The Roald Dahl problem: Is it right to remove disturbing language from works of literature?

“James and the Giant Peach,” by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Lane Smith. (Penguin Random House/TNS) Penguin Random House/Penguin Random House/TNS Bookmark: Once again, the books of Roald Dahl have been rewritten to remove words and phrases that might offend. Years ago, when I was a small girl, I used to listen to “Chapter a Day” on Wisconsin Public Radio. When the host read aloud from “The Wind in the Willows,” I read along with my own copy of the book. I remember being deeply confused when we came to the line where Ratty calls Mole, “You silly ass!” and the … Continue reading The Roald Dahl problem: Is it right to remove disturbing language from works of literature?

A Sermon on Work

Look Up When Others are Looking Down, Part 4 Leading The Way Christian talk radio with Michael Youssef February 23, 2023 My cmnt: It is so rare to hear a sermon on work that I can’t even remember the last time I heard one. I recommend that you chk the category “Prager U – Dennis Prager” on this website for lots of interesting articles comparing capitalism to socialism. My cmnt: I have transcribed this from the audio sermon. If there are errors they are mine. You can hear the original sermon by clicking on the link highlighted above. I have … Continue reading A Sermon on Work

‘Gaslit into silence’: Swimmer Riley Gaines explains why she spoke out against Lia Thomas and trans athletes

By  Amy DeLaura, Field Producer – for the Washington Examiner February 14, 2023 08:29 AM Transgender people in sports have begun to populate the high school and collegiate sports arena. The Washington Examiner spoke to one college athlete who went up against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and tied in a race. She was too scared to speak out about her experience — until now. “Honestly, I’m speaking out now because I was that person who was looking for someone else to look up to for hope and encouragement when I was on the verge of speaking out,” said Riley Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American … Continue reading ‘Gaslit into silence’: Swimmer Riley Gaines explains why she spoke out against Lia Thomas and trans athletes

Family, Friends of California ‘Social Justice Activist’ Killed by Robbery Urge Authorities Not to Pursue ‘Traditional Prosecution’

by ROBERT KRAYCHIK – 11 Feb 2023 – for Breitbart.news Family and friends of Jen Angel — a 48-year-old woman who died on Thursday as a result of injuries sustained days earlier during a violent robbery in Oakland, CA — urged authorities not to pursue “traditional prosecution” against anyone charged with crimes causing her death due to the decedent’s support of “social justice” and opposition to “state violence.” Angel’s family and friends published an open letter on the day of her death relaying their assessment of her philosophical and political views. Angel was a “social justice activist” and “anarchist” opposed the “state-sanctioned … Continue reading Family, Friends of California ‘Social Justice Activist’ Killed by Robbery Urge Authorities Not to Pursue ‘Traditional Prosecution’

Cal Thomas: America’s Expiration Date — Will US collapse in 2026?

By Cal Thomas | Fox News – Jan. 21, 2020 – for Fox.news Must nations, like a library book, be renewed if one wishes to keep it beyond the date stamped in the back? If you are too young to remember libraries and borrowing books, think of the date stamped on milk cartons, which indicate its sell-by date beyond which the milk can turn sour. In my new book, “America’s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers … and the Future of the United States,” I examine eight empires that believed their economic strength and military power were enough … Continue reading Cal Thomas: America’s Expiration Date — Will US collapse in 2026?

The Naked Emperor: Darwinism Exposed

by Antony Latham, MD My cmnt: I purchased this book in 2014 and have read and reread it several times – yes, it is that good and informative. It is written on the undergraduate level and is not overly technical while still providing details to make his points. I recommend this to any of my readers interested in the evolution-Creation debate but more specifically to those who want an overview for the nonspecialist of why Darwinism has no clothes but is still paraded about by atheists and the Left as (like everything they believe) a mighty emperor in regal clothing … Continue reading The Naked Emperor: Darwinism Exposed

Thousands rally for annual Walk for Life

Walk for Life participants march from the state Capitol to the Nebraska Union on Saturday. LARRY ROBINSON Journal Star Thousands of Nebraskans braved freezing temperatures Saturday to attend the 49th annual Walk for Life organized by Nebraska Right to Life. Local and state officials, including Gov. Jim Pillen, Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts, and Reps. Don Bacon and Mike Flood, spoke at the event. They shared excitement over the overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that abortion is not a … Continue reading Thousands rally for annual Walk for Life

