Afternoon Links — 10.22.10

Wilfred McClay (a member of First Things editorial board) examines the “remarkably common trope of presidents — especially presidents on the left” that whatever cause they want to pursue is “the moral equivalent of war” (a phrase attributed to William James).

The contraceptive pill makes women more jealous , possibly to the extent of threatening their relationship, according to a study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences . Other studies show that “the Pill makes women broody and that its hormones suppress interest in masculine men—making boyish males seem more attractive.”

Belva Plain, who became a best-selling novelist at the age of 59, has died .  ”I got sick of reading the same old story, told by Jewish writers, of the same old stereotypes—the possessive mothers, the worn-out fathers, all the rest of the neurotic rebellious unhappy self-hating tribe,” she said. “I wanted to write a different novel about Jews—and a truer one.”

Among the more gruesome stories: Germany’s “Dr. Death,” the creator of the Body World’s exhibitions in which preserved human corpses are posed — some at a Berlin show were shown having sex — is now selling the corpses online for about $100,000 each.

And among the odder stories: A hotel chain lists the weirdest things guests have asked for in the last year (“baby grows” seem to be the one piece infant suits that snap at the bottom); scientists discover a gene that makes people get drunk faster than others; more affluent people have more of a hormone that helps them live longer ; and a Lithuanian businessman is creating an holiday resort in the Maldives, plus an airline and yacht service,  staffed entirely by blondes .

And among the more disconcerting stories: a Pentecostal church in Salem, Massachusetts, that e vangelizes the people there for the witchcraft by offering free dream interpretation. The witches themselves say they don’t want to convert anyone but “encourage people to embrace witchcraft and their own belief system,” as one put it.

And finally, a publication that may be of interest to some: The Distributist Review . And fyi, the editor is speaking about his book Toward a Truly Free Market: A Distributist Perspective at the University Church of St. Joseph (371 Sixth Avenue in New York) on Sunday at 2:00.