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The Nobel Prize that Wasn’t

From Web Exclusives

A week after the Nobel Prize went to Robert Edwards for his accomplishments in developing in vitro fertilization as a treatment for infertility”and more than thirty years after Edwards’ first successful IVF procedure in 1978”IVF still looks like an amateur lab experiment… . Continue Reading »

The Grim Reaper of Comedy

From Web Exclusives

Maybe Woody Allen’s films once were funny. Now it’s as if he’s trying to spread his personal chronic sickness of anhedonia”that inability to enjoy what should naturally be pleasurable which has been a recurring theme in his work since Annie Hall”to his few remaining fans. If his latest film is any indication, it’s working… . Continue Reading »

Artificially Conceiving a Bad Romantic Comedy

From Web Exclusives

Jennifer Aniston’s big new movie made headlines this week”for flopping. The Switch, a romantic comedy about a forty-year-old single woman who wants a baby and chooses to be artificially inseminated, brought in embarrassingly low ticket sales of only $8.4 million on opening weekend. Hollywood reporters have tried to think of all number of reasons for why it flopped so badly, ranging from the myth of lazy August filmgoers to the theory that Aniston is a blockbuster buzzkill… . Continue Reading »

This Should Be Interesting

From First Thoughts

Dinesh D’Souza and Peter Singer will debate “Is God the Source of Morality?” on Monday, September 13, with Eric Metaxas as moderator—brought to you by  Socrates in the City . Promises to be an interesting evening! The New Yorker has called Peter Singer “the . . . . Continue Reading »

A Girl’s Life in the Cyberbubble

From Web Exclusives

It’s back-to-school time. Soon, girls and boys will be saying goodbye to summer and heading back to the classroom. But we know that doesn’t mean they’ll get to books and learning. Many of today’s kids are heading to the classroom with their Blackberry or iPhone in hand, Facebook account active, and hyper-sexualized clothing on, even at a pre-pubescent age. Suffice it to say, they face some distractions… . Continue Reading »

The Pope Who Wanted To Be Librarian

From First Thoughts

While it is somewhat well known that Cardinal Ratzinger, before he became Pope Benedict XVI, did not see himself as being on the track to become pope, it may be lesser known that he personally requested to retire as Vatican librarian : When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger turned 70 in 1997, he asked Pope . . . . Continue Reading »