Blog 3 Columns

Why 1920s Americans Probably Wouldn’t Trade Places With Us 0
- Culture
- November 1, 2019
The news smacks us upside the head day after day, and sometimes the barrage of headlines can overwhelm us. We ignore them at the peril of our republic, but this unrelenting blitz can also drive us up the wall or round the bend. In part because of this blitz, we have become a country “consumed
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Saudi Women Slowly Move Outside ‘The Cage’0
- Culture
- November 1, 2019
English singer Joss Stone sparked a controversy earlier this year after she shared a photograph on social media of herself wearing a pink niqab in Saudi Arabia. The image quickly divided her 286,000 followers, one of whom made the critical observation: Wearing (niqab) is not a ‘fun’ thing, it is not even a ‘cultural thing’, it is a religious
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Obama and Kanye on Woke Culture: ‘Get Over That Fast’0
- Culture
- November 1, 2019
Recently, President Obama made some choice comments about woke culture. You know, that’s not activism. That’s not bringing about change. If all you’re doing is casting stones, you’re probably not going to get that far. President Obama, like Dave Chapelle before him, appears to be jumping on the “woke culture” critique bandwagon, and his remarks are
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Maternity Retailer Files for Bankruptcy 0
- Economics
- November 1, 2019
The world’s largest maternity retailer, Destination Maternity, filed for bankruptcy this week. The company has 183 stores across markets in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Could its potential closure be a sign of things to come for the baby industry, as women have fewer babies and our population grows older? The company blames increased competition in maternity clothing at
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Does Class Size Make a Difference on the Quality of Our Kids’ Education?0
- Education
- November 1, 2019
Chicago’s teachers went on strike in October, suspending instruction for the city’s public school students for 11 days. Educators in the nation’s third-largest school district were seeking higher pay and improved benefits. But they also wanted to reduce the number of classrooms with large numbers of students. The deal the union representing Chicago’s teachers struck
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What’s Behind the Explosion of Pet Costumes?0
- Culture
- October 31, 2019
I did a double take reading a headline on The Conversation the other day. It appears that pets plus Halloween makes for a lucrative enterprise: Americans are expected to spend US $8.8 billion on candy, costumes and decorations this year – or $86 for every person who plans to celebrate. That includes a half a
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Three Political Reasons the House Passed an Unnecessary Impeachment Resolution 0
- Politics
- October 31, 2019
For something with such important consequences, the Constitution is surprisingly vague when it comes to impeachment. Most of the language in the Constitution lays out what happens once Congress decides to impeach. But there is no particular process that the House must follow in the lead-up to an impeachment vote. The House of Representatives votes
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First Look at Latest National Test Scores: Is It Cultural?0
- Culture
- October 31, 2019
The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – the “Nation’s Report Card” – scores are out, and they aren’t encouraging. But how discouraged should we be? The main NAEP tracks national, state, and selected local scores back to the early 1990s, though there have been some changes that have affected comparability among years, and not all states have participated
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Copycatting Melania Trump 0
- Culture
- October 31, 2019
Recently, my friend John and I were discussing intelligence and the media. “Find any picture of reporters with that woman,” John said, “And you’ll see she’s the smartest person in the room.” “That woman” was Melania Trump. I only knew a little about Melania Trump, so I thought I’d do some digging. She speaks six
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Why 1920s Americans Probably Wouldn’t Trade Places With Us 0