this is a post to make the other post publish it will be replaced later tonight, once I have seen the X-Men movie. eta: I have seen it. Verdict: …sadly, no. Read more

THE WAY OF A MAN WITH A MAID: People seemed to be into my first report from the St Matthew’s Cathedral seminars on the theology of the body; so here are very brief reports from weeks three and four. (The next one is tomorrow! 10 AM, weird conference room you get to by walking down the driveway toward the parking lot, be there or be square!) …As before, all notes are highly speculative, and I welcome comment on any of... Read more

Talk about the blogwatch orHow the blogwatch used to be… Family Scholars: Lots of interesting posts today, including this very awesome post on rhetoric of purity vs. chastity. Relapsed Catholic: The folk-song army. Hee. Reminds me of the election night a bunch of rowdy Yaliens decked out the Morse College Hippie Dove Boys with signs reading “AuH2O” and “BROADS, BUICKS, AND BUCKLEY.” Good times, good times…. ShoeBlogs: …It is this latter fact which always makes the Manolo give thanks to... Read more

TWO LINKS: Hit & Run: Pennsylvania Pain Doctor Acquitted Yesterday a jury acquitted Erie, Pennsylvania, doctor Paul Heberle of overprescribing narcotics, rejecting 14 drug charges and 12 Medicaid fraud charges brought by Attorney General Tom Corbett. (Two other charges were dropped at the beginning of the trial.) The state’s investigation of Heberle began after one of his patients died of a fentanyl overdose; according to Heberle, the patient tore open a timed-release patch and swallowed a three-day supply all at... Read more

A BRIGHT COLD DAY IN APRIL: So I feel kind of dumb, but I just realized last night that the “Golden Country” in 1984 is the contrast to “the place where there is no darkness,” where Winston Smith and O’Brien meet. I think that contrast is part of what makes the book more than a political tract–something a little more uncanny, subtle, and lasting. (I note, too, that while I don’t remember Orwell writing about CS Lewis and I expect... Read more

US PRISON POPULATION AND THE DRUG WAR: The Agitator has the awful numbers here. My big prison-reform piece from 2003 is here. Read more

BUCKET O’ RANDOMNESS: Blogwatch, mailbag, and a couple quick-hit reviews. Rick Brookhiser impersonates various Founding Fathers on issues of our day. I expect this to be a lot of fun, just b/c Brookhiser’s biographies (I’ve read the ones on George Washington and Alexander Hamilton) were quick, incisive, purposeful, and great. Gimme Your Stuff: “Cultural exchange” via blog. Basically, if you are in Texas, and you crave products from your Australian upbringing, or you want to check out home comforts from... Read more

MODERN NATURE: Derek Jarman’s autobiographies. Which I’m re-reading for work-related reasons. What follows is even more scattered than most of my posts. LATE NIGHT, MAUDLIN STREET. A bit of background: Jarman seriously damaged my writing, when I was in high school. Admittedly, if he hadn’t done it someone else would have! But, for whatever reason, he was one of the people I tried to emulate. This is not recommended. When he died my best friend and I put up posters... Read more

THEOLOGICAL METAPHOR INVOLVING SHEEP AND SCANDAL… BUT IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!: …If we think of the actions of another as the sheep population of Scotland — and, really, how can we not? — then, for the vast majority of others, the one side of that one sheep corresponds to their actions visible to us. What they do that we don’t see is as unknown to us as the rest of the Scottish sheep are to the American family. (explanation) Read more

ELIZABETH MARQUARDT AT FAMILY SCHOLARS WRITES: I had the pleasure yesterday of having breakfast with Suzy Marta, founder and president of Rainbows. If you’ve spent much time learning about children of divorce you’ve definitely heard of Rainbows–it’s a really wonderful curriculum used by many schools and other organizations to help children around the time of their parents’ divorce. What I didn’t know is how far the program has reached (49 states and 13 nations) and how many kids it has... Read more