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The ever winsome Rachel Maddow won kudos last week for her response when a New Jersey congressman called her “sir” on the air. “It’s all right, I answer to both,” she said, laughing, after Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., a Democrat from Paterson, quickly corrected himself with a “ma’am.” The exchange is notable for two reasons:
READ MOREIf you ever watched the old “Road to Avonlea” TV series, you may recall the episode in which a struggling actor poses as a school teacher and is hired by the desperate school board. The school lessons soon turn into episodes of high drama, in which the children re-enact historical battles with swords, shields, and
READ MOREWhat is the spectre haunting Europe today? It’s simple. The thing that truly dogs us, that really drags at our heels, is ignorance. Ignorance of the fundamental ideas at the heart of politics. Ignorance of the key terms of political argument: liberty, equality, power, justice, and so on. Ignorance of the subject matter of political
READ MORESometimes the best way to go forward is to go backward. In 1899, the population of Boonville, North Carolina was under 200. It was a tiny crossroads town in the middle of farming country. It was also the home of the Yadkin Valley Institute and School of Business, which 20 years later would become a
READ MOREComedy as social commentary is nothing new. You can go back to the days of Jonathan Swift, who wrote the outrageous, “A Modest Proposal,” as a means of bringing attention to the poor Irish. Comedians such as Lenny Bruce were doing it in the 1960’s with their standup comedy – touching on issues such as
READ MOREAre you depressed by the fact that your circle of friends is consistently shrinking? Do you even have a circle of friends? Are you tired of being lonelier than Gollum? The Hobbits, a care-free and peace-loving people from J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world of “The Lord of the Rings,” have three tips for becoming a better
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