Blog 3 Columns

Jane Austen and the Power of the Marriage Plot 0
- Culture
- March 12, 2018
In Jane Austen’s most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice, there are two famous proposals of marriage, both addressed to the heroine Elizabeth Bennet. In one, the insufferable toady, Mr Collins, makes her an offer he thinks she can’t refuse; it is lustful and patronising in equal proportions. She makes several attempts to refuse him politely,
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I Grew Up in a Communist System. Here’s What Americans Don’t Understand About Freedom 0
- Economics
- March 12, 2018
Individual freedom can only exist in the context of free-market capitalism. Personal freedom thrives in capitalism, declines in government-regulated economies, and vanishes in communism. Aside from better economic and legislative policies, what America needs is a more intense appreciation for individual freedom and capitalism. I was born and raised in communist Romania during the Cold
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American Parents Spend 6 Hours Per Week on Their Kids’ Homework 0
- Culture
- March 12, 2018
Given the danger of violence in school these days, it’s not surprising that concerned parents would air their worries during water cooler chit-chat throughout the work day. Such was the recent case for a relative of mine. As she relayed to me, one of her co-workers noted that homeschooling seems to be the safest education
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Working Mom: Stop Marginalizing Stay-at-Home Parenting 0
- Culture
- March 9, 2018
The polarized nature of society in recent years has led many to realize the need for rational discussion and a fair hearing of various hot topics. But while many give verbal assent to this need, it often doesn’t happen, and increasingly, Americans are treated to a one-sided view of many issues. According to teacher Laura
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Who Was Mary Magdalene? (And Was She Really a ‘Penitent Prostitute’?)0
- March 9, 2018
Who was Mary Magdalene? What do we know about her? And how do we know it? These questions resurface with the release of a new movie, Mary Magdalene, starring Rooney Mara in the titular role. The question of how we know about her is a relatively simple one. She appears in a number of early
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Want to Know If Your Partner’s Cheating on You? Just Listen to Their Voice 0
- Culture
- March 9, 2018
Picture Morgan Freeman, Donald Trump or Margaret Thatcher. Most likely you can hear their voices in your mind, and the characteristic inflections that they put on certain words, as well as their tone and pitch. Even without listening to the words, when you hear someone speak you can pick up important information about them from
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The Bath School Massacre: The Worst School Attack in U.S. History 1
- Education
- March 9, 2018
On the morning of May 18, 1927, a school board treasurer named Andrew Kehoe blew up a schoolhouse in Bath Township, Mich., killing 44 people (38 children and 6 adults). Another 58 people were injured. Eyewitnesses later said they could hear the explosion more than a mile away. The bombing would have been much worse
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Famous Atheist Wonders: Could We Become Cannibals in the Future?0
- Philosophy
- March 9, 2018
If made more palatable, could cannibalism become a thing in the future? The world’s most famous atheist, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, raised this question in a tweet earlier this week. Dawkins’ tweet was prompted by an article in The Independent which reported that “clean meat”— meat from livestock grown in a laboratory via stem cells—could
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This 1835 Description of Europe Explains Modern America’s Agitation 0
- Culture
- March 8, 2018
The other day I ran across a simple video from The Perennial Plate. The two-minute film featured Bryan Picard, chef and owner of “The Bite House” in Nova Scotia. Like many of today’s trendy restaurants, The Bite House capitalizes on locally grown food served in a gourmet fashion. The unique aspect of Picard’s restaurant, however,
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Jane Austen and the Power of the Marriage Plot 0