Latest Posts

November 06, 2024

Why Are Some Countries Still Poor?

This year’s Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded to Daron Acemoglu (MIT), Simon Johnson (MIT), and James A. Robinson (U of Chicago) for their work investigating why some countries flourish while others don’t. Continue Reading...
November 04, 2024

Death of a Liberation Theologian

A decade or so ago, I boarded a Miami flight headed for Detroit and found myself sitting next to a short, elderly, Latin American gentleman. Throughout the flight, we exchanged the usual pleasantries that characterize such travel. Continue Reading...
October 31, 2024

The Pastor Who Looked Evil in the Face

Hollywood multi-hyphenate Todd Komarnicki first burst onto the public’s radar in 2003 as one of the producers of the Christmas comedy classic Elf. From there he went on to demonstrate his versatility across several projects and genres, notably the dramatic screenplay for the much-acclaimed 2016 biopic Sully (based on the book by the late Jeffrey Zaslow). Continue Reading...
October 30, 2024

Do Presidential Debates Matter Anymore?

The 2024 election campaign has been unprecedented in numerous ways, but one of the less expected ways has been the number of presidential debates between the two candidates. Only one debate has occurred, and for the first time in presidential history, the vice-presidential debate looks to be the last one that will be held before the November election. Continue Reading...
October 24, 2024

Conclave’s Art Is Great, but Its Doubt Is Dubious

The intersection of religion and politics has always fascinated Hollywood filmmakers, from Becket and A Man for All Seasons to The West Wing. And no wonder. Both religion and politics are two of the biggest commanders of loyalty in their followers, and therefore they wield an enormous amount of power. Continue Reading...
October 22, 2024

The Life-Giving Suffering of Things

Alfred Lord Tennyson’s dramatic monologue “Ulysses” has for nearly two centuries served as the great cri de coeur of all young men whose lives of mediocrity and utility leave them restless and unsatisfied. Continue Reading...