Tag: Bright

Is Bidenomics for Real?

What a difference a year makes. In 2020, under former president Donald Trump, inflation in the United States averaged 1.4 percent. One year later, inflation’s annual rate was 8 percent. As of June 2023, it’s hovering around 4 percent. That’s still higher than what the past administration had. Now, President Joe Biden is touting an…


Hooray for Menopause!

Menopause is almost unique to human beings. With the exception of dolphins and some species of whales, very few species in the animal world go through a long period of infertility in the later stages of life. As pointed out by Natalie Angier in her book, “Women: An Intimate Geography,” menopause frees women from the role of child-bearer…


11 Sisters Who Were Separated as Kids Survive Child Abuse, Reunite After 43 Years

Eleven sisters who were separated as kids when their biological family fell apart spent 43 years searching for each other. It wasn’t until they reunited that they learned the extent of the horrors they’d each suffered, but, in sharing their pain, they formed a sibling bond stronger than ever. Reverend Barbara Lane, the ninth of…


Chimp Who Spent 28 Years in Experimental Lab and Other Facilities Is ‘Awestruck’ to See Sky for the First Time

A 28-year-old chimpanzee who spent her entire life in a cage has seen the open sky for the first time at her new 3-acre (1.2-hectare) sanctuary home in Florida. Vanilla was born in captivity and spent her first two years of life in a 5-foot- (1.5-meter-) square suspended cage at New York’s former biomedical research…


‘One-in-2.5 Million’ Conjoined Twin Girls Who Survived Separation Surgery Graduate From Kindergarten: PHOTOS

Rare conjoined twins who survived separation surgery, despite just a two percent chance of survival, have graduated from kindergarten. Mom Heather Delaney, 33, from Statesville, North Carolina, learned at just 11 weeks pregnant that she was carrying conjoined twin girls. Doctors told her the chance of having craniopagus twins—connected at the head—was one in 2.5…


How Popular Cooking Oils Stack Up in Terms of Oxidation

Follow the series “Debunking the Fat Dogma” here. Vegetable oils have been recommended as a healthier alternative to saturated animal fats for decades. But emerging data suggest the opposite—at least when it comes to the heavily refined, denatured seed oils most people are consuming. Most vegetable oils, which primarily consist of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, are…


Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold, and Other Commodities (July 5)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for August delivery rose $2 to $71.79 a barrel Wednesday. Brent crude for September delivery rose 40 cents to $76.65 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for August delivery rose 6 cents $2.52 a gallon. August heating oil rose 11 cents to $2.49 a gallon. August natural gas fell 5 cents to $2.66…


How Major US Stock Indexes Fared July 5

Wall Street edged lower following a rally that sent it roaring 16 percent higher for the year so far. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2 percent Wednesday, edging down from its highest level since April 2022. The Dow fell 129 points, or 0.4 percent. The Nasdaq gave back 0.2 percent. Other markets around the world fell…


Reaching for the Sky: A Bold New Vision for Christian Schools

“We promote student-centric, self-directed learning environments,” says Jack Preus, “moving away from the one-size-fits-all approach in many of our traditional schools.” Below, Jack Preus and Andrew Neumann of Open Sky Education discuss founding a non-profit, nationwide Christian network of microschools, a twist on the old one-room school house, with small classes tailored to students’ needs….


The Good News About Social Security Administration Customer Service

Q: In a recent column, you highlighted some harsh words from a guy who was critical of the government in general and the Social Security Administration in particular. I just wanted to tell you that my recent experience with the SSA filing a claim for retirement benefits could not have gone more smoothly. I used…