Scholars, students and Erica Goldson
Because the occupation of "student" is compulsory and socialized, its value has declined. Alert observers should have seen an interesting break from convention in the high school class of 2010. Erica Goldson, the Valedictorian for the Coxsackie-Athens Class of 2010...
Dr. Wiley would not approve: BP’s Corexit mythology
What part of "acute health hazard" does BP not understand? History shows why government approval doesn't mean much. This month Orange Beach, Ala., resident Margaret Long discovered residue of BP’s dispersant of choice – Corexit – floating by her house on Cotton Bayou....
Tyranny of the Minority: Prop 8 and Judicial Activism
The Proposition 8 ruling was acquired by a skillful game of definition rather than justice. On August 4, 2010, a marriage protecting amendment voted in to the California Constitution by the Californian majority was overturned by a member of a tiny minority. Judge...
Of Mosques and Master’s Degrees
"Religious expression" is banned from the debate haven of academia but could be forced near a site where thousands were murdered in the name of Islam? The New York Landmarks Preservation Commission has unanimously decided against granting landmark status to the 45-47...
Whether you’re Stan McChrystal, Nashville, or Elena Kagan, headlines rule
Often it isn't what happens, but what gets talked about that makes all the difference. When President Obama commented on General Stanley McChrystal, the greatest impression made on me was the source Obama cited as specific rationale for his approval of McChrystal’s...
What Abby Sunderland, the ACT and BP Oil Spill May Have in Common
While it's tempting to dismiss Abby Sunderland's voyage as misguided and pointless, many challenges accepted in society are just as ridiculous. GULF SHORES, AL - The solo circumnavigation voyage of 16-year-old Californian homeschooled student Abby Sunderland has come...
Presenting: Not Your Average Read
Thanks to the kind referral of friend Brent Heard, I now have a column at The Washington Times Communities! The title (and tagline of this blog) was invented by my 17 year-old sister, Rachel. My bio is as follows: Amanda Read is a scholar who never set foot in...
Limitations
A common atheistic argument against intelligent design is that we can't fill gaps in our understanding of the natural world with a creator. In light of some silly traditions in pagan cultures such as thunder being the gods fighting or bowling, or winter being when a...
Oil Spill Hits Gulf Shores
Due to my father's surprise business mission to do work on the Gulf, my family and I are staying in a penthouse condo (on the 18th floor!) in Gulf Shores. What a blessing - it's beautiful here! Early this morning my mother, seven of my siblings (Rachel was off to a...
S.E. Cupp vs. “Christian Atheists”
Winning minds is one thing. Winning hearts is a totally different matter. I'll explain later. She's conservative. She loves and defends Christians. She believes America was founded on Judeo-Christian values. She says she would never vote for an atheist...
I’ve Got…Well…Too Much to Say
Things are very suspicious over here, I know. I've had over a month long sabbatical from blogging. That's not how I intended it to be. But blogging slipped my mind as of late since I've been... - Getting ready for Summer classes (and now taking them). - Visiting...
Naming the Dragon
"How do you gain protection against the dragon? By naming the dragon." - from The Hobbit Companion's analysis of the dragon Smaug in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit I'm a History major, and the history of science is one of my primary interests. On a technical level...
