Remember “The Far Side” cartoons? They were at their peak when I was in grade school, plastering calendars and t-shirts with an offbeat humor that left fans clutching their sides with laughter. Given their popularity, there was palpable disappointment when their creator, Gary Larson, put down his pen in 1995. But there’s good news. “The … Continue reading The Far Side’ Is Returning… But Can the PC Crowd Handle It?
Category: Culture
It's that time of year again. No, not the holiday season, but the football playoffs. The regular season for college football just ended, with conference playoffs next weekend. Then it is bowl season and the NCAA playoffs. The NFL still has several weeks left in its regular season, and then playoff games begin shortly after … Continue reading Is Football Becoming Too Nice?
As a pediatrician-scientist who develops new vaccines for neglected diseases, I spent most of my career in the Boston-Washington, D.C. corridor. While working in the Northeast, I had heard a few things about the anti-vaccine movement. As both a vaccine scientist and a father of four, including a daughter diagnosed with autism and intellectual disabilities, … Continue reading The counties where the anti-vaccine movement thrives in the US
Last month, several dozen religious leaders reaffirmed a number of radical economic propositions contained within the 1973 Chicago Declaration of Evangelical Social Concern. “Before God and a billion hungry neighbors, we must rethink our values regarding our present standard of living,” proclaims the document. The document goes on to lament the “materialism of our culture and the maldistribution … Continue reading The Gospel of Marx? Religious Leaders Call for ‘Redistribution’
If someone were to ask you to think of either extreme of the political spectrum, odds are you would immediately picture a swastika at one end, and a hammer and sickle at the other. Regardless of your views of the left-right paradigm, or whether you subscribe to horseshoe theory or not, we (rightfully) tend to … Continue reading Why It’s Time to Treat the Hammer and Sickle Like the Swastika
When people hear the word “Jonestown,” they usually think of horror and death. Located in the South American country of Guyana, the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project was supposed to be the religious group’s “promised land.” In 1977 almost 1,000 Americans had moved to Jonestown, as it was called, hoping to create a new life. Instead, … Continue reading A family member speaks: Before the tragedy at Jonestown, the people of Peoples Temple had a dream
Across the country, billboards are popping up suggesting that vaccines can kill children, when the science behind vaccination is crystal clear – vaccinations are extremely safe. Researchers who study the beliefs of anti-vaxxers have found many different reasons, not just religious or political, as to why some parents refuse to get their children vaccinated. As … Continue reading 3 ethical reasons for vaccinating your children
