Two perspectives I might not ordinarily put into one post, but both really deserve your attention and both are relevant to headlines, in their own way. First, apparently last night Glenn Beck opined (or, as someone said to me, “tiptoed”) that the horrors we’re seeing in Japan may be God telling us that we’re bad. Theologian Tim Muldoon has a different — and very thought-provoking — take on Japan, natural disasters and end-times: What if tsunamis are a reminder that... Read more
Pondering the (in my humble opinion unduly controversial) new English translations for the Holy Mass, Russell Shaw wonders how many people today are equipped to recognize success, even if it succeeds. That’s a good question. In many ways, the “new” translations are a harkening back to the more-literal Latin-to-Vernacular translation that I and many in my pre/post-concillar-straddling generation first learned and then had to quickly relearn, once the “Spirit of Vatican II” came to the fore: My memory of the... Read more
ORIGINALLY OCTOBER 25, 2006 – recaptured from WAYBACK MACHINE – Adult Stem Cells: 72, Embryonic Stem Cells: 0 – UPDATED Filed under: Culture of Life/Death, Medical, Faith That’s the number of successful applications research has identified for the medical uses of Adult Stem Cells vs Embryonic Stem Cells. Mary L. Davenport, MD, writing in The American Thinker, calls Michael J. Fox’s distortive political ads nothing less than “unconsionable”: Mr. Fox and his ads’ sponsors are guilty of conflating embryonic stem... Read more
There’s something to be said for having an unusual moniker. A few years ago, our family traveled with another family and the husband/father of the other gang kept getting pulled aside for extra searching and occasional questioning; apparently this hard-working fellow shares the same name as a bad-guy and about a million other men. Being good-natured, he did not mind the extra attention, which made him feel like the TSA folk were “on the job.” But when one is already... Read more
Here is how helpful, concerned Catholics (and friends) can donate to Catholic Relief Services specifically for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami: As with all such disasters, CRS will help people recover from the emergency and stand with them as they recover in the months and years to come.” Caritas Japan is beginning to assess the needs in that country where the tsunami has caused extensive damage. CRS has programs in the Philippines and Indonesia and works with Caritas... Read more
There is really nothing to say, but in this first Friday of Lent, a day of abstinence, let us offer up our prayers and sacrifices for the stricken nation of Japan and the people living in anxiety as the water moves… An astonishing photo Ed Driscoll seems to have been up all night; he has the latest Ace had a running thread going through the night. Town of Kurihara has been completely destroyed – estimated population there, around 77,000. Contemplating... Read more
Incredible, infuriating story A drug for high-risk pregnant women has cost about $10 to $20 per injection. Next week, the price shoots up to $1,500 a dose, meaning the total cost during a pregnancy could be as much as $30,000. That’s because the drug, a form of progesterone given as a weekly shot, has been made cheaply for years, mixed in special pharmacies that custom-compound treatments that are not federally approved. But recently, KV Pharmaceutical of suburban St.Louis won government... Read more
Instapundit links to an interesting piece at Powerline, where it is suggested that President Obama might prefer to be a King: Obama enjoys being president, and he especially treasures the symbolic significance of being the first African-American president. That’s how his supporters feel, too. I haven’t heard anyone defend his actual performance in a long time, but there is still widespread satisfaction with the symbolic value of his presidency. So why don’t we make him king? If being the first... Read more
By a Benedictine with a sense of humor. Benedictines — at least the “old school” ones — are bound by their vow of poverty to waste nothing, even unto making a little pile of their breadcrumbs and such from each meal and consuming it. So, for them every crumb does count…especially in Lent, when the fasting is (again, for “old school” Benedictines and more traditionally-minded monastics) fairly regimented. In his Holy Rule, Benedict writes: The life of a monk ought... Read more
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, of course, and today is Shrove Tuesday, aka Fat Tuesday, so let’s take a look at the wealth of excellent posts and articles that the internets put at our disposal about these vital, and vitally important days. I suspect I am not the only one who is feeling grateful that this season of repentance, quiescence and discipline is upon us. Personally, I feel like I need it. But it feels like the whole world needs it... Read more
The Anchoress
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In