Pope Francis has declared the death penalty “inadmissible.” This means that the death penalty should not be used in any circumstance. It also alters the Catholic Catechism, a compendium of Catholic doctrine, and is now binding on Roman Catholics throughout the world. But in spite of his definitive statement, Pope Francis’ act will probably only
READ MOREThe spanking debate, in case you have not heard, is over. Or is it? Contrary to Psychology Today’s pronouncement, arguments over the effectiveness are far from over. Child professionals line up either on either side of the debate, armed with an arsenal of research supporting their own view. One of the more recent studies, conducted
READ MOREVenezuela’s inflation may hit 1 million percent by the end of the year, the International Monetary Fund announced on Monday. This incredible hyperinflation is reminiscent of Weimar Germany during the years immediately after World War I, in which wheelbarrows full of cash were required to buy bare essential items, like a loaf of bread. That pile
READ MOREImagine walking into a restaurant one evening. Most of the diners are families. Suddenly you notice something odd. Every single child in the restaurant—not just the babies but also the teenagers—is using a pacifier. And then you realize many of the parents are too. Laugh if you want, but that’s more or less what I
READ MOREEveryone is taught to believe that gigantic retailers are the most efficient distributors of goods to the general public. Small stores may be able to fill tiny niches. They may be quaint and picturesque. However, only the gigantic retailers have the capital and economy of scale to offer everyday lower prices and variety to the
READ MOREWith so much media attention on Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, it seems we have forgotten the obvious: this is not Russia’s first time meddling in American elections. In fact, Russia has been at this for a while. Yet America is all but undergoing another Red Scare. The Senate Intelligence Committee has held
READ MOREGratitude may be more beneficial than we commonly suppose. One recent study asked subjects to write a note of thanks to someone and then estimate how surprised and happy the recipient would feel – an impact that they consistently underestimated. Another study assessed the health benefits or writing thank you notes. The researchers found that
READ MORELate yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the release of design files for 3D-printed guns. The order comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a number of state attorneys general who claim that the Trump administration acted unlawfully in reaching a settlement in a lawsuit brought by Defense Distributed, a
READ MOREIt’s one of the most horrific images in the history of Western art. As the myth goes, Saturn (or Cronus, as the Greeks called him) was king of the universe, but was warned by a prophecy that one day he would be overthrown by one of his sons, just as he overthrew his father Uranus. To preserve
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