Reading Rat August 2011

On authors in my recommended reading.

'They Were Truly Idiots'

Der Spiegel interview with Mikhail Gorbachev (via Arts & Letters Daily)

Greatest Hits of the Sixties

"'hippie punching.' This is now an accepted way to mock almost any contemporary criticism of unabashed liberals." --Mickey Kaus

Taking a different toll

Greg Couch explains Chicago's blues over Brewer, Packer rise.

What, never? Well, hardly ever!

"Genuine ecumenical dialogue can never be fruitful merely through contrasting newspaper articles without personal conversation on a face to face level." says Bishop Richard J. Sklba in this column in our Archdiocesan weekly contrasting his view of Catholic teaching with that expressed by Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod president Rev. Mark G. Schroeder in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel op-ed.

Venerable beads

Duane Dudek's recent report on how a Hartford station keeps faith with rosary broadcasts includes a sidelight on the Church's demographic cliff. The broadcasts are produced by Ron Weber of the Holy Name Society at St. Kilian parish.

"'When I joined the Holy Name, we'd have 150 members at a breakfast,' said Weber, a retired mason who grew up on a farm in a devout family and lived his entire life 'within five miles of the city.' Today, said Weber, who turns 76 Saturday, 'I am the Holy Name Society.'"