Category: Culture
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Elgar’s “Dream of Gerontius” — A Video Recording That Takes One’s Breath Away
Deal W. Hudson December 19, 2016 I hardly know what to say, but I will try: This DVD recording of Sir Edward Elgar’s “The Dream of Gerontius” is one of the most magnificent presentations of any piece of music I know. Taped in color by the BBC inside the Worchester Cathedral in 1968, the performance is…
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Why I’m Watching “The Thin Man” Rather Than the Oscars
Deal W. Hudson February 21, 2018 The title above may appear to be of trivial importance, or of no importance at all. But to me, as a lifelong film buff, it’s akin to declaring a change in sexual orientation. All of my adult life, I have placed the date of the Academy Awards on my…
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A German/Danish Film – “The Land of Mine” – Proves Great Movies Are Still Being Made
Deal W. Hudson March 6, 2017 I grow weary of hearing people say, “They don’t make good movies anymore.” Good, even great, films are released each year, but are shown in only a few movie theaters in the US. Those who complain must be paying attention only to what’s showing at the local cinema. There’s…
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What’s Wrong With the Church? Why Our Labels Fail.
Deal W. Hudson April 21, 2017 Is there any label, or set of labels, that describe what’s influencing our Church in the wrong direction? I became aware of this question while planning a future conference with some friends. When they began using terms such as Modernism, Marxism, Socialism, Globalism, Internationalism, and Secularism, I demurred. These…
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The Whitman Option: “Bathe me O God in thee”
Deal W. Hudson May 14, 2017 Over thirty years ago, I left the Southern Baptists and was confirmed as a Roman Catholic. There were many reasons for my conversion but among the most important was their suspicion and fear of culture. I was taught God spoke only through the “Bible,” properly interpreted of course, and…
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Christopher Nolan’s Brilliant, Un-Romanticized, “Dunkirk”
Deal W. Hudson July 23, 2017 The achievement of Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” is his unromanticized portrayal of a lost battle where over 300,000 lives were saved by a flotilla of over 800 small boats. Nolan’s British soldier’s don’t laugh off their plight with a chorus of “jolly good,” they’re tested to the edge of their…
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Why Are the Knights of Columbus “Partners” with Crux?
Deal W. Hudson August 4, 2017 John L. Allen Jr’s news website Crux (www.cruxnow.com) bears the subtitle, “Taking the Catholic Pulse.” Crux was formerly hosted by the Boston Herald at its founding in 2014 but was dropped two years later. Crux was saved by none other than a “partnership” with the mega-philanthropic Knights of Columbus, headed by Supreme Knight…
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Yes, Pope Francis, President Trump IS Pro-Life
Deal W. Hudson September 15, 2017 It saddens me that Pope Francis refuses to recognize the pro-life intentions and actions of President Trump. The president has made good on his promises to pro-life voters, starting on his first day in office with his restoration of the Mexico City Policy, which he later expanded. Federal funds can no…
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Eight Books for Christmas, from Politics and a Thriller to Paris, Moscow, Chartres, New York City, and My Back
Deal W. Hudson November 18, 2017 Several of these books I read as audiobooks, which in the case of those by Ali Land and Scott Isacoff simply added to their enjoyment. Nowadays, I probably read two audiobooks for every print book I read, the advantage of the former being their availability while driving and getting…
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Eight Recordings for Christmas — From Grand Mahler and Sacred Rachmaninov to Superlative Rozsa and a Requiem for Mothers
Deal W. Hudson November 19, 2017 In spite of habitually slow sales, in comparison to pop music, recordings of classical music continue to be released by the dozens each month, and some of them equal or supersede the best recordings of the past. Examples from this list are Brabbins’ performance of Vaughan Williams 2nd Symphony…
Deal W. Hudson 