Category: Uncategorized
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Strategies Used for Disruptive Aggressive Behavior in Children
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Benjamin Franklin famously said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Strategies for dealing with aggressive behavior fall into two categories. Prevention is using techniques to minimize or eliminate continuing aggression. Intervention is dealing with aggression as it happens.… Read more
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Astro-Theology & Shamanism
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Astro-Theology and Shamanism both explore the intersection of ancient astronomy, early religion and psychoactive plants, as part of a genre known as entheogen studies. This focuses primarily on past and present use of psychoactive plants and fungi in spiritual/religious contexts. A variety of… Read more
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What Factors Might Be Influencing Religious Trends?
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] The character of religion in the U.S. has undergone many changes since the country’s founding, and today change remains a constant. Three contemporary trends stand out. First, affiliation with traditional institutions is loosening and declining, while belief in God holds steady. Second, views… Read more
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How Diversity Affects Religious or Secular Beliefs
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] The effects of religious diversity vary depending on how diversity develops. It can occur through conquest, immigration, refugee movements, or splintering of existing religious groups into a variety of sects. New value systems can be established by a charismatic leader, or may arise… Read more
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Can a City Use Public Funds for City Council Religious Prayers?
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] American government at all levels must serve citizens equally regardless of their faith or lack of it. The Constitution does not permit governments to promote or even give the appearance of allying with any specific religious tradition. Consequently, there are restrictions on funding… Read more
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Fundamentalist Beliefs and Secularism
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013. Published version here.] Secularism is the concept that we can manage our affairs and institutions — government, business, schools, personal lives — without the influence of religious faith. Fundamentalist beliefs are based on the conviction that our lives and institutions should be guided… Read more
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Milestones
One benefit of my job at National Deaf Academy is taking the patients to the gym over the weekend, where we’ll usually knock around shooting baskets for awhile. There is nothing – nothing – that takes me back to my early years like playing basketball. The feel of the ball, the rhythm of dribbling, the… Read more
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Kentucky Bake
Taking inspiration from my friend Ellen Eber’s post of a recipe on Facebook, I put together a Kentucky Bake yesterday after work. Once all the ingredients are assembled, it’s pretty simple. Turn the oven on to 350, lay the ingredients in layers, cook for 20 minutes under foil, another 25 without the foil and voila!… Read more
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Where are the secular Republicans?
Modern GOP candidates know that getting elected requires an expression of faith. It’s expected by both voters and party leaders and it’s not negotiable. There are regions of greater or lesser pressure in this regard, but the expectation remains. This dynamic creates a strategic bind for the Republican party. Faith-based supporters are reliable voters, but… Read more
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Christmas Cottage Pie
One of the keys to successful bachelor living is a willingness to play with your food. This is not to say spouses are unable to do so; it’s merely that they remain constrained by the tastes of their spouse and offspring. Bachelors, uncaged from such limitations, are free to explore to the edge of kitchen… Read more