Does Your Brand Have Multiple Personality Disorder? A Look at Brand Archetypes

According to the results of a recent online self-evaluation, I am an ISFJ (Introverted, Observant, Feeling, Judging) personality. Whether or not you’ve ever taken such an assessment, you are well aware you have a personality all your own. We are each unique individuals, but there are shared traits that allow us to classify and make sense of ourselves and our society. And so it is with brands. Humans are built for connection. We tend to personify things, including brands. We give them meaning and form relationships with them based on how they interact with us and the world, what they stand for, … Continue reading Does Your Brand Have Multiple Personality Disorder? A Look at Brand Archetypes

The Brand Story of Betty Crocker (And What We Can Learn From It)

for New Visions Design The year is 1950. Scarcely a kitchen in America is immune from the allure of Betty. Fast forward nearly seventy years, and Betty Crocker is still a staple in U.S. homes. What can we learn from this iconic brand? f you’ve never heard the story of how Betty came to be, it’s all here on the Betty Crocker website. Spoiler alert: Betty’s not a real person. The catalyst behind Betty was Samuel Gale, an advertising manager at Washburn Crosby Company (which later became General Mills). He didn’t feel that the housewives who were writing in asking for advice … Continue reading The Brand Story of Betty Crocker (And What We Can Learn From It)

When Mary Met the Angel

Two thousand years ago, a young woman in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire received a message that would change the world. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, ‘The Annunciation’ (ca. 1660). GETTY IMAGES By Rebecca McLaughlin – Updated Dec. 23, 2022 11:59 pm ET – The Wall Street Journal My cmnt: This is worth the read for a somewhat historical perspective on the rise and spread of Christianity. However the main and overriding msg of Christ and the Apostles (it is incorrect to attempt to separate the two) is redemption from bondage to sin as represented by poverty. The poor and downtrodden (in … Continue reading When Mary Met the Angel

Supreme Court Investigators Have Narrowed Leak Inquiry to Small Number of Suspects

At least one law clerk is among those suspected of leaking the draft abortion ruling in May By Jess Bravin and Sadie Gurman Jan. 13, 2023 1:49 pm ET – for The Wall Street Journal WASHINGTON—Supreme Court investigators probing the May leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion overruling Roe v. Wade have narrowed their inquiry to a small number of suspects including law clerks, but officials have yet to conclusively identify the alleged culprit, people familiar with the matter said. A day after the draft opinion was published last year by Politico, Chief Justice John Roberts assigned the Supreme Court’s marshal, Gail Curley, to investigate the leak. The … Continue reading Supreme Court Investigators Have Narrowed Leak Inquiry to Small Number of Suspects

How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health

Experts say wonder is an essential human emotion — and a salve for a turbulent mind. By Hope Reese – Jan. 3, 2023 – for The New York Times My cmnt: Only the godless New York Times could (actually any of the mainstream, dinosaur press and democrat-media complex could have and would) publish an article on “awe” and not mention the God of Holy Scripture even once. He is the awesome God, creator of the heavens and the earth, who alone is immortal and eternal and dwells in unapproachable light. Our God is a consuming fire of absolute, pure and … Continue reading How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health

The Feminist Economy: Men without Work

By GEORGE GILDER – January 23, 2017 – for National Review Men without Work: America’s Invisible Crisis, by Nicholas Eberstadt (Templeton, 216 pp., $12.95) From the Amazon review by Charles C. W. Cooke. Nicholas Eberstadt’s landmark 2016 study, Men Without Work, cast a spotlight on the collapse of work for men in modern America. Rosy reports of low unemployment rates and “full or near full employment” conditions, he contends, were overlooking a quiet, continuing crisis: Depression-era work rates for American men of “prime working age” (25–54).   The grim truth: over six million prime-age men were neither working nor looking for work. Conventional unemployment measures … Continue reading The Feminist Economy: Men without Work

Op-Ed: The dark side of Kwanzaa’s founder can’t extinguish the holiday’s beacon

By Chanté Griffin – Dec. 23, 2018 3:10 AM PT – for The LA Times My cmnt: This poor deluded soul found out a little of the truth about Kwanzaa’s founder but not all of it. See Ann Coulter’s column here for the rest of the story. I discovered Kwanzaa while attending Pomona College. Separated for the first time from my family and the black Pentecostal church I had attended at least three times a week, I craved black culture. There were fewer than 10 African American students in my cohort and I felt culturally isolated. Soul food lunches offered through … Continue reading Op-Ed: The dark side of Kwanzaa’s founder can’t extinguish the holiday’s beacon

Happy Kwanzaa! The Holiday Brought to You by the FBI

December 28, 2022by Ann Coulter – her column My cmnt: Ann publishes every year the truth about Kwanzaa and its origins and founder. This is a necessary service as the democrat-media-education complex lies about it every year. This complex continues to indoctrinate young skulls-full-of-mush (thank you to the late, great Rush Limbaugh) on the various campi throughout America never daring to reveal the whole truth about this FBI originated “holiday” just for black people. It seems like all I hear these days is how liberals are red-hot for teaching history, while retrograde troglodytes on the right are demanding that we … Continue reading Happy Kwanzaa! The Holiday Brought to You by the FBI

The Nicene Creed

Written by: Sophia – Modified: Jan 20, 2020 – for christian.net The Nicene Creed is the most widely accepted and used brief statements of the Christian Faith. In Liturgical Churches, it is said every Sunday as part of the Liturgy. It is Common Ground to East Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, and many other Christian denominations. Many Christian denomanations that do not have a tradition of using it in their services nevertheless are committed to the doctrines it teaches. (Someone may ask, “What about the Apostles’ Creed?” Traditionally, in the West, the Apostles’ Creed is used at Baptisms, and the Nicene … Continue reading The Nicene Creed

Charles Dickens Christmas!

Learn how Charles Dickens influenced the celebration of Christmas Christmas was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. Ok, borrowing Dickens’ opening lines from A Christmas Carol may be a bit over-the-top, but there is some truth there. At the time Dickens wrote his time-honored little Christmas book, the celebration of Christmas was in decline. The medieval Christmas traditions, which were based on the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia (a pagan celebration for the Roman god of agriculture), and the Germanic winter festival of Yule (Forbes, 2007, p. 10), had come under intense scrutiny by the Puritans under Oliver … Continue reading Charles Dickens Christmas!

U.S. Government – course description

Grade/Age: 9th–12thDates: Aug 16, 2022 – May 2, 2023—TuesPeriod: 08:00 AM – 09:15 AMInstructor: Rev. Lee Johnson Textbook: 8 Ways to Run the Country – Brian Patrick Mitchell ISBN#: 0894554409 Description:Copy Fee: noneInstructor: Mick Lindgren What is government? Where did it come from? Why do we have it? Why do we need it? I want my students to be able to ask the right questions. The first step in understanding anything is to know which questions to ask so that you can have any hope of finding the right answers.They need to know on what presuppositions our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution rest – both … Continue reading U.S. Government – course description

What is the purpose of life?             

By Lord Buckbeak 7/28/22 It goes without question that God has placed us, completely and miraculously, on this earth for a purpose. But what is that purpose? The Westminster Catechism asks the question this way: “What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” This is certainly a clear and direct answer to the question of purpose for all sentient, created beings – from angels to archangels, cherubim to seraphim, men, women and children – we are all created to glorify God by enjoying his presence forever. But this … Continue reading What is the purpose of life?             

The institution of marriage cannot be erased

BY KEVIN ROBERTS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR – 07/30/22 – The Hill My cmnt: I’ve added the David Brooks essay on the nuclear family referenced below to my website. I don’t think the author of this piece, Kevin Roberts, read it. Brooks is not arguing to get rid of marriage but rather to bring back the extended family Dr. Dobson often talked about. Conservatives have ceded far too much ground to the forces of the sexual revolution. Yet on marriage, society’s most foundational institution, some Republicans are ready to give away more. Though history, scripture, the common law and scientific data tell us that … Continue reading The institution of marriage cannot be erased

The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake

The family structure we’ve held up as the cultural ideal for the past half century has been a catastrophe for many. It’s time to figure out better ways to live together. By David Brooks – March 2020 issue – The Atlantic My cmnt: I remember a Focus on the Family episode when Dr. Dobson was still there and running the show. He talked about the breaking down of the extended family and the isolation of the nuclear family as a result. Dobson is now 86 yrs old so he was speaking about the 30s and 40s when he grew up. … Continue reading The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake

Homosexuality is being accepted in prominent conservative, Christian circles. Here’s proof

