by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. “It’s a black thing; you wouldn’t understand.” There’s a lot of truth to that statement. It’s difficult for any of us to understand each other — especially when we’re in different social classes, have different ethnicities or varying personal circumstances. At its best, the slogan is a call to learn and deepen relationships, to listen patiently and talk humbly. It’s worth the energy to read more liberally and diversify your friendships.  How…

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all, By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul; But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “If you don’t work you die.” — 1919, Rudyard Kipling, “The Gods of the Copy Book Headings” WHEN THE MOYNIHAN REPORT first raised concern about government incentives creating fatherless homes, they told us not…

by Leo Morris “To recognise always that the power of the police to fulfill their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.”  – From the nine principles set out in Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel’s General Instructions issued to every new police officer in the Metropolitan Police of the Greater London area, starting in 1829 PEEL’S DIRECTIVE to win the public’s…

by Jeff Abbott, Ph.D. Updated by the CDC on May 19, 2020 Introduction. Introduction: Shortly after the release of the Center of Disease Control (“CDC”) COVID-19 guidelines for schools on May 19, 2020, Orange County Public Schools superintendent said on an Orlando television station that the CDC guidelines would be “a challenge” for the school district. This is what the reader will soon see is one huge understatement. The CDC offers certain considerations to help…

by Leo Morris It has been a spring packed with surreal moments, but one in particular stands out for me. About a week after protests started in downtown Fort Wayne, the marchers were joined by the police chief, City Council members and the mayor, who linked arms with protesters and declared the city “a community” in which we can, “despite our differences,” all “work as one.” There is a jarring contradiction there. Who in that…

by Maryann O. Keating The first lesson to be learned in economics is that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Those who have internalized this lesson cringe on hearing press reports about “free” school meals, haircuts, backpacks, tuition, diapers, etc. Someone is either donating voluntarily or being taxed to pay for these items. Then, the student of economics has to ask him or herself, “Have I developed into an insufficiently empathetic person?”…

by Leo Morris My sister is hot on the trail of history, eagerly searching for a missing piece of our father’s life. She was spring cleaning recently, and came across his separation papers from the Army. Written on the back, little more than a footnote, was the information that he had been a cook in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) starting in 1939. We’d known he was a cook in the Army, and that he…

“Philadelphia Inquirer top editor forced to resign after publishing piece with ‘Buildings Matter’ headline. Was with paper 20 years; led team to Pulitzer; doubled minority staff. Apologized for ‘Buildings Matter, Too’ headline. ‘Deeply offensive.’” — Byron York, June 7, 2020 by Craig Ladwig My foundation addressed the need for journalism reform at its beginning, and its argument has been consistent for these last three decades: Ownership matters, especially so in the context of American journalism.…

by Richard Moss, M.D. I took hydroxychloroquine for two years. I was a visiting cancer surgeon in Asia, in Thailand, Nepal, India and Bangladesh from 1987 to 1990. Malaria is rife there. I took it for prophylaxis, 400 milligrams once a week for two years. Never had any trouble. It was inexpensive and effective. I started it two weeks before and was supposed to continue it through my stay and four weeks after returning. I…

OUR MODEST-SIZED CITY in northeast Indiana performed relatively well during the week of rioting. The police and the mayor (a Democrat) did their job trying to protect property and persons. That was true in the midst of the dizzying hypocrisy of crowds elsewhere, in a pandemic, looting oxycontin, electronics, jewelry and Nikes in the name of justice. One would feel even better about the city’s future had the mayor or the hometown newspaper led a…