Published on
20 May 2011
Posted in Christianity, Culture, Recommended Links, Religion
‘Quietly but firmly Benedict is making his own distinct contribution to the battle of ideas upon which the fate of civilizations hang . . .’ Readers of A Blog for All Seasons may be interested in this article by Samuel Gregg on the website of the Acton Institute: here.
Published on
6 May 2011
Posted in Culture, Music & Art
From a Guest Blogger: Like doing good, appreciating or creating works of high aesthetic value has always taken a certain amount of effort. Good art has tended to be elitist and genii do not come in droves. But for the sympathetic, and for those willing to make more than a little effort, the beauties of […]
Published on
4 April 2011
Posted in Big Society, Culture, Music & Art, Political Economy, Public Policy
From a Guest Blogger: Painters, writers, musicians, dancers and curators have now been put out of their anxious expectation and into the misery they foretold. The arts are being slashed and there is nothing, it seems, they can do about it. On the lips of so many public servants of all (non-creative) stripes is the […]
Published on
30 March 2011
Posted in Big Society, British Politics, Culture, Human Rights, Moral Philosophy, Public Policy, Virtue
We reported here recently on the case of Bed & Breakfast owners sued by a same-sex couple for refusing to allow them to share a double-bed at their Cornish hotel. It now emerges that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), who funded the claim, are investigating gay hotels for possible unlawful discrimination against heterosexuals. […]
Published on
10 March 2011
Posted in British Politics, Christianity, Civil Liberties, Conscience, Culture, Europe, Islam, Liberty, Public Policy, Religion
Guidelines have now been published for the implementation of France’s much-publicised ban on the wearing of full face-coverings in public places, which will come into force next month. The Guardian reports that – with more than a slight reminder of Communist Vietnam – women caught wearing the burka will be ‘given a citizenship class to […]
Published on
7 March 2011
Posted in Culture, Recommended Links
‘The Western cult of happiness is a mirthless enterprise’, argues Pascal Bruckner. Read the entire article here. © City Journal (New York City, N.Y.)
Published on
21 February 2011
Posted in Africa, Culture, Middle East, Social Commentary, World Affairs
There is an interesting article on the Witherspoon Institute’s Public Discourse site by Egyptian journalist Yasser Khalil, who took part in the recent protests in that country. ‘The question that now hangs over Egypt,’ he argues, ‘is whether real freedom is possible, or whether the country inevitably will fall under authoritarian control or the rule […]
Published on
18 February 2011
Posted in Culture, Education, Recommended Links, Social Commentary
Is it the end of the world as we know it? Not quite, but it might be the end of ‘coherent speech’. Clark Whelton, writing in City Journal, chronicles the rise of ‘Vagueness’, ‘the linguistic virus that infected spoken language in the late twentieth century’. Read the article here. (Article © The Manhattan Institute, New […]