In Portland, Oregon, a suburban parish’s decision to remodel the interior of its church building has the local architectural community crying over the loss of an “architectural masterpiece.” To read the coverage, one might think that the building belongs to the architects rather than to the parish. A Typical Suburban Parish The suburb of Milwaukie … Read more
A recent article in The Washington Post described a troubling new business trend in China, renting out adult grandchildren to elderly people who lack caring children and grandchildren of their own. It’s Just Business The article tries to present this bit of commerce in objective tones. It notes that the Chinese population aged sixty and … Read more
This article is the fourteenth part of a series about Purgatory, a topic that is rarely discussed today. A knowledge of Purgatory is essential if souls are to avoid the pains of this place of expiation. The previous article can be found here. * * * While not well known today, Saint Catherine de Ricci participated in … Read more
Those who believe that the higher education system is broken have a new piece of evidence, courtesy of The Wall Street Journal’s website—“University of Michigan Drops First-Semester Grades to ‘Curb Mental Health Crisis.’” The University will implement the program in the fall of 2027. Pass or No Credit The idea is that first-semester freshmen won’t … Read more
Americans who like American cars also like V-8’s. The evidence is undeniable. No less an oracle than the Wall Street Journal proclaimed it in a recent article. That article revealed important aspects of the America character, especially among those with conservative social leanings. A Corporate Error The premise of the article was that the 2025 … Read more
The Oregon Secretary of State recently announced that a referendum to ban the killing of animals failed to gain enough signatures to get on the November ballot. Many, including livestock farmers, sport and commercial fishers, hunters and meat-eaters, breathed a sigh of relief. It is easy to understand mocking such a goal and then dismissing … Read more
This article is the thirteenth part of a series about Purgatory, a topic that is rarely discussed today. A knowledge of Purgatory is essential if souls are to avoid the pains of this place of expiation. The previous article can be found here. * * * Modern Christians who accept the existence of … Read more
Conflicting claims about marijuana have baffled societies worldwide since it became popular among countercultural groups in the late sixties. The issue rapidly degenerated into a battle between non-users advocating laws prohibiting marijuana and users, who thought that it should be legalized immediately. A Growing Issue Many Refuse to See Over the years, the use of … Read more
On September 3, 2026, the day after she died, the reliably leftist New York Times honored Gloria Steinem with a photo layout looking back on her career. One of those pictures showed her lifting a glass of champagne with actress Jane Fonda, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Pat Mitchell, the former president of PBS. … Read more
On May 14, 2021, the University of California entered into an out-of-court settlement. It agreed to suspend the use of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) as criteria for admission to the state’s university system. Many in the system thought it was a mistake, but couldn’t quantify their fears. Only … Read more
