?Modern conservatism comes in two distinct architectural styles. The first seeks to build from scratch, using accurate ideological levels and plumb lines, so every wall is straight and every corner squared. The goal of politics is to apply abstract principles in their purest form. But there is another type of conservatism, often practiced at the state level, which attempts to build out of flawed, existing materials, resulting in some odd angles and incongruous additions. These conservative...

You can have a great time getting caught up in the outrageous action of the sixth entry in this money-making machine of a series without having seen any of the previous films. But you wouldn’t understand the nuances of the characters and their interrelationships, you wouldn’t get why they all keep talking about the importance of family, and you wouldn’t really know who you’re supposed to be rooting for, or why.

“The Hangover III” takes forever to get started and then never wants to end. Farewells are always tough, but the end it is, as the “Wolf Pack” embarks on one final off-the-rails road trip.

Scott Blagden worked in real estate after being shown the exit door when a college prank found the wrong audience – apparently humor wasn’t in the offering that semester. Today, he lives on Cape Cod, is still in the real estate biz, is the father to two teenagers and he has just seen his first book published.

Hannibal City Manager Jeff LaGarce has issued a warning to Hannibal residents whose trees and homes were damaged by the May 20 storm. He advises the public to hire only licensed, credible contractors for tree debris removal or home repairs. The city is concerned about opportunists coming to Hannibal to take advantage of storm victims.

Hannibal residents are being offered free brush and tree removals from the storm damage. Two volunteer groups are working with the city to cut up brush and trees in yards and move it to the curbside, to be hauled away by the City of Hannibal.

Several Hannibal artists are among 13 from Missouri whose work will be in an exhibit opening Saturday, May 25, at the Hannibal Arts Council, 105 S. Main St.

President Obama addressed many important issues in his speech Thursday (transcript here), some of which I’m writing about for Sunday’s column.  The speech also included some remarkable political theater involving Obama and a protester in the audience. If anyone finds the clip and can link to it, you should check it out.

Notice how this wonderful woman deals with the sick grief-mongering reporter in this video which is now making the rounds. "Oh, I know exactly what happened," the woman says as the reporter shamelessly angles for tears, or at least some self-pity. 

The Ohio Secretary of State ordered that any suspicious ballot out of the 5.6 million cast in Ohio be investigated. They found only 135 suspicious ballots, and those votes weren't organized in favor of one party or another. The entire notion that there is massive voter fraud is false. Republicans used the fear of fraud to introduce voter ID...

Bring everything you need without having to descend the ladder

5 simple maintenance tasks you can tackle in your home garage

Once again, the fruit tops the list of dirtiest produce.

OB/GYN Dr. Lisa Masterson explains why women are more prone to UTIs if they engage in frequent sex.

Yolanda Foster has suffered for more than two years. Here's how to protect yourself from Lyme Disease.

Are parents of adolescents too controlling when it comes to how much their children eat?

A new study finds that mushrooms may help increase vitamin D levels in healthy adults.

photo by: Niccolò Vecchia

Do you like learning about beer, hearing what’s going on in the beer world or listening to brewers talk about their breweries and the beers they brew?Then, I have the podcast for you. (Spoiler alert, I take part in it).Every Monday, live on Google Plus, the Seacoast Beverage Lab Podcast takes place beginning at 8 p.m. and goes for about an hour.

The question in the headline above is one the right-wing conspiratorialists seem never to ask themselves.Who blew the whistle on the IRS?

Your daily news briefing, with the video of the day, top news and quote of the day.   

There are many parts of our criminal justice system that are cruel and counter-productive.  A couple of weeks ago, I inveighed against one small stupid injustice: treating 17-year-olds as adults in Massachusetts’ courts and throwing them into adult prisons.