December 28, 2009

Defenders of the climate scientists whose embarrassing e-mails have cast doubt on their work are saying that the messages are taken out of context. Well, Steven F. Hayward supplies the context in a fascinating article on the whole fiasco and what it means. Basically, the

December 25, 2009

Today we will have no political arguments, theological debates, cultural lamentations, snide remarks, or forensic reconstructions. Just reveling in the fact that Christ the Savior is born. So Christmas greetings to all of you readers. I appreciate that we have so many different opinions. That

December 24, 2009

In the ancient world, the end of the day was when the sun went down. The night time counted as the beginning of the next day. This is the Biblical reckoning: “The evening and the morning were the first day.” To this day, Jews begin

December 24, 2009

Archaeologists have excavated a house in Nazareth from the time of Jesus. The story about it gives details about the tiny village in which Jesus grew up: Days before Christmas, archeologists on Monday unveiled what they said were the remains of the first dwelling in

December 24, 2009

Santa is a bad role model for children and needs to lose weight, according to a wide-spread sentiment that has even reached the professional Santa community. A sample: As the obesity epidemic has swollen, some public health experts have cast an increasingly critical eye on

December 24, 2009

Anthony Carter quotes a book quoting Luther on what Mary was doing when the angel appeared to her (Luke 1:26-33): Quite possibly Mary was doing the housework when the angel Gabriel came to her.  Angels prefer to come to people as they are fulfilling their

December 23, 2009

Lake Woebegone sage Garrison Keillor has stirred things up with a column entitled Nonbelievers, please leave Christmas alone. An excerpt: You can blame Ralph Waldo Emerson for the brazen foolishness of the elite. He preached here at the First Church of Cambridge, a Unitarian outfit

December 23, 2009

Forensics experts have reconstructed the faces of other historical figures, just as they did St. Nicholas (see yesterday’s post), based on study of their skulls. Here is Copernicus: Here is Pharoah Tutankhamun: Here is possibly Phillip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s one-eyed father (though

December 23, 2009

It wasn’t just Ben Nelson who sold his vote for the Health Care bill. Senator after Senator did. Dana Milibank reports: Formally, it is known as H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But this week, it has acquired an unhelpful nickname: “Cash

December 23, 2009

The Copenhagen summit called by the United Nations to put together a global response to global warming ended without an agreement. BBC asks Why did Copenhagen fail to deliver a climate deal? and goes on to propose some answers: The summit failed to deliver a


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