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The Dig at David’s Kingdom

From First Thoughts

Following up on the archaeological discovery of King David’s kingdom in 2005, the New York Times today speculates: ” Find of Ancient City Could Alter Notions of Biblical David .” Overlooking the verdant Valley of Elah, where the Bible says David toppled Goliath, archaeologists are . . . . Continue Reading »

The Death of Debating America

From First Thoughts

Mark Oppenheimer at the Wall Street Journal mourns the death of the practice of real debate in America: It used to be that high-school and college debates mirrored, in a salutary way, political debates. In school, young men and women learned to research topics and then debate their rivals, using . . . . Continue Reading »

RE: Comfort Books

From First Thoughts

From a reader, responding to Nathaniel’s post : I had a habit of rereading the Lord of the Rings every year during the summer for a decade, and in the past three years, I’ve read the entire Patrick O’Brian series twice because times were bad, and I turn to swashbucklers when . . . . Continue Reading »

Two-For-One Special

From First Thoughts

If you haven’t seen them already, check out our two Daily Articles on the FT homepage today: Fr. Neuhaus’ continued reflection on the First Amendment and freedom of religion, and Prof. Robert T. Miller’s ” Conservative Case for the Paulson Plan .” . . . . Continue Reading »

Campaigning for Credits

From First Thoughts

University of Massachusetts Chaplain Kenneth Higgins, who sought to give students school credit for campaigning for Obama, has been denied . Higgins told students last week: If you’re scared about the prospects for this election, you’re not alone. The most important way to make a . . . . Continue Reading »

An Exercise in Delayed Gratification

From First Thoughts

I’d quote Mr. Pope in saying, “To err is human,” but this morning it was the error of the router in our office that stalled our blogging temporarily. To those who came by seeking a tidbit of insight or humor, you’ll be glad to hear the problem’s now fixed and the FT . . . . Continue Reading »

RE: Trivializing Tragedy

From First Thoughts

Ryan Sayre Patrico noted yesterday how he heard the news of his two friends’ deaths last week on Facebook: “The horrible news was announced almost immediately on the popular social-networking website, sandwiched between two other people declaring that their weekend hadn’t lived up . . . . Continue Reading »

In Memory

From First Thoughts

Today, on the seventh anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, countless Americans across the country will sorrowfully remember those who lost their lives. Today, the presidential candidates are taking a moment of silence, so to speak, from their campaigns to participate in a memorial event . . . . Continue Reading »