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  • How to Select the Best Books for Your Kids

    How to Select the Best Books for Your Kids0

    The other day I received a brief survey from Renaissance Learning. Designed for parents, teachers, and administrators, it asked participants to list three must-read books for students in the following age categories: At first blush, the survey may seem simple and almost frivolous in nature. But in actuality, the books we select for our children

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  • Where Did the Poets Go?

    Where Did the Poets Go?0

    The recent death of American poet John Ashbery sadly removed the last of his generation’s major poets. The current population of U.S. poets is now bereft of any truly significant figures — although there are many skillful writers of this hermetic yet important language art. How long Ashbery’s work will last is not clear. Mostly

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  • The Simple Reason for the Decline of Rational Argument

    The Simple Reason for the Decline of Rational Argument0

    Once upon a time, I adamantly agreed with Mark Twain’s assessment of Jane Austen’s books. He noted, “Everytime I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her [Jane Austen] up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.” Then I finally forced myself to sit down and make my way through Austen’s

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