On the Indiscriminate Love of Dogs and Everything Else

Westminster champion Wasabi. (Photo by Jack Grassa courtesy of WKC.jpg)     Ah, Westminster! Where else can a trapezoidal head, or an egg-shaped one, be a mark of honor? Dogs are my favorite sport, and dog shows one of its spectacles. I watch rapt, drinking in the elegant curve of…

We Need More Than We Want to Give

Why is it so hard for us to give every living thing what it needs in abundance?

Biden and the Bishops

Sacrament is supposed to stay simple. Its rituals use natural, everyday elements—bread, wine, oil, water—to express pure forgiveness, a lifelong bond, an unbreakable unity.But politics can break anything.

Montessori Meets AI

"The Spirit Machine" is a new art installation, commissioned in Montessori’s honor and sited at Radboud University in The Netherlands, inside a new building named for her. It is based, not in a child’s creative intelligence, but in AI.

Acing Work-Life Balance

These days, we relegate all the fun to the future, promising ourselves that when we can finally retire, we will play more, see our friends more, take our time, travel. Yet many of us are fast realizing that we may die before we get to retire.

Are Goose Feathers a Prerogative?

The feathers, casually discarded, are not what troubles my conscience. But the quick and easy exploitation, grabbing a pretty thing for my own use, feels like a single instance in a long pattern—and it is one I know will continue.

Does Water Make St. Louis the City of the Future?

Wealth and technology have allowed development in regions of the country without adequate water, but when wealth and technology fail to sustain, we will be forced to pay greater attention.

Self-Pleasuring in a Car Lot, and the Difference It Makes to Be White

The most powerful variable here is fear. The woman in Mankato may have been high on a substance that can cause erratic and violent behavior, but she seemed happy and absorbed in her own pleasure, and one look told the officers they did not have to worry about a concealed weapon.

With King Lear, We Are God’s Spies

Lear is  too big to be contained—but so are greed, power, and despair. This production is not a cheesy attempt to “make relevant” by dreaming up cool costumes and picking a fun place and time.

The New Fluidity

A new name or new spelling, new avatar, new sexual orientation, new status, filtered photo—the self is a work in process. The most we did was try on crazy outfits, sweating in tiny dressing rooms and tossing stuff over the walls to each other. These kids try on whole identities.

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