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Pope Benedict XVI and war

On August 1, I criticized Pope Benedict XVI’s call for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Since then, he has granted an interview to some German journalists in anticipation of his upcoming trip to Bavaria. Asked about the fighting in the Middle East, he said . . . . Continue Reading »

England and foxhunting bans

I’m sure that many Americans were, and remain, somewhat bemused at the passions aroused in England over the subject of foxhunting . Those passions raged in the months and years leading to the ban, culminating in an enormous pro-hunt demonstration in London . The passions remain, embedded in . . . . Continue Reading »

Jane Austen and Park Honan

I don’t have the computer skills, let alone the patience, to set up my own blogsite. So I am especially grateful to the editors of First Things for their ecumenical hospitality in opening their cyber-pages to voices other than their own during this month of August. In my first foray into this . . . . Continue Reading »

Response to Robert George on “Bodies”

I differ with Robert George (and perhaps Patrick Lee) on some foundational issues in meta-ethics, and that is why, I think, they and I disagree in some respects about the dignity of, and respect due to, human bodies, whether dead or alive. Since my view is for some people the less familiar, I ought . . . . Continue Reading »

P.D.Q. Bach, Peter Schickele

And now for something completely different . . . If good music is a passion, then you probably already steer clear of this guy . However, if the deflating of stuffed shirts, aka top quality nonsense, is a penchant, then you no doubt are a fan of P.D.Q. Bach, also known as Peter Schickele. Here in . . . . Continue Reading »

Statue of Saint Therese

I was very glad to see this little page on the Notre Dame website . My friend Charley and I put up this statue of Saint Therese in the spring of 1948, and I am thrilled to see devotion before it still picking up. Charley Cingolani was a high school sophomore, and I a freshman, at the time. The . . . . Continue Reading »

Physics and “Bodies: The Exhibition”

I am not competent to get involved in the theological and philosophical discussions among Robert P. George, Patrick Lee , Robert T. Miller , and Claire V. McCusker on the relation between bodies and souls. However, as a physicist I am interested in one statement made here yesterday by Robert George . . . . Continue Reading »

The Rutherford Neighborhood Alliance

Wasn’t it Tip O’Neal who said that all politics are local? Well, we recently had our elections here in Rutherford County , and it’s humbling and sad all at the same time¯humbling to see the number of folks who give themselves selfishly to causes they believe in, humbling to . . . . Continue Reading »

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