In Excelsis :

The Spirit of Martyrs: Iraq's Christian community has come under great strain, enduring a massacre at its leading cathedral earlier this...

Merry Christmas: I didn't get to make that boar's head this year after all, partially because I couldn't convince anyone else th...

Christmas in Bethlehem: If you are so blessed as to be able to manage a pilgrimage to Bethlehem this year, your hosts have a message for you...

The Suit: The business suit is a very odd garment, if you pause to think about it. If you are like me, and wear one perhaps three times a y...

Mirrorshades: Bruce Sterling is definitely one of the people I'd like to hear from about Wikileaks . One minute’s thought would reveal t...

Now You're Talking: Bob Owens is right on the money : Laws of course vary from state to state, but the simple fact is that the large maj...

Against Human Rights: If the title of this post sounds vaguely sacrilegious to you, Dr. John Gray says, it's because you are a victim of...

Books by Companions of the Hall: If you're looking for a good book to buy for someone, allow me to remind you that two of our friends ar...

Totality: The photos I took of totality didn't come out very well, but here is an early one as we approached it. These things are best v...

Against the Cold: We had some bitter cold earlier this month, although the last few days have been more normal for Georgia in December. Sti...

Entrepreneurial Government: Walter Russell Mead has a interesting article that lies somewhat along my own way of thinking. The bureaucratic...

Your Government in Action I can only imagine the stimulative effect of the tax money that must have been used to put up this sign, which is ...

The Hall Bedecked: While we lack the elegance of T99's lovely home, we have arranged things in a way that matches the merriment of the s...

The Chinese Student of Western Philosophy: This interesting article touches on the experience of a teacher of political philosophy with num...

Headlines: Today's news: Marine Commandant demonstrates the courage to speak the truth as he sees it, in spite of his CINC's oppos...

The Hávamál on the Holidays: Many of you will soon be undertaking travel to distant places, in the cold and the snow. I wish to remind you...

The Small Laws: The other day, I saw a strange post at Volokh , asking whether and why adult incest should be banned by law. Now, it's ...

Blessed are the Peacemakers: I don't know how much peace was made by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who has died unexpectedly at the ag...

The Piano Arrives! I'm taking custody today of my good friend's dog, a dog I'm awfully fond of, for a month or so while she goes...