Award-winning actress and sex symbol Raquel Welch has a message for young women today, and it’s not what you might expect. In a piece on CNN Opinion called, “It’s sex o’clock in America,” Welch comments on the effects the Pill has had: These days, nobody seems able to “keep it in their pants” or honor … Read more
A nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center studied the changing demographics of motherhood in the United States, examining data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the U.S. Census Bureau from 1990 to 2008. Mothers of newborns are now older, better educated, less likely to be white, and more likely to be … Read more
Many readers of this blog also read First Things… or at least, would like to read it. Now you’ve got no excuse. The Anchoress is plugging a great deal today: a subscription to First Things for only $20. That’s half the regular price. The sale ends tomorrow, so be sure to check it out. That’s … Read more
As many others have said, it’s impossible at this stage to know what the full impact of the Gulf oil spill will be. Some estimates say there may be as much as 200,000 gallons of oil bubbling up through the ocean per day. These waters are populated with endangered bluefin tuna and sperm whales, not … Read more
A finance reform bill called the “Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009” (H.R. 4173), which recently passed in the House of Representatives, now includes a strange addition by Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA). Waxman seems to believe the dietary supplement industry should be regulated like the pharmaceutical industry. The language he wants in … Read more
It’s taken eight long years, but according to Catholic News Agency (CNA), the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has approved a new translation of the Roman Missal, including next text for the English Mass. It will be incorporated into parishes across the country gradually and at the discretion of local … Read more
We are overdue for a little Flannery around here so here’s an excerpt from her letter to Janet McKane on June 30, 1963, found in Letters of Flannery O’Connor: The Habit of Being: I guess what you say about suffering being a shared experience with Christ is true, but then it should also be true … Read more
I loved Pope John Paul II. In fact, I’m not sure I’d be Catholic today without his writing, example, and leadership. No matter how his papacy is measured in the long run, to me he reigns supreme as a man who combined personal holiness with brilliance. While his administrative failures related to the sex abuse … Read more
Fox News reported yesterday that a group of explorers claim to have found the remains of Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey. The explorers are Chinese and Turkish evangelicals from a research team of Noah’s Ark Ministries: The group claims that carbon dating proves the relics are 4,800 years old, meaning they date to … Read more
On Friday, Sky News reported that the Chinese government would be sterilizing 10,000 southerners over a period of four days to make sure local population quotas are met. (Today will be the fourth day.) Many are being sterilized against their will, and in some cases, government officials are imprisoning the elderly parents of those who … Read more
On Friday, Sky News reported that the Chinese government would be sterilizing 10,000 southerners over a period of four days to make sure local population quotas are met. (Today will be the fourth day.) Many are being sterilized against their will, and in some cases, government officials are imprisoning the elderly parents of those who … Read more
You’ve probably noticed that those who receive Botox treatments seem to have trouble moving their… uh… faces. Well, according to ScienceBlogs, new research is suggesting that the popular procedure may affect not only the ability to express emotion physically, but also to feel emotion. Each year, millions of people use Botox to diminish wrinkles and … Read more
Somehow I missed Peggy Noonan’s article from April 17 in The Wall Street Journal called “How to Save the Catholic Church.” I’m surprised it hasn’t generated more controversy (maybe it has, and I missed that, too). Noonan believes the old ways of secrecy, silence, loyalty at all costs, and the “old-boys club” mentality can no … Read more
Today is the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain’s death and Sotheby’s auction house is marking the occassion by previewing some of the writer’s unpublished work (to be sold off in June). The AP reports that the “gem of the collection” is a 64 page tribute entitled, A Family Sketch. Twain wrote it for his daughter … Read more
Most of us can remember hearing about “crack babies” — infants born to crack-addicted women and believed to be irreparably harmed. They were abandoned at hospitals and courageous people came forward to adopt them, warned by professionals that these children were pretty much hopeless causes. In fact, Theresa Vargas in last Thursday’s Washington Post remembers … Read more
With an Icelandic volcano wreaking havoc across half of Europe, geologists on our home soil are wondering what would happen if Yellowstone decided to blow again. It would not be pretty, according to AFP. Yellowstone isn’t just any force of nature, it’s a “supervolcano.” When it last erupted — some 640,000 years ago — it … Read more
The grocery chain Whole Foods has launched a campaign called “Let’s Retake Our Plates.” On their Web site, visitors can trace where their food (purchased at Whole Foods, of course) comes from, as well as take regular polls to qualify for discounts at the store. The most interesting part of the campaign is the film … Read more
Over on her blog, the Anchoress highlighted Pope Benedicts’s spontaneous remarks from Mass today, where he spoke about the need for penance and the reality of eternal life. (She quoted excerpts carried by Whispers in the Loggia; the full text has not yet been translated and released.) We’ll see what the press does with the … Read more
Maybe I have a sick sense of humor, but I got a laugh out of this one: According to the UK’s Telegraph, a desperate man in Sweden called a suicide crisis hotline to get some help. The Lutheran priest on the other end fell asleep and began snoring while the poor guy was talking. Happily, … Read more
Here are two items I’d like to bring to your attention: This is the third day of a novena for Pope Benedict initiated by the Knights of Columbus. It began on Divine Mercy Sunday and ends on Monday, April 19, the fifth anniversary of the pope’s election. It’s not too late to join in — … Read more
