All posts tagged: hollow

The Hollow Man – TheHumanist.com

The Hollow Man – TheHumanist.com

Published by Sam Flores

Illustration via Frode Kjærvik On the night of April 1, 2026, the President of the United States addressed his nation about the war he had started with Iran. The  speech lasted 37 minutes. It referenced goals, achievements and threats. It praised the American military. It promised that things would be resolved shortly, very shortly. Then it ended, and nothing had been said. This is not a figure of speech. The speech was not evasive, not a case of a leader concealing his true aims behind rhetoric. Evasion implies something being hidden. Dishonesty requires a truth to conceal. What happened on that Wednesday night was more unsettling than either: A man stood before cameras and produced the sounds and cadences of presidential authority, and behind them there was — nothing. No strategy. No goal. No reason. Not a bad reason, not a secret reason. No reason. Kenneth Roth, writing for The Guardian the following day, documented this emptiness with precision. If the goal was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, then the war was …

Trump’s risky public health charade rings hollow

Trump’s risky public health charade rings hollow

Published by Sam Flores

Last Saturday, Denmark’s Arctic command forces staged a rescue mission of an American crew member who needed urgent medical attention. Joint Arctic Command said on Facebook that it had evacuated a crew member from a U.S. submarine in Greenlandic waters, scooping them up in a Seahawk helicopter approximately seven nautical miles off the coast of Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. The incident seems to have triggered a bizarre reaction from President Donald Trump, who the next day threatened or promised to send a “great hospital ship” to Greenland, claiming on a Truth Social post that it would help “many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there. It’s on the way!!!” The order, accompanied by an AI-generated illustration of a World War II-era hospital ship flying the U.S. flag, was confusing to many, and justifiably so. It wasn’t clear  what had motivated Trump’s supposed gesture of generosity, or why the post made no mention of the submarine rescue. Denmark’s leadership politely said “no thanks,” but it turns out they didn’t have to: No ship …

Republicans’ Charlie Kirk holiday push exposes a hollow platform

Republicans’ Charlie Kirk holiday push exposes a hollow platform

Published by Sam Flores

With state legislative sessions starting up around the country, state-level Republicans have a top priority: creating a holiday to honor the life of right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk, who was murdered last year at a public event. The push to commemorate Kirk, however, exposes the GOP’s lack of a real policy platform that actually impacts regular people. Three states so far are moving forward with legislative efforts to create a holiday honoring Kirk — Florida, Kansas and West Virginia – though others are considering similar moves. In the Florida state House, Republicans advanced a bill out of committee to create a “Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance” on Oct. 14, the day of the late activist’s birthday. Similarly, Kansas lawmakers approved a measure in late January to create a  “Charlie Kirk Free Speech Day” on the same day. In West Virginia, the state Senate adopted a resolution to make Oct. 14 “Charlie Kirk Day” in early February. “It is our business in this legislature to protect all and make sure our rights are protected, because when violence …

Scientists Intrigued by Possible Hollow Structures Under Surface of Venus

Scientists Intrigued by Possible Hollow Structures Under Surface of Venus

Published by José Betancourt

Venus has long been known as Earth’s evil twin. While they both are roughly the same size and formed in the same inner region of the solar system, Venus is far less hospitable to life as we know it. Its surface temperatures can reach over 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Its clouds are made of sulfuric acid, and its surface atmospheric pressure is almost 100 times that of Earth, the equivalent of being 3,000 underwater. And beneath all those extreme conditions, the planet could harbor cavernous structures called lava tubes, as an international team of researchers suggests in a new paper accepted for publication in the journal Icarus. On Earth, lava tubes are the byproduct of volcanic activity that is left behind as liquid lava retreats, and are believed to exist on the Moon and Mars as well. While they may not serve as a great place to build a shelter for space travelers on Venus — the conditions are far too extreme for any human presence — the case that the planet may harbor them is …

The hollow moral core of ‘Marty Supreme’

The hollow moral core of ‘Marty Supreme’

Published by Sam Flores

SPOILER ALERT: The following cultural commentary contains plot spoilers for the movie “Marty Supreme,” now playing in theaters. (RNS) — If certain films are paradigmatic of an era or a political administration, then “Marty Supreme” will reign supreme as the definitive cinematic rendering of the Age of Donald Trump. There are some things to admire about the film. The performances are first-rate, including an energetic Timothée Chalamet in the lead role as Marty Mauser, the hard-knocks 1950s table tennis player who overcomes one obstacle after another to become an international star. Gwyneth Paltrow delivers an outstanding performance as an embittered ex-Hollywood icon who unwisely abandoned her career to marry a callously wealthy businessman, Milton Rockwell. Rockwell in turn is splendidly portrayed by Canadian reality TV star and Trump supporter Kevin O’Leary. The movie is creative, resisting the usual formulas of the underdog sports flick in favor of a frenetic plot that could legitimately have ended in many different ways. And yet I hated the movie. I seem to be alone in this. Rotten Tomatoes’ abridgments …

The “Ted Lasso” way is comforting – and a counter to the hollow nationalism Americans have embraced

The “Ted Lasso” way is comforting – and a counter to the hollow nationalism Americans have embraced

Published by Sam Flores

Citing a single favorite scene in “Ted Lasso” may not be impossible, but it is certainly difficult. That’s the burden of a comedy devoid of wasted dialogue or pretentious cleverness – and that merely refers to the joke setups and punchlines. Honestly, if memorable scenes were gems, “Ted Lasso” would be an encrusted splendor fit for the Queen. But there is a monologue nestled within the eighth episode that burrows straight to the core of why this little comedy has sparked something dormant in our hearts. It takes place in a pub where Ted, a character inventively reimagined by Jason Sudeikis, has repaired for a business meeting with his boss Rebecca (West End musical theater favorite Hannah Waddingham). This being a situational comedy, the pair happen to run into Rebecca’s repellent and excessively wealthy ex-husband Rupert (Anthony Head, at his most nefarious) who, in so many words, lets them know that this run-in is not random and proceeds to lord his presence over them. Understand, Rebecca and Ted are known to the tavern regulars but …