Eruv Already

A storm is brewing in the normally peaceful town of Westhampton Beach, NY: Rabbi Marc Schneier, who counts New York Gov. David Paterson among his friends, wants the Westhampton Beach mayor and village board to approve the placement of the religious boundary called an eruv, which would allow . . . . Continue Reading »

A Postmodern Appreciation of the Sixties

We cannot forget that, because of the 1960s, America is more just and in some ways less cruel than it once was.  That decade’s objection to "soulless wealth" and technocracy in the name of personal significance and personal love also retain some force.  They do so . . . . Continue Reading »

Ricoeur as POMOCON?

Mr. Poulos’ acute observations prompted these thoughts on the subject of Mr. Ricoeur:   Paul Ricoeur, in Oneself as Another , strives to reconcile the ancient quest for a substantive good with the modern respect for formal individual rights – which is not unlike . . . . Continue Reading »

“Eyelashes Like a Cow”

Nepal’s latest goddess is a six-year-old named Shreeya. She has “eyelashes like a cow” and “a voice as soft and clear as a duck.” Her aides add that she is “fond of biscuits and rice.” She will be isolated in a house and worshiped “until the onset of . . . . Continue Reading »

Sarah Palin’s Particularism

Joe Carter provides a gentlemanly defense of Sarah Palin’s credentials right here at Culture11. He’s right to point out that her performance on one television show, especially one that has deep reserves of ideological contempt for her and anyone like her, is less than . . . . Continue Reading »

Terrifying: She Reads Lewis

In her column yesterday, Washington Post ‘s Ruth Marcus argues for why having Sarah Palin in high public office is a “terrifying prospect.” Marcus’s specific complaint is that Palin, in her interview with Katie Couric, said that the way she has understood the world is not . . . . Continue Reading »