Blog 3 Columns

The Taste of Strawberries: Tolkien’s Imagination of the Good 0
- Culture
- June 23, 2017
Near the end of The Return of the King movie, while Frodo and Sam are making the arduous climb up Mount Doom to destroy the ring once and for all, their strength fails and they stop climbing. Sam claws himself over to Frodo, takes him in his arms, and asks him this poignant question: Do you remember
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Stevie Wonder: If Black Lives Matter, then Stop all this Black-on-Black Killing 0
- Culture
- June 23, 2017
If I was to name one of the more interesting and unpredictable parts of my week, it would have to be the handful of hours I spend volunteering in a children’s program in the inner city of Minneapolis. The kids I see week after week come from a variety of backgrounds, but if classified according
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How People Used to Celebrate ‘Midsummer Night’0
- History
- June 23, 2017
Tonight, June 23, is the setting for Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The setting was chosen for the fanciful comedy, presumably, because of the character of the feasting that took place throughout Europe on this night in times past. In his introduction to the 1878 edition of the play, Samuel Neil provides us with
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Homeschool is Booming, New Study Shows 0
- Education
- June 23, 2017
A report issued this week by The Pioneer Institute, a Boston-based a public policy think tank, sheds light on the rapid growth and diversity of the U.S. homeschooling population. Co-authored by William Heuer and William Donovan, the comprehensive white paper explains that despite a paucity of support from government officials–and outright opposition by the nation’s
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‘Empathy’ is Becoming a Joke 0
- Culture
- June 23, 2017
Empathy is one of the trendiest words in the English language today. The Google Ngram below shows how the use of this word has surged in the modern vernacular. Many people would view this as a good thing because they see empathy—the ability to understand and share the feelings of others – as a
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Why Your Kids Should Avoid Summer Reading Programs 0
- Education
- June 22, 2017
Libraries are ideal examples of local, self-directed learning hubs that support all members of a community in learning naturally, without coercion. Late-nineteenth century steel magnate, Andrew Carnegie, who created many of the first public libraries, stated: “A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never
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Why the latest wave of terrorism will get worse before it gets better 0
- International
- June 22, 2017
The latest attacks in London and Manchester – like last year’s attacks in Orlando, Florida and St. Cloud, Minnesota – epitomize what I call the newest form of terrorism. The newest terrorists aim to kill as many people as possible, as frequently as possible, as horrifically as possible, intimately, suicidally, with the most accessible weapons,
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Prof: Light Skin ‘a Handicap for Black Athletes’0
- Culture
- June 22, 2017
During an interview this spring, Golden State Warriors Draymond Green discussed why players around the league have long doubted or dismissed the talents of his superstar teammate, Stephen Curry. But it was Green’s last point, mentioned almost as an aside – “And of course, Steph is light-skinned so [players] want to make him out to be soft”
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Jordan Peterson Explains Why He Doesn’t Like Virtue Signaling 1
- Culture
- June 22, 2017
In a recent youtube video, University of Toronto Professor and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson spoke with students about virtue signaling. “Virtue signaling,” definitionally speaking, is the conspicuous expression of moral values done with the primary intent of improving one’s standing among one’s peers. Or, as Urban Dictionary describes it, virtue signaling is “saying you love
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The Taste of Strawberries: Tolkien’s Imagination of the Good 0