Long before the current turmoil in Iran, a woman was stoned by the members of her village for adultery that she did not commit. Such occurrences are common in the Islamic world today, but this one was documented by expatriate Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam and broadcast across the world in . . . . Continue Reading »
Stories like this continue to mount in the UK, and are a warning to us of the growing utilitarian, quality of life/cost-benefit bent in health care. A stroke patient, it is charged, was almost neglected to death—if not worse—at a UK hospital. From the story:John MacGillivray, . . . . Continue Reading »
That is the title of my recently published review of Kerry Kennedy’s Being Catholic Now . Here’s an excerpt from the review that appeared in the June 2009 issue of The Catholic World Report . As if to provide a definitive example of the lack of serious intellectual curiosity about the . . . . Continue Reading »
Fascinating examination of Thomas Kinkade, Joe . I was unaware of (and impressed with) his earlier workwhich of course prompts the question: what happened? This “60 Minutes” interview/profile of Kincade is quite revealing, as an artist seduced by mammon : “There’s over . . . . Continue Reading »
Our local Sunday paper consists of about eleven pages, excluding classified ads, at least four of which are devoted to “Church News.” Not that “Church News” is all that’s happening in our town by any means: we also have blackberry growers, flash floods, high-speed car . . . . Continue Reading »
Reminiscent of Orwell, or perhaps Terry Gillian’s Brazil : Upon learning of his son’s death, the elder Mr. Alipour was told the family had to pay an equivalent of $3,000 as a “bullet fee” a fee for the bullet used by security forcesbefore taking the body back, . . . . Continue Reading »
“How did Christian art go from Rembrandt to Kinkade?” I asked, knowing full well any criticism of Thomas Kinkade, the self-proclaimed (and trademarked) Painter of Light, would lead to howls of protest. Kinkade is, as his website proclaims, America’s most . . . . Continue Reading »
An abridged version of a much longer interview I gave to the Italian paper Avvenire about the Eluana Englaro and Terri Schiavo cases appeared the other day. (Hit this link for the English translation and commentary about the interview by Bruce Chapman, head of the Discovery Institute.) . . . . Continue Reading »
We can’t let this day end without mentioning that it is the feast day of St. Thomas More. The following is from the website of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Austin, Texas : He was, of course, a man for all seasons . . . . . . a classical scholar, a humanist, a statesman, a politician, a man . . . . Continue Reading »