It’s interesting to read articles about allowing ourselves to eat chocolate in moderation over the holidays to prevent us from feeling deprived. Most of them advocate that we plan ahead so that it’s included in the meal and, that way, we’ll be too full from the meal to gorge on it. I don’t know who these writers are but I can tell you, with absolute conviction, that if you have a sugar addiction, you won’t be able to stop with …
When someone is poverty-stricken, accepting charity is one of the hardest things in life. It makes the person resent those who give it, and his own lot in life for having to take it. The best kind of charity is giving it anonymously but, for various reasons, not too many people do it. The two reasons that stand out the most are ego and tax deductions. Many people want recognition for their generosity so they write checks or make public …
Usually, a principal of a school can get away with almost anything, except a violation of a morals clause in her contract, and still retain her job. Not so with a former Colorado charter school principal who was fired for trying to stop a practice that humiliates students. One would think that it’s about time that teachers and principals showed more sensitivity to the social issues affecting the lives of their students but two school board members at this particular …
There is a tradition in the United States in which the members of a group or a community give a gift anonymously to someone. The gifts are usually low in cost and the members of the group can make a wish list for their Secret Santa. When a Reddit user signed up for the Secret Santa gift exchange, she hoped for some sparkly nail polish, makeup, or an iPad. What she never expected was a gift that would change her …
House Republicans pushed through a bill on Thursday that slashes $40 billion dollars from the food stamp program over the next 10 years. As of now, the food stamp program gives its recipients $4.50 a day, or $31 a week to live on. The CEO of Panera Bread, Ron Shaich, decided to spend a week trying to live on $4.50 a day and he made some disturbing discoveries. For one thing, his budget doesn’t allow him to buy foods like …
Research suggests human intelligence has declined and that people are getting dumber. A new study shows that while technology may be getting smarter, Westerners lost 14 I.Q. points on average since the Victorian Era. They point to a number of reasons, one of them being that women of high intelligence tend to have fewer children than do women of lower intelligence. They say, “This negative association between I.Q. and fertility has been demonstrated time and again in research over the …
It’s almost Easter and all the charities are asking for donations for the needy. Many of the letters we receive tell us how much money it takes to feed a family of four. Some tell us how much one basket costs to feed one person. Some of the stores have donation coupons with pictures of bunnies or Easter baskets on them that we purchase at the checkout counter of supermarkets. And it’s all a good thing. But the worrying part …