Well, almost personal. I never tortured anyone except some unfortunate members of a concert audience who had to hear me play the piano on an off-night. But my family did. Apropos of my First Things essay this morning on torture, it seems worth mentioning a not-so-hypothetical case.Two of my . . . . Continue Reading »
I have oft asserted that the embryonic stem cell debate is not the far end of the instrumental use of unborn humans, but the launching pad. Once the principle is established that early embryos can be used as a natural resource, it won’t be long until gestated nascent human life is also . . . . Continue Reading »
Something to lift Rod out of his necrosexual funk : urban chickens have hit Drudge . . . . . Continue Reading »
At Public Discourse Mary Graw Leary provides a guide for responding to “sexting,” when children take and send sexually explicit pictures of themselves. A sample: Before there can be any intelligent discussion about self-produced child pornography, there must be a common understanding of . . . . Continue Reading »
A tattooed man plans to donate his skin to the Australian National Gallery when he dies. From the story: An Australian man whose body is covered in tattoos has pledged to donate his skin to the National Gallery when he dies. Retired teacher Geoff Ostling displays his tattooed skin at his home in . . . . Continue Reading »
When science becomes ideology or quasi-religion, it ceases to be science and becomes something else. The brilliant political analyst Michael Barone has weighed in on this concern in a new column (which also deals with gun control, beyond our scope here). He notes that despite the constant . . . . Continue Reading »
Sounds good to me : Vauban, Germany—Residents of this upscale community are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: they have given up their cars. Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new . . . . Continue Reading »
From the Jerusalem Post : A leading Palestinian cleric commandeered an evening devoted to interfaith dialogue with Pope Benedict XVI on Monday to rant against Israel for “killing Gaza’s children,” “bulldozing Palestinian homes” and “destroying mosques.” In . . . . Continue Reading »
This gets a bit complicated: In mice, scientists used adult stem cells to prevent embryonic stem cells used to treat spinal cord injury from forming tumors. From the story:Transplanted embryonic stem cells are recognized as a potential treatment for patients suffering from the effects of spinal cord . . . . Continue Reading »
Last week I mentioned Br. Lawrence Lew’s multi-part essay on the theology and metaphysics behind Gothic cathedrals. By now parts 2 , 3 , and 4 are all up, so have a look if you’re interested. . . . . Continue Reading »
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