Palatte Cleanser: Berlioz and Sibelius

For those of you who waded through all that muck, and have now got the likes of Morlocks in your head, here’s a musical palatte cleanser for you: Anne Sofie von Otter singing a brief Berlioz song . For a more thorough cleansing, here’s the first movement of my favorite Sibelius piece, . . . . Continue Reading »

The Heart in Agony and Ecstasy

Br. Raphael Forbing, OP offers a reflection on the role of “the heart” in the spiritual life, a concept which can be both familiar and elusive. As he  writes in a post at Dominicana : Our attachments to the people, things, and activities we love can cause us great pain and . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

Ben Stevens on how the LGBT movement ignores the the fundamental realities of modernity : If you have paid any attention at all to the current and ever-livelier dialogue between the LGBT movement and the Christian community, you have no doubt heard the question being asked of Christians everywhere: . . . . Continue Reading »

A Reasonable Rally

It is time to come out of the closet, dispel stereotypes, and continue fighting oppressive legislative inequality. Same-sex marriage is important, but on March 24th, atheists, agnostics, and secular humanists throughout the country will gather on the mall in Washington D.C. to celebrate what . . . . Continue Reading »

More About NYCAMS

James Panero has a post up at Arma Virumque (the New Criterion ‘s blog), in which he highlights “What I Know,” an exhibition in Manhattan that seeks to bring the best of New York’s latest generation of artists under one roof. Paneo calls it a “landmark” . . . . Continue Reading »

2/3 Want Obamacare Thrown Out

So much for people liking Obamacare the more they learn about what is in it. Majorities still oppose the law and 2/3 want it tossed by the Supreme Court.  From the ABC story:Two-thirds of Americans say the U.S. Supreme Court should throw out either the individual mandate  in the federal . . . . Continue Reading »

First Links — 3.19.12

Rowan Williams: A Good Man, An Impossible Task The Guardian The Battle for Britain’s Soul Begins Cole Morton, The Telegraph Ernest Shackleton’s Lenten Lessons Justin Bell , National Catholic Register Whit Stillman and the Song of the Preppy Chip Brown,   New York Times . . . . Continue Reading »

Monday Morning

1. Sorry to have been silent for a while. I’ll say stuff about the status of the Science of Virtues and all that soon. Meanwhile, you do need to pray for Jean Elshtain. She suffered a “silent” heart attack that did her heart significant damage. She’s in good spirits and did . . . . Continue Reading »