For generations, libraries were places where people went to borrow books, learn about the past, and kindle imaginations. Today, however, they occasionally find themselves at the forefront of the culture war. A case in point can be found in the Saint Paul Public Library (SPPL), where officials on Monday announced they would be offering a
READ MOREThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor today of Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado, who declined to bake a custom cake to celebrate a same-sex wedding because of his religious beliefs. Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission is a historic case involving religious liberty, LGBT rights, and the First
READ MORE“Cultural Marxism” is a bogeyman invoked by conservatives to explain events as varied as the FBI’s trouble with Trump, the evolution of the rock group U2, transgender rights, and the results of the abortion referendum in Ireland. Anything that explains so many phenomena needs a pretty good explanation itself. Otherwise it begins to sound like
READ MOREWhen North Carolina teachers joined a growing list of recent teacher protests and walked out earlier this month, objecting low pay, it was a little odd. North Carolina teachers make about $46,000 a year, the same as the state’s average wage. It’s not a high salary, but it’s certainly not a low one. Why do
READ MOREIn 1559, early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, England passed the 51st of the Injunctions Concerning Religion, which provided that no book in any language could be published without a license. Naturally, licenses were provided by powerful persons: the queen, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, a handful of select members of
READ MOREIn the 1950s, scholars worried that, thanks to technological innovations, Americans wouldn’t know what to do with all of their leisure time. Yet today, as sociologist Juliet Schor notes, Americans are overworked, putting in more hours than at any time since the Depression and more than in any other in Western society. It’s probably not
READ MORECicero was a renowned Roman orator, statesman and writer. He was an enemy of one man rule and a self-described constitutionalist. During the turbulent twilight of the Republic he attempted tirelessly to establish a lasting peace in order to preserve his beloved republican government. Following the death of his daughter Tullia and his exile from
READ MORECompanies, like people, make mistakes. And Google came fire on Thursday for making a big one. As first reported by Vice, the powerful search engine company listed “Nazism” as the ideology of the California Republican Party—less than a week before the GOP’s primary. Needless to say, Republicans were not pleased. “It is disgraceful that the
READ MOREA quick look at headlines gives one the impression that boys and their ways are in bad shape: “Mass Shooters Are All Different. Except for One Thing: Most Are Men” (New York Times). “Why boys are more likely to be violent – and what can we do to stop it” (NBC News). “Men Are Responsible
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