Tag: American Essence

Comfortable in Her Skin

If you’ve seen Kate Somerville Cosmetics ads or have seen Kate in magazines or on TV, you would think that she’s always been beautiful and that her life is perfect and always has been. Kate says, “People usually expect me to be ‘silver spoon stuck up.’” But that is the furthest thing from the truth….


Robert Barfield: A Life of Courage

Editor’s note: This article contains descriptions of graphic wartime scenes that some readers may find disturbing. Renowned military historian John C. McManus named the Battle of Boomerang as one of the five most desperate battles fought between 1950 and 2003 by the 7th Infantry Regiment, and named Robert Barfield’s display as one of the five…


Nothing Goes to Waste

At Brooklyn’s White Moustache, Homa Dashtaki launched her mission to find value in the byproduct of yogurt.


10 American Inventions That Changed the World

Electricity Efforts to understand and harness electricity began in the 18th century. Scientists thought electricity could be used to create a cheap way for people to light their homes. One of the most notable pioneers in electricity was Thomas Edison, who developed the first practical electrical light bulb in the late 1870s. Edison launched a…


Zuckermann Harpsichords Legacy Lives On

An 18-year-old Richard Auber had just begun his music degree with money he borrowed from his parents. “Musicians don’t make money,” his father, an amateur recorder player himself, warned Richard. Auber played the flute, and some of the most beautiful music he could play was the music of Bach. Auber played the modern flute, that…


Zuckermann Harpsichords’s Legacy Lives On

An 18-year-old Richard Auber had just begun his music degree with money he borrowed from his parents. “Musicians don’t make money,” his father, an amateur recorder player himself, warned Richard. Auber played the flute, and some of the most beautiful music he could play was the music of Bach. Auber played the modern flute, that…


How Clydesdale Breed Horses Became an Iconic Symbol for Budweiser

One of America’s most well-known corporations markets a rather unique philosophy when it comes to the ABCs of branding. Starting with the “A” of Anheuser-Busch, adding in “B” for beer wagon, and “C” for several Clydesdales, the makers of Budweiser have been brewing beer and breeding horses quite successfully for almost a century now. Perhaps…


Honoring Tradition through the Art of Native American Kayak-Making

“If you hunt something, how can you love it? How can you both love an animal and hunt it?” These words of National Geographic photographer and indigenous kayak craftsman Kiliii Yuyan reverberated in my mind as I floated down the Cedar River in Iowa on my last kayak trip of the year. It was early,…


How American Creativity is Driving the Non-Alcoholic Drinks Trend

When Tolu Obikunle was an intern on Wall Street, she was frequently invited to go out for drinks after work. But filling up with spirits was actually something that brought Obikunle’s spirits down. “I found myself pretending to drink just to fit in with my colleagues,” said Obikunle. “I loved being out and socializing, but…


Resistance and Suffering—Preparing Ourselves to Stand for Truth in a Time of Lies

“The key to resilience in the face of persecution is the willingness to suffer,” says Rod Dreher, “not just to bear it stoically, but to find a way to transform it and purify it into something good.” In this episode of “American Thought Leaders,” host Jan Jekielek speaks about soft totalitarianism, “wokeness,” and ways to…