Joe Carter

Want to the get into an elite college? Get good grades, score high on the SAT, and try not to be born an Asian American : SAT score aren’t everything. But they can tell some fascinating stories. Take 1,623, for instance. That’s the average score of Asian-Americans, a group that Daniel . . . . Continue Reading »

Did Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski get a job at L’ Osservatore Romano ? That seems to be the only explanation for the Holy See’s official newspaper including these works on their list of top ten rock and pop albums of all time: The Beatles’ “Revolver” Pink . . . . Continue Reading »

For centuries it was believed that the father of modern philosophy died of pneumonia. But a new book claims that Rene Descartes was murdered for having views similar to a Calvinist: According to Theodor Ebert, an academic at the University of Erlangen, Descartes died not through natural causes but . . . . Continue Reading »

Walter Russell Mead has a provocative article on the structural problems of the modern church : The Christian churches in the United States are in trouble for all the usual reasons — human sinfulness and selfishness, the temptations of life in an affluent society, doctrinal and moral . . . . Continue Reading »

Hushed tones may befit the library, but as Marcus Westbury argues , quiet isn’t alway necessary to enjoy the visual or performing arts: Art is often discussed in reverent tones , we invest in it, create daunting palaces for it. In the scale of reverence, it sits ever so slightly below death . . . . Continue Reading »

New studies reveal that heartbreak isn’t just a metaphor; although rare, people really can suffer (and die) from broken-heart syndrome : The mysterious malady mimics heart attacks, but appears to have little connection with coronary artery disease. Instead, it is typically triggered by acute . . . . Continue Reading »

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, asks dialogue partners if an ecumenical catechism might work: A Vatican official has floated the idea of a shared “ecumenical catechism” as one of the potential fruits of 40 years of dialogue among . . . . Continue Reading »

Slate ‘s Chris Wilson noticed a theme running through many of the poems published in The New Yorker : “With astounding frequency, they were about writing poetry.” I downloaded every poem on The New Yorker’s Web site—which came out to 316 specimens dating back to January . . . . Continue Reading »

Great movie quotes become part of our cultural vocabulary,” said American Film Institute director Jean Picker Firstenberg as he unveiled AFI’S 100 Years . . . 100 Movie Quotes: America’s Greatest Quips, Comebacks and Catchphrases. The AFI list is as comprehensive as it is dull; a mix of the . . . . Continue Reading »

Several years ago it was mildly amusing when people would joke about heavy snowfall refuting global warming. Now the bit is just stale—and I’m starting to wonder if people really believe there is a direct connection between individual storms and changing climate patterns. For those who . . . . Continue Reading »