Advent is chock full of good hymns: ” On Jordan’s Bank The Baptist’s Cry ,” ” Come Thou Long Expected Jesus ,” ” O Come, O Come Emmanuel ,” and many more. But my favorite, hands down, is “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending.” I have many . . . . Continue Reading »
One of the great difficulties we have in debating important cultural and ethical issues is the lack of a common frame of reference. Or to put it another way, when language is used very sloppily—whether negligently or intentionally—it becomes almost impossible to adhere to precise . . . . Continue Reading »
George Weigel covers a recent address at Cambridge University by Fr. Christian Troll, “a key figure in the Catholic-Islamic dialogue launched by Pope Benedict XVI’s September 2006 Regensburg Lecture.” . . . . Continue Reading »
Australians looking skyward this evening will be greeted by a ” celestial smiley face “—thanks to the prime positioning of Venus, Jupiter and a waxing crescent moon, report good-humored astronomers. Local astronomers said that Venus and Jupiter had appeared side by side in the . . . . Continue Reading »
It has been telling that Obama has recruited to his ranks a slew of veteran Clinton appointees of yesteryear. Much has been made of the manner in which this strategy seems to undercut not only his criticisms of Clinton style politics but also his promise of seismic change—he has surrounded . . . . Continue Reading »
A book is “a means of transportation through the space of experience, at the speed of a turning page,” the poet Joseph Brodsky once said. “But now that the rustle of the book’s turning page competes with the flicker of the screen’s twitching pixel, we must consider the . . . . Continue Reading »
Now that Thanksgiving weekend has passed, it’s time to get cracking! Let FT take take the pain out of Christmas shopping this year. Check out Joseph Bottum’s piece on children’s literature , John Wilson’s survey of the books of 2008 , and timeless book recommendations from . . . . Continue Reading »
Those biologists and philosophers intent on destroying human exceptionalism often argue that apes have ethics, albeit more rudimentary, just like people, and thus we must disabuse ourselves of the unique nature of human life.Not enough energy has been invested in pushing back against these . . . . Continue Reading »
It used to be that the parental ideal was to expose one’s children to many and varied activities so that they could discover for themselves the avocations and activities that most suited them. But apparently that’s too messy and time consuming for some. A company is now offering to test . . . . Continue Reading »
The country that has declared a constitutional right to assisted suicide for the mentally ill, and put the dignity of individual plants into its constitution, is now about to formally ratify prescribing and giving addicts their heroin. From the story: Dr. Daniele Zullino keeps glass bottles full of . . . . Continue Reading »
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