Zachary M. Seward in Nieman Journalism Lab : If The New York Times ever strikes you as an abstruse glut of antediluvian perorations, if the newspapers profligacy of neologisms and shibboleths ever set off apoplectic paroxysms in you, if it all seems a bit recondite, heres a reason to be . . . . Continue Reading »
The shooting at the Holocaust Museum yesterday has had the predictable but still unfortunate result of launching another discussion about the rise of right-wing extremism. In my opinion, James von Brunn’s madness does not lend itself to easy classification. He is, it seems, a bitter misanthrope . . . . Continue Reading »
To my surprise (and to their credit) the Washington Post has given a platform to John West, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, to discuss why ” Darwin’s theory poses such a challenge to faith “: The real sticking point is Darwin’s claim that all of lifehuman . . . . Continue Reading »
The old Cole Porter song goes: Have you heard? It’s in the stars Next July we collide with Mars Well, did you evah? What a swell party this is! Well, it won’t happen next Julyso far as anyone knowsbut a study in the journal Nature suggests such a collision might well occur . . . . Continue Reading »
Youve all seen the news about Walter and Gwendolyn Myers, arrested as spies for Cuba , right? Well, if this interesting report by Clarice Feldman is accurate , the Myers were recruited by a Cuban agent in 1979. At the time, Walter was apparently unemployed, while his wife was working for the . . . . Continue Reading »
As we move into health care reform, the issue of health care rationing is coming to the fore. Instituting Futile Care Theory—the putative right of a doctor to refuse wanted life-sustaining treatment based on his or her values as to the quality of the patient’s life—is the opening . . . . Continue Reading »
The Journal of Critical Care Medicine, has long supported Futile Care Theory—the putative right of doctors to refuse wanted life-sustaining treatment based on their values as to the quality of the patient’s life. This imposition is justified as being beneficial to the patient—even . . . . Continue Reading »
A friend told me about Fr. Apostolos Hill, a Greek Orthodox priest in Denver who has recorded three CDs of Byzantine chant. Fr. Hill’s clear voice rings out with little adornment and solemn passion, and in his American vibratto I think I can hear a hint of evangelical background (but I could . . . . Continue Reading »
Well, apart from its technical definition , a mindclone is (1) an example of the sort of religion created by worshipers of technology and (2) more evidence of our society’s prevalent mind/body dualism: A mindclone is a software version of your mind. He or she is all of your thoughts, . . . . Continue Reading »
Paying for what you spend is basic common sense. Perhaps thats why, here in Washington, its been so elusive So stated Obama, new champion of fiscal responsibility, with commentary in The Economist article, Seeing Red . But what are the numbers? Bad as the deficit was under . . . . Continue Reading »