Blog 3 Columns

Doctor Explains Why Parents Shouldn’t Encourage Boys to Play with Dolls 1
- Culture
- May 31, 2018
A 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
READ MORE
The Diversity Staff at the University of Michigan Is Nearly 100 Full-Time Employees 0
- Education
- May 30, 2018
Year after year, media note and sometimes bemoan the ballooning cost of higher education. There is no doubt that the human costs of this rise are severe: Some 44 million Americans currently carry nearly $1.5 trillion in student loan debt, and the delinquency rate is 11 percent. There are various reasons for surging costs,
READ MORE
Psychologist: Rejecting Values and Responsibility Was a Big Mistake 1
- Culture
- May 30, 2018
In May 2017 LifeWay Research released an interesting survey. It found that 80 percent of Americans were concerned “about declining moral behavior in our nation.” As the survey went on to report, such concern was not unfounded. While 63 percent of the 65+ crowd agreed that right and wrong was objective, or does not change,
READ MORE

How Complaining Makes Us More Miserable, Ineffectual, and Insecure 0
- Philosophy
- May 30, 2018
The Harvard Business Review reports “a majority of employees spend 10 or more hours per month complaining — or listening to others complain — about their bosses or upper management. Even more amazing, almost a third spend 20 hours or more per month doing so.” Only voiced complaints were measured and reported in the study.
READ MORE
California Parents Pull Their Children, Stage Rally Over Controversial Sex-Ed Curriculum 0
- Education
- May 30, 2018
San Diego parents pulled their kids from school and rallied outside the district’s headquarters Tuesday, expressing anger and frustration over a sex-ed curriculum they allege is completely inappropriate for their young children. The sixth grade curriculum includes lessons on gender identity, birth control, the stages of sex, STDs, HIV, and pregnancy. Parents are calling the material “too much,
READ MORE
As Traditional Religion Declines, Superstition—Not Atheism—Is the Big Winner 0
- Culture
- May 30, 2018
Psychologist Stuart Vyse raised an interesting question recently at the Skeptical Inquirer website, “Why Are Millennials Turning to Astrology?” He also examines the related question of why astrology has a stronger appeal for liberals/progressives than it does for conservatives. He describes interest in astrology as “surging at the moment” — although my own records trace
READ MORE

Why the U.S. is Consistently the Most Generous Nation in the World 0
- Culture
- May 29, 2018
Years ago, an MBA student of mine had immigrated from Albania after growing up under Communism. She shared with her classmates what she observed to be the most unexpected mindset difference between Americans and Albanians. She got emotional as she explained how in Albania, charity was rare—caring for anyone other than yourself and your family
READ MORE
Political Ideology Is Not the Culprit in Skepticism of Science, Research Shows 0
- Education
- May 29, 2018
Today, there is a crisis of trust in science. Many people – including politicians and, yes, even presidents – publicly express doubts about the validity of scientific findings. Meanwhile, scientific institutions and journals express their concerns about the public’s increasing distrust in science. How is it possible that science, the products of which permeate our
READ MORE
Jacques Barzun Observations on Culture and Decline 0
- Culture
- May 29, 2018
Jacques Barzun (1907-2012) was one of the preeminent historians of the 20th century. Valedictorian of the 1920 class at Columbia, where he also received his Ph.D., Barzun wrote extensively on culture and education while serving in professorial and leadership roles at Cambridge and Columbia. His magnum opus, From Dawn to Decadence (2000), which traces the
READ MORE

Doctor Explains Why Parents Shouldn’t Encourage Boys to Play with Dolls 1