A company called “Wizards of the Coast” has re-packaged the iconic role-playing game “Dungeons & Dragons” into a bite-sized version that they’re hoping will attract us 40-something gamers of yore to play a stripped-down, abbreviated version of our old pasttime. We can recapture just a bit of the fun we had in our youth while not … Read more
The solemn declaration of the Credo that “Christ was engendered, not made” (genitum, non factum), is pregnant with rich philosophical insights and is an inspiration to investigate two possible ways of relating to existence: to be made or to be engendered. God is eternal and the Creator of heaven and earth, though our current … Read more
Between 1976 and 1983, Argentina was ruled by a military dictatorship who captured and tortured thousands of political prisoners. The UK’s Indepedent has an interesting story about a brother and sister — heirs to a big media fortune — who have been forced to submit to DNA testing to see if they are among the … Read more
A man has dreams, and all too often, this one found himself drifting off on his pleasant and wishful clouds as he corrected yet another stack of undergraduate papers. Yes, being a professor had seemed so inviting — a life of tweed jackets, of dragging on the meerschaum, of good books and penetrating discussions, and … Read more
Man, church attendance is down everywhere. The famous cliff swallows who nest every year at the Mission San Juan Capistrano in California have bypassed their traditional home for something a little more modern: Instead, they found graceful lodging in the eaves at the year-old Vellano Country Club. The private community boasts a golf course designed by … Read more
A conversation overheard at the White House… Rahm Emmanuel: Mr. President, you need to toughen up about this oil spill, because you look like a *****. A little, pigtailed, tea-party dress wearing, oversized lollipop licking *****. President Obama: I see. And what would you suggest? Rahm Emmanuel: Well, Cupcake, I’d suggest you pretend Michelle married … Read more
We moderns can be awfully smug when it comes to Old Testament laws about ritual impurity. As heirs to post-Enlightenment thought, it’s easy for us to basically assume they were nothing but pre-scientific attempts to avoid disease, as though the Old Testament was principally concerned with, “How do I avoid trichinosis?” but kept slipping … Read more
Sorry; late again. Last episode, we saw a gorilla drive away in a fire engine. At this point, anything can happen. As always, these pages come from Catholic University’s online archive of Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact. I love the baby gorilla’s scream when Sharp unmasks… Next week: The Last Uncle Harry Story!
Veteran journalist and public irritant Helen Thomas just announced her retirement, effective immediately. I wonder what might have prompted that? Her decision comes after her controversial remarks about Israel hit the blogosphere. She later apologized for her comments, saying she “deeply regretted” making them…. The reaction of most reporters, friends and former White House officials … Read more
In the Australian on May 22, Tess Livingston covered the new translation of the Missal. This good work needed early explanation. George Cardinal Pell, who was instrumental in the English translation, remarked: “The previous translators seemed a bit embarrassed to refer to angels, sacrifice and perpetual virginity. They went softly on sin and redemption.” … Read more
Regular readers of InsideCatholic will know Eve Tushnet for her many excellent articles that we run here regularly. Over the weekend, though, she was introduced to a larger audience via a profile in the New York Times as “a gay Catholic voice against same-sex marriage”: “The sacrifices you want to make aren’t always the only … Read more
Two European reports have accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of both exaggerating the threat of the H1N1 virus and failing to disclose important information about it. In Friday’s Washington Post, Rob Stein explained: The WHO’s response caused widespread, unnecessary fear and prompted countries around the world to waste millions of dollars, according to … Read more
Some will say it’s already here, and I wouldn’t argue with them. The first gusts of the anti-Catholic storm have already been resisted, thanks to the courageous vigilance of Bill Donohue at the Catholic League. Now we have The New York Times‘ relentless barrage of reporting and opinion designed to force the type of “reform” … Read more
You’ve seen this, right? Helen Thomas, a terrifyingly senior member of the White House press corps, recently took the opportunity to explain her take on international politics . . . to a rabbi, at an event celebrating Jewish Heritage: Kind of harsh, eh? But it’s cool, it’s cool — she apologized. According to Fox News: … Read more
The United States is in the midst of a realignment as the private sector gives way to the government as the nation’s primary employer. We’re not there yet, but the direction is clear. Of the 431,000 new jobs the Labor Department just announced, a full 390,000 of them are with the government (primarily, short term … Read more
Check out today’s insane YouTube clip, which comes with a bit of a backstory: The genesis of the sport, which has acquired the catchy (though perhaps a tad unwieldy) name of “Liquid Mounaineering,” is described by its practitioners over at the Liquid Mountaineering blog: There are some historical statements that suggest that this sport was created … Read more
It’s a day for a little Wendell Berry. These two excerpt come from “Solving for Pattern,” found in Berry’s collection of agrarian essays, The Art of The Commonplace, where he proposes 14 solutions — more like guidelines — to current problems in food production and farming: 6. A good solution embodies a clear distinction between … Read more
So MLB commish Bud Selig isn’t going to overturn that call and give Armando Galarraga his perfect game. What do we think of this decision? Sports media opinions are varied, both from pundits and fans. Me? As a baseball fan, political conservative, and reflexive traditionalist… I’m torn right down the middle. Conservative arguments in favor … Read more
Time for your Friday morning link round-up: Psychological exams for prospective priests have become more complicated in the wake of the sex-abuse scandal. For those who have trouble comprehending the current size of the oil spill, this will help put things in perspective. Top 25 conservative TV shows, and top 50 Catholic-themed movies. Plenty here … Read more
Checking out at the grocery store the other day, I paid for my sack of rolls. The checkout person handed me my bag. “Thank you,” I said. “You’re welcome,” she said. I walked away with a sense that something was wrong. Do checkout people usually say “you’re welcome” and nothing else? Not usually. Usually they … Read more