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Bl. John Henry Newman

The exciting news of the the day does not come from Pennsylvania, but from Rome, where it was announced that John Henry Cardinal Newman will be beatified. A leader of the Oxford Movement, a catholic reform movement in the Anglican Church, Newman later converted to Catholicism and founded the . . . . Continue Reading »

Aramaic Hanging On

In October, I wrote about dying languages—languages whose use is declining—and why they are worth saving. In today’s New York Times , there was a small article on Syrian villages where Aramaic, the language probably spoken by Jesus, is still used, but by increasingly fewer people. . . . . Continue Reading »

The Pope and Immigration

A sensible word from the Wall Street Journal on the Pope and how his celebration of immigration is the right and Christian thing to do, in contrast to virulent rumblings from the some corners of the American political scene: “You know the restrictionists have gone head-first into the fever . . . . Continue Reading »

The Blind Can See

As I keep saying, most biotechnology is not controversial. This is amazing: Scientists have restored site with a bionic eye. From the story:Surgeons have carried out the first operations in Britain using a pioneering “bionic eye” that could in future help to restore blind people’s . . . . Continue Reading »

N.T. Wright Is in the House

Arguably the most literate, witty, and truly “adult” Britcom ever broadcast was Yes, Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister . Like any good satire, it skewered both right and left, as this ongoing saga of British political hijinks is told from a bureaucrat’s point of view, . . . . Continue Reading »

PETA Contest for "In Vitro" Meat

Oh brother: PETA claims to be about ending all human use of animals, but its first priority is grabbing attention. The newest gimmick is a contest that will award $1 million to the scientist who first develops in vitro meat that can be sold to the public in place of steak or bacon. From the . . . . Continue Reading »

Just Can’t Seem to Get Hep

Last week Jonathan Last pointed to an article on Church music in the Washington Post . It’s a great find, all about the generational change from the older Catholics to the new. The ” Swallows of Capistrano ” are what I’ve come to call this younger generation of Catholics, . . . . Continue Reading »

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