Alfie Patten, the 13-year-old boy who made a such a big, hand wringing splash in the UK by claiming to have fathered a child with his 15-year-old girlfriend—who was sleeping with a few other boys, as well—turned out not to be the father after all. From the story:DNA tests have revealed . . . . Continue Reading »
Wo es sich christelt, da judelt es sich auch, quipped Heinrich Heine. It translates roughly: where Christians do something, so do the Jews, but with onomatopoeiac allusions to tinkling bells and doodling bagpipes. Events this week proved Heine’s dictum twice over. The clever, worldly and . . . . Continue Reading »
Reading about President Obama’s controversial speech at Notre Dame reminded of how adept our president is at saying one thing while doing just the opposite. He was at the top of his game in his commencement address, assuring his listeners, for example, that he respects pro-life medical . . . . Continue Reading »
The nihilism unleashed by Nietzsche has caused more harm and suffering than can ever be measured. It turns out that much of the themes of anti-human exceptionalism we see today come right out of his playbook. For example, last week I criticized a University of Wisconsin professor named Deborah Blum . . . . Continue Reading »
That, I suppose, is the converse of “magnificently right,” J. M. Keynes famous headline about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Fox News reports:President Obama won’t put an “artificial deadline” on Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program but said Monday that the Islamic . . . . Continue Reading »
Fr. Khalil Samir S.J., an advisor to Pope Benedict XVI on Islam, writes today that the pope’s speech at Jordan’s University of Madaba was “really the key point of this pilgrimage.” Fr. Samir, who helped prepare the pope’s visit to Jordan, argues that “religion has . . . . Continue Reading »
Our family’s devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Accommodation long predates our reception into the Catholic Church. After moving to England, for example, with two children and some of our earthly belongings and bridges burned behind us and no place to live, and subsequently landing in the best . . . . Continue Reading »
Yusuf Islam, the folk musician known as Cat Stevens before he converted to Islam, was interviewed by CNN on the occasion of his first concert in Los Angeles in 33 years: CNN: Obama seems to be reaching out to people of all faiths around the world. Yusuf: I think a person like Obama has some kind of . . . . Continue Reading »
A poll has come out about the public’s attitudes toward organ donation that allegedly shows us as ignorant and unduly distrustful of the system. I think this requires a closer look. From the story “Lingering Myths Discourage Organ Donation”:Only 38% of licensed drivers have joined . . . . Continue Reading »
I can’t believe I’m having this conversation: I’m actually 100 percent positive that were Oprah on the Supreme Court she would do a good job. In a lot of ways, it’s just not that difficult a job. You need a reasonably intelligent, public-spirited individual who’s aware of . . . . Continue Reading »
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