Joe Carter
On behalf of my fellow Texans and my fellow Baptists, I’d like apologize for the following video. Now I know how Italians from New Jersey feel. (Via: Byzantine, TX) Read more
On behalf of my fellow Texans and my fellow Baptists, I’d like apologize for the following video. Now I know how Italians from New Jersey feel. (Via: Byzantine, TX) Read more
“Great movie quotes become part of our cultural vocabulary,” said American Film Institute director Jean Picker Firstenberg as he unveiled AFI’S 100 Years…100 Movie Quotes: America’s Greatest Quips, Comebacks and Catchphrases. The AFI list is as comprehensive as it is dull; a mix of the classic (“Here’s looking at you, kid.”), the banal (“I feel the need—the need for speed!”), and the downright silly (“Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”). Left off of the list were many of the enduring... Read more
From the “Things That Go Great Together” file, the hosts of ESPN NFL Kickoff combine two of America’s greatest achievements—NFL football and The Princess Bride. (Via: Kottke) Read more
While there are many variations of post-election hand-wringing, one of the most common is tailoring a hairshirt to be worn by the Those Other People Who Are to Blame For Our Failure. Such lamentations are always tedious, but sometimes they reach a level of clichéd cluelessness that it makes them noteworthy. A prime example is an op-ed yesterday by Sarah Westwood in the Wall Street Journal. Ms. Westwood is still a few months away from being a sophomore at George... Read more
When it comes to invading foreign lands, no one does it better than the British: Every schoolboy used to know that at the height of the empire, almost a quarter of the atlas was coloured pink, showing the extent of British rule. But that oft recited fact dramatically understates the remarkable global reach achieved by this country. A new study has found that at various times the British have invaded almost 90 per cent of the countries around the globe.... Read more
[Note: This is my annual post in honor of the Marine Corps birthday.] Today marks the 237th birthday of the finest fighting force in the history of the world. The Marine Corps Birthday makes me nostalgic for the good ol‚ . . . well, maybe good is too strong a word. In fact, I can’t say that I miss being on active duty; but I do miss being with my fellow Marines. To give you an idea of what the... Read more
In honor of the Marine Corps’ 237th Birthday, here’s an old Corps favorite on how to act in a gunfight: 1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns. 2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive. 3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss. 4. If your shooting stance is good, you’re probably not moving fast enough... Read more
Leon Kass and Amy Kass have put together a new civics curriculum “The American Calendar” which “explores the purpose and meaning of our civic holidays, showing how their repeated celebration helps unite and identify us as a people and attaches us to our country.” I was honored to have an essay I wrote for First Things, “What a Veteran Knows“, included in the anthology. (Please excuse the shameless self-promotion, but I suspect this is the only time my name will... Read more
One hundred years ago the average American workweek was over 60 hours; today it’s under 35. One hundred years ago 6% of manufacturing workers took vacations; today it’s over 90%. One hundred years ago the average housekeeper spent 12 hours a day on laundry, cooking, cleaning and sewing; today it’s about three hours. —Steven Landsburg Read more
“That movie was totally overrated. Now if you want to see a really worthwhile flick you should see . . . ” Because self-serious film buffs (like me) say this type of thing all the time so I thought it would be a worthwhile exercise to actually list 55 of the most overrated and 55 of the most underrated films of all time (and by “all time” I mean, that I’ve seen and can remember). For today’s argument we’ll consider an overrated... Read more
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