Russell E. Kuykendall World View Primer A generation or two ago, a broadly shared faith or at least a generally held perspective on how we should then live could be assumed, answering the ancient Greeks’ three ultimate questions, plus one more: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? And, a fourth: Who loves me? Today, answers to [...]
Grace Olmstead, a native of rural Idaho, now lives in Washington D.C., with her husband and three children. In Uprooted she examines the so-called brain drain in which those who can, leave behind the limited opportunities of home in favour of America’s urban centers. Those left behind in communities like Emmett, Idaho, are increasingly older, while the younger folks struggle to make [...]
By Paul Tuns - Review Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell Jason L. Riley (Basic Books, $38, 290 pages) I mentioned in my From the Editor’s Desk column that I greatly admired columnist George F. Will (still do). Another columnist I greatly admire and learn from is Thomas Sowell. I have more than 30 of his books on my shelves and have watched [...]
I was humbled to be asked to recommend three books to pro-lifers which I believe to be essential reading and together provide a great foundation for all the dear unwitting souls that God throws into the wild mix of individuals who have and will constitute what is commonly described as the pro-life movement in Canada, who have joined the fight to protect [...]
Countdown: How Our Modern World is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race Shanna H. Swan by Scribner, $37, 292 pages) Fertility rates have been declining precipitously globally but especially in the west over the past few decades. In Countdown, Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist, explores the health and cultural [...]
John Robson Civis Romanus sum. I’m the kind of guy who has books with that phrase all over my shelves. Whatever my failings, I’ve read a lot. Many years ago I even learned to ski by reading a volume on it. So when my editor asked me to review three books on citizenship I naturally went… went… I don’t think I ever [...]
Human 2.0: how to upgrade yourself We are hearing a lot today about transhumanism. What is it and what are its long-term implications? One definition says that it is a “philosophy favouring the use of science and technology, especially neuro-technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to overcome human limitations and improve the human condition.” In other words, taking artificial intelligence (AI) and the human [...]
Portuguese court nixes euthanasia law LISBON -- Portugal’s Constitutional Court ruled on March 15 that a recently passed assisted suicide law is unconstitutional. In January, Portugal’s parliament passed a euthanasia bill that permitted euthanasia in cases of psychiatric suffering, disability, or when patients refused care for treatable illness. President Marcelo de Sousa said the bill was “excessively imprecise” and refused to sign [...]
Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times Jonathan Sacks (Basic Books, $38, 366 pages) Rabbi Jonathan Sacks died last November, and his latest and presumably last book, Morality, was published shortly beforehand. It is message to all, Jew and gentile alike. He opens arguing that: “Societal freedom cannot be sustained by market economics and liberal politics alone. It needs a third [...]
Pro-gay youth line TORONTO -- Youth Line is a Toronto area on-line resource for young people up to the age of 29, which caters to queers, trans- and two-spirit persons. Its content includes explicit information on how to conduct a homosexual sexual encounter; how to normalize the giving of sex-toy gifts; how girls can become sex “workers” (a euphemism for prostitutes); a [...]
Canada We learn from the New York Times that a group of singers performed a virtual concert of Frederic Handel’s “Messiah,” giving it a thoroughly modern interpretation. One self-identified gay Chinese-Canadian “struts through the streets of Vancouver” singing “ev’ry valley shall be exalted” as a coming-out anthem as the camera “focuses on his six-inch high stiletto heels.” A Tunisian-Canadian sings about [...]
Canada On Dec. 10, the House of Commons passed C-7, the bill that expands euthanasia to include people who are not terminally ill and those who are suffering psychological pain. On Dec. 11, the House of Commons unanimously voted to create a 9-8-8 suicide prevention hotline to replace the old 10-digit phone number. We’re not saying it’s incongruous; we’re saying it’s curious. [...]
Book Review By Paul Tuns The Wit and Wisdom of Father George Rutler, edited by Edward Short (Sophia Institute Press, $19.95 USD, 352 pages). I have long been a fan of Fr. George Rutler’s writings, being most familiar with his work in Crisis magazine. Fr. Rutler radiates both erudition and spirituality, so it is hardly surprising that he is both Ivy League [...]
What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense Sherif Gergis, Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George (Encounter, $24, 136 pages) In 2013, Sherif Girgis, Ryan T. Anderson, and Robert P. George co-wrote a brief book, What is Marriage. Last year, the book was re-released and rightly so. Although the book was originally released during the height of the same-sex "marriage" debate [...]
From the editor's desk I’ve often said that when it comes to euthanasia, in our current legal and political climate, “safeguards” is just another name for discrimination. If the state tries to protect minors or people suffering from mental illness or non-terminally ill individuals by outlawing a lethal procedure that might be imposed upon a highly impressionable person or to [...]