Blog 3 Columns

Frozen II: Saved by Blessedly Superficial Viewers 0
- Culture
- November 25, 2019
Of the first Frozen movie, I probably wrote half a dozen articles. What was that magic ingredient that made it a plus-billion-dollar blockbuster, a culture-rocking achievement, a life-defining event for a whole generation of kids and their parents? That’s a huge question. You can list every ingredient you want: the amazing characters, the charmed music,
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Culture of Respect: Conservatives Need Not Apply?8
- November 25, 2019
Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) are located in the Finger Lakes District of New York. Once two separate colleges, Hobart for men and William Smith for women, the jointly organized colleges have a student body of around 2,200. Like most colleges today, HWS prides itself on its dedication to “empathy, diversity and truth.” Here
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Are ‘Designer Babies’ Possible? Researchers Say No 0
- Family
- November 25, 2019
The prospect of “designer babies” is both a dream and a nightmare. For a growing number of companies, it is not just a dream, but the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The Hong Kong company Gene Discovery offers its customers genetic testing for their children’s “talent” – IQ, emotional IQ, nutrition metabolism, expertise (whatever that
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The Deep State: The Headless Fourth Branch of Government 1
- Culture
- November 22, 2019
School children learn that there are three branches of government: the legislative, executive, and judicial. In actual practice, however, there are four branches of government. The fourth is what for decades now has been called a “headless fourth branch of government,” the administrative state. As early as 1937, in a “Report of the President’s Committee on Administrative
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Is Common Sense Becoming Uncommon?0
- November 22, 2019
How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four, because even if you call it a leg, it’s still a tail. – Abraham Lincoln P.J. O’Rourke once wrote, “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” Common sense tells us the
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How to Ensure Productive Thanksgiving Debates 0
- Culture
- November 22, 2019
We all have ideas we defend religiously, especially in a debate with others. There’s the passionate friend who sees capitalist abuses in the homeless man on the street. Or the neighbor who sees any defense of national borders as an assault on international human dignity. Perhaps you’ve even been that person yourself. But most ideas
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Gluten-Sensitive Liberals? An Investigation of This Food Fad 0
- Culture
- November 22, 2019
Sitting down for a family feast, do you need to gird yourself for battle in the ongoing sociopolitical culture war? In today’s hyperpartisan United States, common food products have become proxies for conservative and liberal values. Meat-eating Republicans versus quinoa-loving Democrats. Imported-beer liberals versus domestic-beer conservatives. Nothing showcases this proxy war better than the rise
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‘My Privacy Is Being Invaded’: High School Girl Reacts to New Transgender Bathroom Policy 0
- Education
- November 22, 2019
Video footage shows a high school girl choked up when her high school ruled that trans students have unrestricted access to bathrooms and locker rooms. A high school student identified by the Daily Herald as Julia Burca chokes up as she discusses how her school district ruled Thursday that transgender students will have unrestricted access
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Why Do Older Women Criticize Young Mothers?0
- Culture
- November 21, 2019
Intergenerational feuding seems to be inherent to human nature. Older people complain about “kids these days.” Younger people, in turn, believe their elders don’t grasp the realities of modern life. A recent study traced the earliest recorded complaint about the younger generation’s supposed laziness and lack of respect to the year 624 BC. The contemporary iteration of
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Frozen II: Saved by Blessedly Superficial Viewers 0