Francis Albert Sinatra (/sɪˈnɑːtrə/; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the “Chairman of the Board” and “Ol’ Blue Eyes“, he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century.[1] Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era. He joined the Harry James band as… Read More Sinatra in the studio
“With the proliferation of systems, methods, concepts and philosophical theses which are often extremely complex, the need for a critical discernment in the light of faith becomes more urgent, even if it remains a daunting task. Given all of reason’s inherent and historical limitations, it is difficult enough to recognize the inalienable powers proper to… Read More The Church and Philosophical Discernment.
“George Harrison played a crucial role in the production of “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” (1979) by financing the film after EMI Films withdrew their support just before filming began. He mortgaged his home to provide the necessary funds, stating he wanted to see the movie made, which has been described as the “world’s most… Read More George Harrison and The Life of Brian
by Thomas Storck. What is needed is a real debate on religious questions providing a rational public apologetic for the faith. “For we were not following fictitious tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his grandeur.” – 2 Peter 1:16 The… Read More The Catholic Faith Is Not a Noble Lie
The late philosopher, William Barrett, in his famous book on Existentialism entitled Irrational Man, writes of faith and reason, “THOUGH strongly colored by Greek and Neo-Platonic influences, Christianity belongs to the Hebraist rather than to the Hellenist side of man’s nature because Christianity bases itself above all on faith and sets the man of faith… Read More Whose Wisdom? Whose Reason?
Full length presentation below the powerful first, brief, video. “A fascinating new look at the biblical, historical, and scientific evidence for Creation and the Flood. Learn from more than a dozen scientists and scholars as they explore the world around us in light of Genesis. St. Alphonsus Liguori: “It is a certain rule, received in… Read More Is Genesis History?
—- Or, Why My Favorite Moggs Reads The Sun Religiously. Prince Harry is reportedly planning to extend an olive branch to King Charles by inviting him to open the Invictus Games in the UK in 2027, which some say could help mend their long-standing rift. . Page Six The US Sun. But that’s just the half of… Read More Moggs’ WiseHead Revisited.
The Telegraph, UK. Rory Stewart is wrong about everything, but he gets away with it because he is posh. Fans of The Rest is Politics believe the social status of a political opinion matters more than its accordance with reality. The former Conservative minister’s career is a reminder there is no limit to how wrong you… Read More Rory Stewart is wrong about everything, but he gets away with it because he is posh
“The Russian intelligentsia produced a faith based upon a strange syllogism: ‘Man is descended from the apes, therefore we must love one another.’” — Vladimir Solovyev. On Lenin’s desk in the Kremlin there stood, for most of the years he worked there, a strange bronze statue of an ape gazing with an expression of profound… Read More Lenin, the Ape and the Skull
“Under Nicolás Maduro’s administration thousands of people died in extrajudicial killings and seven million Venezuelans were forced to flee the country due to economic collapse.” —Wikipedia. “Venezuela has been a significant transit hub for drug trafficking, particularly cocaine, due to its proximity to Colombia, which is the primary source of cocaine. The Venezuelan government, under Nicolás Maduro, has been… Read More Nice Smile
With Ross Douthat, NYT. What should the U.S. do next in Venezuela? President Trump’s former Venezuela envoy Elliott Abrams wants the Trump administration to push harder for full regime change. But, he and Ross debate if a democratic transition is even possible based on the administration’s interests and past American efforts in the region.
Sec. of State Rubio takes aim at UN. US president says a military operation in Colombia ‘sounds good’ to him and warns Mexico ‘to get their act together’. The United States President Donald Trump has threatened military action against his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, following Washington’s abduction of Venezuela’s leader, and said he believed the government… Read More Trump threatens Colombia’s Petro, says Cuba looks ‘ready to fall’
Jan 5, 2026 2:43 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — leaving other immunizations, such as flu shots, open to families to choose but without clear guidance. Officials said the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won’t result… Read More Trump administration cuts number of vaccines it recommends for every child
Anett Fodor tells the story ofBeethoven, Liszt and the Little Broadwood. | The London piano manufacturer, Thomas Broadwood, visited Ludwig van Beethoven when he was staying in Vienna. He realised immediately that the Master was suffering from impaired hearing. Broadwood was a great admirer of Beethoven and a few months later, he gave him a… Read More Exceptional Provenance
Updated. The U.S. struck Venezuela primarily to capture President Nicolás Maduro, who has been accused of drug trafficking and leading a corrupt regime. This military action was part of a broader strategy to address the perceived threat posed by Maduro’s government and to support opposition efforts in Venezuela. More via CNA / NCRegister / C-Span.… Read More U.S. Strikes Venezuela. Updated.
