Blog 3 Columns

‘Do Something’ Is a Dangerous Demand to Make of Politicians 0
- Culture
- August 8, 2019
Do Something, goes the suddenly popular chant. In response to the wave of mass killings this year, it’s being shouted at any available political figure. Be careful what you ask for. It’s hard to imagine anything good can come of this slogan. To demand the state do something, anything, is short sighted and even dangerous.
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Why Only Villains Are Running for President 0
- Culture
- August 7, 2019
Steven Pressfield has written best-selling historical fiction books such as Gates of Fire and Tides of War. He writes nonfiction as well; and in my development as a writer, few books have helped me more than Pressfield’s The War of Art. When Pressfield talks about writing, I listen. Recently he wrote a series of blog
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Why Are Children’s Books Narrating Confusion?0
- Culture
- August 7, 2019
Did you know that crayons care about identity politics and race? I didn’t. I just thought they were great for coloring! Luckily I came across The Day the Crayons Quit, by Oliver Jeffers. Each crayon writes a note to a little boy, Duncan, with a complaint. Either Duncan colors with them too much or too
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Trump Moves Forward on Apprenticeships – but More Needs to Be Done 0
- Culture
- August 7, 2019
A quick scan of the news confirms that college students spend more on higher education than ever before, but they lack the necessary skills to succeed in the workplace. Apprenticeship programs could offer a promising college alternative, but establishing them can be difficult. That could change, however, as the Department of Labor (DOL) is making
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Socialism May Be Absurd, but It’s No Laughing Matter 0
- Culture
- August 7, 2019
Socialism is no laughing matter, but it’s sometimes difficult to refrain from chuckling at the absurdities of its most devoted adherents. Several videos of a Democratic Socialists of America conference in Atlanta have been making the rounds on social media. In one video, posted on Twitter by Young Americans Against Socialism, an audience member identifying
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Mass Shootings Aren’t Growing More Common – and Evidence Contradicts Common Stereotypes About the Killers 0
- Culture
- August 7, 2019
When 22 people were killed in El Paso, Texas, and nine more were killed in Dayton, Ohio, roughly 12 hours later, responses to the tragedy included many of the same myths and stereotypes Americans have grown used to hearing in the wake of a mass shooting. As part of my work as a psychology researcher,
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Going to the Chapel? Not Anymore.0
- Culture
- August 7, 2019
Wedding planning is consuming the minds of several of my friends. The dress. The caterer. The flowers. The location! When asked about this last essential, one friend gets big eyes, puts on a mysterious voice and says: “We’re doing something really novel. We’re getting married in… A CHURCH!” This response draws laughter, but it’s quite
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No, Tariffs Won’t Ruin Christmas 0
- Economics
- August 6, 2019
President Trump says he will impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports beginning September 1. The tariff would affect consumer goods primarily, according to an analysis by Goldman Sachs. Cue the histrionics. The Washington Post laments that these tariffs will ruin America’s “holiday” shopping season. The Post cites a study claiming that the price
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Mass Shootings: Fallout From a Culture Where Anything Goes and Nothing Matters 0
- Culture
- August 6, 2019
My editor at Intellectual Takeout, Annie Holmquist, wrote to me the Monday after back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio to ask if I might write a column about these horrific murders. She and some of the staff were discussing the shootings and found themselves asking the following questions: Why are young
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‘Do Something’ Is a Dangerous Demand to Make of Politicians 0