One of my high school history classes was taught by a coach. I’ll never forget it. While a coach is certainly capable of teaching history, for him it seemed that his only desire was to get through the drudgery so he could get back to coaching his team. Like a lot of teenage boys, at
READ MORE
From its launch in late 2013, the Disney box office sensation Frozen has been widely read as an allegory of LGBT experience. Heroine Elsa is a princess like no other. The special power that has to be hidden is her suppressed lesbian nature and its potential to provoke a social revolution. Her passionate song, “Let It
READ MORE
Ruth Benedict was a cultural anthropologist enlisted during World War II to help American leadership better understand the cultural attitudes and thinking of the Japanese. In 1946 she published her findings and views on the topic in The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. While much of the book covers the Japanese, it also provides many nuggets
READ MORE
According to a newly-released report from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), crops grown as genetically modified organisms are safe to eat. Since NAS is probably America’s most prestigious scientific society, that could help tamp down some of the hysteria about the issue. I say ‘could’ because, according to an NPR story discussing the report’s release,
READ MORE
The Harvard Gazette reported last month that it’s school of public health will create a new center to study happiness. The center, created with a $21 million gift, will research how negative social circumstances—poverty, insecurity, poor social relationships, etc.—can impact happiness, as well as the following areas: Identifying and developing a measurement instrument—a positive
READ MORE
Late last week, the New York Times reported on a new academic chair at the University of Miami. The chair will foster “the study of atheism, humanism and secular ethics,” and is thought to be the first of its kind in the nation. According to the Times, the establishment of such a chair reflects the
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 of All Time
