TWE

Although not commonly acknowledged, the Renaissance's cutting-edge intellectual current was magic. The daring intellectuals of the day were magicians. Magicians like Marsilio Ficino, Cornelius Agrippa, Tommaso Campanella, and Giordano Bruno taught esoteric, magical doctrines to society's upper-crust–a strata of society that has always felt a

> A young woman decided to call off her wedding 12 days before the event and her parents knew they'd be stuck with the bill, so they decided to have a party anyway and invited the homeless. > Residents of the Interfaith Family Shelter, housed in a former

Due to Eric Scheske's limited Internet access this week, we will not feature a "Brews You Can Use" this Friday. Our apologies, but we're sure you'll find ample reason to drink a few anyway.

> The Prince William County woman accused of putting her 5-year-old children in a car trunk finally turned herself in last night. . . > According to city police, an off-duty New Hampshire police officer stopped Parker on Saturday as she was backing out of a parking space at Wal-Mart with her

A woman has sold space on her forehead for $10,000. Golden Palace dot com bought the spot, which is now permanently inked. Even the tattooist tried to talk her out of it. It would seem that she's had a run of very bad luck and some money

Excellent piece at Lew Rockwell this morning about the ACLU and the Scopes trial. Packed with facts and solid analysis. Link [http://www.lewrockwell.com/jarvis/jarvis89.html]. A few excerpts: > We must remember that at this early stage the Russian experiment with Communism seemed to be working ”“ this

We reported yesterday that studies in third world countries indicate that family ties help cure mental illness. In a culture with increasingly-severed family ties, products like this aren't surprising: > Needies are interactive plush dolls inspired by codependent, high-maintenance relationships. > Totally attention-starved, they compete with each other

Not coincidentally (as we sweat away in 100-degree temperatures), summer brings renewed interest in global warming and the sun's effects. Now this: > A confusing array of new and recent studies reveals that scientists know very little about how much sunlight is absorbed by Earth versus how much

Another reminder: Eric doesn't have regular access to his computer this week, so the fare is different and lighter than usual. Regular blog programming will resume in a few days.

> The real problems are cultural, social, and moral. The welfare state has not only encouraged perverse and destructive behavior, but it has also led to an idolatrous devotion to the central state, with its implied promise of a single and costless political solution to every social ill. Hilaire Belloc