Sifting Ideas, Panning for Gold Getting paranoid about US presidents and whether they might – or might not – contribute to the End of Civilisation As We Know It, is not a new pursuit. When we look for answers, the rising tide of vitriol usually means that we 1) aren't sure who to believe, 2) are finding it hard to hear the voice of reason above all the shouting, and 3) have probably forgotten what the question was. Which is why that big question mark is there. That picture's from the cover of a pamphlet published in the mid-1940s. We get a clue as to how 'fair and balanced' it's going to be from the author's username: Mr X. If you scroll down to the h2g2 Literary Corner, you can read an excerpt from this 30-page book that could be titled, 'Why I'm glad FDR is dead, and other political opinions.' To help you digest the excerpt, your Post Editor has done some fact-checking in old newspaper archives. We've got the dope on these allegations, and you might find them interesting and maybe amusing.
Why the emphasis on fact-checking? This month, Create's challenge to us is to figure out ways of dealing with fake news. This is especially vital if we are being confronted with an EOCAWKI situation. I mean, we need to know what the Vogons are up to. One way to do it is to fact-check. There's a lot of fact-checking going on in this week's issue.
You can always rely on Awix and Willem to be factual and informative. They're also entertaining. Enjoy the latest in cinema and wildlife from our resident experts.
Speaking of experts: SashaQ has discovered a new hobby, as if a hardworking Guide Editor needed one. Sasha has sights trained on that Cleverbot. (I think I created a monster, here.) In this week's episode of Join the Q, Sasha has Cleverbot talking to itself. Marvin could probably have predicted the results. Brain the size of a planet, and it wants to add itself on Twitter. . . You'll like this one.
Something else you may like: this week, we've outdone ourselves. We have FOUR QUIZZES! (Quiet in the back.) One is by a brand-new Post contributor, Trudy Utterly. We welcome Trudy with enthusiasm, especially when she comes bearing quizzes. You'll have fun, promise. Trudy has anagrams, the Post has urban legends, and then there are the picture quizzes. . . so basically, you have work to do. There's also a photo to caption. No need to get bored like Cleverbot.
In this issue, even the artwork will have you scratching your head. But we think you'll enjoy the torture. Read, try things out, leave comments, and map out what you're going to send us next. We love all this Stuff!
And be careful at the grocery checkout: we've seen some pretty bad fake news headlines lately.
Dmitri Gheorgheni
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