From the Jewish High Holiday Prayer Book: O God, divine Ruler of the universe, as the twilight of the old year fades into the night that marks the birth of another year, we gather together in Thy house with mingled emotions, mindful of the blessings and the sorrows Thou hast seen fit to lay upon …
The Fed Takes Its Lumps from Donald Trump
He hits hard: Ms Yellen last Wednesday dismissed as emphatically wrong Donald Trump’s claims that she and her institution were keeping short-term interest rates low at the behest of the Obama administration. “Partisan politics play no role in our decisions,” she declared. Mr Trump is throwing punches at a time when the US central bank …
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The Iranian Version of the Vaudeville Cane Yank
What were looking at here: Iran's supreme leader has told former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad not to stand again in next year's elections, state media reported on Monday, effectively eliminating a major challenger to pragmatist incumbent Hassan Rouhani. Ahmadinejad had not announced any plans to run in the vote scheduled for May, but has made …
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What Really Happens When a Christian Watches a Muslim Movie?
Jeffrey Overstreet is making the "big moral statement" here: Christians can choose to dwell on — and invest in — movies that show us what we already like, tell us what we already know, assure us of our own salvation, and make us feel happily entertained. That isn’t wrong. But might we make better use …
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Worried About the Chinese Taking Over Hollywood? It's all Propaganda Now!
We have a new "red scare" in Hollywood: The latest salvo came in a letter from 16 members of Congress last week, which called for closer scrutiny of Chinese investment in the U.S. entertainment and media sectors. The letter cited the Dalian Wanda Group’s acquisitions of Legendary Entertainment, AMC and Carmike Cinemas, and warned of …
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"Garbage In Garbage Out" Works for the Soul, Too
From Bossuet's Elevations on the Mysteries, IV, 8: To correct the abuse and distraction of our wandering and dissipated imagination, it is necessary to fill it with holy images. When our memory fills up, it will only take us to those religious ideas. The water wheel pushed by the flow of a river always goes, …
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The Fast Way to Escape "Intellectual Yet Idiot"
And a fast escape is needed too: The Intellectual Yet Idiot is a production of modernity hence has been accelerating since the mid twentieth century, to reach its local supremum today, along with the broad category of people without skin-in-the-game who have been invading many walks of life. There are many ways I don't meet …
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Hillary's Health Problems? Should Have Done Some Due Diligence First
Now it's not just the "nutcases:" A health condition initially described by Clinton’s campaign as a brief episode of overheating during the outdoor event – a situation downplayed by a stronger-looking candidate in the afternoon – was identified later as pneumonia when the campaign released a four-sentence statement from Clinton’s physician. The campaign did not …
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The Thing Elizabeth Warren Missed About the Apple-Ireland Decision
She's made quite a statement in the wake of the multi-billion euro judgment: The Apple ruling is big, but it is only the latest international effort to end the deals that American multinationals have used to pay near-zero tax rates. The European Commission is investigating Luxembourg’s tax arrangements for Amazon and McDonald’s, and last year …
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Old News, New News: The St. Andrew's School Sex Scandal
I said a couple of weeks ago that I was shifting away from commenting on things Anglican, but my past has caught up with me again. As I have mentioned more than once, I am an alumnus of the St. Andrew's School in Boca Raton, FL, and same school is now caught up in a …
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