Author Archives: Andrew Stuttaford

“Sawdust on the Floor”

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

From the memoirs of Mark Edward, a prominent former psychic: I’m quite confident that I would know by now if I had a spirit guide or my Aunt Ethel’s watchful ghost alongside me. I have looked and searched, then looked … Continue reading →

Posted in Science & Faith | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Tea Party: “More Paul than Santorum”

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

David Kirby and Emily Ekins write in Politico: The Republican National Convention this week announced speaking slots for libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and social conservative Rick Santorum. Both claim the “tea party” brand. However the 2012 primary season reveals … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

John Fisher: Biter Bit

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Writing in the (British) Catholic Herald, Francis Phillips claims that she “feels a shiver when I see the parallels between our world and that of St John Fisher”. The context, inevitably, is of officialdom’s supposed attack on religious freedom in … Continue reading →

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Old Habits

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

By Wolfgang Horsch, Suddeutsche Zeitung

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Free The Pussy Rioters (2)

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

From the closing statement of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova: Finally, I’d like to quote a Pussy Riot song because, strange as it may seem, all our songs have turned out to be prophetic, including the one that says: “The KGB chief, their … Continue reading →

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How It Is

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via what looks like the distinctly lefty Chtodelat News, the closing statement of Yekaterina Samutsevich, one of the Pussy Riot three, and, in this extract, an argument of some subtlety: The fact that Christ the Savior Cathedral [the scene of … Continue reading →

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Mustn’t Diss the Russian Orthodox Church

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Interesting report out of Estonia: Officials are remaining mum for now on a report from the Russian human rights organization Agora that a Karelia-based blogger, Maksim Jefimov, has asked for political asylum in Estonia. Jefimov is facing criminal prosecution for … Continue reading →

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Hikikomori, Literally

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via the Daily Telegraph: Seventy members of an Islamist sect who have been living in an underground bunker without heat or sunlight for nearly a decade have been discovered living on the outskirts of the city of Kazan in Russia. … Continue reading →

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Hikikomori, Again

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via the Washington Post: JERUSALEM — It’s the latest prescription for extreme ultra-Orthodox Jewish men who shun contact with the opposite sex: Glasses that blur their vision, so they don’t have to see women they consider to be immodestly dressed. … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion | Tagged , | 2 Comments

In the Public Square

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via the Economist: …One issue that pits the Catholic Church against the majority of [Poles] is in vitro fertilisation (IVF), a subject of intense debate in the Polish media. The Vatican regards it as a sin because it splits sex … Continue reading →

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