I opened my mail and found a review copy of The Broken Path: How Catholic Bishops Got Lost in the Weeds of American Politics by Judie Brown. I decided I was probably too busy to even read it. Three chapters into it, I felt I had no choice but to write a review. When I […]
In Eco-Tyranny, author Brian Sussman sounds a timely and important warning: The radical “greens” are not in retreat. With the defeat of cap-and-trade legislation in 2010 and the increasingly discredited alarmist theory of anthropogenic global warming, the greens may have lowered their public profile; however, with the full cooperation of the Obama administration, they are […]
“So basically you are a ‘vanity press,’” was the question posed to me that really sounded more like a statement of fact—and an unattractive one at that. “Well, we offer a variety of publishing services and some of those services are that authors do, indeed, pay to have their books published with us,” were the […]
There in the desert [the whole Israelite community] complained to Moses and Aaron and said to them, “We wish that the Lord had killed us in Egypt…you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death.” …in the morning there was dew all around the camp. When the dew evaporated, there […]
Some studies show that, on average, men say about 6,000 words a day, and women close to 9,000 (it may come as no surprise to many of you that the tally is higher for us ladies). Too many? Too few? Just about right? Every spring (this year it was Sunday May 20th) we mark World […]
Science is worthwhile for its own sake — even if normal people don’t understand it. “Yes,” the reporter said, “But what can it do? What difference does the? Higgs boson make in the day-to-day lives of ordinary people?” The physicist on the radio stumbled over his words. He had already explained this once, but she […]
Clearly, what our nation needs is more “separation of church and state.” If those obnoxious, right-wing Bible thumpers would simply quit bellowing about the need for revival – a return to the deeply held Judeo-Christian principles embraced by our Founding Fathers – America would be a much better place. Secular-humanism – that’s the ticket! We […]
Magic Mike will be the first time I am reviewing a movie that I have not seen. I am reviewing the concept of the film (male strippers), I have seen the trailer, and have read several reviews and “making of” articles. I read in Entertainment Weekly that when Channing Tatum (who plays “Magic Mike”) was […]
“Lake Superior is the biggest, deepest, cleanest, coldest and roughest of all the Great Lakes,” said the captain of the tour boat as we cruised out of Munising, Michigan, average snowfall 250 inches, to view the Pictured Rocks National Shoreline. Pictured Rocks is a spectacular display of multicolored sandstone cliffs and geologic formations, soaring to […]
“Smart move.” That’s how many loyal Catholics reacted to the announcement that the Vatican had hired a veteran American newsman as a consultant to grapple with its communication problems. In many respects, the reaction was correct. As an experienced professional with Fox News and Time, and a serious Catholic, Greg Burke is an excellent choice […]
The “wee bairn” Merida, is a Scottish medieval princess who is irresistible as a tyke, romping with her parents, yet sadly morphs into a Disney-esque stubborn, roughneck runaway teen who wants to remake her queenly and gracious mother Elinor. Rejecting the ridiculous suitors, that according to clan tradition, she must choose from, Merida flees into […]
Mike Sweeney’s Catholic Baseball Camp, to be held July 24-26 at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, is not your average baseball camp. In addition to the customary fielding, hitting and base-running, this camp will include daily Mass, confession and praying the Rosary. Participants will learn not only how to become great baseball players, […]
Best-selling author and controversial social scientist Charles Murray is back in the news. This time it’s because of his new book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010. In Coming Apart, Murray deftly wields both statistical data and anecdotal evidence to document the wholesale abandonment of the ideals that for two centuries defined the […]
A fastball is a young man’s pitch. Arrogant and overpowering. An exercise in green strength and the flexibility of young bones and tendons. Oh, older pitchers can sometimes throw the high-velocity things, barreling toward the plate at more than 90 miles an hour. Even in his last seasons, a forty-year-old man playing in the early […]
Truth told, I rarely read fiction. My coffee table is covered by theology books, and when I do need a good “story” I get it the way God intended – the SyFy Channel. When I heard “pro-life novel” however, my interest was piqued. I am thrilled to report that Kari Burke’s The Life I Dreamed […]
WARNING! This is more of an analysis than a review, so there are LOTS of SPOILERS! I find Brave to be a subversive and kind of shocking movie. First, what I LIKE about the film: the artistry/special effects are, of course, amazing. I laughed my head off at ALL the Scotsmen fighting scenes (with mandatory […]
When I reflect back on my days a younger Catholic mom, one of my fondest memories is the role that the magazine Catholic Parent played in our Domestic Church. I remember reading Editor Woodeene Koenig-Bricker’s reflections each month and feeling not only inspired, but also completely supported in my vocation. And I needed a lot […]
Baby loss through miscarriage is one of the last taboo subjects in our society. Because in most cases, it is largely a hidden loss, the grief associated with it is all too often dismissed easily by people who just don’t understand. Karen Edmisten and those who contributed to After Miscarriage: A Catholic Woman’s Companion to […]
As I write this, the country awaits a decision by the Supreme Court regarding the scope of government power and intrusion into all of our lives for the foreseeable future. This is a crisis. It is not a crisis that will be resolved by the Supreme Court’s decision, regardless of the decision. Within our generation, […]
We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought. He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children; that the next […]
Snow White and the Huntsman is a delicious, delightful, old-timey, coat-of-mail-clanking, halberd-swinging, plucky princess story that we’re already familiar with! The 21st century special effects make the film all the more nifty. Dark-haired Kristen Stewart (“Bella” in the Twilight series) plays Snow White with her trademark Kristen Stewart stillness and seriousness. Blonde-haired, Oscar-winning Charlize Theron […]
During a presentation of the worldwide financial crisis three years ago, none other than Queen Elizabeth asked the best question “How come no one could foresee it?” She was not alone; the worldwide economic recession has upended many sacrosanct beliefs about how finance and economics really work. This country is currently in its worst economic […]
A Heart on Fire: Rediscovering Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by James Kubicki, S.J. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 2012 Sometimes people feel as if devotions such as that to the Sacred Heart went the way of the horse and buggy after Vatican II. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, […]
This week the Sundance Channel premiered Push Girls, a new reality series about four women in wheelchairs. All of them have spinal cord injuries at various levels. Like me, three of them were paralyzed from car accidents, one from a ruptured blood clot in her spinal cord. After watching the first episode, I can’t say […]
