Fighting on

On the predicament of the Church in Vietnam.

Land grab

An article on a massive wave of investments in arable land in the developing world. While the journalist seems to think that the problem is population growth, keep in mind that the population is not growing in most of the countries that buy the land, only in those that sell it..

Full-on

Extreme sports for Jesus.

Might makes right

It is always fascinating how our culture needs to cast every discussion in terms of abstract rights, which inevitably leads to very ideological policy solutions to real life problems. Expecially because when you ask the average intellectual where rights come from, he will tell you that "society confers them." So there is really no "right" especially for what the majority feels is right.

Who you are

A remembrance of Frank McCourt.

Unconvinced?

Peggy Noonan wonders if the president may be misreading how the electorate feels about healthcare reform. On the subject, read also Atul gawande.

Drawing down

This two-year old interview with Philip Longman made an interesting prediction about how an aging world population would impact an economic crisis such as the one we are seeing now.

"Belief in faith"

Peter Steinfels got a press release from Marie Claire.

They sure could

Medieval drawings at the MMA. The reviewer betrays some typical prejudices on the Middle Ages. Does she think people suddenly learnt how to draw in the 14th century?

Constantinian?

On the Chinese government's attitude to Christianity

Taking the only important thing for granted

Harold Levy expresses perfectly the common wisdom of the educational establishment: improving education is achieved by keeping young people in school longer and longer. Teaching them something is regarded as entirely secondary. The fifth suggestion is a classic: to improve higher education we need stronger students. Do they grow on trees?

A people at work

There is something very Catholic about Pittsburgh.

Moral superiority

John Waters on the Irish child abuse scandal.

Culture matters

An interesting article on health care. The bottom line is that the problem cannot be reduced to technical issues: the question of what it means to be a doctor cannot be eliminated.

Ambiguous

David L. Schindler on the theology of Christopher West.