Category: Life & Tradition

Classical Sculpture and American Myth: Hiawatha

In the mid 19th-century, when the United States was still in search of its own artistic tradition, the sculptor Mary Edmonia Lewis (circa 1844–1907) traveled to the Old World and combined the unique American culture with the beauty of European classicism. Her passion for sculpture had been first ignited in Boston, where she saw a…


How the Waning of Religious Belief Impacts America: Sam Sorbo

In a world gradually diverging from religions and traditions, the Sorbo family is exploring the hard question of whether people need religious beliefs, and looking at the impact of irreligion and atheism on American society. Actress, filmmaker, and author Sam Sorbo, and her husband, actor Kevin Sorbo—star of the hit TV series “Hercules”—were approached to…


‘Mister Scoutmaster’ (1953): A Tribute to the Boy Scouts of America

Commentary How can a childless, middle-aged intellectual writer relate to children enough to find out why they aren’t watching the television show for which he writes? The answer is to become a scoutmaster for a rowdy Boy Scout troop! Clifton Webb faces this dilemma in “Mister Scoutmaster” from 1953. It costars Frances Dee, Edmund Glenn,…


‘Precious Feet’: Doctor’s Iconic Photo of a 10-Week-Old ‘Fetus’ Proves Aborted Babies Are Not Clumps of Cells

A photo taken by the late Dr. Russell Sacco at the helm of the pro-life movement, showing the perfectly-formed feet of an aborted baby held between finger and thumb, proved that unborn babies are not mere “clumps of cells.” Half a century later, the photo is more important than ever. Oregon Right to Life (ORTL)…


Unraveling the Unicorn Tapestries

Perched atop a hill in the northern tip of Manhattan, The Met Cloisters is a jewel box museum filled with medieval European art treasures. One of its most iconic works is the “Unicorn Tapestries.” These hangings depict both a sacred and secular narrative in a series of seven tapestries, and they are beloved for their…


After Adopting Siblings, Couple Gives Birth to a Beautiful Baby With Down Syndrome

College sweethearts Tomas and Kirstin Czernek, who live in central Florida, began thinking about starting a family through adoption after 10 years of marriage. Originally from the Czech Republic, Tomas, 34, owns a financial brokerage, while Kirstin, 36, from New Jersey, is a social media content creator. After both moved to Florida for school, they…


How Long Should You Meditate to Get an Optimal Result?

Numerous studies have found that meditation is beneficial for mental health, as well as good for relieving certain chronic diseases. But how long should you meditate? The Longer, the Better Naiwen Hu is an internationally renowned traditional Chinese medicine doctor, who is still seeing patients in his 70s. To him, mental recuperation is an important…


Abused Woman Pregnant From Rape Refuses Abortion, Says Her Son’s Worth Doesn’t Depend On How He Was Born

Raped by her abusive boyfriend after saying she wanted to abstain from sex before marriage, an Oregon college student found out she was pregnant and made a choice that would change her life: her baby’s worth had nothing to do with the circumstances of his conception, and she would not abort him. Robyn McLean, 34,…


New Study Finds Admiring Gardens Boosts Wellbeing

In the first study for the appreciation of home gardening rather than the active practice of it, researchers have found that merely taking delight in the beauty of flowers and green spaces can boost the health and well-being of regional and rural populations. Based on the experiences and perspectives of members of a gardening appreciation…


Why Success Fell Out of Fashion and Why It Matters

Google has an amazing tool that lets you see the frequency of a word’s usage over the years across a sample of 8 million books. From the year 1800 until about 1985, the word “success” was surprisingly steady in its usage across each decade. But then, starting in the mid-’80s and continuing until today, the…