In the rising age of TED Talks, podcasts and tweet storms, the commencement speech remains a highly anticipated annual event featuring everyone from celebrities and authors to academics, politicians and pop culture icons.
In the rising age of TED Talks, podcasts and tweet storms, the commencement speech remains a highly anticipated annual event featuring everyone from celebrities and authors to academics, politicians and pop culture icons.
Graduation season kicks off this weekend and ceremonies at America’s colleges and universities will continue throughout the month. Riley Gaines will address graduates of Adrian College this Sunday. Other notables in May include Pat Sajak at Hillsdale, Senator Tim Scott at Liberty, Rick Warren at Oral Roberts, Ken Burns at Brandeis, Roger Federer at Dartmouth, Jon Meacham at Tulane — and Jerry Seinfeld at Duke.
Once upon a time, outside speakers didn’t entertain, enlighten and serve up advice to graduates and their families and friends. Instead, it was the graduates themselves who spoke, dazzling the gathered and showing off their hard-earned oratory skills that were cultivated the last four years or more. Philosophical debates between students were also featured as part of graduation ceremonies.
Boy Scouts of America will change its name to “Scouting America” next February to be more inclusive, the 114-year-old organization announced yesterday. The rebrand will occur on the 115th anniversary of the Boy Scouts’ establishment and seven years after it began admitting girls in 2019.
This latest move toward “inclusion” is likely motivated by the Boy Scouts’ desire to increase its memberships and rehab its image — both of which have suffered under widespread accusations of sexual assault and misconduct by past troop leaders.
The group filed for bankruptcy in 2020 after paying more than $150 million to settle lawsuits related to past assaults and allegations of misconduct. It still owes $2.4 billion to more than 80,000 other victims.
In this social climate, its rarely a bad idea for an organization to demonstrate its commitment to “women’s rights.”
A previously untapped market for the Boy Scouts, girls make up more than 20% of its million total members. Without their patronage, the group’s financial circumstances would be even more dour.
Given the economic and social incentives at play, I don’t think genuine concern for women’s feelings motivated the Boy Scouts’ name change. But assuming altruism did play a role in the legacy organization’s rebrand — however unlikely — I feel compelled to say not all organizations must be inclusive.
I grew up with many boy scouts, but never felt I should be allowed to join.
And the sound of a baby’s heartbeat, echoing between tall buildings on a sunny Saturday afternoon in May back in 2019.
This coming Sunday marks five years since Focus on the Family’s historic “Alive from New York” event in Manhattan’s Times Square, the city’s largest pro-life event in its history.
At one point, those were the only sounds you could hear.
It had been raining most of the night before, leading to a dank and wet morning as dozens of Focus on the Family staffers and contractors workers feverishly to transform the “Crossroads of the World” into the stage and setting of a live ultrasound broadcast scheduled for later that afternoon.
It almost didn’t happen.
When the idea was hatched earlier that year, a reaction to New York state officials literally cheering the expansion of abortion, most of those in positions of authority told us it was unlikely to happen.
Some even said it couldn’t be done.
Citing fears of violence, New York City officials were unlikely to grant a permit to a pro-life rally — even though those who champion the preborn are the ones against violence.
We were told the NYPD wouldn’t want such a mass gathering over such a hot button issue.
A new national survey from Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center reports that a strong majority of parents in America are experiencing notable levels of isolation, loneliness and burnout stemming from the demands of parenthood.
A press release from Wexner Medical Center reports,
“About two-thirds (66%) felt the demands of parenthood sometimes or frequently feels isolating and lonely.
About 62% feel burned out by their responsibilities as a parent.
Nearly two in five (38%) feel they have no one to support them in their parenting role.
Nearly four in five (79%) would value a way to connect with other parents outside of work and home.”
Kate Gawlik, associate clinical professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing, and a researcher on parental burnout and a mother of four young children explains in the press release, “Parenting can feel very lonely at times, but it will be easier if you have people around who can support you.”
Gawlik actually points out why married parenting is best.
While this is one study showing the loneliness of parents, the larger body of social science research has generally shown that parenting brings meaningful and measurable life happiness.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order on Thursday protecting Arkansas students, especially women and girls.
In announcing the order, she became the first female governor in the nation to refuse to comply with the Biden administration’s rewrite of Title IX.
Title IX was enacted as a part of the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide equal opportunities for girls and women in education.
But on Friday, April 19, the Biden administration through the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) released a new rule that includes “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes under Title IX.
In effect, this guts what Title IX was originally intended to do, because it permits men to freely access women’s locker rooms, bathrooms and sports.
So far, multiple states have refused to comply with the Title IX changes, filed a lawsuit against the DOE to stop the changes, or taken both of those actions, including: Oklahoma, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Montana, Idaho, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Virginia.
They were entirely right to do so.
Now Arkansas joins that list. Gov. Sanders’ executive order is a powerful defense of biological reality and women.
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