oscar nominations in his career as an actor but never won.
Johnny Knoxville Gets Married In Ceremony Officiated By John Waters
Jackass star Johnny Knoxville wed costume designer Emily Ting in an intimate outdoor ceremony officiated by filmmaker John Waters. Knoxville announced the marriage on Instagram, writing: “Today Emily and I got married and I’m the luckiest and happiest fella in the universe.” The actor praised Waters, calling him “THE best minister ever. Thank you John Waters we love you so.” Photos showed the couple with their dog Bucket alongside the floral arch where they exchanged vows.
Danny Masterson Files Appeal Claiming Ineffective Defense In Rape Case
Former That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson filed a habeas corpus petition Sunday claiming his defense attorney Philip Cohen provided inadequate representation during his 2023 rape trial. Masterson, serving 30 years at California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo for raping two women, argues Cohen failed to call witnesses who could have discredited accusers or countered prosecution claims about Scientology silencing victims.
Entertainment Tidbits
David Letterman will interview Adam Sandler in a new episode of Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, premiering December 1st. The conversation covers Sandler’s rise from stand-up comedy to Saturday Night Live and his success in film. The episode was filmed September 29th at New York University before a live student audience. (Story URL) NBC’s Today co-host Dylan Dreyer accidentally struck a cameraman with a golf ball during Monday’s 3rd Hour broadcast.
Tennessee Boy, 10, Drives Car Home After Dispute With Mother; Father Arrested
A 10-year-old boy drove himself home from W.A. Wright Elementary School Friday after arguing with his mother. The incident began around 1 p.m. when the mother left her child in the running vehicle to drop off paperwork inside the school. Police say a witness saw the car “backed out recklessly, nearly hit another car, jumped a curb, and sped off toward Lebanon Road.” Officers found the vehicle parked in the family’s garage approximately one mile from the school.
Religious School Bans Singing Of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Songs
Lilliput Church Of England Infant School in the UK prohibited students from singing songs from Netflix’s hit film KPop Demon Hunters due to religious objections.
Man Arrested After Leaving Driver’s License At Veterans Day Vandalism Scene
Timothy Myers Poole of Tyler, Texas, is facing criminal mischief charges after allegedly vandalizing a Veterans Day flag display and leaving his driver’s license behind. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Poole tore down American flags and bent poles at the Rotary Club of Tyler’s “Field of Valor” display at the Rose Garden complex Thursday night. Police spokesperson Andy Ebaugh confirmed Poole left his driver’s license at the scene.
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