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  • Happier, More Connected Neighborhoods Start Right in the Front Yard

    Happier, More Connected Neighborhoods Start Right in the Front Yard1

    A salve for America’s loneliness epidemic could exist right in front of its homes. Front yards are a staple of many American neighborhoods. Lush plantings, porches or trinkets can capture the attention of passersby and spark conversation. Other lawns say “stay away,” whether it’s through imposing fences or foreboding signs. But to what extent do

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  • Beware the Architects of Illusion

    Beware the Architects of Illusion1

    “In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” So goes the old saying. In Intellectual Takeout contributor Walker Larson’s fantasy novel Hologram, however, Aaron Castillian becomes a king of sorts precisely because he is blind, at least in a particular way. After his people’s enemy, the Voturans, devastate Aaron’s hometown and kill

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  • WE Are the Reason Kids Are on Screens

    WE Are the Reason Kids Are on Screens0

    A rant. Sorry. But this culture is driving me nuts! It is BLIND to the idea that kids CAN and in recent history HAVE done some things, on their own, no parents involved, and this was GOOD. Even HEALTHY. But one “screen-time specialist” just emailed me with this “helpful” tip on how to get kids

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  • ‘Californication’: An Ode to the Decay of Modern Society

    ‘Californication’: An Ode to the Decay of Modern Society6

    The Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the top-selling bands of all time. Formed in the early 80s, the Los Angeles-based outfit has won six Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, and is still producing records today. Perhaps their most recognizable song is the 1999 hit “Californication,” which

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  • Defining Decency Up: How to Repair Our Deviant Culture

    Defining Decency Up: How to Repair Our Deviant Culture2

    “A society that loses its sense of outrage is doomed to extinction.” So stated New York State Supreme Court Justice Edwin Torres over 30 years ago in a private communication. From the bench, Judge Torres added this lament: “The slaughter of the innocent marches unabated: subway riders, bodega owners, cab drivers, babies; in laundromats, at

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  • Four Common Toddler Parenting Fails

    Four Common Toddler Parenting Fails10

    As a mom who had two under 2 (or two children within two years), I’m preparing myself for the quickly approaching day when I have two toddlers. Keeping up with one toddler has been a handful, so two will be a challenge, but there are some lessons I have learned with my first son that

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