Someone has to write it, so I guess I will. How are the accusations against Catholic priests—such as those that appear in the Pennsylvania grand jury report—substantiated as true or almost certainly true? How many involve evidence in addition to … Continue reading →
Bail bondsmen in California can’t be too happy about this development: California will become the first state in the nation to abolish bail for suspects awaiting trial under a sweeping reform bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday. An … Continue reading →
Can it be that one in fifty people have found true love on an airplane? I find it a bit hard to believe. I’ve struck up a few interesting conversations, but the closest I’ve come to an emotional bond was … Continue reading →
I just read this article about the current frontrunner in the Brazilian presidential elections, a man named Jair Bolsonaro who is described in the article I just linked as “far-right,” and given to racist and misogynistic utterances: Loathed by much … Continue reading →
I returned home from Italy late last night. So what’s on tap for today? Unpacking, laundry, grocery store, blog. Staying inside most of the day is made easier by the fact that the “real feel” weather report is that although … Continue reading →
Italy has a lot of hills and a lot of old buildings built on a grand scale, and it has a great many staircases both inside and outside. Many of the staircases have old steps that slope downwards, made of … Continue reading →
I certainly don’t know—even though yesterday I visited the Vatican and did the tour thing. Nary a word was said about the current crisis facing the Pope. It was silence in the Sistine Chapel all the way. One thing about … Continue reading →
More work to be done, but this is promising: But the deal left open the question of whether Canada, the third country in NAFTA, would agree to the changes — and Trump himself said he wanted to throw out the … Continue reading →
I was only in Rome one time before, as a fifteen-year-old traveling on a teen tour that was of the budget variety (we stayed in dorms and hostels, and ate in weird cafeterias), and I guess that coin in Trevi … Continue reading →
From The New Yorker: Ronell, who is sixty-six, is a literary scholar and philosopher at New York University and, by all accounts, one of the great academic minds of our time. Her accuser is Nimrod Reitman, her former doctoral student, … Continue reading →
[See ADDENDUM below.] Think about this for a moment: With John McCain’s death, the governor of Arizona gets to appoint his successor to the US Senate. The timing of McCain’s death is such that this person will get to serve … Continue reading →
John McCain has died of brain cancer. He was a man who lived many lives, and lived them fully. He started out as the son and grandson of four-star admirals, went to the Naval Academy, and was a rebellious young … Continue reading →