Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 340

The winners of the Cranach basketball pool. . .

. . .are NOBODY.   No one in our contest predicted that the University of Connecticut would win the NCAA championship.  (UConn also just won the NCAA women’s championship!)  No one predicted the Final Four.  That’s too bad because I worked out a special deal with Warren Buffett that the winner of our little pool would [Read More...]

More turmoil in Ukraine

Ethnic Russians in Ukraine–especially in the eastern regions where they are in greatest numbers (though not necessarily a majority) have seized public buildings, are arming themselves, and have declared a separatist republic.  All in the hopes of being annexed by Russia like the Crimea was.  Some say the uprisings are sponsored by Russia in the [Read More...]

George Herbert on Sin, Love, & the Sacrament

Miranda Threlfall-Holmes discusses one of my favorite poems, The Agony by George Herbert.  It is about how we try to measure everything, neglecting what cannot be measured; namely, sin and love.  But these can be known in their depths as they come together in the Cross of Jesus Christ.  The poem concludes with these lines [Read More...]

Does the internet degrade our ability to read?

There is some evidence that the way we read on the internet–skimming, surfing, hopping from link to link–is interfering with the ability to read complex, content-rich books that require reading slowly and thoughtfully. Do you think?  Having just finished the 1500 page unabridged Les Miserables for free on my Kindle (an overwhelming experience that I’ll [Read More...]

Managers vs. leaders in the Secret Service

The country keeps getting embarrassed by Secret Service agents who have been caught cavorting with prostitutes, getting drunk, and passing out in hotel lobbies.  Former agent Dan Emmett says the main problem is bad leadership.  He tells about the Secret Service’s practice of promoting people who are “well-liked” to management positions, rather than those who [Read More...]

The movie vs. the flannelboard

We saw the movie Noah.  It had some good cinematic touches (such as the imagery with the seven days of creation), and I don’t begrudge some of the imaginative liberties (such as having the animals be in suspended animation on the ark).  I was even finding myself liking it for awhile.  Some of the criticisms, [Read More...]

Social conservatives rising in France

There is talk of a “French tea party,” as citizens alarmed at abortion, gay marriage, and other social issues are mobilizing politically and taking to the streets.  Something similar is happening in other European countries.  The movement is one of  social conservatism, not necessarily other kinds of conservatism, with the protesters often being fine with [Read More...]

The 7.1 million who signed up for Obamacare

So 7.1 million Americans signed up for Obamacare, which is being hailed as a great success for the program.  But, you will recall, 6 million Americans already had individual health insurance policies that they lost because of the new law, forcing them to sign up for Obamacare.  The question is, how many Americans have health [Read More...]

Less cash, less crime

Cash is portable, hard to trace, and universally-accepted, no questions asked.  Which makes it a good thing to steal.  There may be a relationship between the decline in the crime rate and the rise of debit-cards and other electronic means of exchange.  A study suggests this is the case in poor neighborhoods, ever since the [Read More...]

Actor who played Frodo’s Sam is a Lutheran

Sean Astin, who played Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings movies, has gotten vocal about his Christian faith.  Not only that, he has become a Lutheran. From ‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor Opens Up About His Christian Faith | TheBlaze.com: Actor Sean Astin has had a long-standing career in Hollywood. From starring as [Read More...]