The Anchoress is gallivanting around Rome at the moment, but she did not leave us blog-less in her absence. Over at First Things, Danielle Bean, Sally Thomas, and our very own Simcha have been busy writing and posting and creating havoc in Elizabeth’s stead. Over the weekend, Danielle had a series of posts that really caught my … Read more
After seven long years of war in Iraq, President Barack Obama declared last week: “It’s time to turn the page.” America‘s military role in Iraq is over, our “responsibility has been met,” and our troops are coming home. His was not a message of victory, however, but a message of “progress” — but progress toward … Read more
It sounds like the set-up to a joke — and it is, in a way. The Wall Street Journal has a great profile of Navy Chaplain Terry Moran, a Seventh-Day Adventist, and his assistant, Religious Programs Specialist 2nd Class Philip Chute, an atheist, and their working relationship in the field: Together they roam this town … Read more
I’m not sure about you, but as I was thinking about how to spend my time today, the thought crossed my mind: What exactly is Labor Day anyway? Apparently, this holiday became official in 1894, after 13 railroad workers died at the hands of the U.S. military in Illinois during the Pullman Strike. The holiday … Read more
We all know about the Inklings, that astounding coterie of men who met twice weekly for some years in the l940s and 1950s at Oxford to drink beer and talk about everything. J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis are, of course, by far the best known of the group. But there was another … Read more
(image source) In the great river of used clothing that courses through America, our family plays the part of sieve. Oh, I’m not going to moan and complain. I really am grateful. People could be throwing these clothes away, or selling them — but instead, they wash and fold them and save them for us. … Read more
In the comment boxes under Joe Hargrave’s “Man vs. Nature,” I noted the following exchange. First, Deacon Ed made the following suggestion: If the Chinese mandate only 1 child families, would it be too much of a stretch for Catholics, who purport to understand God’s design for creation, to be encouraged to have 5 children … Read more
In the midst of all the shouting it can be extremely difficult to hear the voices of spiritually powerful women who have come to terms with Holy Mother Church. Such women have found in the Church, in their own femininity as well as in Hers, a deep and satisfying sacramentality. One such voice is that … Read more
I just wanted to pop in for a quick post to thank those of you who offered words of encouragement and, far better, prayers, for the recent plight of my family. The great news is that just days after writing it, I got a job offer, and started right away. Through the generosity of friends, … Read more
Silent movies were never silent; they were always accompanied by some manner of music, sometimes a full symphony orchestra led by white-tied and usually white-haired conductors, but more often the celebrated theater organist. For Chippy and me, this has been the summer of silents – excuse me – “pre-dialogue movies” more accurately describes the genre. … Read more
The Associate Press isn’t falling for the administration’s “end to combat operations in Iraq” business. Tom Kent, AP standards editor, sent a memo to his colleagues yesterday afternoon making that point: [C]ombat in Iraq is not over, and we should not uncritically repeat suggestions that it is, even if they come from senior officials. The … Read more
“You’ll be the prince, and I’ll be the princess, It’s a love story Baby, just say yes.” — Taylor Swift, “Love Story” Doesn’t everyone love a good love story? Maybe not. At the feminist blog Feministing, commenter Chloe recently confessed that she enjoys listening to Taylor Swift’s music now and then, even if it’s what … Read more
If people are the problem, let’s have fewer people — so goes the thinking of some environmentalists. (Joe Hargrave touches on this in his piece today called Man Vs. Nature.) Our own Simcha Fisher turns this “have fewer kids” solution on its head in an article she wrote in Faith & Family. She begins like … Read more
A few links to kick off the long holiday weekend: Are Christian and Hindu villages in Pakistan being deliberately flooded? Some say water is being diverted from wealthy agricultural estates and wiping out the villages of poor people nearby. The Sarah Palin profile in Vanity Fair this week has been taking heavy fire for its … Read more
“Environmental stewardship” is a concept that has grown more important in Catholic political discussions over the past few decades. Our rights and responsibilities with respect to the natural world have been addressed in many recent social encyclicals, including Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate. While the pope is quite clear that we are to respect … Read more
In Stephen Hawking’s forthcoming book, The Grand Design (co-written with American physicist Leonard Mlodinow), he says: Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist… It is not necessary … Read more
Archbishop Chaput’s address to the first session of “The 15th symposium for the Canon Law Association of Slovakia” — wow, that’s quite a mouthful — was delivered over a week ago. Yet it has not been making quite as robust a showing on The Catholic IntraWebs as I would have expected after giving it the once-over. The … Read more
A friend of mine, a cradle Catholic who doubts her faith, asked me what she should teach her four-year old about religion. “Everything,” I said, “heaven, hell, God, angels, sin, grace, forgiveness, don’t leave anything out.” “How can I do that,” she responded, “when I’m not sure myself?” Such attempts at parental honesty can leave … Read more
Over at Slate, Dave Weigel has some words of caution for anyone looking to make too strong a connection between yesterday’s Discovery Channel hostage-taker, James Lee, and any particular political movement. In a post titled “This Crazy Man With A Gun Proves That Political Point I Was Making!,” he notes that these types of stories … Read more
Jack Smith at the Catholic Key blog is reporting that pro-Obama group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good appears to be “out of business.” He cites the evidence from their Web site: They’ve had no blog posts since June 10. They’ve made no tweets since May 12. They haven’t posted to their own facebook … Read more