Note: the objective in presenting this data is not to discourage but so that a good part of the clergy will finally get real and begin helping their people to address these matters from the pulpits and in homes regularly, because adults and children are hurting out here. Otherwise we must all, from Popes to… Read More Chat GPT: Heterosexual Marriages Continue General Decline. The Warning of the Prophets.
“Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem, or did the gospel writers “invent” the story to fit prophecy? Did a Roman census ever force people to travel back to their ancestral towns? And what about Herod’s massacre of the innocents – pure theology, or plausible history? Tom Wright and Mike Bird respond here to challenges raised… Read More N.T. Wright Replies to Historian Tom Holland Regarding N.T. Nativity Accounts
“Ah, she looks like snow – I want to put her in a broadway show–Ah she’ll dance and dine–Like a lucifer she’ll always shine… I feel like letting go….” —Letting Go, Venus and Mars album. Paul McCartney SH: Were some of The individual Beatles into astrology? If so, which ones and why? Tin Man Grok A.I.… Read More A.I. Hedges on The Beatles and Astrology. A “Conversation” With Tin Man.
Anne Bancroft was a convert to Judaism in 1964. She played an unforgettable central role as Mary Magdalen. Rod Steiger, Jewish, the American actor had Jewish ancestry on his father’s side and was connected to Jewish cultural roots. He likewise played an unforgettable central role as Pontius Pilate in the series starring Robert Powell (who… Read More Three Jewish Actors Who Played Prominent Roles in the 1977 Series Jesus of Nazareth
By Father Gabriel of St Mary Magalene, 1953. O Lord, increase my confidence in Your help and grant that in this confidence, I may always find courage to begin again. What most distresses souls of good will who are seriously trying to live a spiritual life, is to find themselves falling so many times, despite… Read More The Courage To Begin Yet Again
“…the most unsettling question raised by [the Incarnation] is not “What if Christ had not come?” but “What if He has come, and we live as though He has not?” Christmas exposes this paradox with uncomfortable precision. We sing the hymns, quote the promises, and decorate our sanctuaries, yet it is possible to live functionally as if Emmanuel were… Read More A Most Unsettling Question
Bishop Robert Barron at Westminster Cathedral, London. 2023. Bishop Robert Barron’s whirlwind missionary journey to London. He spoke to members of Parliament; gave a homily in Westminster Cathedral; spoke with award-winning historian, author, and broadcaster Tom Holland; and more. On February 6, 2023, Bishop Robert Barron gave an address at the Houses of Parliament for… Read More Jesus, the Torah, And Freedom
by Ron Paul | Dec 22, 2025 Late last week, Congress passed and President Trump signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill marks the first time the US military budget officially passed the one trillion dollar mark. Of course, when you add in other military-related spending such as interest on the debt, veterans’ affairs, and… Read More Opinion. A Christmas Gift to the War Machine. Ron Paul.
In the traditional rite, Christmastide lasts for 40 days to correspond with the 40 days of Lent, and the 40 days from Easter to Ascension Thursday. Christmastide ends on February 2, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called Candlemas Day. On this day, the faithful take candles that they will use throughout the… Read More Christmastide: The Christmas Season: Dec 24 to Feb 2
C.S. Lewis on ‘Brutal’ Truths About Family “Isn’t it a pity?Isn’t it a shame?How we break each other’s heartsAnd cause each other pain?How we take each other’s loveWithout thinking anymoreForgetting to give backIsn’t it a pity? Some things take so longBut how do I explainWhen not too many peopleCan see we’re all the same?And because… Read More Christmas In A Time of Unprecedented Family Stresses.
