REASONS TO LOVE MONDAYS: Reading Fr. Tucker’s homily-blogs. …But notice that when we say the Creed, we don’t say “I believe in hell, in the fires of everlasting torment, and the punishment of sins.” None of that makes it into the Creed, even though we do believe in that. Rather, we say, “I believe in… the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” God’s justice is real, in other words, but it is His mercy that... Read more

FAMILY SCHOLARS has the usual smorgasbord of blogging goodness, centered on the technologies and legal battles that are reshaping our understanding of family (PDF). For example: what makes men feel like dads?; “I feel that I came into this world for the sake of my mother“; sometimes I feel like a fatherless embryo; and much more. Read more

MORE COMEDY FROM OXBLOG: WORLD TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN DANCE REMIX. There’s a lot of not-funny stuff up there now that’s also very much worth reading. Read more

TWO LINKS: Dear Tom DeLay, If you don’t have anything not completely insane and horrible to say, don’t say anything at all. ETA: OK, I thought about this more. 1. Anybody who’s been quoted by the press twice has probably been misquoted once. 2. More importantly, almost anyone who’s tried to comfort people in terrible circumstances has probably said at least one terrible, inappropriate, awful thing in a misguided attempt to help. (I know I’ve done that.) That fact doesn’t... Read more

IN CASE YOU NEED A LAUGH. Britain, the press, and bad jokes (with bonus inflatable teeth!); includes actual Tube announcements. Read more

BLOG/RELIEF: SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY FOR THE HOLY FOOL. Because he gave to Catholic Charities, and requested recommendations for five sci-fi/fantasy books he hadn’t read yet. I apologize in advance (which should be my motto!) that most of these will be repeat-recs, from my old Booklog blog. 1. Pat Cadigan, Mindplayers. A hard-boiled, episodic sci-fi novel about the future of identity. In a world where people buy and sell memories, personalities, even neuroses, how can we tell who we really are? Cadigan... Read more

BLOG/RELIEF: ALMOST ALL WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL. ALMOST ALL MEN ARE AVERAGE. And five more things I know but cannot prove, for Yurodivi and wife, who gave to a local food bank. 1. If you wear it long enough, any mask will sink into the skin. 2. Despair is pride: Look at me! I’m so extra-special, my situation is so sparklingly unique, that nothing can save me! …No, probably not. You are unlikely to be unprecedented. 3. When you don’t know... Read more

MORE LINKS. Marginal Revolution: “Ed Olsen at the University of Virginia, one of the country’s leading researchers on housing, sent me the following proposal to immediately expand HUD’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. It’s a brilliant proposal that needs attention at the highest levels of government. Pass it on.” (more) Via Jane Galt. Unqualified Offerings: Lots of thoughts on government, voluntarism, and blame. I agree with almost all of this. (My note yesterday, about not feeling competent to address... Read more

SOME LINKS. Must run. Will continue fulfilling post requests from people who donated to disaster relief (see here) tomorrow–fantasy/sci-fi, Iago, Five Things I Know But Cannot Prove, and anything else you all want. For now: Mark Shea is back! Assessing blame for the horror in the South, especially New Orleans, is not something I feel competent to do (which is why I haven’t posted on it). But Noli Irritare Leones has what looks like a really good round-up of links,... Read more

BLOG/RELIEF: CHILDREN’S BOOKS FOR GENE BRANAMAN. Gene’s second request (see below for the first one) was for “five children’s books you haven’t read (but you should!).” I did picture books for David Ross, below, so these are chapter books; and I found that I could not limit myself to five. So… there are more. This list doesn’t include all the really well-known great stuff–The Phantom Tollbooth (wow, I remember so much of this book–Faintly Macabre and “Silence is golden”! Dischord... Read more