The latest in a string of adaptations of the 19th-century Italian children’s bines brilliant artistry with ideological incoherence and absurdity, all in the service of both lionizing and subverting childhood. Read More… Guillermo del Toro’s career is evidence that the Oscars still favor the romance of the left. He has just won the Best Animated Feature award for his Pinocchio, which he set in Fascist Italy. If liberal opinion can treat political opposition as fascism, why shouldn’t del Toro do...

One simple device that virtually no one could afford has now e ubiquitous, and an accelerant of economic and social growth, especially among the world’s poorest. What’s the next best gadget, and how do we get it into the hands of the e people? Read More… Today, April 3, 2023, is the 50th anniversary of mercial introduction of cellphones. On this day in 1973, Martin Cooper of Motorola used a cellphone to place a call from Manhattan to the headquarters...

Upon the death of Chairman Mao, religious believers in China enjoyed a brief relaxation of persecution, and even a measure of liberty. But as Xi Jinping has demanded increased reverence for Chinese socialism, the faithful have begun paying the price again. Yet the young remain a source of hope. Read More… Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping secured a third term last October. He continues to transform what once was loose authoritarian rule into a near-totalitarian system. In...

A highly praised book that lays bare the presuppositions that inform the “science” of social science invites readers to rethink how they interpret what is popularly considered “real,” not to mention “human.” Read More… Jason Blakely is professor of political science at Pepperdine University and has written a book, We Built Reality: How Social Science Infiltrated Culture, Politics, and Power, that is likely to perturb some, gratify others, but interest almost everyone. He writes on the many ways in which...

Calling a business, civic organization, or even school a “family” may be well-intended es with unintended consequences that do an injustice to the mitments that should be made to our actual families. Read More… e to pany—we are a family and we’re glad you’re part of it! You are not just a student here, you’re a member of the family. We’re not just a business. We’re a family. Businesses, schools, banks, massive corporations, even small nonprofits often speak of their...

Journalist Marvin Olasky gives us a peek inside the travails of the passionate conservatism” of the late 1990s and the early messaging of the GW Bush presidential campaign. Whither the GOP on poverty and welfare reform? Read More… ’Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave, ’Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore ’Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave Oh! Hard e again no more. After twice vetoing welfare reform bills, President...

This Good Friday, take time to consider the role silence played in the Passion of Christ, and the role it should play in our daily call to humility. Read More… If you enter a Catholic church this Good Friday, you will notice the atmosphere of silence and emptiness that hangs over the sanctuary. The tabernacle doors are open, revealing the vacancy within. The altar is bare of any covering or ornament. The figures of saints all stand muffled by dark...

Hollywood has a new hit, an adaptation of the role-playing game where the medieval virtues of physical courage, sacrifice, and protection of the weak are turned on their head to make a mockery of the traditional male hero. The question is, in service of what? Read More… The most popular entertainment for boys not yet overtaken by the miserable ideology of our times is the tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons, a source of friendship and adventure. It became a part...

A new book offers insights into both what ails our civilization and what can revitalize it. The author is not shy about calling out our obsession with identity politics as faux religion, nor about recalling us to the true one. Read More… Spencer Klavan’s How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises identifies five crises he believes are plaguing the West and slowly undermining America: Reality, the Body, Meaning, Religion, and Regimes. Klavan argues that beneath the...

The first volume of a biography of the late Supreme Court justice has been published, opening a window into the highly influential—and polarizing—jurist’s life. It’s clear that his opinions were formed not merely in class- and courtrooms but also by the lived experiences of an Italian immigrant’s son. Read More… When Judge Antonin Scalia was confirmed to a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States on September 16, 1986, no senator voted in opposition. He was confirmed by...