You Can’t Take It With You

You Can’t Take It With You

John J. Morris, S.J. 1927 to Sunday Blackjack Morris was a Jesuit from Montana who was sent to work in a school up in Alaska.  He needed teachers, so he thought to invite some of his friends, offering room and board in exchange for their work.  Well, a bunch of...
Jersey Shore: Requiem for a Fist Pump

Jersey Shore: Requiem for a Fist Pump

I’m sure all of you know that yesterday was the beginning of the end of “Jersey Shore,” everyone’s favorite reinforcer of negative Italian-American stereotypes. My favorite reality show will pack up its bronzer, hairspray, and jewelry for good. Let’s all take a moment...
Mumford and Sons: The New Album

Mumford and Sons: The New Album

What do socks, chocolates and Mumford and Sons have in common?  They’re all gifts that you buy when you have no idea what a person wants.  They work for everyone: most people like ‘em and, if some folks don’t, at least their presents are inoffensive and re-giftable....
Debating Unemployment (We Need To Talk)

Debating Unemployment (We Need To Talk)

This election year is all about the economy, or so we are being told.  We sure heard quite a bit about it in last night’s first presidential debate. Facts first: over the past year or so, most of the US unemployment numbers have been disappointing – not that the...
All Along the Watchtower

All Along the Watchtower

Four years ago, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) piloted a program aimed at giving American soldiers in the field more accurate warning against incoming dangers. The lovable geeks over at Ars Technica recently reported that the project has...
The Fruits of Pain

The Fruits of Pain

A few weeks ago I got two lessons, one about a torn meniscus, another about pain. The first came from a friend of mine. He’d been in pain for a few days, and – as pain tends to do – it tipped him off that something was wrong.  A scan of his knee...
Car Talk: A Tappet Bro’s Tribute

Car Talk: A Tappet Bro’s Tribute

I was too young to drive when I first heard the infectious laugh of Tom and Ray Magliozzi (better known as Click and Clack the Tappet brothers) over Cleveland’s NPR airways on Saturday mornings. But I enjoyed their self-deprecating humor, and their laughs that sounded...
Hilariously Holy

Hilariously Holy

Calling someone a “Jesuit comedian” comes with some baggage. That admittedly odd phrase conjures up several images, all unfortunate: a fully vested priest telling lame-o jokes during a Sunday Mass while the bored parishioners roll their eyes; a young Jesuit scholastic...
Week in Review — Sep. 24-30, 2012

Week in Review — Sep. 24-30, 2012

How fast do things move on the web? Last week we were surprised to learn that Jesus was married (according to a probably-unreliable and possibly-faked 4th century papyrus). This week, we’ve awarded “Golden Iggys” for the best reader suggestion for...