“Prison rape occupies a fairly odd space in our culture,” wrote Ezra Klein in an L.A. Times op-ed last year , bringing to the fore a subject that is often ignored. “It is, all at once, a cherished source of humor, a tacitly accepted form of punishment, and a broadly understood human rights . . . . Continue Reading »
I have been receiving e-mails from readers of the former site about their lost subscriptions to SHS. Alas, former subscribers will have to resubscribe (and new subscribers are invited too) now that I am here at FT. It’s easy, however. Hit the “blog rss” link to . . . . Continue Reading »
What’s going on at other First Things blogs: The Anchoress : What’s the deal with saints in glass coffins? Spengler : “The Persians invented chess. What opponent’s move would Ayatollah Khameini anticipate? ” Secondhand Smoke : Wesley Smith wonders if the dependent . . . . Continue Reading »
The Iranian exile journalist Amir Taheri, the dean of regime critics writing in the English language press, says that civil war is unlikely in Iran. In the most convincing analysis I have seen to date, Taheri points out that Ahmadinejad has his back to the wall, while regime critics have the . . . . Continue Reading »
The Hastings Center Report has published an interview with a representative of the Orwellian-named NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), the UK’s rationing board. The interview pretends that all NICE does is issue recommendations, that the NHS Trusts are free to take or . . . . Continue Reading »
In a fairly strong display of solidarity , the US Bishops have issued a statement supporting Bishop John D’Arcy’s recent “pastoral concern” regarding President Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame: “The bishops of the United States express our appreciation and . . . . Continue Reading »
Long before the current turmoil in Iran, a woman was stoned by the members of her village for adultery that she did not commit. Such occurrences are common in the Islamic world today, but this one was documented by expatriate Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam and broadcast across the world in . . . . Continue Reading »
Stories like this continue to mount in the UK, and are a warning to us of the growing utilitarian, quality of life/cost-benefit bent in health care. A stroke patient, it is charged, was almost neglected to death—if not worse—at a UK hospital. From the story:John MacGillivray, . . . . Continue Reading »
That is the title of my recently published review of Kerry Kennedy’s Being Catholic Now . Here’s an excerpt from the review that appeared in the June 2009 issue of The Catholic World Report . As if to provide a definitive example of the lack of serious intellectual curiosity about the . . . . Continue Reading »
Fascinating examination of Thomas Kinkade, Joe . I was unaware of (and impressed with) his earlier work—which of course prompts the question: what happened? This “60 Minutes” interview/profile of Kincade is quite revealing, as an artist seduced by mammon : “There’s over . . . . Continue Reading »
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