​Tenured radicals have their impact.​

​A few pages into this book, I call it George Eliot revisited​.

Clean copy, crisp, not a word wasted. Excellently observant of manners and customs — and speaking Christian language clearly.

​Oh, I forgot, witty to beat all. A blessing, to be sure.

​In which they had their first date and broke up and got together again. For good, 40+ years ago. ​

​’30 and ’31 were record-setting years. ​

We think it’s hot these days? (Actually not so much here in the 40th Ward.)

If you were around then and aware — I was around (for the last 3 days of ’31), but prodigy though I may have been, was not quite alert — you go tut-tut, my chickadee.

​Oh that ozone hole, would have been the death of us all.

But it WASN’T! Miracles never do cease.​

Again.

When will we ever learn, when will we learn? (Apologies to creators and performers of an oldie-goodie of ’60s)

​It’s like this:

​Let’s say you want to lose some weight. Which of these foods would you choose: A skim-milk latte, or the same drink with whole milk? A low-cal breakfast bar or steak and eggs? A salad tossed in light dressing or the same salad doused with buttermilk ranch?

If you’re like most Americans, you either aren’t sure how to answer, or you’re very sure—but very wrong.

And it’s not your fault. It’s the fault, experts say, of decades of flawed or misleading nutrition advice—advice that was never based on solid science.​

You mean it never was settled? Egad.

more more more here.

And why is he saying these things about Catholic life and worship?

Here is your answer.

​A left-leaning Boston-area suburban block was too much for this Greenpeace solicitor.

As in this gem by Fr. Spadaro SJ from the latest issue of Jesuit-run Civilta Cattolica about how Republican presidents were influenced by the writings of a conservative Evangelical pastor:

The [Rev. Rousas J.] Rushdoony doctrine . . . supports the theocratic need to submit the state to the Bible, with a logic not unlike the one that inspired Islamic fundamentalism.

After all, the narrative of terror that feeds the imagination of jihadists and neo-crusaders is drinking from sources not too far apart. We must not forget that the theopolitics touted by ISIS is based on the same cult of apocalypse to hurry [things up] as soon as possible.

So it is no coincidence that George W. Bush has been recognized as a “great crusader” . . . by Osama bin Laden. [Italics added]

Fr. Spadaro and his co-author of the article from which the above is taken, the Argentinian Presbyterian pastor Rev. Marcelo Figueroa, editor of the Argentinian edition of L’Osservatore Romano, are reported as close to Francis, functioning as advisors.