The chilling idea that seemingly does not die… From an award-winning historian, a new global history of Communism “When the USSR collapsed in 1991, the world was certain that Communism was dead. Today, three decades later, it is clear that it was not. While Russia may no longer be Communist, Communism and sympathy for Communist… Read More The Rise & Fall (& Rise Again) of Communism
Dr. Larry Chapp and Dr. David Deane “Everyone knows there is a “crisis” in the Catholic Church and in the world around us. Some say it is capitalism gone wild. Others say it is the decay of tradition, family, and objective truth. Still others say it is the rise of radical, reactionary conservatism. Though all… Read More Nietzsche and the Crisis in the Church and World
Confessions of an Apostate. By Christopher Derrick. | The New Oxford Review.November 1985. “The world has quite enough chemists, but it hasn’t got nearly enough good Catholic writers. You write well for your age: I want you to continue Chesterton’s work to the best of your ability.” –Christopher Derrick. I have a story to tell you,… Read More A Chestertonian Adrift in an Ideological World
American Idol: On Nietzsche in America. The Nation. Why early twentieth-century Americans—from anarchists to crazed Baptist ministers—fell for the Do It Thyself philosophy of Nietzsche. [Note: What follows here I think is a true enough interpretation of what is, in no small part, the general American philosophical context, which explains our interminable evolution of so-called… Read More American Idol: On Nietzsche in America
… you are almost certainly a literate person with an interest in history. And this man was a lot more than brilliant and merely batschlit crazy (though he was very likely that, since he certifiably popped most of his buttons between the World Wars of the last century). He was also extremely influential, impacting for… Read More If you know who this is…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio drops major updates in his year-end press conference on U.S. foreign policy breakthroughs! From progress in Ukraine peace talks and Gaza ceasefire efforts to strengthening Indo-Pacific alliances against China – discover how the Trump administration is asserting American strength globally. Is this the start of real change in these hotspots?… Read More Rubio: Previous Foreign Policy & Institutions Built in a World Which No Longer Exists
An Urgent discussion. “They used Christian churches as target practice” Telegraph UK. “King Charles has spoken out in support of persecuted Christians around the world after attending a service at Westminster Abbey dedicated to those facing violence and discrimination for their faith. The King said his thoughts were with people “in areas where it is… Read More From Nigeria to the Middle East Increasing Persecution of Christians.
I don’t mean to spoil the party but we appear to be living in eschatological times. Let those who wish to laugh do so. But is it not a Sign of the Times, as in the days of Noah, when the forces of Hell are unleashed so totally on the Christian Faith, particularly endless abortion, … Read More A New World Order. Recall…
“The elusive butterfly of happiness has been chased by humanity since the beginning of time. Sages have said that happiness is indeed like a butterfly —try to catch it and it flees; sit quietly and it will light on your shoulder. . . The good news is that by grace we have the power to… Read More The Elusive Butterfly
By Dorothy Day. We must begin sometime to aim at sanctity. The tragedy, Newman said, is never to begin. Or having put one’s hand to the plough, to turn back. To become a tired radical. To settle down to relish comfortably past performances of self-sacrifice and self-denial. It is not enough, St. Ambrose remarks, to… Read More Sanctity
(1) The Odyssey, an epic Greek poem [attributed to Homer], tells the story of King Odysseus and his heroic struggle against the gods. The tale begins when the ship of Odysseus is blown off course on the way home from the Trojan Wars. In his effort to get home, Odysseus lands on an island where… Read More Lashed to the Mast
By Dei Civitas on ‘X’. John Money, a psychologist and sexologist whose work in the mid-20th century helped popularize the notion of “gender” as distinct from biological sex, left behind a deeply controversial and tragic legacy. While his theories profoundly influenced modern discussions on identity, they also introduced confusion, contributed to significant psychological harm, and… Read More How One Man’s Theories on Gender Led to Lifelong Harm
Updated. I think it is critical to notice when the trees seem to be advancing against the Christian Worldview, and who has been charged with leading the assault. The aim has been to tear apart the Christian world and its traditional moral values from the beginning, and to substitute a “Rules Based” “Liberal” Order in… Read More The Pied Pipers of the ‘Liberal World Order’. Rory Stewart & Alastair Campbell.
From The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis., 15th Century. God help us. “… a humble tiller of the land who serves God is better than a proud philosopher who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars. He who knows himself well becomes mean in his own eyes and is not… Read More On Striving to be Small Towards Christmas.
“Chesterton challenged the common belief that previous generations were foolish.” By Shane Parrish. Chesterton’s Fence is a principle that reminds us to look before we leap. To understand before we act. It’s a cautionary reminder to understand why something is the way it is before meddling in change. The principle comes from a parable by… Read More Chesterton’s Fence: A Lesson in Thinking
Catholic Critique 