Return to Rome

by Ryan T. Anderson

Readers of First Things will be interested in this book by FT-contributor Frank Beckwith: . . . . Continue Reading »

15 Jul 2008 0

Pro-Lifers in the NAACP

by Nathaniel Peters

Today in the Wall Street Journal William McGurn writes on the growing number of African-American pro-lifers, many of whom are alarmed at the disproportionate number of abortions in the black community: A fact sheet from the Guttmacher Institute puts it this way: “Black women are 4.8 times as . . . . Continue Reading »

15 Jul 2008 0

“The Catholic Guy”

by Nathaniel Peters

At the Papal Youth Rally back in April, my colleague Amanda Shaw and I managed to sneak into the press section. We dodged the Secret Service in part by being interviewed by some folks from Sirius Satellite Radio’s The Catholic Channel who were on hand to cover the event, and in part by their . . . . Continue Reading »

14 Jul 2008 0

Knowing Your Metaphors

by Joseph Bottum

Via the Wall Street Journal ‘s law blog comes this notice of a case involving a housing dispute in Chicago. I can’t decide the legal issues involved, which center on the question of whether or not the plaintiffs’ action is moot, but Judge Diane Wood’s dissent seems . . . . Continue Reading »

14 Jul 2008 0

Martian Chronicles, 4

by Joseph Bottum

In yesterday’s Washington Post , Michael Benson suggests sending the space station to orbit the moon—or even beyond. It’s easier than it looks, he argues, for, technically, the ISS is already an interplanetary vehicle. Well, maybe. I’d rather we concentrated our space . . . . Continue Reading »

14 Jul 2008 0

A Laboratory for Bad Ideas

by Joseph Bottum

Ezra Levant is the Canadian who, while he was publisher of the Western Standard , printed some of the Danish cartoons that depicted Muhammad—and then got hauled before the Canadian human-rights commissions, accused of crimes of insensitivity. (Levant’s case, along with that of the . . . . Continue Reading »

14 Jul 2008 0

The Martian Chronicles, 3

by Joseph Bottum

James Lileks—whose blog, with its calm voice recounting his day , is one of the treasures of the Web—has a column this week on the Star Tribune website about the anniversary of Skylab. Or, rather, the anniversary of the day Skylab fell from the sky, on July 11, 1979. Interestingly, even . . . . Continue Reading »

14 Jul 2008 0

We Shall Not Weary, We Shall Not Rest

by Joseph Bottum

“We shall not weary, we shall not rest,” Richard John Neuhaus proclaims, “until every human being created in the image and likeness of God is protected in law and cared for in life.” Everyone has read Fr. Neuhaus’ closing address at the annual convention of the National Right to Life . . . . Continue Reading »

13 Jul 2008 0

Great Dedications

by Joseph Bottum

I’ve always had a soft spot for Tom Holt, the British writer of comic fantasy novels. If you’ve never read him, give one of his books a try. Expecting Someone Taller , his recasting of the Siegfried saga, is a good place to start. I plucked a copy of his Here Comes the Sun off the shelf . . . . Continue Reading »

13 Jul 2008 0

The Martian Chronicles, 2

by Joseph Bottum

“Phoenix Mars Lander Sticks Fork in Martian Dirt” —add a knife and a spoon, and we’re ready to dine on Mars . . . . . Continue Reading »

13 Jul 2008 0