I missed that this piece went up a few days ago: talking about how to live in "Interesting Times." I get to quote "Lord of the Rings" a lot in this one: The first thing we ought to get clear right from the start is this: our circumstances are nothing new. Certainly the specifics are … Continue reading Living in Interesting Times at Catholic Match
Thoughts
Thoughts on ‘Dr. No’
Since my household recently purchased a complete box set of the James Bond films, we’ve begun a total re-watch of the entire series. So, I’ll be giving my thoughts on each film in turn. First some background: I’m a long-time fan of the Bond films. I’ve seen all of them (except Quantum of Solace) at … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Dr. No’
Thoughts on the Pro-Life Movement
Every year, about half-a-million people descend upon Washington DC, and many more march in other cities, to call for the end of abortion. It is probably the most noble and most important social movement in the country right now: one of the few that is both appropriate to the moment, possessed of a clear and … Continue reading Thoughts on the Pro-Life Movement
Discussing Changes at Catholic Match
In today's post at 'Catholic Match,' I give advice on when you should ask your significant other to change: In the first place, let’s be clear that you do have the right to ask your significant other to ‘change’ in some way. When you enter a relationship with someone, your life is no longer quite your own, and … Continue reading Discussing Changes at Catholic Match
Aquaman and Causation at The Everyman
That review I fisked last week sparked some thoughts in my mind about Progressivism and causation. The resulting essay appears today at The Everyman First it must be noted that Aquaman is a very successful film. As of this writing, it’s made 265 million dollars in the US and close to a billion worldwide (according to boxofficemojo.com)—and it’s … Continue reading Aquaman and Causation at The Everyman
Snakes, Snakes, and More Snakes
I'm very fond of snakes, so one of my favorite YouTube channels at the moment is 'Snake Discovery,' which is all about snake and reptile care, with lots and lots of gorgeous different kinds of snakes. But they're almost all colubrids (which are 'standard,' mostly non-venomous snakes such as garter snakes, rat snakes, racers, hognoses, … Continue reading Snakes, Snakes, and More Snakes
An Aqua-Fisk
Last weekend I got out to see Aquaman. It was incredibly stupid and absolutely ridiculous in a lot of ways, but I enjoyed it a lot. Certainly, I much prefer over-the-top dumb-fun like this to self-consciously grim garbage like Man of Steel. Then I happened across this review which I thought was so off-point that … Continue reading An Aqua-Fisk
One Hundred Years Dead
"Death had to take him sleeping, for if Roosevelt had been awake, there would have been a fight." -Vice-President Thomas Marshall On January 6th, 1919, Col. Theodore Roosevelt died. It's now been one hundred years since that most colorful of American Presidents, one of the few whose lives were larger than the office he held, … Continue reading One Hundred Years Dead
A Matt Walsh Fisk On Superheroes
At present the distinction [between highbrow and lowbrow books] is certainly used to allow us the satisfaction of despising certain authors and readers without imposing on us the labour of showing that they are bad. — C. S. Lewis, High and Low Brows. Matt Walsh is one of my favorite commentators. There are few people who … Continue reading A Matt Walsh Fisk On Superheroes
On Moral Ambiguity
"There are precious few at ease / with moral ambiguities / so we act as though they don't exist." That's a lyric from the show Wicked, in which the Wizard - here portrayed as wholly a bad guy, rather than an ultimately harmless 'humbug' - sings about why he deceived the ignorant and superstitious people of Oz. I … Continue reading On Moral Ambiguity
Serpent's Den 