Blog 3 Columns

PBA Cards: When Corruption Is a Job Perk 0
- Culture
- January 26, 2018
I recall quite vividly the day I first witnessed the potency of the “get out of jail free” cards issued by Police Benevolent Associations. I was a teenager in the New Jersey suburbs headed to a concert with a car full of friends, and our driver was so caught up in conversation about what a
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How a Woman Can Know if a Man Truly Loves Her 0
- Culture
- January 26, 2018
If asked to name one of the world’s most foremost novels on relationships between men and women, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice would undoubtedly be in the running. Indeed, Mr. Darcy has somehow become synonymous with the idea of a perfect gentleman. But while Austen-mania grips modern culture, its decorum does not. Modern day Lizzys
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Did Trump Throw the First Pitch in a Trade War with China?0
- Economics
- January 26, 2018
Despite receiving billions of dollars in subsidies, the U.S. solar panel manufacturing industry is not competitive with Chinese imports. There is a robust solar industry in the United States; it’s just not in the manufacture of panels. As the Wall Street Journal explains: “The U.S. solar industry has discovered that its comparative advantage lies not
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‘Critical Theory’ Needs a Good Critique 0
- Education
- January 26, 2018
By now, almost everybody is familiar with the phenomenon of “social justice warriors”, a.k.a. SJWs. Originally it was a pejorative moniker, but it seems that its bearers have recently adopted it as a badge of honor. SJWs embrace a “critique” of various forms of “oppression”: racism, “the patriarchy,” “heteronormativity,” and capitalist exploitation of the poor
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‘What’s Wrong with the World?’0
- Philosophy
- January 26, 2018
Just over a century ago G. K. Chesterton wrote a book that is as relevant today as it was then. In fact, its title remains as relevant today as it was then: “What’s Wrong with the World.” Would Mr. Chesterton be surprised and/or disappointed to learn that there are still things wrong today? Not at
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Religion Isn’t the Enemy of Science: It’s Been Inspiring Scientists for Centuries 0
- Religion
- January 25, 2018
Take notice of any debate in the media and you’ll see that science and religion are, and always were, at loggerheads. Science is about evidence-based fact, religion is about faith-based belief. But repeating statements endlessly in the media doesn’t make them true. The actual entanglements of religious tradition and the development of science are far
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How John Dewey ‘Deadened the Souls’ of America’s Children 0
- Education
- January 25, 2018
The story of American public education begins with Horace Mann. It was Mann who popularized the idea that American schools should teach all students, be non-sectarian, and tax-supported. A little less than a half-century passed between Mann’s death and the advent of John Dewey. That half-century may well be the most dynamic period of American History.
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How Believing in Socialism Can Make You Miserable 0
- Culture
- January 25, 2018
On my (Brittany’s) college campus, the largest and most active club was the “Revolutionary Student Union,” also known as the school’s resident Marxists. Even then, I passionately disagreed with socialism. But one thing that struck me was how these students were not only wrong, but seemed deeply unhappy. They always walked into class scowling and
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Does the Quest for Equality Degrade Women?0
- Culture
- January 25, 2018
For any number of years, schools, counselors, and politicians have been doing their best to get more girls into the fields of science, math, technology, and engineering (STEM). These fields have traditionally been dominated by men, and boosting the levels of women involved in STEM seems like a brilliant way to overcome sexism and promote
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PBA Cards: When Corruption Is a Job Perk 0