Good news for drinkers: A longterm study of alcohol consumption and mortality rates was just published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, and the results were surprising: The tightly controlled study, which looked at individuals between ages 55 and 65, spanned a 20-year period and accounted for variables ranging from socioeconomic status to level of … Read more
Last month, I blogged about a New York magazine article on the “little-discussed consequences of the Pill”: namely, that after years on birth control to avoid pregnancy, many women were finding it difficult to become pregnant later in life. In his most recent New York Times column, Ross Douthat says that the tension “between the … Read more
As I make my weekly trek to Tampa International Airport, I merge onto I-275N in St. Petersburg and pass one of the largest homeless shelters in the area. Actually, “shelter” is overstated; it’s really an underpass supported by Catholic Charities, several community and church organizations, and individual volunteers. Because it gets a lot of traffic … Read more
Smart phones scare me. I’ve never much enjoyed the prospect of having a device that is more intelligent than I am, and there’s the whole “irritating ringtone” issue to be taken into consideration, as well. But now, “thanks” to /Film’s link to LG of UK’s website, I might be forced to reconsider: Exciting news today … Read more
In July and August of 1939, just before World War II began, Msgr. Ronald Knox gave five sermons on the “Our Father” — my edition of his Pastoral Sermons does not indicate where, probably at Oxford. Some 60 years later, Pope John Paul II asked us to devote the final year of the 20th century … Read more
John Allen has the scoop: According to a report by veteran Italian Vatican writer Andrea Tornielli, a miracle attributed to the late Pope John Paul II has been approved by both the medical and theological consulters of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. In effect, that clears the path for the beatification of John … Read more
The Independent has a story about one mom’s decision to bar the use of technology in her family’s house for six months. Susan Maushart was becoming anxious about the amount of her time her three children spent transfixed by technology. Her son was hooked on his gaming console, one daughter was addicted to social networking … Read more
“You’re nuts.” That’s what a man with 11 children, 15 grandchildren, and a successful legal practice told me after the middle sister of my two foster children was welcomed into our home on Christmas Eve. Of course, he said it in jest (I think). His comment wasn’t about accepting children that weren’t mine into my … Read more
Professional historians have long known that the “Dark Ages” — roughly, the period between 500 to 1000 — was not a time of ignorance or superstition, but involved a range of scientific, economic, and cultural advances. For that reason, it’s always nice to see a work of popular history set the record straight, as Nancy … Read more
Some years back, I was privileged to hear a tape of some original music recorded by several friends of mine. Singing on the tape were four women with well-trained voices and an astonishing gift for harmony. And though it was done on a shoestring (the whole thing was put together in someone’s basement), the music … Read more
I was just told about www.spokeo.com, a new “white pages” service costing (I believe) $2.95 annually. For free, I accessed my own name, approx. age, address, map location, house photo, phone number, and family members’ names (two of them, anyway), as well as how long I’ve lived in my house. If I were to pay the … Read more
Some years ago I heard a young man — actually, he was a teenager at that time — remark that he wanted to be “open to all experience.” I am pretty sure that I know what he meant. He was an intelligent fellow and eager to distinguish himself from people whose minds were, he felt, … Read more
In the wake of the suicide bombing at a Coptic Christian Church in Egypt on New Year’s Day, which killed 21 people and wounded almost a hundred more, Pope Benedict has called for a second gathering of world religious leaders in Assisi this October to mark the 25th anniversary of the first “World Day of … Read more
A few years ago when Crisis was still in print, Eric Pavlat wrote a disturbing cover story on the burgeoning transhumanist movement. At the time, the subject was still new to most of our readers; some even wondered if Eric wasn’t exaggerating the dangers. Unfortunately for us, time has proven him right. Not only has … Read more
I knew that leprosy still existed in parts of Africa and India, but had no idea there were so many people living with it in China. According to Brian Palmer of Slate, the government no longer forces people with leprosy into isolation, but many small colonies remain: China has pledged to improve living conditions for … Read more
The plan of House Republicans to read the Constitution aloud on January 6, the second day of the 112th Congress, has provoked jeering from the liberal media. Yet in the midst of the jeers came a revealing comment from Washington Post columnist and blogger Ezra Klein in an appearance on MSNBC’s Daily Rundown: The issue … Read more
Like the comic, I still think of Epiphany as January 6. And yes, to me, the words “Ascension” and “Thursday” go together. (Pretty funny, given that not only was I born after Vatican II, but I didn’t even come into the Church until 1996!) I was just marveling earlier today that I perhaps am a … Read more
We’ve gone through a ringer of a year in 2010. What might the next twelve months bring? We asked our regular columnists and writers to make a prediction and share a hope for 2011. Here’s what they gave us… ♦      ♦      ♦ Rev. George W. Rutler I … Read more
For Catholic convert Amy Bonaccorso, the path to marriage wasn’t an easy one. After running the gauntlet of the modern dating scene, she finally found her husband… but not before having several preconceptions about dating and marriage shattered along the way. Noticing that there was little in the way of practical guidance for modern, devout … Read more
S.E. Cupp has a message in her New York Daily Post column for members of the New Atheist movement: This New Year, try some humility. Cupp says people like Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Bill Maher are “mean-spirited, radically unenlightened and uninterested in learning something new:” Though more than 95% of the world finds some … Read more