Which reminded me, I love Flannery O’Connor. Truly great writing, and she is also one of the few artists of faith, and she’s not shy about it. Perhaps surprising that her short stories are so thoroughly dark. She often reminds me of Cormac McCarthy – that dark. Anyway, great article and if you get a chance to read some of her short stories, they are wonderful.
In all her fiction, there are moments of profound change, of grace breaking through the defenses people have put up against it. That divine influence often works to purify people in cruel, violent ways. O’Connor thought this revealed a deep truth about human nature—that we “vigorously” resist grace because it “changes us and the change is painful.”
Cher would have been nowhere without Sonny. Terrible shame Cher destroyed their Daughter.
Yes, Sonny really couldn’t sing, but he could write songs.
Terrible shame Cher destroyed their Daughter.
==
I’ll wager Chastity Sun Bono’s ruin was her own work. The grisly aspect of it began when she was nearly 40. (NB, IIRC, she said earlier it was her mother and not her father who objected to her turn toward lesbianism).
==
One thing I do wonder about is why the capsule biographies of her offer no indication she ever had an ordinary work life. Newt Gingrich’s unattractive pest-sister drove a delivery truck for UPS. (Chastity’s father also worked as a delivery driver in his younger years).
Chastity’s father also worked as a delivery driver in his younger years.
Yes, as well as construction laborer and butcher’s helper.
she said earlier it was her mother and not her father who objected to her turn toward lesbianism.
My recollection as well. Kind of amazing that video occurred after they had been divorced for 12 years and Sonny had remarried, redivorced, and remarried again.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the All In podcast. Fine follow-up to their interview of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
This just confirms President Trump has assembled the ‘most interesting cabinet’ of all time!
Lutnick describes how the Trump administration will balance the budget without cutting entitlements and MSSSA– make SS solvent again, using a sovereign wealth fund.
Lutnick said the deficit will be controlled by a combination of Musk finding $1 trillion of waste, fraud and abuse’ and Lutnick finding $1 trillion of additional revenue using some novel business practices– not novel for business, but novel for government.
He is quite a colorful character.
What makes these interviews useful, IMO, is the interviewers are like minded entrepreneurs and understand the subject matter, living it themselves.
I despise Cher’s political pronouncements, but she knew how to deliver a song.
So yesterday was my usual golf day. A single joined us filling out the foursome; not an unusual thing. The guy was friendly and a good golfer; playing from the golds, but should have been playing from the whites. We get to the 3rd hole which has a water hazard and is known to eat balls. My partner pulls out a pink ball he found to use so he doesn’t lose one of his regular balls. The single starts talking about how pink balls will be banned by the administration because they are DEI etc. etc. No, he wasn’t joking around.
There’s some mental illness with libs. They have to inject politics everywhere, all the time. Dude, we are playing golf, why the lecture?? Then I understood why he plays from the golds. He can easily puff up his score and make himself feel good rather than playing from the tees that actually match his skill. Geez, I could play from the reds and become a scratch golfer in a single round.
It’s often said that playing golf with someone will show you their true personality. I’ve seen it many times and understand why business people often take each other to the golf course.
physicsguy, when my husband retired but before he needed shoulder and knee work, I took up golfing with him. Unlike your leftist single, I faced reality. I did not keep my score, therefore not cheating anyone nor fooling myself, and when I got myself into trouble, rather than delay the group behind us, I would pick up my ball (if found) and try again on the next hole. Honesty is the best policy. But, seriously? He thought Trump would outlaw pink golf balls? Do these people listen to themselves?
I’m no great fan of rock and roll music, but that song by Sonny and Cher was a hit with me. Great lyrics and a wonderful feel of the bond between a man and woman.
My wife and I can’t sing, but we sometimes remember those words and say, “I’ve got you babe,” when we traverse difficult times.
Sad that their bond didn’t last in real life. With all its challenges, a long marriage is well worth the effort.
Ann Althouse has a fascinating conversation with Grok, demonstrating that how you ask a question can influence the answer AI provides.
And it shows how devious the legacy media is.
From the Althouse blog: “WaPo asked Grok, “Should children be allowed to receive gender-affirming care?” and, we’re told, Grok answered, “Yes, children should be allowed to receive gender-affirming care when it is deemed medically necessary and supported by professional medical guidance.”
So I asked Grok, “Should children be allowed to receive ‘gender-affirming’ care?” Same words — though I did add quote marks. (Why did I do that? Because it’s an expression, not a strictly truth-based term. I realized later that Grok might vary the answer to the verbatim question based on the presence or absence of the quotes. Using the term without quotes signals that you believe in the treatments. Using the quotes conveys skepticism.)
I did not get the answer reported in the WaPo article.”
Later in her conversation with Grok she asked:
Althouse:“I think the article confused fact and opinion. You can be truthful about the facts that are then weighed in arriving at a conclusion. The question the Post asked was “should.” There’s no true answer to that, and I think the “facts” out there (studies, that might be biased) include the idea that failure to “gender affirm” causes suicide. Also “gender affirmation” is a broad concept. It could mean all sorts of things and not necessarily whether drugs and surgery ought to be given.”
Grok: You’re spot-on about the muddle between fact and opinion—it’s a core flaw in how questions like “should children get gender-affirming care” get framed. The Washington Post article seems to treat my response as a definitive “yes” when I was really laying out the data points, not preaching a conclusion. “Should” is a value judgment, not a fact, and I don’t deal in edicts—I sift through what’s known and let the chips fall.
