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The end of the world as we know it (1)
One of the things I usually make a point of doing when we’re visiting my wife’s family in Indianapolis is to make a trip to Half Price Books. They sell both used books and remainders, and it’s rare that I can’t find some gem at low, low prices. (They also have HPB in California, but…
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Real food
Via Jeremy, a review Michael Pollan’s new book at Slate. Laura Shapiro defends Pollan from charges that he’s a mere “lifestyle guru” uninterested in political changes that could actually change the way we eat. That Pollan is interested in motivating political change should be clear to anyone who’s read his articles over the past year…
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Where’s the anti-war mojo on the Left?
With all the hype around the Ron Paul candidacy (admittedly still a long shot), I’ve wondered why there hasn’t been a comparable anti-war insurgency on the Left. Why, for instance, hasn’t Dennis Kucinich‘s campaign taken off? Is it that Democratic voters aren’t motivated primarily by the war, or is it that they regard the top…
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Confession
I really want to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to convince anyone I know to go with me. Why do all my friends have to have such good taste in movies?
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The menace of Rudy
Speaking of executive power-grabbing, The American Conservative has put out a special anti-Rudy issue. Glenn Greenwald writes about Rudy’s authoritarian tendencies, while Michael Desch looks at his ultra-hawkish foreign policy.
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Will a Democratic president remember the lessons of the last seven years?
Jack Balkin is worried that, when it comes to executive power, ostensible Democratic critics may learn to love the imperial presidency if a Dem takes the White House in 2008. It’s worth recalling that conservatives used to complain about the imperial presidency, especially during a time of strong popular liberal presidents. And, more recently, Republicans…
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Faith and factuality
The question of the Virgin Birth is just one example of a broader issue in the life of faith: how much of what the Bible describes as historical fact must be accurate for faith to have solid foundations? There are two extreme positions that can, and have been, taken here. One insists on literal factuality…
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A further argument for the Virgin Birth: the argument from beauty
The Annunciation is one of the most beloved images in Western history, having given rise to some of its most enduring piety, art, and music:
