Miscellaneous

> An important contribution of Pope John Paul II's 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus was that it recognized what should have been clear for a long time–namely, that the modern state is something altogether new and not to be treated analytically as merely an extension of the political

H.I.F. Two interesting things forwarded to me by my son, Alex (the one returning from Salamanca today): 1. In Russia there is no legal definition for ethnicity, so citizens can declare whatever they want, including Jedi and Hobbit. 2. A (very dedicated) fan's explanation on why

My son has spent the last six weeks in Salamanca, Spain. We were talking with him on Facetime last Friday, and he was telling us about the Kinder Egg: a chocolate candy egg with a toy hid inside. He loves them and planned on bringing some back to his siblings,

H.I.F. Interesting and scary: "Roughly 77 million Americans, or 35 percent of adults with a credit file, have a report of debt in collections. These adults owe an average of $5,178 (median $1,349). Debt in collections involves a nonmortgage bill–such as a credit card

Miscellaneous Rambling I attended my 30th class reunion last Saturday night. It wasn't well attended, but we had a solid showing and I got to catch up with a handful of friends that I hadn't seen in years. The drinking club (the venue for the event)

A Random Passage I've been tipping my reading toe into the works of the Anti-Federalists, those nervous souls who saw much mischief behind the proposed U.S. Constitution. I've been favorably impressed by some of it, like this passage from the Maryland Farmer: > I have

We're getting more news about the Orlando Bloom-Justin Bieber fight. Apparently the fight was witnessed by Paris Hilton, P. Diddy, and Lindsay Lohan. I'm confused. Did this fight take place in Spain or in 2003? A woman in Oklahoma called police to complain about the quality

A Random Passage "Old people, alone, as a class, have the time to be young." Henry Adams, Mont Saint Michel and Chartres. (Not an exact quote, but very close)

H.I.F. "What he found is a “pyx” – a small, gold, frame-like object used to carry the Catholic church's Holy Eucharist. The pyx was part of 1715 wreckage that sank there 299 years ago today." Link [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/07/31/underwater-video-captures-treasure-hunters-find-of-a-lifetime-his-gurgled-freak-out-is-priceless/

H.I.F. Is this Athens, Georgia or Athens, Greece? Cops Attack Gay Couple In Athens For Holding Hands [http://www.newnownext.com/cops-attack-gay-couple-in-athens-for-holding-hands-today-in-gay/07/2014/] . Home of the Sacred Band of Thebes, Patroclus and Achilles, and a host of other homosexuals and pederasts? Of course, a lot changes in