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Social Promotion in U.S. High Schools Reaches an All-Time High!0
- Education
- December 16, 2015
There is much rejoicing in recent headlines, for the U.S. high school graduation rate has reached a new high. NPR reports: “For the fourth straight year, the U.S. high school graduation rate has improved to an all-time high of 82 percent in the 2013-2014 school year, the Department of Education announced today. Achievement gaps have
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Minnesota Teacher: “We’re Powerless to Discipline”0
- December 16, 2015
In Minnesota, the Saint Paul Public Schools district is in a state of chaos. Earlier this month, a high school student assaulted a teacher and left him with a traumatic brain injury. Last year, nine teachers at a middle school quit within the first three months because the students were “out of control.” Reports of
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A gun ban isn’t happening.0
- Culture
- December 16, 2015
For those in favor of keeping the 2nd Amendment, a new poll from ABC News/Washington Post has determined that you are in the majority and the trend line is on your side. What’s incredible is the change in public opinion since 1994. Love them or hate them, one has to admit that the pro-gun crowd
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‘Hands up, don’t shoot’: A biggest lie of 2015 0
- Culture
- December 16, 2015
The Washington Post has published its annual list of the “biggest Pinocchios of the year” for 2015. The list is almost entirely composed of politicians of all stripes telling whoppers. No surprise there. What was surprising was the inclusion of the phrase “Hands up, don’t shoot” which was spawned after Michael Brown of Ferguson, MO
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Can We Have a Discussion about Lying If We Don’t Agree about Truth?0
- Culture
- December 15, 2015
An article in the New York Times opinion section has invited a discussion on lying. Gerald Dworkin, the author, alleges that while most of us condemn lying, we also all lie to each other regularly. So, he argues, there is not actually an absolute societal prohibition on lying, but rather lying in certain circumstances:
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The Natural Condition of Humankind 0
- Culture
- December 15, 2015
In The Sword of Imagination, Russell Kirk has a beautiful line about the natural condition of man. It is a strong reminder that while our civilization seems strong and our freedoms are cherished, they must always be nourished and cultivated in each generation. Here’s the line: “Order, justice, and freedom are garden plants; the natural
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