Category: Aggregated

Over the past decade or so I have witnessed some disturbing trends at church. One would have thought that our Lord Jesus Christ had, himself, worn a government-issued uniform, given how much reverence, gratitude, and appreciation we are led to collectively express for these folks during Mass. At first, it was a weekly prayer “for the troops,” which is fine. There is no human being, alive or dead, who doesn’t need prayers. However, we never prayed for the innocent civilians in the countries Americans had invaded, who were killed, maimed, and tortured in far greater numbers than Americans. We never … Continue reading →

What are the most iconic cars ever to drive across the silver screen? Here are our top 5 films where the car became the star: (1) Lotus Esprit Series 1 – The Spy Who Loved Me The 1976 Lotus Esprit Series 1 was an instant on-screen classic in the chase sequence in Sardinia – and that was before it converted in to a submarine. Some will choose the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by 007 in Goldfinger and Thunderball, but the Lotus Esprit from the Spy Who Loves Me gets our vote. (2) DeLorean DMC-12 – Back to the Future … Continue reading →

Africa’s most populous nation has just achieved something very important. This week Nigeria’s voters handed a landslide victory to former president, Muhammadu Buhari. Equally impressive, the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, became the first Nigerian leader in 55 years to democratically cede power to his rival. President-elect Buhari, a dour, ascetic, unsmiling former general, proclaimed his primary goal is to attack all-pervasive corruption and crush the Boko Haram uprising in the north. Interestingly, Buhari, a Muslim, received substantial support in the Christian south in this normally religiously-divided nation of 177 million. Nigeria is one of the world’s most corrupt nations. The … Continue reading →

The announcement of a “framework” for an agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear research and development had all the drama of a thriller – the extended negotiations, dragging out over several days and deadlines, the anticipation, the furor surrounding the process, and of course the naysayers carping from the sidelines, all focused the attention of the world like a laser. President Obama did a masterful job in presenting the basic parameters of the deal in his speech: unlike his critics, he sounded like a true statesman, one who is looking to history, and not the next election or the … Continue reading →

Sometimes I think that the next Revolutionary War will take place in vegetable garden battlefields, all across America. Instead of bullets, there will be seeds.  Instead of chemical warfare, there will be rainwater, carefully collected from the gutters of the house. Instead of soldiers in body armor and helmets, there will be backyard guerrillas, with bare feet, cut-off jean shorts, and wide-brimmed hats.  Instead of death, there will be life, sustained by a harvest of home-grown produce.  Children will be witness to these battles, but instead of being traumatized, they will be happy, grimy, and healthy, as they learn about the … Continue reading →

Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer In 1939, Hitler and Stalin made and executed an agreement to divide Poland and other regions of Europe between them. Hitler and Stalin were also making plans to attack each other.  To Stalin’s surprise, Hitler went first. This is not a story of military battles or political intrigue. In Bloodlands, Timothy Snyder continues his examination of the catastrophe that was life in Central and Eastern Europe during the time of Hitler and Stalin, now focusing on this period first of cooperation, then battle. Friends German bombs started falling on September 1, 1939.  … Continue reading →