Matthew Cantirino

First Things has run more than a few articles on shifting conceptions of male identity in contemporary society, but this might be the funniest/scariest anecdotal evidence of erosion yet: Australian Ikea stores have introduced daycare centers for grown men , “modeled off the Ikea toddler-care . . . . Continue Reading »

The practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays, for centuries a distinctive marker of Catholic practice, became mandatory for all Catholics in England and Wales this past Friday for the first time in decades. An “analyst” (the BBC felt it necessary to call one in for this story) wasted . . . . Continue Reading »

David Gibson has written a provocative column for the Wall Street Journal ( linked at Mirror of Justice) in which he examines the distinction between “cradle” Catholics and those who convert to the faith. He raises the question of whether converts make for ‘better’ Catholics, . . . . Continue Reading »

“Peace & Reconciliation: Spiritual Reflections on a Decade After 9/11” sounds like a fairly generic religious colloquium on the past decade. But this conference, run by pacifist organization Pax Christi, went well beyond calls to “reflect,” as Barton Gingerich notes in his . . . . Continue Reading »

Members of the Columbia University International Relations Council are  reportedly set to dine  with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he blusters into New York next week as part of his attendance at the United Nations General Assembly. As of now, it’s unclear when or where . . . . Continue Reading »

A bit of cross-promotion, but it’s for something many readers will hopefully appreciate: the long-awaited Walker Percy documentary now has a definite airdate. PBS will run the film on Tuesday, October 4 on many of its affiliates. Be sure to check your local listings towards the end of the . . . . Continue Reading »

In the past few weeks, the United States has seen the opening of two major new national memorials: the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, DC and the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan. At first blush, these two sites seem to be almost perfect opposites. The King Memorial is ostensibly a . . . . Continue Reading »

A  First Thoughts  post on Tuesday highlighting resentment of Baby Boomers by directionless Millennials generated some strong criticisms of today’s youth and their propensity to blame their elders for our current economic and moral breakdown. But lest anyone conclude it’s only . . . . Continue Reading »

Derek Thompson at The Atlantic has posted a fascinating collection of letters from today’s twenty-somethings in which they voice their frustration with the current job market and the larger prospects for their lives. These recent college graduates, many of them unemployed or underemployed, do . . . . Continue Reading »

Why is it that, after every natural calamity, some prominent figure will inevitably blame the mayhem on God’s wrath? These declarations (whether  serious , speculative , or as a  botched half-joke ) are then just as inevitably followed by an outpouring of scorn from mainstream . . . . Continue Reading »