Commentary DUNDALK, Maryland—To understand television host Mike Rowe, consider his grandfather. In the undated photo of Carl Milton Knobel, he is standing in what appears to be his backyard. Dressed in a dapper suit and wool overcoat, he is looking at whoever is holding the camera with affection. Everything about him emotes dignity and grace…

News Analysis “I can’t seem to hire good and reliable people anymore,” the manager of an Apple store told me over the weekend. “I don’t get it. They aren’t motivated by money. They can’t show up on time. They are not driven to do better. There is no personal ambition. Something is wrong.” His own…

I’ve never been a happy sleeper. As a child, I can remember that I never wanted to go to bed. I always got up early. You see, I love new. I love a start. I love fresh. Let me explain. My favourite day is always Monday. My favourite day of the year is new year’s…

Happily making curlicues on cones and serving Blizzards upside down, the teenage son of a friend of mine is experiencing his first real job this summer behind the counter at Dairy Queen. So far it seems to be going well. He’s already received a raise and has been promised a position as manager once he…

Commentary SCHOHARIE, New York—The roots of faith, family, patriotism, dialect, and work ethic are a prominent feature here. One of the first modern American presidents to recognize those characteristics here and in the swath of Appalachia that extends to the southwest was John F. Kennedy, who when speaking to his Cabinet in April of 1963…