Author: doodledweller
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Accountability & The State

If we are to believe that democracy is the best government system known to men, then we should attempt to prove our premise. It is possible to do so with data provided by international institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and research organizations such as the Pew Research Center. To study the…
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The State

To live and breathe in a democracy today is to believe that it is the best government system known to men. Democracy’s history has been traced all the way back to ancient Greece. Philosophers such as Hegel and Nietzsche saw it as a secularized version of the Christian doctrine of universal equality of human dignity,…
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Sheer Contrast

Leave it to the French people to perfect the bra-underneath-a-sheer-top look. For devastating effect, wear it barely there but very noticeable. Who invented such a genius idea? Who knows, but surely the French have deployed this ammo of a statement into a most versatile lookbook – a lacy bralette peeping out of a business suit,…
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Higher Education

There was a time when I considered myself a professional student. I graduated college with 30% more courses than required, and all I had to show for it was not another bachelor degree, but a couple of minors. After that, I spent another 4 years obtaining not a PhD, but a couple of masters degrees. …
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Quality, Quantity

As parents, we love and want the best for our children. Depending on our cultural upbringing, our surroundings, and who we are, the love for our kids is manifested in different ways. And in this modern age that brings a plethora of offerings, the choices of what to provide for them can be overwhelming. Some…
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The Creative Kid

One way to gauge creativity is the assessment of divergent thinking – the ability to come up with many responses to a question, to be contrasted with convergent thinking – the ability to come up with the correct answer to a problem. For example, to answer the question “how many uses can you think of…
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Kid Lit

There is an on-going public debate over what is appropriate for kids – what they are not allowed to read. That more than 4,000 unique titles were challenged in public libraries and school libraries in 2023 demonstrates the book ban movement’s reach of intensity. When we look at the books being challenged, it is evident…
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The Signature of All Things

I close my eyes and imagine where I would like to be at my death. I think I’d want to be like Alma, hugging a tree far from home, perhaps a magnolia in Tahiti or a cinnamon in the Amazon. Alma Whittaker, the heroine in Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things, was the gifted…
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The Tee

The Tee was birthed in the late 19th century when American miners and stevedores cut their jumpsuits into separate top and bottom garments to cope with the summer heat. By 1913, it became a standard issue in the Navy’s uniform as undergarment. To be worn under a uniform, the crew-necked, short-sleeved, white cotton undershirt has…
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Wear Your Scarves

I’ve been collecting scarves. They’re beautiful art works printed or embroidered onto quality fabrics, and best of all, they are affordable. There are so many ways one can wear scarves. You can wear them over your head, wrapped around your neck, draped over your shoulder, belted across your waist, or as an accessory for your…