When I was a young teen, I found it odd that so many assigned books were, well, rubbish. Many of these books were critically acclaimed, and some of them had even won literary awards. But oftentimes authors seemed verbose, overwrought, and moralistic (in a postmodern sense). No, the pipe-smoking literary snobs in their tweed coats
READ MOREPresident Donald Trump has fulfilled a key campaign pledge, announcing that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. The Paris Agreement, which committed the U.S. to drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions, was a truly bad deal—bad for American taxpayers, American energy companies, and every single American who depends on affordable, reliable energy. It
READ MOREInterest in apprenticeship and vocational education has certainly been on the rise lately. Perhaps the most surprising thing is that support for it spans the political spectrum – everyone from President Trump to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar sees the value of encouraging more vocational education. In light of this surging support, I found it interesting
READ MOREA farmers market and Facebook posts have opened a new front in courtroom battles over religious freedom. It started when Steve Tennes, who owns a 120-acre farm in Charlotte, Michigan, expressed his traditional view about marriage on the farm’s Facebook page. This drew a warning from an official more than 20 miles away in East
READ MOREIt was December 12, 2015, when headlines in the world’s leading newspapers, in implausibly bold type, celebrated the “historic” agreement in Paris between all nations of the world to curb carbon emissions and thereby stop climate change: or so they said, as if elites get to say what is and is not historic. The spin,
READ MOREIn recent years, there’s been a trend to reduce school suspensions of minority students, particularly those of African-American descent. According to Pacific Education Group, a consulting firm hired by many schools across the country, many of the discipline problems which result in suspensions are the fault of teachers who exhibit their “white privilege” in the
READ MOREOn May 30, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it would not impose a ban on laptop computers in airline cabins on transatlantic flights. But that’s just for now. But on May 31, the Secretary of Homeland Security said the TSA “might” still impose a ban in the future. A ban could be a very bad
READ MORE“In our time it is broadly true that political writing is bad writing.” This is the takeaway quote from George Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language,” which has become popular as a guide for writers throughout the English-speaking world. In the essay Orwell advocates a plainspoken, straightforward and no-nonsense writing style. He heaps scorn
READ MORE13 Reasons Why is a grueling emotional drama of how high school student Hannah Baker ends up taking her own life. The social scene at her school inflicts worsening wounds and ever-deepening pain. The school itself becomes associated with the torment of her heart and soul, as her peers drive her ever further into the
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