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Fewer Children Today are Playing the Piano 0
- September 30, 2015
The AP reported back in January that piano sales in the U.S. have dramatically declined. According to the story, in 1909, more than 364,500 new pianos were sold in the U.S. Now, only between 30,000 and 40,000 are sold annually. What are the reasons behind the decline? In part, it’s because modern piano restoration is
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Poetry: Teaching to Think 0
- September 30, 2015
While paging through an 1894 Minnesota high school manual, I came across the recommendations for literature classes. Although it appears that students were expected to read many books on their own (and then present them to the class in twenty minute talks), the following list offers some suggestions for classroom readings: As I looked through
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Sex trafficking and family breakdown, is there a link?0
- September 30, 2015
The Twin Cities, like many areas around the country, has been the host to horrifyingly high levels of sex trafficking. Most recently, thirteen men were involved in several sex traffic stings in which they were charged with “hiring or engaging in prostitution of a minor.” According to the Pioneer Press, “Two of the men were
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Philosopher: Why a ‘Secular Society’ is Doomed 0
- September 30, 2015
It’s taken as a given that the Western world today is a more “secular society.” But though the term “secular” is frequently thrown around, not many people have a clear idea of what it means. That’s because it’s used in different ways. Probably the most common meaning associated with “secular” is “non-religious,” i.e., those who
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Actress: “Feminism doesn’t create equality, it creates separation.”0
- September 30, 2015
It was recently implied by Breitbart that actress Marion Cotillard made several un-PC statements about feminism. Judging by her original statement in Porter magazine, Breitbart’s assessment wasn’t all that far off: “‘For me it doesn’t create equality, it creates separation. I mean I don’t qualify myself as a feminist.’ ‘We need to fight for women’s
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Why It’s Still Important to Memorize 0
- September 29, 2015
There was only one poem I was required to memorize in all my years of schooling – Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Like most students today, I had an education in which memorization was not emphasized. My understanding is that it is even worse now. Today, the word “memorization” is
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