Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 331
May 16, 2014
Associated Press will shorten the news
We’ve blogged about the findings that the internet has diminished people’s ability to read long, complex texts. Now the leading practitioner of print journalism is giving in to the trend. The Associated Press wire service has ordered its reporters to keep their stories no longer than 500 words. Used to, wire stories–when they were printed [Read More...]
More on “the right to be forgotten”
We blogged about the European Union’s Supreme Court equivalent ruling that Google must take down links to information about individuals if they request it. Well, the requests are pouring in. From BBC News – Politician and paedophile ask Google to ‘be forgotten’: Google has received fresh takedown requests after a European court ruled that an [Read More...]
May 15, 2014
God as merely an explanation
The “low voltage atheist” George Will defends public prayer, and in doing so offers an interesting definition of Deism, one that might apply to many people who consider themselves Christians. He says that for the Deist, God is just an explanation, on the order of believing in the Big Bang, which is not the same [Read More...]
The best food source in human history
What is “the cheapest, most nutritious and bountiful food that has ever existed in human history”? The McDonald’s McDouble From Kyle Smith, The greatest food in human history | New York Post: What is “the cheapest, most nutritious and bountiful food that has ever existed in human history” Hint: It has 390 calories. It contains [Read More...]
Friend in the Senate
My friend Ben Sasse whom I’ve blogged about, won the Republican primary race for Senate in Nebraska. Observers are saying he will be a shoo-in for election. Pundits are calling this a “Tea Party” victory, but Ben is nothing like the angry-rabble of the stereotype. He’s a scholar of public policy, the president of Midland [Read More...]
May 14, 2014
“Spiritual Communion”?
According to Roman Catholicism, you can receive “spiritual communion” even when you don’t take actual, physical communion. That is, if you desire to receive the sacrament, that is almost as good as actually receiving it. I learned this seeming bit of Gnosticism from a post by Nicholas Frankovich as part of the discussion about whether [Read More...]
The right to be forgotten
The highest court of the European Union has ruled that Google and other search engines must allow individuals to request that links about them that appear in searches be deleted. From Google Must Honor Requests to Delete Links, European Court Rules – NYTimes.com: The highest European court on Tuesday gave individuals the right to influence [Read More...]
The free market vs. conservatism
Conservatives tend to support the free market. But the free market doesn’t necessarily support conservatism. Companies have to make money, so business interests are opposing sanctions against Russia and treading lightly in other countries when it comes to promoting democracy and liberty. So says liberal columnist Harold Meyerson. He could have added that businesses are [Read More...]
May 13, 2014
Open questions
Rev. Matthew Harrison, president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, posted a passage from the Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (1932) regarding “Open Questions.” It makes the wise point that Scripture does not clearly answer all theological questions, and so the Church may not offer definitive answers to them. See [Read More...]
The Nigerian schoolgirl kidnappings as Christian persecution
The public is rightly horrified by the kidnapping of some 276 Nigerian high school girls by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram, which has announced its plans to sell them as sex slaves. Missing from many of the news stories is that most of the girls are Christians (the majority of whom are members of [Read More...]
