Blog 3 Columns

The Art of Beautification: The Graces of Ordinary Life 0
- Culture
- July 18, 2018
The beautification of life, the highest “household art” of making people happy and places pretty, also encompasses the adornment of the soul. Because life is more than work, economics, and money, the life of the heart and spirit need constant replenishment… What do decorating a room, wearing tasteful clothes, expressing cheerfulness, offering friendship, enjoying Mayday,
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James Monroe is the Latest Victim of the PC Culture 0
- Culture
- July 18, 2018
In the latest move in what Politico has dubbed the “Nomenclature Wars,” a St. Paul school is considering scrubbing its namesake, President James Monroe, due to his slave-owning past. Matching similar trends around the country, this change is motivated by concern that the school name might not reflect the values of the community. In a
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Genetically Modified Babies? The Future Is Now 0
- Culture
- July 18, 2018
Designer babies are looking more and more like a reality whose time is imminent. Piggybacking on recent research which allows scientists “to rewrite the DNA bound up in living cells,” an ethics panel in the U.K. just released a report which suggests this maneuvering of genetics is “morally permissible.” The announcement does not come without
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Elon Musk and the Excessive Adoration of Technology Visionaries 0
- Culture
- July 18, 2018
Elon Musk is one of the most admired men in America. He founded Tesla, SpaceX, and numerous other entrepreneurial ventures that have captured the public’s hearts and imaginations. Who wouldn’t get excited about spaceships and the possibility of colonizing Mars? But people look to Musk for far more than just his technological vision. The internet
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Citizenship No Longer Required to Vote in School Board Elections in San Francisco 0
- Politics
- July 18, 2018
Noncitizens can vote in San Francisco’s Board of Education elections after the city’s Department of Elections ruled Monday to do away with citizenship requirements. Noncitizens seeking to vote in San Francisco’s Board of Education elections must be at least 18 years old and residents of the city, CBS SF Bay Area reported Monday. They must also
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Why It Might Be the Right Time to Quit Your Job 0
- Economics
- July 17, 2018
There is something absolutely beautiful about a tight labor market. It seems to shift decision-making from the boss to the employee. The jobs report is better than we’ve seen since the 2008 financial crisis, and perhaps in decades, and wages are on the rise. It’s a matter of supply and demand. Employers now are begging for talent, and ready
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What the Origins of Money Teaches Us About Spontaneous Order 0
- Economics
- July 17, 2018
Money has been around for most of human history. From Mesopotamia (or even earlier), all civilizations have employed some kind of medium of exchange to facilitate transactions regardless of their geographical locations, legal and economic systems, religious beliefs or political structures. Have you ever wondered why? In a brief essay entitled “On the Origins of
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What Pundits Missed About the Trump-Putin Press Conference in Helsinki 0
- Politics
- July 17, 2018
When Presidents Trump and Vladimir Putin ended their joint press conference in Helsinki, the punditocracy predictably swarmed all over it like ants around a pile of crumbs. Was Trump winking at Putin? Did he really say he believes Putin more than he believes Robert Mueller about whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election? Former Gus
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Should Immigrants be Required to Learn English?0
- Culture
- July 17, 2018
One of the most popularly cited silly laws in my home state is a prohibition on crossing state lines with a duck atop one’s head. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on whether you see it from the perspective of the duck or the individual wearing said duck, this so-called law is bogus. An urban legend. There are,
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The Art of Beautification: The Graces of Ordinary Life 0