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So Cool! Iceland’s Tradition is to Give BOOKS for Christmas 1
- Culture
- December 16, 2015
Are you among those who tell people, “Just get me books for Christmas”? If so, then maybe Iceland is the place for you. According to a decades-old tradition, books are the standard Christmas gift in Iceland. As NPR reports: “The culture of giving books as presents is very deeply rooted in how families perceive Christmas
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“Sentimentality”: Is It Screwing Up Education?0
- Education
- December 16, 2015
Modern society is infected with sentimentality—“the cult of feeling”—and it’s screwing up our education system. That’s the thesis of British cultural commentator Theodore Dalrymple in his book Spoilt Rotten: The Toxic Cult of Sentimentality. According to Dalrymple, sentimentality has its roots in Romanticism and a Rousseauian view of children as having been born in a
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Here Are Some REAL Ways to Avoid Massive College Debt 0
- Education
- December 16, 2015
Yesterday, the Huffington Post put out a lousy article titled “This Will Make You Feel Better About Looming College Bills.” It offered a fairly ho-hum collection of advice that probably should not make students or parents feel any better about paying for college. The advice ranged from “Odds are, your child will likely get some
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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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