For 1-year-olds, spending two or more hours a day in front of screens — for television, video, mobile phones or other digital devices — may increase their chances of experiencing developmental delays in subsequent years, according to research published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. (Searing, The Washington Post)
Read MoreMarried people are happier, and Americans aren’t getting married as much. In 1980, 6 percent of 40-year-olds had never been married, but today, it’s 25 percent. “The recent decline in the married share of adults can explain (statistically) most of the recent decline in overall happiness,” he writes. (Khazan, The Atlantic)
Read MoreU.S. District Judge David Ezra found that the law violates First Amendment free speech rights and is too vague, in a ruling on Thursday in favor of the Free Speech Coalition, an adult entertainment industry trade association that filed the lawsuit. (Bowman, NPR)
Read MoreGiven that they feature wizards, orcs, goblins and elves, it is easy to conjecture that the magic of Tolkien’s books lies in—well, magic. Yet no other fantasy series approaches the popularity of “The Lord of the Rings,” though many others feature elves and wizards aplenty. To understand the enduring enchantment of Tolkien’s works, one must comprehend a central feature of his life that the 2019 biopic “Tolkien” largely chose to ignore: his Catholic faith. (Soloveichik, The Wall Street Journal)
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Read MoreDeclines in church attendance have made the rural Republican regions of the country even more Republican and—perhaps most surprising—more stridently Christian nationalist. The wave of states banning gender-affirming care this year and the adoption of “proud Christian nationalist” as an identity by politicians such as Marjorie Taylor Greene (who even marketed T-shirts with the slogan) is not what many people might have expected at a time when church attendance is declining. (Williams, The Atlantic)
Read MoreThe term describes a mix of confidence, charm, magnetism, attractiveness and a certain je ne sais quoi. You might call it charisma, though some boosters say otherwise. From its internet-slang origins, the word has entered daily conversation among young people, confusing parents and teachers along the way. Some in older generations have even adopted the term—a move that could be called “cringe.” (Wong, The Wall Street Journal)
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