Blog 3 Columns

School’s Out Forever?0
- Education
- March 30, 2020
With just about every public school in the country closed at this time, the only way for kids to get an education is at home. Many see this as nothing less than tragic. Writing in Education Week, Stephen Sawchuk claims that schools are an “absolute necessity for the functioning of civic culture, and even more
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Plague Humor Is Good for You 0
- Culture
- March 30, 2020
My older sister took great pleasure in telling a younger-me the dark history behind the nursery rhyme, “Ring-around-the-Rosies.” She told me that the cheerful tune was written about the Black Death: the “pocket full of posies,” refers to small bouquets of sweet-smelling herbs the healthy would carry close to their noses in order to protect
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Netflix’s Messiah: A Snapshot of Our Times 0
- Culture
- March 30, 2020
The anticipation for Netflix’s new show Messiah was significant. Media coverage described the show as “controversial,” and The Royal Film Commission of Jordan asked Netflix not to stream it, fearing the show would “infringe… on the sanctity of religion. However, when Messiah was actually released it quickly fell flat. Reviews were mixed, and the fact that
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Five Things Americans Should Know About South Korea’s Handling of Coronavirus 0
- Culture
- March 30, 2020
This week in South Korea, a 97-year-old woman – well into the age group most susceptible to the coronavirus – fully recovered from COVID-19. This was one more victory for South Korea, a U.S. ally that is viewed as a success story to the world in combating the coronavirus pandemic. The small country of South
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Senators Are Urging Trump to Nationalize the Medical Equipment Supply Chain. That Would Be Lethal 0
- Politics
- March 27, 2020
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) on Wednesday urged the president to nationalize the medical equipment supply chain “immediately” to improve distribution of equipment in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The topic of nationalization came up in a conference call organized by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar that included healthcare industry leaders from around the
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Perfection Comes at a Price in Latest Adaptation of Austen’s ‘Emma’0
- Entertainment
- March 27, 2020
The latest film adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic “Emma” is a visual feast of color, pattern and texture. It’s also a bit too perfect. The colors are too vibrant, the skin too clear, the homes too opulent, the landscapes too gorgeous, the fabrics without any stain or wear. Every frame of director Autumn de Wilde’s
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Love in a Time of Coronavirus 0
- Culture
- March 27, 2020
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose “By any other name would smell as sweet….” ~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Sorry, Mr. Shakespeare, but I beg to disagree. “Rose” glides from the lips like a musical note, perfumed and sweet in sound as the flower itself. Suppose for argument’s sake that the
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Greta Thunberg’s Population Growth Problem 0
- Culture
- March 27, 2020
Earlier this week, famed climate activist Greta Thunberg took to Instagram, announcing her belief that she was recovering from COVID-19. Her illness, Thunberg noted, was light, and didn’t seem much worse than the common cold. Thunberg attributed her allegedly light COVID case to her youth. Unlike certain spring break partiers, Thunberg recognized the importance of
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COVID-19 in the Light of History 0
- History
- March 27, 2020
Serious epidemics can have far-reaching social, cultural, and geopolitical consequences. The plague which devastated Athens in 430 BC – in the second year of the Peloponnesian War, when an Athenian victory still seemed within reach – claimed a quarter of the population, some 75,000 people including Pericles. His successors were weak and incompetent, and Athens
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School’s Out Forever?0