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Will this be the unhappy American birthday?

In one month, the United States will observe its 250th birthday. It is shaping up more like a memorial service for a lost loved one than a party to celebrate something special. Rather than anticipating a happy occasion, America at 250 is increasingly characterized by anger, name- calling and ...

Keep politicians out of college sports

Nearly everyone who is a college sports fan, myself included, knows the state of affairs in the NCAA is one fine mess. Especially regarding football and men's basketball, the two major money-making sports, things have changed massively in the last few years -- and mostly not in a good way. Elite and even above-average athletes have effectively become free agents selling their services each year to the highest bidders. Every year the school rosters are different, so there's almost no team or university loyalty. It's rent-a-player, and the big college teams are now effectively ...

The present breaks the past's heart

Change is not my best friend. Not since the day my family moved from Wisconsin to California when I was eight. Leaving the land of my grandmother, the skating rink and snowballs in winter, Lake Mendota and the tennis courts in summer, the community garden and all that seemed unfair. The ...

Screen time now has another mark against it.

I’ve written about this before, mostly as it relates to children as that’s where most data has been focused. Screen time is leading to decreases in emotional intelligence, an increased inability to solve problems and think critically, and a decrease in building and maintaining healthy ...