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Cooking the Books in Germany

A story in the New York Times explains that, in Germany, the government fixes the prices at which books are sold, meaning that, for any given book, every bookseller in Germany must sell the book at the government-determined price.The Times columnist can’t quite conceal his admiration. "If . . . . Continue Reading »

Religion and Politics Debate

On Saturday, November 10, at Gotham Hall in New York City, The Economist magazine will sponsor a debate that should be of great interest to our readers.The proposition: “Religion and politics should always be kept separate.”The participants:Barry Lynn and Irshad Manji (for the . . . . Continue Reading »

Drive On

The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest decoration for bravery during combat operations. The president presents the medal in the name of Congress to a member of the military who has "distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and . . . . Continue Reading »

When "Catholic Positions" Are Not

On most of the questions of public policy we debate today¯even many important ones¯there is no Catholic position. Rather, faithful Catholics may reasonably reach different judgments and vigorously promote them over the alternatives. No particular view can be said to be uniquely in line . . . . Continue Reading »

A Decidedly Unsappy Bella

Chick flicks are the caramel-lattés of romantic comedy¯sweet and frothy, without much nutritional value. Chick flicks reheat the Cinderella story and serve it up with topping for a cozy evening: Boy meets girl, complications ensue, love saves the day¯and in the end, the stepsisters . . . . Continue Reading »

That Evangelical Crackup

All Souls Day, November 2, is for the ordinary folk. The "faithful departed" means all our brothers and sisters in Christ, including evangelical Protestants. (Some are less faithful than others, and, of course, the same is true of Catholics.) Evangelicals are seen as the especially . . . . Continue Reading »

Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good

Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to serving the poorest of the poor, said on more than one occasion that the greatest poverty in the world was not on the streets of Calcutta but here in the United States and Western Europe. She would say: "What a terrible poverty that says: I cannot feed . . . . Continue Reading »

Purpose: Biological, Biblical, or Both?

In one of his early books, Untimely Meditations , Friedrich Nietzsche spins a tale that, in paraphrase, goes like this: Once upon a time, on a minuscule planet orbiting a mediocre star on the edge of a backwater galaxy, clever little animals emerged from the slime¯and not longer after began . . . . Continue Reading »

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