Joe Walsh

Donald Trump is the exact threat our Founding Fathers feared.Joe Walsh is as rock-ribbed a conservative as they come. But he believes that no right-wing policy victory is worth the loss of our very democracy.In this clear-eyed and unsparing book, Walsh makes the case that Trump has more in common with the foreign dictators he praises publicly than a predecessor like Ronald Reagan. Trump is an existential threat to conservatism, the presidency, and national unity. He has violated the Constitution in plain sight, assaulted democratic institutions, overwhelmed the country with disinformation, erected around himself a cult of personality, and governed according to his narcissism more than any discernable political philosophy.Though Walsh agrees with Trump that the Washington elite has hung working-class America out to dry, traveling down the road to despotism is no response. And now a person who places himself above the rule of law and accountability sits in the Oval Office—all that’s missing is a big, beautiful throne behind the Resolute Desk. In F*ck Silence, Walsh challenges his countrymen, especially his fellow conservatives, to acknowledge and oppose this unpatriotic and un-American behavior before we give away what made America great in the first place: our democracy.

The Funkyverse continues to expand In this third volume, award-winning cartoonist Tom Batiuk continues to chronicle the lives of a group of students from the fictitious Westview High School. Funky Winkerbean fans are introduced to a host of new characters, including black cheerleader Junebug Jones; Melinda Budd, Holly Budd's ambitious stage mother; Jerome the drum major; Nancy the school librarian; Ron the tennis pro; Irma, Rita Righton's tennis partner; Channel One reporters Brenda Harpy and Minnie Cameron; talk show host John Darling; news anchor Charlie Lord; Phil the Forecaster; and program director Reed Roberts. Batiuk also features a troupe of inanimate forms achieving sentience, such as talking trees, clouds, school desks,video games, and a talking tennis ball machine that goes on to play at Wimbledon.Not only does Batiuk grow his Funkyverse" through its cast of characters, but he adds a number of recurring set pieces, too, such as "The Guide to Taking Tests," course descriptions from the student curriculum guide, final exams on "Shakespeare the Hard Bard," Les's Record Roundup, plus Crazy Harry's "Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes and His Monstrous Limericks." Volume 3 will entertain readers with Arab sheiks buying the oil rights to the football field, an exploding nuclear power plant, and the school's computer playing Star Trek and beaming people around the building.By the late 1970s Batiuk's talent for character- and story-driven work was coming into its own. Not only was Funky Winkerbean evolving but the strip-within-a-strip about John Darling and his bottom-of-the-ratings-barrel TV station, Channel One, spun off into its own strip called Darling. With life imitating art, Batiuk even found himself as a guest on The Today Show, following his story arc about Darling filling in for the vacationing Tom Brokaw.

When we’re in the Certainty Trap, we tend to view people who disagree with us as hateful, ignorant, or just plain stupid. When it comes to heated social and political issues in particular, many of us know this feeling well— a consuming state of righteous indignation and moral outrage. And this response makes sense because our very certainty tells us that there are simple and obvious causes and solutions to the hot-button issues we care about most. But the things we care about the most are— far more often than not— morally and ethically complex. If the problems that divide us are inherently complicated, then a sense that the answers are obvious— and that anyone who disagrees must be deficient in some way— is misplaced. It's an oversimplification that both leads to and reflects faulty thinking. When we’ re certain, we not only fail to recognize the possibility that we’ re wrong but also fail to be clear about the principles and values that drive our disagreement in the first place. By committing to challenging and clarifying our thinking— by avoiding the trap certainty sets for us— we can increase social trust, reduce political polarization, and better address the world’s pressing challenges.

2020 IPPY Awards Gold Medali, Great Lakes Best Regional NonfictionRelying on oral histories, hundreds of rare photographs, and original music reviews, this book explores the countercultural fringes of Kent, Ohio, over four decades. Firsthand reminiscences from musicians, promoters, friends, and fans recount arena shows featuring acts like Pink Floyd, The Clash, and Paul Simon as well as the grungy corners of town where Joe Walsh, Patrick Carney, Chrissie Hynde, and DEVO refined their crafts. From back stages, hotel rooms, and the saloons of Kent, readers will travel back in time to the great rockin' nights hosted in this small town.More than just a retrospective on performances that occurred in one midwestern college town, Prufer's book illuminates a fascinating phenomenon: both up-and-coming and major artists knew Kent was a place to play—fertile ground for creativity, spontaneity, and innovation. From the formation of Joe Walsh's first band, The Measles, and the creation of DEVO in Kent State University's art department to original performances of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and serendipitous collaborations like Emmylou Harris and Good Company in the Water Street Saloon, the influence of Kent's music scene has been powerful. Previously overshadowed by our attention to Cleveland as a true music epicenter, Prufer's book is an excellent and corrective addition.Extensively researched for eight years and lavishly illustrated, Small Town, Big Music is the most comprehensive telling of any of these stories in one place. Rock historians and fans alike will want to own this book.