It belabors the obvious to say that Haiti is a mess. I was there for the one-year anniversary of the January 12, 2010, earthquake and can verify the reports of how little has been done to put the shattered capital, Port-au-Prince, back together again. The overall look of the downtown area is something akin to … Read more
Over at First Things, Elizabeth Scalia has an interesting column on the dangers of valuing “credentials” over a curious mind: To become educated is a marvelous thing; to have the opportunity to study is a privilege too many take for granted. But have we become a society that places too much weight on the attainment … Read more
The Catholic Advocate State of the Union Live Blog is back by popular demand. Join Deal Hudson and Matt Smith along with leading pro-life activists and journalists for a LIVE discussion during President Obama’s State of the Union tonight. Visit the Live Blog page on the Catholic Advocate website to sign up. When you click on the … Read more
Pope Benedict recently praised new media and social networking, while also warning people of its dangers: He said the possibilities of new media and social networks offered “a great opportunity,” but warned of the risks of depersonalization, alienation, self-indulgence, and the dangers of having more virtual friends than real ones. “It is important always to remember … Read more
A little more than a week after three Anglican bishops were ordained as priests in the new ordinariate in England, Our Lady of Walsingham, another wave of converts is announced: Seven Anglican priests and 300 members of six congregations are to join a new section of the Catholic Church, the Catholic Diocese of Brentwood says. … Read more
There is a curious and creepy fact I have noticed. It runs through things like Heinrich Himmler’s secret address given in October 1943 to SS troops carrying out the mass murder of Jews: I also want to mention a very difficult subject before you here, completely openly. It should be discussed amongst us, and yet, … Read more
Over at his Sun Times blog, Roger Ebert has the latest in his ongoing obsession with the question of 3-D — an obsession that I share, since I seem to be in the business of collecting as many obsessions as possible. This particular time around, he posts a letter he recently received from the legendary … Read more
In case you’ve not been following it, the push to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide has renewed it efforts, and is being pushed on two fronts at the same time: Hawaii and Vermont. The Hawaii Death with Dignity Act (SB 803) was introduced on January 21, 2011 in the Hawaiian State Senate. A similar bill is expected to … Read more
Everywhere except in the field of jurisprudence, the reductio ad absurdum is accepted as a logical argument. The reductio always takes this form: If you can show that a certain premise leads to an absurd conclusion, then there is something radically wrong with the premise, and you then either have to reject the premise or at least … Read more
Big news today in episcopal appointments: Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon, has just been tapped as coadjutor bishop of Santa Rosa, California. According to Whispers in the Loggia, the current bishop of Santa Rosa, Bishop Daniel Walsh, will turn 73 in October, meaning that Bishop Vasa could be taking over the reins of the … Read more
Bill Donohue at the Catholic League has just issued a press release on a situation brewing at the U.S. Air Force Academy. On February 10, the USAFA will hold a National Prayer Luncheon. Lt. Gen. Michael C. Gould, the superintendent, invited Marine 1st Lt. Clebe McClary to speak. McClary is a decorated Vietnam War veteran … Read more
In his annual speech to the Roman Rota, the tribunal that handles annulments, Pope Benedict told priests they must do a better job preparing couples for marriage. The Associated Press reports that the pope said no one has the right to a church wedding and that every Catholic bride and groom should intend to live … Read more
The story about President Obama’s support for infanticide as an Illinois state senator came immediately to mind last week when a Philadelphia abortionist was arrested on eight counts of murder. One of the counts faced by Dr. Kermit Gosnell includes the death of a woman following an abortion at his office. The other seven were … Read more
This graphic novel is one of the best I’ve ever read. Firmly in the Lewis/Tolkien tradition, it posits an odd world full of anachronisms–like armored knights using swords and wearing jet boots. Though no individual panel is especially beautiful, the artist’s overall storytelling skills–how he moves the reader from one moment to another–are as good … Read more
Once in Athens I was nearly hit by a truck as I started to cross a street. I got back in time to read the legend lettered on its side. Metaphora. One is supposed to be struck by metaphors, of course, but this seemed too literal a way to go about it. The legend meant … Read more
Since Margaret stole my “cool, historical video” for her Free-for-All, I find myself forced to fall back on my #2 OpenCulture option: “Fantasmagorie,” thought (by some) to be the first fully-animated film. It was created in 1908 by Emile Cohl, “The Father of the Animated Cartoon.” [video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEAObel8yIE&feature=player_embedded#! 635×355]
What would you do if you were in the habit of eavesdropping on the most secret aspects of someone’s life, and you overheard something that was a matter of life and death? What should you do with this knowledge — knowledge that you have no right to possess, and which serves as a constant reminder … Read more
Politico columnist Michael Kinsley has a piece about the recent miracle attributed to Pope John Paul II. He questions whether the French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, really had Parkinson’s at all, and criticizes the Church’s position on embryonic stem cell research, which he believes has denied him his own miracle via science: Congratulations to Simon-Pierre. … Read more
Happy Friday morning! Just a few links to get the day started: “The Man Who Loved Women Too Much“: A profile of pro-life lawyer Harold Cassidy… in Mother Jones. The author clearly isn’t too keen on his position, but he seems to have at least a grudging respect for the man. The wild and wooly … Read more
(cross posted at my blog, I have to sit down) My heart sank when I saw this picture on Creative Minority Report: The NAACP hid a prominent statue of George Washington inside a wooden box during a MLK Day rally, offering the terminally lame excuse that the box would make a more suitable backdrop … Read more