The Anchoress
I honestly don’t remember who sent this to me. Love it. Very smart. Read more
I honestly don’t remember who sent this to me. Love it. Very smart. Read more
First I get an email from Julie Davis wondering if I am going to rise to her reading challenge. I wanted to say “no” because I found her list daunting. But then I thought, “hey, wait, I shouldn’t be intimidated! I actually just re-read The Brothers Karamazov, last year, in this terrific translation! And I’m actually, slowly, reading Saint Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life, this year. And last week I began this marvelous, beautifully wrought translation (Maria... Read more
Reading the always-terrific John Allen the other day, I found myself miffed at the notion that some Vatican-watchers think our hard-working Benedict XVI is not engaged enough — is in fact, a “part-time Pope”. At the end of John Paul’s reign, Politi writes, the papacy was widely understood to play these unique roles: “Respected interlocutor of the religions of the world, beginning with the other two great monotheisms: Judaism and Islam.” “Spokesperson for human rights, beyond geographic, political, religious and... Read more
Most wonderful news! The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorised the promulgation of decrees concerning the following causes: Okay, basically, that’s a list of holy teachers and martyrs and miracles, but the big news for us is in my headline! Back in July, I wrote about Kateri Tekakwitha and linked to a remarkable story of healing apparently effected with the help of her intercessory prayers.... Read more
Sometimes you read a line and slap the desk and say, “damn it, I should have written that!” No one who has chortled as frequently as I over the misadventures of Bertie Wooster and Gussie Fink-Nottle (or, “Spink-Bottle” as Aunt Dahlia would have it) cannot love this line, but dammit, I should have written it: Barely a month ago, Cain and 9-9-9 were riding high, an embarrassment of a different kind, and Gingrich was still a single-digit asterisk. But, like... Read more
While you were sleeping our already-roiling world took another hit to its tenuous stability: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has died at the age of 69, state-run television has announced. Mr Kim, who has led the communist nation since the death of his father in 1994, died on a train while visiting an area outside the capital, the announcement said. He suffered a stroke in 2008 and was absent from public view for months. Pyongyang described his son Kim Jong-un... Read more
(photo source) “Benedict turns 85 in the new year, so a slowdown is only natural. Expected. And given his age and continued rigorous work schedule, it’s remarkable he does as much as he does and is in such good health overall: Just this past week he confirmed he would travel to Mexico and Cuba next spring. But a decline has been noted as Benedict prepares for next weekend’s grueling Christmas celebrations, which kick off two weeks of intense public appearances.... Read more
I was catching up on my reading and found this graph over at Ace’s place: It is attached to this story and in particular this line from Ezra Klein: “But so far as liberalism goes, this is a pretty devastating graph.” Before I’d read a word, my first impression on seeing the graph was simply: “wow, that looks remarkably like checkmate — the outline of a chess king slain.” I guess it works both ways. Anyone else? Read more
What the hell is wrong with people? What the hell were these parents thinking? What was the school thinking? Is self-respect a concept utterly lost to this country? These “adults” — school administrators and parents — clearly need to have their heads banged together until the stupid falls out: As reported by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a recent winter sports pep rally at Rosemount (Minn.) High featured a comedy skit which took advantage of unknowing captains of the various winter... Read more
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