Americans, oh Americans. It seems that Americans today are in a frenzy over Islam – and what we hear is that either Islam is a great, peaceful, edifying religion with a few wingnut freaks (similar to Westboro Baptists, etc.), or that, say, something like one in three Muslims is teaching their 7 year-old how to
READ MOREThanksgiving presents us with an opportunity to pause and reflect on the blessings we have been given. To get your personal gratitude juices flowing, check out the gratitude lists which five famous Americans once composed. They demonstrate, as John Adams once said, that despite trials and difficulties in life, “Gratitude is always in one’s Power.”
READ MORE“Raaacist!” Ever had someone playfully call you that? Society has used the “R” word so much that it’s almost become a joke uttered every time someone makes a comment about anyone – even of the same skin color. Actor Will Smith recently noted the overuse of this word and made some thought-provoking comments on the
READ MOREWriting from Britain during some of the darkest days of World War II, Catholic mystic Caryll Houselander published This War is the Passion in the hope that it would help Britons deal with the constant stress and anxiety as well as, and most importantly, the suffering that comes from war and life. While she wrote
READ MOREAccording to relationship coach and author Kira Asatryan, using the “busy” excuse is harming our friendships. Her three reasons why it might be time to eliminate the term “busy” in social interactions? “Everyone is busy.” Anyone can claim it at any time so it has become meaningless. “It’s open to (negative) interpretation.” The person on
READ MOREWe have come to a curious time in our history when it appears that America is largely in the process of rejecting its heritage and traditions. For those who pull the levers of power, the sins of the past are too much, we must remake ourselves. Whether you agree with that proposition or not, that
READ MOREToday a Russian fighter jet was shot down by Turkey. The pilots were captured by Syrian rebels. At least one appeared to be dead in a video in which the rebels chanted “Allahu Akbar” – “God is great” – over his body. Turkey, a member of NATO, claims that the Russian plane invaded
READ MORERecently, the Pew Research Center released a study on how Americans view the government. Not surprisingly, public trust of government is at an all-time low of only 19%. But there’s also low confidence in the American people. The survey shows that since 2007 trust in the public’s wisdom and ability to make political decisions has
READ MOREThe OECD (the organization responsible for the international PISA exam) just released a new study on the state of international education. Among the report’s many charts is one which shows the number of hours students are in school. The U.S. ranks quite high with roughly 90,000 compulsory instruction hours. In other words, U.S. students spend
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