Do you drink enough water throughout the day? The recommended 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s easy to remember. Earlier this month, a water campaign was launched, under Mrs. Obama’s guidance, called Drink Up. But will it help you drink the water you need? Here’s an article asking some basic questions of the campaign’s potential impact and overall message. Read more

Ross Douthat, complementing recents posts from us and Russell Moore, provides a broader sociological perspective regarding the pope’s alleged moderating tendencies. In Western religions, liberal elements have withered while conservative congregations have continued to grow. The confessional middle, as we might call it, simply doesn’t hold. In an increasingly secular world, accommodative theologies are just pointless. Might as well join UNICEF or the United Way or the ACLU if your church is acting just like them. Douthat, himself a Roman Catholic, doubts that... Read more

The New York Times reports how a new study published in the journal Science found participants who read literary fiction scored better on empathy tests than participants who only read non-fiction, popular fiction, or nothing at all. It seems reading Dostoyevsky and Proust can help you understand the minds of others better than, say, Stephenie Meyer or Dan Brown. Who’da thunk? Read more