Honestly, I have no bone in the evolution fight. To my mind it makes no practical difference whether, as a matter of prehistoric fact, humans are or are not bodily descended from apes or other animals. I think most of the 'conclusions' that people derive from the theory (e.g. "see, everything is just a chemical … Continue reading Thought of the Day: A Solution to the Immaculate Conception – Evolution Problem
Catholic Match Catch-Up
I've been taking an extended break from Catholic Match while trying to get the rest of my life together. But I still write for them intermittently, which means that, as a side effect of my break, I've been missing when my own essays appear (these things are written months in advance). So today I'm going … Continue reading Catholic Match Catch-Up
The Mikado
I am rapidly becoming a full-bore Gilbert and Sullivan fan. Their plays are some of those works, like the writings of Shakespeare, Pope, and Dickens, that really show off the English language to its full power of rhythm, sound, and turns of meaning. As well, of course, of being set to absolutely beautiful music. I … Continue reading The Mikado
Friday Flotsam: Slack Tide
1. As I think I've mentioned before now, I don't currently belong to a parish, mostly because my living situation is not one that I want to ascribe any kind of permanency to. However, I have been attending one particular parish as a rule for some time now, mostly because they kept offering the Sacraments … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Slack Tide
San Francisco International
On Saturdays I like to offer some form of entertainment. Sometimes it's my own fiction, other times it's bringing attention to something that I think is worth your time. For today, I'm offering one of my favorite episodes of one of my favorite shows: Mystery Science Theater 3000, episode 614: San Francisco International. This, I … Continue reading San Francisco International
Friday Flotsam: The Possibility of a New Constantine and the Chance to Buy Me a Drink
1. First let's talk coffee You may notice the new tip-jar in the right-hand menu or the footer. If you've been making the rounds of our little corner of the internet, you've probably heard of Ko-fi by now. Simply put, it's a service where if you like what you see here and want to show … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: The Possibility of a New Constantine and the Chance to Buy Me a Drink
‘Make Mine Freedom’
Allow me to present a startlingly accurate warning from 1948, back in the days when the American system actually tried to defend itself. https://videopress.com/v/GdRUxlfG?preloadContent=metadata You know, I have my own criticisms of the position taken by this short, but my goodness, it's refreshing to see it actually articulated, and pretty well too. Also, note the … Continue reading ‘Make Mine Freedom’
Thought of the Day: Corporations
Possibly the greatest single political trick in all of history comes in convincing people that the corporate entity called 'the State' is somehow different from any other corporate entity. Socialism essentially amounts to saying "Corporations have too much power, so we should give as much power as possible to a single corporation. Only this one … Continue reading Thought of the Day: Corporations
The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect Summarized
“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong … Continue reading The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect Summarized
The Key Question: A Malachi Burke Mystery
“Most crimes, Alfred lad,” said my friend and mentor Malachi Burke one evening after supper, “are absurdly obvious once ye take the time to think them through. The trouble is that most folk don’t bother.” He reclined in his great wingback chair, pulling on his pipe. I sat opposite him, enjoying one of his excellent … Continue reading The Key Question: A Malachi Burke Mystery
Serpent's Den 