Feeding Mind, Pursuing Truth
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Choosing to Spend Vacation… Behind Bars0
- Culture
- February 14, 2019
South Korea has a unique kind of prison problem. Unlike their neighbors to the north, they don’t have camps full of starving political dissenters. And they don’t have the same epidemic levels of mass incarceration found in America. The problem in South Korea is that people go to prison voluntarily as a way of escaping
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Is Diversity an Enemy of Excellence?0
- Culture
- February 13, 2019
The National Science Foundation (NSF) was created by Congress in 1950 “to promote the progress of science….” Following a 2012 recommendation, NSF now has an Office of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I). NSF was just following the crowd, for almost every academic and research institution now has a D&I program. No one wants to exclude people
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Feminism and the Burden of Freedom0
- Culture
- February 13, 2019
In her book on home organization, Marie Kondo helps people divest themselves of the “things that do not spark joy.” She seems to be somewhat suggesting that the ongoing burden of possessing things is more than we really want to pay. If rights = responsibilities, freedom has a cost. Given this, is it possible that
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Booker T. Washington’s Racial Compromise?1
- Education
- February 13, 2019
I first read Up from Slavery ten years ago and was quickly surprised that it wasn’t required reading for every educator, that is, until I read the critics. In his autobiography, Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915) leaves us an equal bounty of moral wisdom and caution that all began with his dream to learn. Education and merit are
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A Rational Checklist is No Match for Emotions in Matters of the Heart0
- Culture
- February 13, 2019
For many people, there are few things more rewarding than crossing an item off a checklist. But what if the checklist is about your dream partner? And what if the checklist is wrong? “Relationshopping” is when you hunt for the perfect partner as if people were products. Online dating, now used by almost 40 percent
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‘Pay What You Can Afford’ Runs Panera Out of Bread0
- Culture
- February 13, 2019
Panera has announced that it will close the last of its charitable stores, which allowed people to pay whatever they wished for a meal, because it was costing too much dough. The Boston store will shut its doors permanently this Friday, February 15. “Panera Cares” were indistinguishable from other Panera eateries in their branding, menu, or furnishings,
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What Elizabeth Bennett Can Teach Us about Laughter0
- Culture
- February 12, 2019
Last summer a friend and I made an interesting discovery: we both have “unsocialized laughs.” At least, that’s what another friend bluntly told us. This friend went on to assure us that his observation was not intended as an insult… but we both remain unsure if it really qualifies as a compliment. Regardless, it is
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Venezuela Crisis Explained: A Tale of Two Presidents0
- International
- February 12, 2019
Venezuela finds itself with two presidents engaged in a high-stakes game to control the country’s future. The country has also had two “national assemblies” and many questions about how the constitution should be applied. So, how did it find itself in this position? President Nicolás Maduro claims to be Venezuela’s constitutional president because he won
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The False Promise of an ‘Ultramillionare’ Tax0
- Economics
- February 12, 2019
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is running for president in 2020, and she has gained attention for proposing an “ultramillionare” tax: a 2 percent tax on households with a net worth over $50 million and an additional 1 percent on households worth over $1 billion. Warren’s proposal has more popular support than Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) proposal
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