Justin Katz

A chart of RI students by school type compared with comparable other states.

Elorza is right to avoid Providence schools for his son.

By Justin Katz | December 17, 2022 |

A peculiar aspect of the mental abuse promulgated by progressives in Rhode Island (and the labor union activists who control them and the state) is the predicament in which they forbid honest discussion about issues like school reform, thus condemning students to substandard education, while casting aspersions at those who seek better for their own…

A sheep at a blackboard with 1984 math

Politics This Week with John DePetro: Herding the Insiders

By Justin Katz | December 12, 2022 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss several ways insider Democrats (especially McKee) are finding themselves herded by their constituencies.

Jose Clemente Orozco, The Clowns of War Arguing in Hell

“Stamping Out Hate” is not the way to address bigotry, including anti-Semitism.

By Justin Katz | December 9, 2022 |

People of Jewish heritage (as distinct from the “alliances” that claim to represent them) would arguably be better off if antisemites felt more comfortable expressing their views.

A water drop and ripples

Ethan Shorey is inspiring a short story.

By Justin Katz | December 6, 2022 |

Something about a pair of tweets from Valley Breeze editor Ethan Shorey feels like inspiration for a short story (or maybe a poem): The journalist is quietly sitting out there in the community, reporting to his 6,657 followers in a judgmental way about what somebody is saying to somebody else within his hearing.  That person may never…

Racial conflict fist as a green light

Politics This Week with John DePetro: When Activism and Complaints Become Community

By Justin Katz | December 5, 2022 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz wonder about the consequences when activism swamps everything.

A disintegrating apple in a child's hand

Apple is a case study in the danger of cultish consumerism.

By Justin Katz | November 30, 2022 |

A scorecard of tech giants would take some work to develop, but Apple is a shameful enterprise, whether it’s better or worse than its alternatives: Tucker Carlson blasts Apple after the company limited the AirDrop feature in China: “Apple is now an active collaborator with China’s murderous police state. When tanks roll into a Chinese…

A water drop and ripples

The difference between for-profit, nonprofit, and government organizations isn’t as big as many think.

By Justin Katz | November 29, 2022 |

Soccer player Tesho Akindele tweeted this curious thought earlier today: Public transportation doesn’t need to be profitable Nobody demands that public schools, libraries, or fire departments are profitable We understand that these things are an investment in the well-being of our society Public transportation is an investment, not a cost This phrasing is common, but…

A dark cloud and a dark wave

Politics This Week with John DePetro: Dark Clouds Coming

By Justin Katz | November 28, 2022 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz take stock of Rhode Island in the aftermath of the election.

Framing for a circular window

Gratuitous detail and the human touch are the keys to great architecture.

By Justin Katz | November 25, 2022 |

Ed Driscoll points to a great post by Scott Alexander that investigates the aesthetic gap between the classic and the modern.  Alexander starts with architecture and a “conspiracy theory”: Imagine a postapocalyptic world. Beside the ruined buildings of our own civilization – St. Peter’s Basilica, the Taj Mahal, those really great Art Deco skyscrapers –…

A water drop and ripples

Don’t miss the significance of the amoxicillin shortage.

By Justin Katz | November 22, 2022 |

Such efforts are easy to dismiss as blame-laying, but it’s important for us to take careful stock of recent decisions, and the more gargantuan the effect, the more attention we should pay.  So, put this on the list: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently reported a shortage of liquid amoxicillin, which is typically prescribed…