Last week the news hit that U.S. student scores in math and reading had dropped. In stark terms, this news tells us that only 40% or less of American 4th and 8th grade students are proficient in math and reading. These poor results are excused by a number of issues, poverty being the most prevalent.
READ MORE
Fascinatingly, the term propaganda has roots in the Catholic Church’s missionary work and push-back against the Protestant Reformation. Mark Crispin Miller, professor of media studies at New York University, describes the development of the word propaganda as follows: “The word had been coined in 1622, when Pope Gregory XV, frightened by the global spread of
READ MORE
Wendell Berry (b. 1934) combines knowledge and experience better than most intellectuals, having divided his time between writing and farming for much of his life. He is the author of more than 40 books of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, including such notable ones as The Unsettling of America and Hannah Coulter. He is known
READ MORE
With the rise of cell phones, email, and text messaging, face-to-face conversational skills have declined. We know that digital communication is most likely here to stay. Yet, at the same time, many recognize that there is still an irreplaceable value to face-to-face conversation. So, how can we revive the art of conversation? The following 10
READ MORE
Last Friday marked the anniversary of Orson Welles’ famous radio play War of the Worlds, which used news bulletins to tell of an alien invasion on American soil. Like many Americans, I first heard this story as a little girl and was fascinated by the mass hysteria which supposedly broke out across the country when
READ MORE
On a trip to Oklahoma I arrived at the airport and was taken to a suburban retail area for a meal. Suddenly it occurred to me that I could very well have been back in any part of the United States. Wherever I go in the USA I find the same retail developments with 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