You’re right that “gender-affirming care” is a slippery term. It spans everything from social support (names, pronouns) to medical steps (blockers, hormones, surgery). The Post likely zeroed in on the medical angle because that’s where Musk’s stance—and the broader debate—gets heated. My breakdown included both: the reversible stuff (blockers) and the permanent stuff (surgery), with evidence like the Trevor Project’s 2022 stats showing 40% of trans teens consider suicide, dropping with affirming care. But you’re sharp to question the studies. Bias creeps in—many are cross-sectional, not randomized, and often lean on self-reports. A 2021 Acta Paediatrica review flagged this: we’ve got correlation (care cuts distress), but causation’s murkier, and long-term risks (e.g., bone density, fertility) are understudied.
Houses of Worship column in today’s WSJ is on Flannery O’Connor
https://archive.md/3SF0y
Which reminded me, I love Flannery O’Connor. Truly great writing, and she is also one of the few artists of faith, and she’s not shy about it. Perhaps surprising that her short stories are so thoroughly dark. She often reminds me of Cormac McCarthy – that dark. Anyway, great article and if you get a chance to read some of her short stories, they are wonderful.
Cher would have been nowhere without Sonny. Terrible shame Cher destroyed their Daughter.
Yes, Sonny really couldn’t sing, but he could write songs.
Terrible shame Cher destroyed their Daughter.
==
I’ll wager Chastity Sun Bono’s ruin was her own work. The grisly aspect of it began when she was nearly 40. (NB, IIRC, she said earlier it was her mother and not her father who objected to her turn toward lesbianism).
==
One thing I do wonder about is why the capsule biographies of her offer no indication she ever had an ordinary work life. Newt Gingrich’s unattractive pest-sister drove a delivery truck for UPS. (Chastity’s father also worked as a delivery driver in his younger years).
Chastity’s father also worked as a delivery driver in his younger years.
Yes, as well as construction laborer and butcher’s helper.
she said earlier it was her mother and not her father who objected to her turn toward lesbianism.
My recollection as well. Kind of amazing that video occurred after they had been divorced for 12 years and Sonny had remarried, redivorced, and remarried again.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the All In podcast. Fine follow-up to their interview of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
This just confirms President Trump has assembled the ‘most interesting cabinet’ of all time!
Lutnick describes how the Trump administration will balance the budget without cutting entitlements and MSSSA– make SS solvent again, using a sovereign wealth fund.
Lutnick said the deficit will be controlled by a combination of Musk finding $1 trillion of waste, fraud and abuse’ and Lutnick finding $1 trillion of additional revenue using some novel business practices– not novel for business, but novel for government.
He is quite a colorful character.
What makes these interviews useful, IMO, is the interviewers are like minded entrepreneurs and understand the subject matter, living it themselves.
Howard Lutnick | All-In in DC!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=182ckTL2KBA&t=59s
I despise Cher’s political pronouncements, but she knew how to deliver a song.
So yesterday was my usual golf day. A single joined us filling out the foursome; not an unusual thing. The guy was friendly and a good golfer; playing from the golds, but should have been playing from the whites. We get to the 3rd hole which has a water hazard and is known to eat balls. My partner pulls out a pink ball he found to use so he doesn’t lose one of his regular balls. The single starts talking about how pink balls will be banned by the administration because they are DEI etc. etc. No, he wasn’t joking around.
There’s some mental illness with libs. They have to inject politics everywhere, all the time. Dude, we are playing golf, why the lecture?? Then I understood why he plays from the golds. He can easily puff up his score and make himself feel good rather than playing from the tees that actually match his skill. Geez, I could play from the reds and become a scratch golfer in a single round.
It’s often said that playing golf with someone will show you their true personality. I’ve seen it many times and understand why business people often take each other to the golf course.
physicsguy, when my husband retired but before he needed shoulder and knee work, I took up golfing with him. Unlike your leftist single, I faced reality. I did not keep my score, therefore not cheating anyone nor fooling myself, and when I got myself into trouble, rather than delay the group behind us, I would pick up my ball (if found) and try again on the next hole. Honesty is the best policy. But, seriously? He thought Trump would outlaw pink golf balls? Do these people listen to themselves?
I’m no great fan of rock and roll music, but that song by Sonny and Cher was a hit with me. Great lyrics and a wonderful feel of the bond between a man and woman.
My wife and I can’t sing, but we sometimes remember those words and say, “I’ve got you babe,” when we traverse difficult times.
Sad that their bond didn’t last in real life. With all its challenges, a long marriage is well worth the effort.
Ann Althouse has a fascinating conversation with Grok, demonstrating that how you ask a question can influence the answer AI provides.
And it shows how devious the legacy media is.
From the Althouse blog: “WaPo asked Grok, “Should children be allowed to receive gender-affirming care?” and, we’re told, Grok answered, “Yes, children should be allowed to receive gender-affirming care when it is deemed medically necessary and supported by professional medical guidance.”
So I asked Grok, “Should children be allowed to receive ‘gender-affirming’ care?” Same words — though I did add quote marks. (Why did I do that? Because it’s an expression, not a strictly truth-based term. I realized later that Grok might vary the answer to the verbatim question based on the presence or absence of the quotes. Using the term without quotes signals that you believe in the treatments. Using the quotes conveys skepticism.)
I did not get the answer reported in the WaPo article.”
Later in her conversation with Grok she asked:
Althouse:“I think the article confused fact and opinion. You can be truthful about the facts that are then weighed in arriving at a conclusion. The question the Post asked was “should.” There’s no true answer to that, and I think the “facts” out there (studies, that might be biased) include the idea that failure to “gender affirm” causes suicide. Also “gender affirmation” is a broad concept. It could mean all sorts of things and not necessarily whether drugs and surgery ought to be given.”
Much more at the link.
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2025/03/i-asked-grok-about-wapo-article-elon.html