Spencer Klavan is among the rising number of gays in the Republican Party whose presence generally elicits nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders among many conservatives and Christians, including Catholics. Spencer Klavan during an October, 2020 interviewYouTube screenshot DougMainwaring Oct 7, 2021 – for Life Site News My cmnt: Homosexuality remains a sexual sin but its real damage to the Church and Western culture is the repudiation of the headship doctrine taught by the Apostle Paul and others. Homosexual marriage is an oxymoron that perverts the meaning of marriage in the Judeo-Christian (i.e., Biblical) understanding. Marriage mirrors the … Continue reading Homosexuality is being accepted in prominent conservative, Christian circles. Here’s proof

Why ski legend Angel Collinson gave up the mountains and went to sea

By James Shackell – June 15, 2022 – for adventure.com Last year, legendary skier Angel Collinson turned her back on the mountains, jumped in a 40-foot steel boat, and sailed across the Atlantic. We sat down to find out why. Last year, legendary skier Angel Collinson turned her back on the mountains, jumped in a 40-foot steel monohull boat, and sailed clear across the Atlantic. Despite being afraid of water. Here’s how she found the courage to leave one world behind to chase a new horizon. Widely considered one of the best big mountain skiers in the world, Angel Collinson is the … Continue reading Why ski legend Angel Collinson gave up the mountains and went to sea

Alan Dershowitz says diversity of thought is important, says modern diversity is a ‘phony concept’

“Diversity is a simple cover for ‘we want more of us.’” By Charlotte Hazard – Updated: November 30, 2022 – for Just the News Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz says that diversity is a “phony concept” and if institutions really cared about diversity, they would support diversity of thought. “Nobody wants real diversity,” Alan Dershowitz said on Wednesday’s edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “If people wanted diversity, they would be bringing into universities and into the cities people who are Christian fundamentalists or people who are from the Ozarks.” “Diversity is a phony concept,” Dershowitz … Continue reading Alan Dershowitz says diversity of thought is important, says modern diversity is a ‘phony concept’

Worlds Without End

Marvel comics, quantum physics, and the secrets of the cosmos. by Spencer A. Klavan – Summer 2022 – Claremont Review of Books The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the most successful franchise in movie history. So far, Marvel Studios (a subsidiary of Disney) has produced 29 titles—from Iron Man in 2008 to Thor: Love and Thunder this year. Collectively, the movies have grossed over $26 billion worldwide. That’s before factoring in the TV shows, video games, theme park rides, merchandise, and all the other movies scheduled for production in years to come. These films have caused a cultural and economic … Continue reading Worlds Without End

Scriptures on Work

Scriptures pertaining to Work – compiled by Mick Lindgren – Jan. 1, 2000 Gen 2:15 The Lord God put the man in the garden of Eden to care for it and work it. Gen 3:17-19 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By … Continue reading Scriptures on Work

More Than Five Decades After Lisa Lane’s Success, Equality Still Eludes Women in Chess

In 1961, Lisa Lane was a rising star in chess—until she disappeared from the spotlight to fight for equal opportunity, something women are still dealing with in the sport today. by Emma Baccellieri – Dec 17, 2018 – for SI.com John G. Zimmerman My cmnt: Funny, in 2018 (not that long ago), Sports Illustrated was still interested in equal opportunity for women in sports. Now, 2022, they don’t give a damn that Lia Thomas, a six foot one man, is pretending to be a woman and allowed by democrats and all Libs to compete against real women in college swimming … Continue reading More Than Five Decades After Lisa Lane’s Success, Equality Still Eludes Women in Chess

Hou Yifan and the Wait for Chess’s First Woman World Champion

For years, Hou was the only woman who stood a chance against the very best. But she had her own ambitions. By Louisa Thomas July 26, 2021 – The New Yorker Hou has been the highest-rated active female chess player for the past six years. Photograph by Amiko Li for The New Yorker Even by the standards of chess prodigies, Hou Yifan stood out. It wasn’t so much the way she played the game—dynamically but not dazzlingly, with an aggressive but flexible style. It was that she was a girl. Thirteen years after she became a Grandmaster, at the age of … Continue reading Hou Yifan and the Wait for Chess’s First Woman World Champion

Hou Yifan – best female chess player

GM Hou Yifan by chess.com Full name Hou Yifan Born Feb 27, 1994 (age 28)‎ Place of birth Xinghua, Jiangsu, China Federation China Profiles World Ranking – 95 Classical – 2650 Rapid – 2621 Blitz – 2601 Bio Despite being in only her mid-20s, Hou Yifan is widely considered to be the second-strongest female chess player in history (behind Judit Polgar). Among her top accomplishments are the four Women’s World Chess Championships Hou won before declining to participate in the event. She’s also a chess prodigy. Her first women’s world title came at 16 years of age—three years after becoming the youngest female … Continue reading Hou Yifan – best female chess player

