Jan
28
Academic Freedom
January 28, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Here is a passage from a statement by Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., president of Providence College, regarding his reasons for prohibiting a production of The Vagina Monologues on his campus:
This policy will inevitably raise questions regarding academic freedom. The true meaning of academic freedom is often misunderstood; it is not the license to hold [...]
Jan
27
Libertarian or Conservative?
January 27, 2006 | Leave a Comment
When I was in high school I was something of a libertarian. Looking back on things now, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that many adolescent boys are libertarians. Although I am still very attracted to the principles of liberty and personal autonomy that are the hallmarks of libertarianism, there are elements of it, or [...]
Jan
27
Finally Some Meaningful Evaluations!
January 27, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Dilexitprior comments that she’s surprised to find that professors actually look at Ratemyprofessor.com. Well, of course we do! How else are you going to find out whether you’ve earned any chili peppers?
Besides, it’s hilarious reading. My wife was just perusing it herself, and she’s a prof, too. She likes looking up all the people we [...]
Jan
25
God is Love
January 25, 2006 | Leave a Comment
The Pope issued his first encyclical today, “Deus caritas est.” See the stories at CNT, NPR, and the BBC. The Latin text is available at the Vatican website; Zenit has an English translation.
Jan
24
Forgive, but Don’t Forget
January 24, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Speaking of books I like, I’m a huge fan of the writing of Frank McCourt. In particular, I like the editions of his books on audio tape, read by the author himself. It’s a joy just to listen to his warm voice with its gentle cadences, and it also enables you to listen to the [...]
Jan
23
Lo me gusta
January 23, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Irony of ironies, after blogging yesterday about McDonald’s food as crowd pleasing banality in the food department where did I end up eating myself but McDonald’s. My wife was returning from Paris (no, you’re not seeing double, she did in fact just get back from Paris about two months ago–she goes there twice a year [...]
Jan
22
Ordinary Time
January 22, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Have you ever been driving along in your car listening to the radio, when a country-western song comes on and you start to listen to it and then, after a few minutes, you find yourself thinking “Hey, back up the truck–this isn’t half bad!”? Well, OK, neither have I. But I suspect that most folks [...]
Jan
13
When It’s Good to be Number Two
January 13, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Here’s an interesting little news item: Ohio University ranks Number Two in the Princeton Review among schools where students claim that they “almost never study”, coming in behind the University of Mississippi at Oxford. No, not that Oxford, the one in Mississippi; you obviously never studied either, at least not geography. You probably think that [...]
Jan
13
Knowing the Truth
January 13, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Tom Kreitzberg has been posting a number of interesting meditations on the teaching of Vatican I that God can be known through the light of reason, here, here, and here. I had intended to jump into the fray right away, when the first one went up on Tuesday, but what with my son’s birthday coming [...]
Jan
12
o{]|:¬)?
January 12, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Can you copyright a string of punctuation marks? There is at least one person on the planet who thinks that you can: John T. Zuhlsdorf of Catholic Online’s “Catholic Forum” uses o{]|:¬) as a “sig” at the end of his posts thinking, I suppose, that it looks a little like a guy wearing a biretta, [...]
