Liberal Arts Blog — Tuesday is the Joy of Literature, Language, Religion, and Culture Day Today’s Topic: David McCullough (1933–2022) — Master Story Teller, Voice of America I have never featured a modern historian on Literature Day. This ends now. David McCulllough is the only historian that my family ever…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Monday is Foreign Policy Day Today’s Topic: The Last Three Taiwan Crises: 1954, 1958, 1995 What are the chances of war in Taiwan? 1%? 2%? 10%? 20%? Honestly, I have no clue. But I would love to hear the opinion of others with more specialized knowledge…

Liberal Arts Blog — Monday is the Joy of Math, Statistics, Shapes, and Numbers Day Today’s Topic: What Exactly Is the Heat Index? Why Does It Matter? How Is It Calculated? The gist of it: “When the body gets too hot, it begins to perspire or sweat to cool itself…

Liberal Arts Blog — Sunday is the Joy of Humor, Food, Travel, Practical Life Tips, and Miscellaneous Day Today’s Topic: Pacific Islands Tour (Part I) Fiji: Geography, Demographics, History Today, an interruption of the California series to initiate one on the Pacific Islands inspired by a travel video series narrated…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Sunday is Political Process, Campaign Strategy, and Candidate Selection Day Today’s Topic: The Dual Enigma of Kamala Harris and the Vice Presidency What is Vice President Kamala Harris doing? What should she be doing? What is the best historical precedent? Is President Biden preparing her appropriately…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Saturday is Justice, Freedom, Law, and Values Day Today’s Topic: Ageism: The US vs Japan (Keiri No Hi) The Japanese have a national holiday honoring the elderly. The US does not. Should we have one? Today, aging is on my mind as my mother turned 99…

Liberal Arts Blog — Saturday is the Joy of Sports, Dance, Fitness, and All Things Physical Day Today’s Topic: Is Eteri Tutberidze the Wicked Witch or Just a Phenomenal Ice Skating Coach? Child prodigies have often been victims of abuse from their coaches — whether family members or not. Michael…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Friday is Education and Education Policy Day Today’s Topic — The Paradox of Education and Polarization — Wow! One might hope that education would promote tolerance. Apparently not. Today. some excerpts from an article in last week’s Boston Globe Opinion section by Todd Washburn. Is this…

Liberal Arts Blog — Friday is the Joy of Art, Architecture, Design, Film, and All Things Visual Day Today’s Topic: Private vs Public Displays of Values — on Persons, on Homes How do you feel about the display of the American flags on a pole outside a house or on…