Joseph Bottum

In the news today, Damian Thompson reports on the “tired, trendy, dated music” now being scheduled for the papal Mass in Coventry during the pope’s visit to England this fall—including “One of the most hideous of all folk hymns, ‘Make Me a Channel of Your . . . . Continue Reading »

The archbishop of Canterbury speaks about the founder of his church: “If Henry VIII is saved (an open question perhaps) it will be at the prayers of John Houghton.” Rather a change, eh? . . . . Continue Reading »

From my inbox, a press release about a new book: Everyone loves to wonder ‘what if,’ but it took one very creative writer to take it to the next level and imagine what would happen if a modern-day Jesus became a judge on a famous TV talent show a ‘sacred’ Simon Cowell! Please . . . . Continue Reading »

From the Language Log blog , a note of a story much-reported on the web the past few days: Richard Smith, a 41-year-old care worker in Carlisle, England, did not think his name did justice to the exciting person that he actually was, so he changed his name by deed poll. The new name he chose was . . . . Continue Reading »

What’s a blog for if you can’t sometimes indulge yourself? Sam Frank, the son of two of my close friends from college ends his sophomore year at St John’s on their nationally ranked croquet team. Croquet Weekend - 4.17.10 from Noah on Vimeo . Um, I know. It’s only croquet . . . . Continue Reading »

This issue marks, as you may have already noticed, the redesigned layout of First Things. The blame for all this belongs solely to me, the editor, for I’m the one who decided that the old layout had grown tired and stale. There has been, over the twenty years of the journal’s history, something self-assured and unapologetic about the purity of the unaesthetic presentation”a declaration that text is what matters and visual frills are a weakness for others to indulge… . Continue Reading »

A.O. Scott reviews the new Robin Hood movie for New York Times . Not a bad review, really, but then there was this, in passing: The anti-French animus of “Robin Hood” is amusingly over the top—the French monarch is first glimpsed slurping oysters—but also perhaps a little . . . . Continue Reading »

“I just got back from” the Department of Motor Vehicles, writes Daniel Foster on the National Review website, “and hereby renounce my conservatism, in favor of revolutionary anarchism.” Been there, done that. Sometimes, the urge to burn it all down is awfully hard to resist. . . . . Continue Reading »

Mark Bauerlein notes a Steve Chatman’s study , which seems to show that students majoring in ethnic studies tend to have a less-diverse—ah, that word!—college experience, interacting less often than do, say, math majors, with students of other ethnic backgrounds. What’s more, . . . . Continue Reading »

“It’s a calling,” declares the press release in my email inbox. Ask anyone who works in the healthcare profession and they will likely tell you that their work is born from a desire to help people, to nurture the sick, to heal the ailing. Caregiving is not for the faint of heart; . . . . Continue Reading »