My latest essay is live at The Everyman, wherein I get to talk about one of my favorite movies and it's take on modern manhood: Brody’s efforts to do his duty as a man and leader are thus stymied by the economic and political interests of the middle-class townsfolk. His job and thus his ability … Continue reading ‘Jaws’ at the Everyman
Poetry: “The Last of the Light Brigade”
There were thirty million English who talked of England's might, There were twenty broken troopers who lacked a bed for the night. They had neither food nor money, they had neither service nor trade; They were only shiftless soldiers, the last of the Light Brigade. They felt that life was fleeting; they knew not that … Continue reading Poetry: “The Last of the Light Brigade”
A New Miracle?
So, it seems there are reports coming in of a new Eucharistic Miracle in Guadalajara, Mexico. The story is that, during Adoration, the Host was seen to beat like a living heart for about thirty seconds. Cell phone cameras captured the event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mostRiZ2L2M The full report is here. As with all reports of miracles, we … Continue reading A New Miracle?
George Washington: Deathbed Convert?
So, here's a very interesting rumor, which I've now heard from a couple sources. It is said, among both the Jesuits of Maryland and the descendants of George Washington's slaves, that in his final hours he sent for Father Leonard Neale, S.J, and that he was received into the Catholic Church shortly before his death. … Continue reading George Washington: Deathbed Convert?
Friday Flotsam: Jungle Books and Rockefeller
1. Had a depressing and discouraging week. Got a bit of a snaggle tooth, and it’s left me with a tongue sore. Home remedies include chamomile tea and honey, so trying those. 2. Revisited both the original The Jungle Book and the live action remake recently. Quite frankly, I’m still not sure which I think … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Jungle Books and Rockefeller
Thought of the Day: Most Important Authors
My preliminary picks for the five most important authors of the 20th Century: -J.R.R. Tolkien-Edgar Rice Burroughs-Agatha Christie-Raymond Chandler-H.P. Lovecraft (A case could be made for H.G. Wells, except that his most important works were almost all written at the tail-end of the 19th century)
The Dangers of Being an Internet Content Creator
The other day I watched a documentary on the rise and fall of Rooster Teeth, the web video production company behind Red vs. Blue and other series. It followed what seems to me to be an all-too familiar pattern, one that we who wish to produce content ought to consider very carefully. The short version … Continue reading The Dangers of Being an Internet Content Creator
The Board Game from Hell
One night during my visit in Maine we played the Board Game from Hell. It didn’t look like much: just a variant of ‘Chutes and Ladders’, done in an appealingly cartoony style of firemen and citizens. The fun visuals lure you in, like the bright colors of a Venus fly-trap, making you think that the … Continue reading The Board Game from Hell
Poetry: “Lines on General Robert E. Lee”
“Si veris magna paraturFama bonis, et si successu nuda remotoInspicitur virtus, quicquid laudamus in ulloMajorum, fortuna fuit.”—Lucan.Whilst martial echoes o’er the wave resound,And Europe’s gore incarnadines the ground;Today no foreign hero we bemoan,But count the glowing virtues of our own!Illustrious LEE! around whose honour’d nameEntwines a patriot’s and a Christian’s fame;With whose just praise admiring … Continue reading Poetry: “Lines on General Robert E. Lee”
Sunday Thoughts: On Mercy
We finished the Jules Verne biography on the way home from Maine (now's not the place for a full review, but basically it was about six hours of an interesting study stretched to twelve by a good deal of repetition, the biographer going off on his own pet theories, and his harping on Verne's sex … Continue reading Sunday Thoughts: On Mercy
Serpent's Den 