Why The Left Hates God, Family and Country

By Scott Hogenson | Oct 22, 2022 | for Townhall.com Rob Schneider is a funny guy. A lot of his humor is irreverent and better suited to the Beavis and Butt-head demographic but his physical comedy and sense of timing are hilarious. His Saturday Night Live skits as the Richmeister / makin’ copies office nerd still crack me up 30 years later.  But there’s more depth to Schneider than his off-color gags and pratfalls suggest. During a recent interview on Fox News in which he explained why he is moving his family to Arizona from California, Schneider touched on the biggest threat facing America … Continue reading Why The Left Hates God, Family and Country

Moving In Together Doesn’t Match the Financial Benefits of Marriage, but Why?

Married couples are four times as wealthy as unmarried couples who live together Melissa Mowery and Alex Feiszli with their dog, Goose, at their home in Asheville, N.C. ROSS MARTIN FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By Julia Carpenter Updated Nov. 7, 2022 – for the Wall Street Journal My cmnt: There are lots of reasons. From a strictly socio-economic standpoint marriage protects women and children. From a psychological standpoint it represents commitment and security. This is why divorce was taboo before the Libs pushed for and got ‘no fault’ divorce. However simply getting ‘hitched’ is not the same as having … Continue reading Moving In Together Doesn’t Match the Financial Benefits of Marriage, but Why?

The Church once had deaconesses. So what?

by BRIAN PATRICK MITCHELL posted on JANUARY 18, 2018 For many people, the fact that the Orthodox Church once had deaconesses, somewhere at sometime, is enough to justify having them again. After all, they say, we Orthodox believe in tradition, and deaconesses are part of the tradition. Are they really part of our tradition? Or are they merely part of our history? Here’s the answer: Continue reading The Church once had deaconesses. So what?

Orthodox Deaconesses?

by BRIAN PATRICK MITCHELL posted on OCTOBER 11, 2017 Remarks by Protodeacon Brian Patrick Mitchell At the St. Phoebe Center Conference on “Renewing the Male and Female Diaconate” Irvine, Calif. October 7, 2017 Thanks, Helen [Theodoropoulos], for the introduction, and thanks also to AnnMarie Mecera and everyone else at the St. Phoebe Center for the opportunity to speak here today, especially Marilyn Rouvelas, who made the introduction, and Fr. Peter Danilchick, who suggested my name when the need appeared. I’m, of course, representing myself here today and no one else—not my jurisdiction and not my bishop—so the opinions I express today are mine … Continue reading Orthodox Deaconesses?

The Power of Our New Pop Myths

Marvel, Star Wars and other franchises have become central to our culture by returning to a primal form of storytelling. By Adam Kirsch July 22, 2022 10:58 am ET – for The Wall Street Journal My cmnt: Be sure to read the comments posted below this article. I would not lump J. K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series in with the Marvel or DC universe comics and movies. Nor would I try to make a functional worldview out of the entire “Star Wars” universe. If you see a big Hollywood movie or stream a buzzy new TV show this year, odds are … Continue reading The Power of Our New Pop Myths

How Growing Up in a Christian Home Awakened Me to the Love of My Heavenly Father

Christen Limbaugh Bloom | Posted: Sep 21, 2022 12:01 AM – Townhall.com “Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge” (Proverbs 14:26 NIV). I am excited to share that I have co-written a book with my dad (David Limbaugh) titled, “The Resurrected Jesus,” which examines the Apostle Paul’s prison and pastoral epistles. Working on this project with my father is the culmination of a dream and has brought home to me the immense benefits of being raised by loving parents in a Christian family. Let me explain. Two of the most life-shaping … Continue reading How Growing Up in a Christian Home Awakened Me to the Love of My Heavenly Father

Fearfully and wonderfully made

ESSAY | Elegant molecular machines at the center of life belie Darwin’s theory by Michael Behe – Post Date: September 22, 2022 – for World.org At a recent conference, I watched a computer simulation of the most important machine in the world: ATP synthase. Without it, no life can exist. In the cells of every organism on Earth, from bluebird to blue whale, from amoeba to alfalfa to Aunt Millie, this molecular machine packages energy for cells to use, like AA batteries for so many game systems. No batteries, no game. I sat halfway back in the room on the center aisle, … Continue reading Fearfully and wonderfully made