popular culture

If you’re looking for a sure bet, here’s one: until this fall, the vast majority of US Catholics had never heard of Archbishop John Hughes. Then, in September, the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan published an article…

National Public Radio may soon be under real assault from Republican lawmakers, if Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes’ comments about “liberal Nazis” are any indication. A congressman from Colorado Springs, Doug Lamborn is leading the charge.

One for each night, from that box of flick’ring light.

Makers of a new film imagine 2012 as an idyllic time of peace, environmental stewardship, and equality. The documentary asserts that whatever happens in 2012, it will allow things like rooftop farms, bicycle culture, and other aspects of urban environmentalism to thrive. It sounds completely lovely. But film does not explain is why we must await the stroke of 2012 to start building this utopian vision.

Artist Jonathon Keats feels there is a complete lack of curiosity on the part of the average person to ask the playful and profound questions at the heart of human existence. The hoi polloi wait, Keats laments, for the artist to tell us the meaning of their art, the scientist to tell us how the world works, and the religious leader to tell us right from wrong. We have become passive creatures. To help combat this lethargy, Keats has turned to pornography. It began a couple of years ago with plants—showing zinnias uncensored footage of explicit pollination acts—but now it has escalated to porn for God.

Stories are dangerous. They have the ability to re-make the world. The Harry Potter Alliance was founded to create a Dumbledore’s army of Harry Potter fans that work for justice in the real world.

From his jaw-dropping 88-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson in the first few minutes of the game to what would be a record-breaking performance overall—333 yards thrown, four touchdowns, and a 59-28 blowout against the Washington Redskins—it was Vick’s name that the sportscasters kept coming back to, with awe in their voices. But without the chance to play pro football again and to fill a stadium with wonder, Vick would have been just another celebrity ex-con, not the miracle he’s now judged to be.

Even after serving his time for dog fighting the Eagles star QB wasn’t quite redeemed. It took football.

Pastor admonishes his flock to steer clear of Facebook’s many lures and tempations.

The positive reception of Budrus in the U.S. says a lot about the political climate today. The right-wing “pro-Israel” movement is going through a tough time. It has always built its public appeal on one simple narrative: Israel wants peace, but it must fight to ward off implacable violence from its enemies. Anything Israel does is justified because it’s in self-defense.