“The National Health Service is the closest thing the English have to a religion,” Margaret Thatcher’s Chancellor Nigel Lawson famously once observed. However, given the swivel-eyed fanaticism with which its supporters will defend it, even from the overwhelming evidence of its shortcomings, at this point it might be more accurate to describe the NHS as
READ MORE
For generations, each autumn has bestowed the unofficial arrival of adulthood on young people as they head off to college for the first time. But while the entrance into the Ivy Halls has occurred for years, one part of that ritual seems to have disappeared, namely, the entrance examination. Oh sure, we have SATs and
READ MORE
Around the world, Pope Francis is understandably rather popular. It’s not just that he’s a good pastor; it’s that he doesn’t hesitate to speak truth to power when he can have an effect. But he’s probably less popular among US Catholics than anywhere else in the Church. The reasons for that are instructive, and not
READ MORE
Many educated people – though perhaps not enough – know that it was medieval monks who preserved classical culture. Between their daily offices, the monks huddled in their cells by candlelight to copy the great cultural artifacts of Western civilization. But why did they preserve works that had been produced by, and often reflected, the
READ MORE
I haven’t been a student in a typical classroom since the turn of the millennium. Back then, technology was just beginning its march into all aspects of modern life, including education. Earlier this year, I took a fully online course and was pleasantly surprised, not only by its intellectual rigor but also by the virtual
READ MORE
I got my first job offer around age nine. It was for the illustrious position of “cat-sitter” and lasted for a handful of days while my neighbors were on vacation. The venture was successful, and for the next several years I poked my head through their hydrangea bushes and slipped in the back door countless
READ MORE
Most Read from past 24 hours
Most Read from past 7 days
Most Read from past 30 days
Most Read of All Time
Most Read from past 24 hours
Most Read from past 7 days
Most Read from past 30 days
Most Read of All Time
Most Read of All Time
