Post-Modernism Studies Have Begun: I bought Thaddeus Russell’s course, “What is Post-Modernism.” I like it, but I think I’ve caught three pretty bad errors in the first 20 minutes or so: Margaret Mead’s findings were terribly flawed, Copernicus didn’t suffer severe persecution, Galileo wasn’t persecuted because he was correct.

Christians and Post-Modernism: Joseph Bottum corroborates my hunch: Post-modernism is attacking traditional Christianity’s enemy, modernism, so we have a lot of common ground.

Galileo: What very few people know: Galileo was wrong. His conclusions were right, but his rationale was wrong. He couldn’t prove what he was saying, but rather, expected everyone to accept his conclusions based on the strength of his (supposed) superiority to everyone else. He ended a broken man . . . pride goeth before the fall.

Arthur Koestler: A #metoo villain from the mid-twentieth century. No doubt a creep, but probably a genius, intellectually honest, and interesting.

Midget Wrestling: It was a great time. Twisted? Naw, just fun. Don’t deprive midgets of their agency, and you can’t judge someone else’s sense of humor as long as it’s not unkind.

Detroit: Its rise from the ashes continues, but it’s still a gritty place and rings “authentic.” Contrast that with downtown Chicago.

Lightning Segments: All about The Manly Handbook, an absurd little book from the early 1980s that cracks me up to this day.

FOCUS: The Fellowship of Catholic University Students is doing marvelous work, as evidenced by my first-hand experience with the organization. :

Post-Modernism: Is this the smoke of Satan that Pope Paul VI talked about? I guess I need to figure it out.

Self-Abuse: The Atlantic ran a long essay about the “sex recession”: kids are having less sex these days. Why? One answer: masturbation.

Sex Jokes: Is ribaldry dialogue okay for Catholics? Maybe, maybe not. You decide.

Lightning Segments: El Cortez in Las Vegas, Elvis drummer, the Horn Effect, more.

The Seventh Century: The Dark Ages have begun, but what exactly do things look like? Khazars, Pepin, Franks, Etc.

Taoist Anarchism: Taoists are anarchists. For good reason: Wu-wei; non-action.

Black Friday and the Gorillas: Are Black Friday shoppers near descendants of the gorillas? Albert Jay Nock would seem to think so. A sense of superiority is an unsettling trait of many libertarians.

Puritanizing Marijuana: The marijuana industry is booming, but there is a conscious effort to imbue it with the Puritan work ethic and otherwise mainstream it. Thaddeus Russell wouldn’t approve.

Lightning Segments: Eight Mile, a list of Great Men, other snippets.

Poustinia: My experience with the solitary Russian retreat.

Fools for Christ: A very unusual religious calling, but a compelling one in its own way.

650: So, if the Roman Empire didn’t fall in 476, when did it? Nobody really knows, but it’s probably safe to say that, by 650, Rome was gone and the Dark Ages had begun.

Thanksgiving: November has a lot to recommend it, but perhaps nothing as much as this: it’s the month for giving thanks. With the attitude of giving thanks, comes many blessings.

Lightning Segments: Hot Scandinavian women, a king’s life, who can you trust, and Oscar Levant.

The Tao: What is the Tao? I don’t know. But you can start to find it if you start to play.