Blog 3 Columns

The Real Show Stealer at the Royal Wedding Wasn’t the American Preacher 0
- Culture
- May 21, 2018
Until a few hours before Saturday’s Royal Wedding (and don’t pretend you do not know which royals I am talking about) my attitude was roughly the same as this staunch Brit’s – that is, I couldn’t have cared less. But as the momentous hour drew near and I was still not asleep in my antipodean bed, I
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Identity Politics Is Now Undermining Science 0
- Science
- May 21, 2018
The prestige of science in our culture is well-earned. That scientists discover truths (or at least serviceable approximations to truths) is undeniable. The evidence for that is how successfully scientific findings have been applied for centuries as technology, which has improved life greatly for countless people. Sound science depends on methodologies that are
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Boys are Growing Frustrated by Living in a Feminized Society… and That’s Showing Up in Their Friends 1
- Culture
- May 21, 2018
I burst out laughing the other day while reading a friend’s Facebook status. He explained that he and his two grade school sons were watching Anne of Green Gables when they came to the part where Anne and Diana have a conversation while standing on a cliff overlooking the sea. The youngest son suddenly blurted
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Why It’s Time to Stop Mocking Sex Education that Teaches ‘Just Say No’0
- Culture
- May 18, 2018
Sometime in the not too distant past a high school girl posted the following plea on a Viacom platform called A Thin Line, whose purpose was to get teenagers to share their digital dramas: ok this one guy my so called best friend keeps pressuring me to send him a nude picture when ever i can.
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The Intellectual Absurdity of Championing Diversity While Condemning ‘Cultural Appropriation’2
- Culture
- May 18, 2018
Frequent CD commenter Morganovich shared some comments by email yesterday, which inspired the Venn diagram above. With permission, I’ve taken the liberty of expanding Morganovich’s commentary supplemented with some of my own comments but giving him full credit for the main thrust and most of the text below. Here’s Morganovich: I had a moment of
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Patriotism: Why So Many Intellectuals Can’t Understand It 0
- Culture
- May 18, 2018
Sam Haselby says this “should be the end times” for American patriotism. Yet the opposite seems to be happening, and he can’t understand why. America has no national education system, he notes. No conscription. No government agency that enforces the red-white-and-blue rituals performed at schools and sporting events coast-to-coast. Nor does America have a territorial
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Democrats and Republicans Agree: Public Schools Stink 0
- Culture
- May 18, 2018
There’s often a perception that Americans are so proud of their country and its “exceptionalism” that they are blind to any of its flaws. That may be true in some cases, but a recent Pew Research Report calls that into question in one area especially: Public schools. As the chart below demonstrates, Pew asked respondents
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Yanny or Laurel? It’s Your Brain Not Your Ears That Decides 0
- Culture
- May 17, 2018
As a speech scientist, I never thought I’d see so much excitement on social media about one tiny little word. — Cloe Feldman (@CloeCouture) May 15, 2018 The clip, which went viral after being posted on Reddit, is polarizing listeners who hear a computer voice say either “Laurel” or “Yanny.” @AlexWelke tweeted, “This is the
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Why More Regulations Won’t Fix the Financial Sector’s Problems 0
- Economics
- May 17, 2018
What is the role of the finance today? Is it still an essential pillar in the value-creation process that has characterized market economies since the emergence of capitalism in the 18th century? Or it has grown into an uncontrolled leviathan that does more harm than good? These are some of the questions a recent article
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The Real Show Stealer at the Royal Wedding Wasn’t the American Preacher 0