Category: Politics & Society
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Simone de Beauvoir and the Catholic Church
Given the opportunity, I would have asked Simone de Beauvoir many questions, the first being: Did you ever stop to consider that your Roman Catholic upbringing might have negatively influenced your reading of Genesis, and other books of the Bible? The second question (depending on her answer to the first): Have you ever made a…
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The Subtly of Propaganda
None of us thinks that we are easy prey for propaganda. We all think that it’s the other gal or guy, the one that hasn’t read as much as us or that we’re just not that dumb to swallow a half-truth, let alone a full-blown lie. But I’m afraid it’s just this attitude that the…
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Subverted: How I Helped the Sexual Revolution Hijack the Women’s Movement
Currently reading: Subverted: How I Helped the Sexual Revolution Hijack the Women’s Movement by Sue Ellen Browder. Because there’s always a hidden side of any revolution in thought, or otherwise… From the front: The chains that bind [a woman] in her trap are chains in her own mind and spirit. They are chains made up…
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The Backside of “Truth”
How many needed truths has the world lost to the delete button? We will never know. But perhaps this author should have used the delete button a few more times. Less is always more. And if you can get it done with nine lines of code, no need to write ten. But let me not…
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Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
Before picking up Jaron Lanier’s book, I’d listened to several of his talks on the subject of social media’s ongoing damage to individuals and society. I was quickly convinced that the reasons for his urgency to pull the plug on the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were right on. And while a few months…
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Salamanders in My Chambord
French Rulers: Que Dire ? France is deep into its Fifth Republic. So far, it’s lasted fifty-eight years and eight presidents. Not bad for a country with more than 1,600 different cheeses. But how long will the Fifth Republic last? With the scandals and twists and turns of France’s current presidential race, some are wondering within the country…