There's been a lot of talk in the media/political sphere concerning fake news. But not as much attention is paid to fake people, especially those who try to pass off as real friends . We count on friends to be there for us in good times and bad, through thick and thin. True friends celebrate our successes and support us in our darkest moments. Though we can't rely on them to solve our problems, just knowing we have their ear or shoulder to cry on can be a big help. At the same time, we'd be willing to do almost anything for them, considering them more like family than some of our own blood relatives. Sadly, some friends don't turn out to be as caring and loyal as we thought. We come to realize that they had ulterior motives for befriending us. Or, the friendship starts out innocently enough, but over time they begin taking the friendship for granted. Three kinds of fake friends  For starters, there are those who forget you exist once they enter into relat...

In a press conference last week, President-elect Donald Trump refused to take a question from a CNN correspondent, proceeding to call the network "fake news." The testy exchange came on the heels of CNN reporting that intelligence officials had briefed Trump on an unverified dossier alleging that the Russian government was in possession of compromising information about him. But the sourcing on the 35-page document is unclear and probably unverifiable. CNN reported that it is based chiefly on memos gathered by a former British intelligence operative that were meant as opposition research into Trump. In typical Trump fashion, he took Twitter shortly thereafter and blasted the report, tweeting, "FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!" While the jury is still out on the report, one thing is for certain: Cable news has become increasingly biased over time. Whether you're watching CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC, every cable news network slants left or right, ...

One of my favorite memes on the internet includes a picture of Abraham Lincoln alongside this quote attributed to him: "Don't believe everything you read on the internet just because there's a picture with a quote next to it." - Abraham L incoln What's funny is that the internet wasn't invented until more than a hundred years after Lincoln's death, so there's no possible way the 16th president could have said the above. In other words, even a quote about the perils of reading too much into something you read on the internet can itself be misattributed and thus prove sketchy.  I've lost count of the times I've come across news of a dubious nature on Facebook. For example, every so often a Facebook friend posts an article about a celebrity death that later turns out to be a hoax. Just the other day, a media company I'm following on Facebook posted an article alleging President Obama said he'd refuse to allow Donald Trump be...