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To gain admittance to college in the 17th century, students had to be able to read and translate various Latin authors on sight. 100 years ago, students were required to have read various classical works before being admitted. Today, however, many American students are being admitted to colleges without ever having read a book from start to finish. They are part of a cohort of students known as “book virgins.” The National Association of Scholars (NAS) has pointed out this phenomenon in their recent report titled “Beach Books: 2014-2016. What Do Colleges and Universities Want Students to Read Outside Class?”...

DODGER FAN by Will Stanton Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June 1957 Link I first read this over fifty years ago.

Hillary Clinton cited a study showing young people who read the Harry Potter series are "more compassionate" toward immigrants and LGBT community members during her speech Tuesday in Chicago. Clinton made the reference while delivering a speech at the American Library Association's annual conference, as fans of the popular book series celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first novel's release. "Years of data suggest that reading fiction builds empathy," she said. "It helps us put ourselves in others' shoes. One study even found that young people who read the Harry Potter books, which first came out 20 years ago this...

Mark Levin's new book, "Rediscovering Americanism," an assault on the media and progressives and a call for Americans to take back their country, debuts today at No. 1 on Amazon. Showing the draw of the New York Times bestselling author and top syndicated radio host, his book is already on the way to becoming another big seller. "My new book covers a lot of territory — philosophy, history, economics, law, culture, etc. And I look deeply into what is meant by Americanism, republicanism, individualism, capitalism. What do we mean by natural law, unalienable rights, liberty, and property rights? From where...

If you don’t like the way a story ends, why not change it? That’s exactly what Netflix is encouraging viewers do with a brand new children’s show called “Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale.” As the show progresses, kids get to make a series of choices to move the story in any direction.

A teacher at a public high school in Alabama sent his students home with a summer reading list chock full of conservative authors from which to choose, including Ann Coulter, Ronald Reagan, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, and libertarian John Stossel. But parents became concerned that it leaned too far right and so now, the kids don’t have to read anything over the summer.

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". INVEIGLE Verb (used with object), inveigled, inveigling. 1. to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk or inducements (usually followed by into): to inveigle a person into playing bridge. 2. to acquire, win, or obtain by beguiling talk or methods (usually followed by from or away): to inveigle a theater pass from a person. Synonyms 1. induce, beguile, persuade. 2. wheedle. ORIGIN: 1485-95; variant of envegle < Anglo-French enveogler, equivalent to en-...

Shakespeare Dallas was getting ready for opening night of the Shakespeare comedy, 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' this week. So when emails started arriving Tuesday – some of them threatening in nature – there was surprise. "It was shocking," said Shakespeare Dallas Executive and Artistic Director, Raphael Parry. "I think it was a case of mistaken identity." Earlier this week, Shakespeare in the Park in New York stirred up controversy with its contemporary take on Julius Caesar. It featured a President Trump look-a-like who was stabbed to death. Shakespeare Dallas is not affiliated in any way, and is not even...

There have been several adorable stories of little girls mistaking women for princesses lately. But this one might just take the wedding cake. Pictures posted to Imgur Wednesday show a little girl and her mother coming across a bride in Ballard, Washington. The bride was in the street taking wedding photos, and the little girl immediately stopped, according to KCPQ. “The little girl thought my beautiful wife was the princess from her favorite book (the one she’s holding),” Imgur user Skizzotrobzface said. The photos show the child’s eyes light up as a smile of complete adoration spreads across her face....

DILETTANTE dil·et·tante noun noun: dilettante; plural noun: dilettantes; plural noun: dilettanti a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge. Example: "a dilettante approach to science" synonyms: dabbler, amateur, nonprofessional, nonspecialist, layman, layperson Example: "there is no room for the dilettante in this business" antonyms: professional archaic: a person with an amateur interest in the arts. Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the Word for the Day in a sentence. The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day........

The researchers compiling the U.S. Army’s accounts of Iraq and Afghanistan have an unprecedented—and overwhelming—volume of material to work through. When Major Spencer Williams was ordered to “shut down shop and move out” of Afghanistan in 2005, he closed his final message from the field as he always did—quoting a long-dead historian. “Plant yourself not in Europe but in Iraq; it will become evident that half of the roads of the Old World lead to Aleppo, and half to Bagram.” Williams made up one-third of the U.S. Army’s historical field staff in Afghanistan—a team directed to cover the breadth of...

Author of Alex Rider novels was disturbed to be advised against creating a black character because he was whiteBestselling author Anthony Horowitz has said he was warned off including a black character in his new book after being told by an editor it would be inappropriate. Horowitz, best known for his Alex Rider series of novels, said he found it “disturbing” that he was being advised against a white writer creating a black character. He told the Mail on Sunday: “This is maybe dangerous territory but there is a chain of thought in America that it is inappropriate for white...

SEDULOUS [sej-uh-luh s] adjective 1. diligent in application or attention; persevering; assiduous. 2. persistently or carefully maintained: sedulous flattery. Origin: 1530-40; < Latin sēdulus, adj. derivative of the phrase sē dol� diligently, literally, without guile; replacing sedulious (see sedulity, -ous ) Related forms: sedulously, adverb sedulousness, noun unsedulous, adjective unsedulously, adverb unsedulousness, noun Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the Word for the Day in a sentence. The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day........

Video LinkIf you want to skip the Preface and Foreword, the first chapter starts at the 16:25 mark.

Making Socialists Out of College Students: A Story of Professors and Other Collegians who Hobnob with Radicals I don't need to say much about this, except this: Read this book! But, do pay attention to the publication date. 1920. It's out of copyright and free to download from the public domain. To our friends who believe that all evil begins in the 1960's, I emplore you. Please look back further. To our friends who believe that all evil begins in the 1930's, I emplore you. Please look back further!

WORD FOR THE DAY! ======================================================================== In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of “Word for the Day”. Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the Word for the Day in a sentence. The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day........ DOGGEREL [daw-ger-uh l, dog-er-] adjective 1. comic or burlesque, and usually loose or irregular in measure. rude; crude; poor. noun 2. doggerel verse. Origin of doggerel: 1350-1400; Middle English; see dog, -rel; cf. dog Latin British Dictionary definitions for doggerel: noun...