Remember playing truth or dare? You know, that stupid game (that refuses to die, apparently) clearly created by some sick psycho who really had it out for us shy kids who hated to be called on in class, let alone be put on the spot with some wildly embarrassing truth or some equally embarrassing dare.…
Growing up, Hollister was where it was at. The cologne that they drenched everything in daily would waft around the mall; you didn’t need a map to find the store. You’d smell it. Today’s kids will never know the euphoria of walking into the mall and being hit with the smell of teenage California dreams,…
In the movie “Shallow Hal,” Jack Black plays Hal, an extremely (you guessed it) shallow man who only dates physically beautiful women. The gist of it is this: “[Hal] runs into self-help guru Tony Robbins, who hypnotizes him into recognizing only the inner beauty of women. Hal thereafter meets Rosemary, a largely obese woman whom…
“Workers have always been exploited, but that rate of exploitation — measured by the productivity wage gap we talked about earlier — is increasing exponentially for millennials.” That’s a line from a piece I recently read where Vox.com’s Sean Illing interviewed Malcolm Harris, author of Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials.…
The door opened and a little light peered into the dark bedroom where my sister and I shared a bunk bed. My dad peeked in, “Hey girls—wanna go see something cool?” And off my brothers and sister and I went to the middle of nowhere to watch the Perseid meteor shower that rolls around every August.…
Thousands of years ago, the Israelite people demanded a king. At that time, God ruled his people directly and used the prophet Samuel to communicate with them. When they decided they were tired of this arrangement, the Israelites called Samuel an old man with rebellious sons (how nice) and demanded that he be replaced with…
The definition of insanity—or so they say—is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. (And for the record, no—Albert Einstein didn’t say it. But I’ve digressed.) I’m reminded of a story I read recently to my young daughter where Winnie the Pooh tries to bury a pot of honey in…
As a high school student, I had the distinct pleasure of getting to know many exchange students through the programs at our community’s schools. Our family even had the chance to host two—one from Finland, and another from Brazil. Over the years we’ve all kept in contact as we’ve started our own lives around the…
I want to challenge you. Could the United States—the beacon of freedom, economic and military superpower, and perhaps history’s greatest anomaly—ever fall as far as Venezuela? Before we get back to that, let me give you a brief crash course in what South American friends are currently enjoying. There’s no food. Imagine being so…
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s signature “You Might Be a Redneck” routine was running through my head these last few days as I thought about Venezuela and socialism. No really, I promise there’s a connection. His classic routine goes through the tell-tale signs of redneck-ness: “If you have a complete set of salad bowls and they all…
A Future Free 