Blog 3 Columns

Who Heeds America’s Shadow Children?0
- Culture
- December 2, 2019
You won’t hear it on the Democratic primary debate stage, but one of the biggest issues facing America today is our foster care system. In 2017, over 690,000 children spent time in foster care, and thousands are now hoping for adoptions that may never come. The situation is dire. Nationwide, there’s been a 10.6 percent rise in children
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Saving Private Ryan: Virtue and Valour Against ‘Toxic Masculinity’0
- Culture
- December 2, 2019
When my 16, 14, and 12 year-old sons asked me if they could watch Thor: Ragnarok for a second time, I reminded them that it wasn’t likely to improve upon second viewing, and they good naturedly agreed. Their next choice was Saving Private Ryan. That gave me pause. I hadn’t thought about that movie in a long time.
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How Praising Children Teaches Them Not to Learn 0
- Culture
- December 2, 2019
Talk to a youth sport’s coach and he might say today’s kids are un-coachable. Ask an exasperated teacher and she might say today’s kids don’t know how to learn. Listen to parents and they might say they have tried building their child’s confidence but to no avail. Famed Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck wants us
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Forever Free: The Importance of Literacy 0
- Education
- December 2, 2019
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” ~Ray Bradbury One way to get people to stop reading books is to fail to teach them to read proficiently. Permit me to digress from that idea for a moment. Recently a correspondent sent me a link to
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Eliminating Food Deserts Doesn’t Help Poor Americans 0
- Culture
- December 2, 2019
In the U.S., rich people tend to eat a lot healthier than poor people. Because poor diets cause obesity, Type II diabetes and other diseases, this nutritional inequality contributes to unequal health outcomes. The richest Americans can expect to live 10-15 years longer than the poorest. Many think that a key cause of nutritional inequality
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The Grievance-Mongers Should Leave Thanksgiving Alone 1
- Culture
- November 27, 2019
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly From Our Nation’s Report Card 0
- Education
- November 27, 2019
Every couple years, the U.S. Department of Education evaluates how well American education serves its students. The Department uses a test known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – often dubbed the “Nation’s Report Card.” This year’s report, which was released late last month, evaluates fourth and eighth grade students’ proficiency in reading and math. The test
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Groucho Marx Explains American Politics 0
- Culture
- November 27, 2019
We’ve all seen the acceleration of polarized politics in the last few years. Nowadays we can’t even agree on the supposedly apolitical branch of the federal government. Over at the Pew Research Center, interest in this political polarization has turned into something of an obsession. Some of the highlights from their 2019 coverage include: 60 percent of
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Dear Senator Warren: Don’t Penalize Moms Who Choose to Stay Home with Their Kids 0
- Culture
- November 27, 2019
Dear Senator Warren, Congratulations! You’ve been making great progress in your presidential race. As a working mom of two little girls, aged two and three, I’m happy to see a fellow mom in the spotlight, fighting to help middle-class families. But, I have to admit, I’m a little bit confused. Let me explain. I recently
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Who Heeds America’s Shadow Children?0