Joseph Bottum

One loves the work of Ruth Wisse and honors her for her long labors in trying to maintain scholarly seriousness in an American academy that, during her lifetime, seemed in many ways to have turned against itself. In a new essay on the decline of the language, however, she makes the case for the . . . . Continue Reading »

One loves the work of Ruth Wisse and honors her for her long labors in trying to maintain scholarly seriousness in an American academy that, during her lifetime, seemed in many ways to have turned against itself… . Continue Reading »

I am convinced that, even after the special election in Massachusetts, the Democrats have no idea how big the tidal wave will be in November. The Republicans need ten seats to take the Senate, and thirteen are in play . Maybe more. A tsunami is about to hit the incumbents. Of course, the . . . . Continue Reading »

Big news—just heard though the grapevine: Baylor University will announce later today that Kenneth Starr is taking over as the school’s new president. . . . . Continue Reading »

On this snowbound east-coast day, everybody and her brother is linking to a page of old Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, which gathers all the snowman strips from that great cartoon series. And why not? “It’s a sordid story.” . . . . Continue Reading »

During Georgetown’s game against Providence this week, at 7:24 in the second half, Austin Freeman was called for a foul, leaping out against a three-point shot by Vincent Council. And, on the television broadcast, the announcer Len Elmore—normally very good—did a little of sports . . . . Continue Reading »

My remembrance of Ralph McInerny , in the Weekly Standard (sub req.) When Ralph McInerny landed back in the United States and cashed his GI check, a civilian again, the first thing he did was run to a bookstore to buy a copy of Lord Weary’s Castle , Robert Lowell’s new collection of . . . . Continue Reading »

If we must have attack ads in American politics, should they look like this? This is either the greatest thing ever done, or the worst. Both, maybe. A jaw-dropping production, but you have to love the red eyes of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. (via National Review ) . . . . Continue Reading »

Listening to some rockabilly last night, I dug up on YouTube one of Elvis’ performances, a rendition of “Trying to Get to You.” There’s a feeling one has, from time to time, that might be phrased, “How come X got to be X?” How come Dickens got to be Dickens, the . . . . Continue Reading »

Perhaps I saw Fritz Lang’s 1931 film M at a far too impressionable age, but was Peter Lorre ever better than in this role as a child murderer? After he came to America, Hollywood never quite figured out what to do with him—they knew he was impossibly talented, but he was always cast as . . . . Continue Reading »