Eve Tushnet
It’s okay, but it’s no Less Than Zero. (…Has that sentence ever been said before?) Here’s a very fun interview w/Jerry Stahl though. Read more
It’s okay, but it’s no Less Than Zero. (…Has that sentence ever been said before?) Here’s a very fun interview w/Jerry Stahl though. Read more
So the answer key for Leah’s “Ideological Turing Test” has been revealed! Go there and click around. This is a thing where atheists and Christians attempt to answer questions both from their own POV/beliefs and from the “other side.” The stated objective, per Leah, is to give “a nice way to see how well both sides understand how the other team thinks.” Participating was a fascinating experience… and I really dislike both of my answers, Catholic and atheist, although for... Read more
yet again this year! I was too distracted to re-post this piece, which I still think is one of my better Gay Catholic Whatnot pieces, but I will post it belatedly now. Read more
I review a play, at AmCon. Read more
by the invaluable Maia Szalavitz: Indeed, the data on recovery reveal that many people don’t actually quit when their problem is at its worst because intense stress itself is a strong predictor of ongoing addiction and relapse. Hope and a sense of possibility—in other words, moments of renewal rather than fear—bring change at least as often, and possibly more frequently. more Read more
Leaks that favor the president are shoveled out regardless of national security, while national security is twisted to pummel leaks that do not favor him. more edited to add: A reader points out that some of these leaks may be, essentially, underlings bragging, rather than any kind of Obama-coordinated leak campaign. That’s fair, and definitely we tend to assume more knowledge and control on the part of the President (or the head of any organization) than is realistic, but I... Read more
writes something really worth your time: My first child was conceived out of wedlock. I was, at the time, not only unmarried but also a crystal meth addict. I was not Catholic but some strange combination of agnostic/lapsed Protestant; my boyfriend and the father of my child was a Catholic. Obviously neither he nor I were living virtuous lives at the time, but the reality of a child on the way forced us to try and straighten ourselves out. We... Read more
The Russian name for this book is A Modern Paterikon, ie a collection of moral tales about church fathers. The fathers in this tale are not always precisely moral (one is a cannibal), and it’s on the irreverent side. But there’s something sweet about the way it teases priests. As Sergey Chuprynin wrote in the introduction, “The most important thing is that hers is a labor of love. It brims with the tenderness and compassion that we reserve for family... Read more
my children’s-book column for Acculturated: I don’t know why anyone would ever want to rule a fantasy kingdom, or become an evil wizard, when you have to deal with countless irksome children giving you backchat. It seems that almost every kids’ fantasy written nowadays has a “spunky” hero or heroine: kids who speak their mind or talk back to their elders, even when sass is clearly not the wisest move. These kids’ mentors constantly praise them for their bravery, but... Read more
my post on Ray Bradbury (actually just about Something Wicked This Way Comes) at Acculturated. Read more
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