Blog 3 Columns

The Irish Potato Famine: What Caused It?0
- Economics
- March 17, 2017
British Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized for doing “too little” in response to the Irish Potato Famine of the 19th century that killed one million people and brought about the emigration of millions more. But in fact, the English government was guilty of doing too much. Blair’s statement draws attention to the question of what caused the
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Stop Freaking Out Over Talent—Everyone Can Sing 0
- Culture
- March 17, 2017
A Hungarian film titled “Sing” recently won the Oscar for best short film. “Sing” tells the story of young Zsófi, who joins a renowned children’s choir at her elementary school where “everyone is welcome.” Soon after joining, Zsófi is told by her teacher Erika not to sing, but only mouth the words. On the face
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Sean Hannity ‘Pulled a Gun’ on Juan Williams CNN Claims, Sparking Twitter Feud 0
- Culture
- March 17, 2017
If you thought the devolution of the media could go no further, you thought wrong. CNN reporter Dylan Byers filed a report Thursday saying sources at Fox tell him Sean Hannity “pulled a gun” on Juan Williams. The article opens with a video in which CNN host Brian Selter accuses Hannity of anti-journalism. It then
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Scholars Defend Free Speech from ‘Dogmatism and Groupthink’0
- Culture
- March 17, 2017
Violent protest, no-platforming and public shaming are increasingly used on university campuses and on social media to shut down debate. So it is refreshing to see that two Ivy League professors at the opposite ends of the political spectrum have issued a declaration in favour of free speech. Robert P. George, a conservative professor of
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How Teaching Philosophy Can help Combat Extremism 0
- Philosophy
- March 17, 2017
Young people today are constantly at risk of indoctrination – whether deliberate or inadvertent. This can be by advertisers, politicians, religious extremists or the media – and can make it hard for young people to get a handle on the world around them. But in this age of contradictory images and constant messages, I believe
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Harvard-Educated Historian: Harvard Just Labeled Me ‘Fake News’0
- Culture
- March 17, 2017
Tom Woods is a historian and political commentator. A New York Times Best Selling author, he received his BA from Harvard and his PhD from Columbia. I’d never heard of Woods until yesterday, when a libertarian friend forwarded to me a letter Woods sent to his readers. It began like this: Harvard University has released
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Dad’s Viral Post Sticks It to the Parent Haters 0
- Family
- March 17, 2017
As a parent, one of my pet peeves is the parent haters. These are the people who would prefer that children never be seen nor heard in public, and they’ll jump at any chance they get to let parents know how much they’re inconveniencing them. They are quick on the trigger to chide parents
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6 Charts that Show the Divide Between Rural and Urban America 0
- Culture
- March 17, 2017
Editor’s note: We’ve all heard of the great divide between life in rural and urban America. But what are the factors that contribute to these differences? We asked sociologists, economists, geographers and historians to describe the divide from different angles. The data paint a richer and sometimes surprising picture of the U.S. today. 1. Poverty
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18 Domestic Cuts Trump is Proposing in New Budget 0
- Economics
- March 17, 2017
The White House released President Donald Trump’s first budget today. In the opening message, the president says, “Our Budget Blueprint insists on $54 billion in reductions to non-defense programs. We are going to do more with less, and make the government lean and accountable to the people.” I would rather that the government do less with a
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The Irish Potato Famine: What Caused It?0