Pondering Palimpsests

From the time of the Greeks and Romans up through the Middle Ages, one of the most common materials for writing was parchment (untanned animal skin). Due to the labor intensive process involved in transforming an animal hide into a writing surface, parchment was quite...

Thanksgiving Anticipation

Ah, Thanksgiving. That most unusual of holidays, one that is still celebrated for its original purpose. Santa and the Easter Bunny may have pushed the religious roots of Christmas and Easter to the sideline in much of the public consciousness, and Memorial Day’s...

Is Polling Dead?

A partially knee-jerk reaction on the political scene. Is political polling dead? Short answer: probably not. Pollsters may expand their margins of error and modify their methods, but the allure of reducing policy questions to percentages of voters in favor or opposed...

Billy Graham: An Appreciation

On November 7, 1918 on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina, a baby was born. William Franklin Graham, Jr., better known as Billy, would be known from an early age for his powerful voice, a voice that found its purpose as a preacher of the Gospel. A preacher...