with Mariologist Manfred Hauke on Medugorje. I learned a lot about Medugorje (and its more zealous partisans) last month when I made the mistake taking brief notice of the little hoohah that erupted after Cdl. Schonborn’s injudicious visit. I’m not one who spends too much time fretting about apparitions whether false (as I am now persuaded Medugorje is) or approved. I’ve found Betania to be helpful, but that’s about it. And since I’m not super interested in such things, I... Read more

The notion that the State should take it upon itself to go around assassinating Americans suspected of helping terrorists is crazy beyond telling, but (judging by the bedwetting panic of the torture supporters who are ready to sell themselves to a Caesar who tortures those he suspects if only he promises to keep their cowardly skins safe), I have little doubt that the cowards animating the Thing That Used to Be Conservatism will provide the same justifications for this as... Read more

Any film that puts “Good riddance to the vindictive bugger” on the lips of a Victorian speaking about God is agitprop, not film. The Victorian period produced atheists, to be sure. But the sort of athiests it produced were people who broke the Commandments but strictly observed the Conventions. They laid the intellectual foundations for 20th century genocide and slaughter, but they did it with impeccable Anglican courtesy and the air of scientific coolness: At some future period, not very... Read more

“Spray-on liquid glass is about to revolutionize almost everything” Nanoparticles of liquid glass sprayed on seeds and plants…why doesn’t that sound like a good idea? Read more

They forgot the standard ending: “Whether this segment was funny remains to be seen. Till then, life goes on.” Read more

Wow! I’m gone for two weeks and the minions just keep on piling up! So much cringing sycophancy, so little time! Well, I’m happy to be back! After enjoying the Aussie summer (lovely days punctuated by drenching rains like something out of the Old Testament) and, even more, the wonderful people of Australia, I’m happy to be home, savoring the goodness of the fambly. Sorry I’ve been so quiety while I was Down Under. However, I have a worthy excuse:... Read more

As 58 percent of Americans embrace torture as the Strategy of Choice for saving their skins from somebody who might possibly (they suspect) be up to no good (you know, like Maher Arar) and scrapping a thousand years of civilization for illusory short term gains in in physical safety, Glenn Greenwald notes how The Thing that Used to be Conservatism has already radicalized itself so much that it is light years away from the guy it constantly hails as the... Read more

G’day! I’m writing you from Tuesday, February 2, to let you know that the future is fine! We in Australia scout out tomorrow so that you guys in the US will have an idea of what to anticipate. Turns out the world will not be ending on February 1 (cuz it’s already tomorrow here). So that’s a relief and you can all breathe easier. Yesterday began my running around Sydney (fun fact: “Sydney” is actually a contraction of “Sainte Denis”:... Read more

Wouldn’t you know it? What rotten luck! But then again, what an opportunity for talking about the Catholic faith! Read more

I am safely ensconced Down Under after what turned out to be a remarkably pleasant trans-Pacific flight. I left Thursday evening (after some mushy kissy exchanges with Jan at the airport), flew to San Francisco, and then on to Sydney. It’s 14 hours, so I brought The Lord of the Rings and my laptop to beguile the time. But to my astonishment, I was actually able to sleep two four hour shifts, so I got off the plane (“pline” as... Read more