Category: Culture

The vast majority of people in the United States have no interest whatsoever in street battles between the alt-right (better described today in more poignant terms) and the counter-protesters. Most people have normal problems like paying bills, dealing with kids, getting health care, keeping life together under all the usual strains, and mostly want these … Continue reading The Violence in Charlottesville

Would you like to adopt better habits? The most efficient way of doing so is to first focus on what author Charles Duhigg calls “keystone habits,” which set off “chain reactions that help other good habits take hold.” Here are some morning keystone habits that have worked wonders for me. 1. Get Going Early Waking … Continue reading The 7 things you should have done this morning

As many recognize, homeschooling has been booming in recent years and promises to keep growing. The most recent numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) hail from 2012 and suggest that 1.8 million children are now educated at home. Compared to public school students, studies suggest that homeschoolers perform up to 30 percentile … Continue reading How Much Money Each State Saves Thanks to Homeschooling

For generations, each autumn has bestowed the unofficial arrival of adulthood on young people as they head off to college for the first time. But while the entrance into the Ivy Halls has occurred for years, one part of that ritual seems to have disappeared, namely, the entrance examination. Oh sure, we have SATs and … Continue reading Can you pass this 1922 college entrance exam?

Around the world, Pope Francis is understandably rather popular. It’s not just that he’s a good pastor; it’s that he doesn’t hesitate to speak truth to power when he can have an effect. But he’s probably less popular among US Catholics than anywhere else in the Church. The reasons for that are instructive, and not … Continue reading Here’s why American Catholics have a problem with Pope Francis

I recently picked up Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court for the first time. Finding the plot rather amusing, I began relaying it to my father over the weekend. Because he had never read the book, I was rather surprised when he began asking informed questions about the story. In no time … Continue reading Kids are getting dumber because they don’t watch ‘Tom & Jerry’