Category: Life & Tradition

The Delicate Art of Kingfisher Feather ‘Enameling’

For a newlywed couple in 19th-century China, it’s the end of a joyous day of marriage rites and the beginning of their life together as they step into their bed chamber. She wears a striking gold and turquoise bridal coronet that’s embellished with semiprecious gems and a veil of pearls. As per Chinese tradition, the…


Impressive Views: Window Cleaning Made Easy

Let there be light—through windows that are spotless on the inside and out. Boost your curb appeal and make your home’s first impression a sparkling one with these tricks of the trade and DIY hacks. The Right Tools Professional window cleaners make the job look quick and effortless—because they use the right tools. You’ll want…


Hollywood’s Golden Age: ‘The Bells of St. Mary’s’: Used Responsibly, Power Can Transform

NR | 2h 6min | Drama, Comedy | 1945 Producer, director, and screenwriter Leo McCarey’s box-office hit “Going My Way” (1944) inspired his sequel, “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945). The films introduced Father O’Malley to audiences, a character McCarey created and dramatized. Rare even for those years, McCarey’s sequel won greater popular acclaim than…


Mom Rescues Ethiopian Girl at Risk of Abduction by Satanist: ‘God Was in This Battle’

After adopting an orphaned boy who had escaped slavery in Ethiopia, a Tennessee mom began dreaming of a girl child. Coming across a photo of a 7-year-old orphan in need proved her dream had been a premonition, but after traveling back to Ethiopia to adopt the child, a battle began. The girl, named Favor, was withheld,…


Adventures of a 13-Year-Old American Kid in World War II Italy

Joseph Moraglia was born in Brooklyn on July 4, 1931. He was the youngest of nine children born to Domenico and Rosa Moraglia. Fittingly for being born on the Fourth of July, he was the only child of the Italian family born in the United States. Joseph turned 91 this year. He’s the poster child…


Can Changing Social Studies Improve the Education System?

At the end of 2021, the Pew Research Center conducted a study of 17 countries with first-world economies on how divided their citizens were along political, racial, and ethnic lines. Perhaps it’s no surprise that America ranked first. But perhaps American division has less to do with politics, race, and ethnicity, and more to do…


To Avoid Self-Destruction at College, Be Careful What You Pack for Class

As this sweltering summer gives way to fall, a fleet of American teens will be off to college in a few short weeks. Alongside laundry bags, binders, dorm décor, bed sheets, that go-to shampoo, and perhaps a favorite comforter, the laptop computer is now just as much a staple as the paper planner of yesteryear….


Taking Poetry to Heart Is a Lifetime Gift

In the spring of 2014, I served as prompter for a local homeschool poetry fest in Asheville, North Carolina. From pre-K students to high school seniors, students marched onto stage and recited verse to an audience composed of family and friends. The little ones trebled out nursery rhymes, middle-schoolers delivered impressive reams of rhymes—Shel Silverstein’s…


A Quick Pickle Fix: Turn Your Summer Garden Bounty Into Crunchy, Tangy, Almost-Instant Pickles

I do like my pickles, but I’m a lazy preserver. My solution is a speedy fix that omits the bother of canning: I make quick pickles. Quick-pickling is for impatient types like me, with (nearly) instantly gratifying results. No time is better for pickling than summer, which yields more vegetables than you can shake a…


Film Review: ‘Dolly Parton: Here I Am’: Portrait of a Very Small Angel

TV-14 | 1h 30m | Documentary, Biography, Music | December 26, 2019 I recently reviewed documentaries on Shania Twain, and Sheryl Crow, two of America’s premiere country/pop/rock superstars. I decided to follow it up with “Dolly Parton: Here I Am.” I had a curiously strong sense of Déjà vu, watching “Dolly.” I thought: Where else have I seen…