“Education is the only field in which the fact that something worked fifty years ago means that we cannot possibly do it now.” During the last decade of my career in public education, I repeated this sentence many times. My colleagues in the faculty’s lunchroom must have grown tired of it. Nonetheless, it was true … Read more
“Public health” brings to mind preventing the flu or better dental hygiene. It often incorporates current events like the water crisis in Flint, Michigan or the ongoing controversy over “vaping.” That is not what you will find in the February issue of the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH). The articles in this issue provide … Read more
The world is abuzz with the seventeen-year-old “climate activist,” Greta Thunberg. Within the last year, she has addressed the United Nations, become Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” spoken to world leaders at Davos for the second year in a row, and may receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The Greta phenomenon is puzzling. Why her? … Read more
Yale University has announced that it will discontinue a popular art course. It is one more nail in the coffin of a classical education that once dominated academia. The course in question is called “Introduction to Art History: Renaissance to the Present.” It consists of a review of art starting at 1300 down to the … Read more
A current controversy in the State of Florida calls into question some basic premises of the school choice movement. It shows once again that public money risks government control. The central issue, described by Robert Pondiscio of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, is whether schools that accept government money can exclude students who identify themselves … Read more
The United Nations Population Fund is mounting a worldwide campaign to promote abortion and contraception, and they want you to pay for it. Their 2019 Report asks for $264 billion. The United States pays twenty-two percent of the expenses of the U.N. Combine those two numbers, and the U.S. share is a shade over $58 … Read more
Promoters of “Drag Queen Story Hours” criticize those who protest at tax-payer supported libraries. They claim that if parents are upset, they should not take their children to the events. No one is forcing them to go, they say. It is their freedom to go or not to go. Such a claim is no longer … Read more
Sometimes, news reports are so shocking that putting thoughts into words becomes difficult. The NBC report that drag queens will appear in an advertisement during the 54th Super Bowl is one of them. Eyes on the Screen The annual football game is one of television’s most-watched programs. According to Statista, 98.2 million U.S. viewers watched … Read more
One of the most appalling articles in recent memory comes from the people at National Public Radio. Entitled “Raising The Minimum Wage By $1 May Prevent Thousands Of Suicides, Study Shows,” it refers to a report in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. This conclusion is troubling on many levels. First is the suspicion … Read more
Public schools can represent the most socialist aspect of American life. The New York Times is trying to make sure that your child becomes a committed leftist. Recently, The Times released its “1619 Project.” The web page that the Times produced to support it shows a seascape and begins, “In August of 1619, a ship … Read more
