Joe Carter

As a student of the Tom Wolfe school of art criticism , I have a natural preference for works of realism and an enthusiastic disdain for abstract works that require an interpretive Theory. This is not to say, of course, that I can’t appreciate abstract art. There are some works of abstract . . . . Continue Reading »

America’s deficit problem, says National Review ‘s Kevin D. Williamson , is that the rich don’t have enough money. Even if you raise taxes on everyone earning $250,000 a year, you couldn’t raise enough revenue to cover this year’s deficit: Nonetheless, there . . . . Continue Reading »

Because my fascination with mathematics far exceeds my ability to understand the subject, I often find things that appear interesting (to me at least) but could be completely nuts. A prime example is a paper I stumbled across a few weeks ago called The Tau Manifesto . The manifesto is dedicated to . . . . Continue Reading »

Ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel have come up with an acceptable form of gay marriage:   gay men marry lesbians . Rabbis from the religious Zionist community have launched an initiative to marry gay men to lesbian women - with some surprising successes. So far, 11 marriages have been performed. . . . . Continue Reading »

Jeffrey Polet argues that any well-organized community will and ought to have a say in the selection of sexual partners : The hoary cliche goes like this: “Who I have sex with is no one’s business but my own” – a phrase that obscures more than it reveals. On the surface of it . . . . Continue Reading »

Disturbing statistic of the day : In 2008, according to the  New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene , there were 55,391 total deaths in New York City. Also in 2008, according to the  New York State Department of Health , there were 82,475 induced abortions in New York City. . . . . Continue Reading »

1. Your Favorite Children’s Books Translated Into Latin Everything’s better in Latin. Including, or maybe especially, things you already pretty much know by heart in English, like your favorite children’s books. As sometime Latin scholars ourselves, and as general lovers of word . . . . Continue Reading »

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the House Republicans’ proposed cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget would hurt biomedical research’s “biblical power to cure.” I don’t speak Pelosi so I have no idea what she is saying. Can anyone translate this for . . . . Continue Reading »

To read well, says Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, is to prepare oneself to live wisely, kindly, and wittily : I have long valued literary theorist Kenneth Burke’s simple observation that literature is “equipment for living.” We glean what we need from it as we go. In each reading of a . . . . Continue Reading »

A depressing—though sadly, not surprising— new survey from Pew Research: Throughout history, marriage and parenthood have been linked milestones on the journey to adulthood. But for the young adults of the Millennial Generation, these social institutions are becoming delinked and . . . . Continue Reading »