Blog 3 Columns

Homeschool Slow-Down? Not So Fast 0
- Education
- October 5, 2017
The Washington Post reported last week that after years of rapid growth, homeschooling rates seem to be leveling off. Between 1999 and 2012, the homeschooling population surged from 1.7 percent of the overall K-12 school-age population, to 3.4 percent—or approximately two million homeschoolers. Updated homeschooling data from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) indicate that
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Catalonia’s Road to Secession: Why it could mean the end of the European Union 0
- Culture
- October 5, 2017
For about a year, in the period 1966-67, I lived in Spain while it was still under the Franco dictatorship. I arrived in August 1966 and enrolled in the University of Madrid. The falangista (extreme right wing) government had been in power for 30 years, and were celebrating the anniversary under the slogan “treinta anos
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Catalonia Shows the Danger of Disarming Civilians 0
- Politics
- October 5, 2017
Since the tragic murder of 59 peaceful concertgoers in Las Vegas, I’ve heard well-intentioned Americans from all political corners echoing heartbroken and tempting refrains: Can’t we just ban guns? Surely we can all get together on the rocket launchers. Things like this would happen less often. We have enough military. While victims were still in
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Barzun in 1999: The Internet Will Lead to Isolation and Chaos 1
- Culture
- October 5, 2017
Jacques Barzun (1907-2012) was one of the preeminent historians of his day. His magnum opus, From Dawn to Decadence, traces the history of Western culture from 1500 to 2000. The book is required reading for anyone serious about understanding Western history, thought, and culture. It’s been more than a decade since I read From Dawn
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‘The Hobbit’ Turns 80 0
- History
- October 5, 2017
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” When Tolkien wrote these words, which would become one of the most famous and most memorable opening sentences in all of literature, he could not have known what literary power would be unleashed by his creation of the diminutive hole-dwelling creature, Bilbo Baggins. This year,
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Why Tom Petty’s Music Will Last 0
- Culture
- October 4, 2017
We don’t have royalty in America. All we have is celebrities. And at the top of the celebrity hierarchy is the rock star. So lofty a station do rock stars occupy in the celebrity firmament, that movie stars, presidents, and even real royalty must pay them obeisance. And of course we all know how the
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Trump Ready to Sign House-Passed Ban of Abortions After 20 Weeks 0
- Family
- October 4, 2017
President Donald Trump is prepared to sign a late-term abortion ban, which the House passed Tuesday evening, if the Senate follows suit. A statement from the White House said the proposed law would promote a “culture of life.” Proponents say the measure, prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, would restrict the procedure at the
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The Reason So Many Americans Are Ungrateful 1
- Culture
- October 4, 2017
From May through October, we buy our produce at a local farm stand owned by a farmer who is vocally anti-Trump. Recently, I overheard the farmer banter with a customer about Trump. To his surprise the customer was an avid Trump supporter. As I watched their interaction, I admired the farmer’s skill at backing off
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The Real Message Behind the Statue of a Naked Woman on the National Mall 0
- Culture
- October 4, 2017
Washington D.C., a city that welcomes close to twenty million tourists each year, may get a new one: A forty-five-foot statue of a naked woman may be coming from San Francisco to spend several months on the National Mall. The artist, Marco Cochrane, described his intentions in creating this work as follows: “These sculptures are
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Homeschool Slow-Down? Not So Fast 0