Some time ago, an online discussion of NFP took an interesting turn. I remember it especially because I got off a pretty good zinger. (And that’s what we Catholic bloggers do to advance the kingdom of God: We zing people.) The Other Guy’s argument went like this: Sure, sure, the Church permits NFP to space … Read more
From the Boston Globe: A Massachusetts antiabortion group has unveiled a bill that would let individual taxpayers opt out of paying for publicly funded abortions. Under the measure, a taxpayer could choose to have whatever portion of their state taxes pays for abortion coverage directed instead to the Baby Safe Haven Law. That law allows … Read more
Why doesn’t the Latin Rite Church just start ordaining married men again? If men can’t or won’t stay celibate, then why force the issue? Well, I peeked into the future, when married priests are commonplace, and this is what I heard in the pews: “Well! I see the pastor’s wife is pregnant again! What is … Read more
Here’s something my mother sent me out of the blue (no, I’m not pregnant). Seems like an excellent follow-up to the March for Life. You know, that day when hundreds of thousands of ninjas march to show their support of women and babies. I say “ninjas” because they somehow slip by the attention of the … Read more
(cross posted at my blog, I have to sit down) My heart sank when I saw this picture on Creative Minority Report: The NAACP hid a prominent statue of George Washington inside a wooden box during a MLK Day rally, offering the terminally lame excuse that the box would make a more suitable backdrop … Read more
Trick-or-treaters might be coming around with UNICEF donation boxes. Don’t give ‘em a dime — UNICEF pushes for abortion and sterilization as part of its efforts to improve the lives of women and children. Beyond the immediate irony of that idea, it’s not even good policy. According to CatholicCulture.org (emphasis mine): Pro-family UN watchers are … Read more
(image source) It’s stories like this that make me feel glad I (a) am out of style (b) don’t even generally realize that I’m out of style and (c) don’t read The Wall Street Journal: At model casting calls for New York’s fashion week, which begins today, one of the most coveted attributes is an … Read more
image source In the great river of used clothing that courses through America, our family plays the part of sieve. Oh, I’m not going to moan and complain. I really am grateful. People could be throwing these clothes away, or selling them — but instead, they wash and fold them and save them for us. … Read more
(image source) In the great river of used clothing that courses through America, our family plays the part of sieve. Oh, I’m not going to moan and complain. I really am grateful. People could be throwing these clothes away, or selling them — but instead, they wash and fold them and save them for us. … Read more
I sometimes think that Russia just sits around thinking, “Is there any way we can be just a little more grim today?” According to NPR’s Morning Edition, a subway mural project is stirring up some controversy: The Dostoevskaya station — which opened this summer in memory of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky — met a fair … Read more
I found a fascinating piece by a protestant minister’s wife at Musings of a Young Mom (via Danielle Bean’s shared items). She describes what happened when she and her young kids went to a playground and found an ultra-modestly-dressed Mennonite family there: A teenage girl followed a toddler around the park, both of them wearing … Read more
I had to run out to the Walmart to buy ketchup, and was arrested by a strange new product on the shelves: It’s called Wrecking Balm– “a unique, devastatingly effective tattoo fade-removal system.” I don’t even want to know how it works, but a stroll down Main Street, Anytown, USA will show you why … Read more
Sorry, that’s a silly title. I was blown away by this drawing by Daniel Mitsui featured on Korrektiv: The artist says: Here is something unlike anything I’ve drawn previously. This ink drawing (with gold leaf details) of St. Michael fighting the devil was commissioned by a priest of the Maryknoll Missionaries, an order with a … Read more
Here’s an interesting story from LifeSiteNews.com, quoting British performer Jackie Clune on her twelve-year stint as a lesbian. Her frank memories of those relationships ring true: Despite the closeness of her relationships, Clune admitted that the hyper-emotional world of a female-to-female sexual bond was “exhausting.” “The women I went out with were by and large more … Read more
A recent study suggests what the Church could have told us: many children of sperm donors are disturbed and unhappy about their origins. They are, according to the study’s authors, suffering more than those who were adopted: hurting more, feeling more confused, and feeling more isolated from their families. (And our study found that the … Read more
Goodness, BILL RUSSELL. I wasn’t even trying to upset anyone this time. In response to the music video of the Black Keys that I posted yesterday, you wrote: [I]t is beyond me to explain how a Catholic can consider loud and inarticulate rock percussionism to be music. I know there will be a laborious apologia, … Read more
Via The Anchoress : Pounding his piano in blue-tinted sunglasses before nearly 50,000 screaming fans, Elton John took center stage in a battle over Israel’s image. The legendary British rocker’s concert on Thursday night followed a string of cancellations by artists like Elvis Costello and the Pixies. Resisting a growing wave of calls from pro-Palestinian … Read more
On Drudge this morning: Bronx students forced to clean toilets as a punishment. “After school the principal came in with the inspector lady and she was like ‘Oh, everyone has to pitch in and clean the toilets and stuff.’ So we was cleaning them and we had to clean around them and nasty, it was … Read more
You’ve seen this, right? Helen Thomas, a terrifyingly senior member of the White House press corps, recently took the opportunity to explain her take on international politics . . . to a rabbi, at an event celebrating Jewish Heritage: Kind of harsh, eh? But it’s cool, it’s cool — she apologized. According to Fox News: … Read more
I know it’s not medically sound, but I find a nice summer tan appealing. We are the type of New Englanders who celebrate winter by staying as close to bed as possible from November to March, and when we emerge in the spring, we look like ICU patients freshly pried out of a full-body cast: … Read more