Blog 3 Columns

Is it Time to Be Honest About Ethanol?0
- Economics
- January 31, 2018
The federal government imposes a mandate to blend corn ethanol and other biofuels into the nation’s gasoline. This “renewable fuel standard” or RFS raises prices at the gas pump. The “10% Ethanol” sticker you see when filling your tank signals that you are being economically exploited by the government in cahoots with corn farmers. At
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How Trump is Retooling Politics for the 21st Century 0
- Education
- January 31, 2018
Donald J. Trump was the first candidate to become president of the United States without prior experience as a military leader, a politician or ever having held a senior government post. As he delivers his State of the Union address this week, the president has the lowest approval rating of any modern-day commander-in-chief. Yet
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Why Do Mormons Stockpile Food?0
- Culture
- January 30, 2018
When apocalyptic fervor periodically whips up, many people point to the Mormons as those who are best prepared for a doomsday scenario. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) are widely known for keeping a large supply of food, water, and other emergency supplies in their homes. I have always assumed that
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Today’s Students Suffer from School Bell Tyranny 0
- Culture
- January 30, 2018
Have you ever wondered how many students spend most of their school day in boredom and indifference to what they are learning? Gallup pondered a similar question in 2013. They discovered that 80 percent of grade school students were engaged in school. That percentage dropped to 60 percent in middle school and down to 40
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More Children are Starting School Depressed and Anxious – Without Help, It Will Only Get Worse 0
- Culture
- January 30, 2018
This article is part of a series that draws on the latest research on back to school transitions. In it, experts explain how best to prepare children for school, and counter difficulties such as stress or bad behaviour. Starting school for the first time can be stressful. Children are suddenly thrown into a foreign environment,
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How Schopenhauer Can Help You Understand (and Overcome) Your Midlife Crisis 0
- Culture
- January 30, 2018
Despite reflecting on the good life for more than 2,500 years, philosophers have not had much to say about middle age. For me, approaching 40 was a time of stereotypical crisis. Having jumped the hurdles of the academic career track, I knew I was lucky to be a tenured professor of philosophy. Yet stepping back
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8 Characteristics of a Rational Soul 0
- Education
- January 30, 2018
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 A.D.), the last of Rome’s Five Great Emperors, was in many ways the paradigm of Plato’s philosopher king. His Meditations (essentially a diary written for himself) reveal a man striving for peace through wisdom, self-control, and stoical acceptance. One theme that runs through Meditations is the power of human reason and its ability to harness
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Why Saying ‘Let Me Know if There’s Anything I Can Do to Help’ is Not Actually Helpful 220
- Culture
- January 29, 2018
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you.” In our society, it’s practically required to say this when a fellow human being tells you they’re going through a hard time. I’ve said it. You’ve probably said it. And what did it achieve? Not a whole lot, I’m guessing. I would know.
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Why It’s Best to Focus on Fixing Yourself 0
- Culture
- January 29, 2018
“Acquire a peaceful spirit, and then thousands of others around you will be saved.” This statement was made by St. Seraphim of Sarov, a Russian Orthodox monk who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. And though it was addressed to a Christian audience, I think the concept behind it is very relevant to everyone
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Is it Time to Be Honest About Ethanol?0