THE HIDEOUS tattoos on this 78-year-old woman are no uglier, no more grotesquely mutilating, than many of the tattoos we see today. But on an elderly woman they create a walking portrait of decadent, puerile old age. Featured in The Daily Mail, Helen Lamben says exactly what you would expect her to say:

It’s very empowering, I think, for me, in a positive sense. (more…)

   APROPOS of the recent discussions here on male authority, beginning with this entry, Lawrence Auster writes at VFR about this photo in the New York Times: The man--immature, puppy-like, disheveled--looks up to the woman for approval. The woman--cool, sublimely together, overfull of self-esteem--looks down at the man with tolerant affection and more than a touch of disdain. She's the one in charge, he's the number two.

(more…)

JOHN E. writes:

Jim Kalb has interviewed Nikos Salingaros (never heard of him before now) on the subject of architecture as seen in the modern world, and the war that modern architecture wages on human senses. This is an understated way of bringing your attention to what I found to be a fascinating and worthwhile read. Though I think it can only be fully appreciated in the context of the whole interview, one of the best answers Salingaros gives to a question of Kalb’s, who asks Salingaros about the religious implications of his theories: (more…)

KAREN I. writes:

What is one to do when husband does not want to take authority? Men these days have been conditioned to not do anything that may appear like they are trying to have authority over their wives. I could name many examples, but one recent conversation I had with a neighbor sums it up well. She was homeschooling her children, and was asking what I thought of our local public schools because she was considering placing the children in them. I asked what her husband thought of the idea. She said told me “he did not care either way” and he would agree to whatever her decision was. I know her husband and I know she is right.  (more…)

CONTINUING the discussion of male authority in marriage, the reader R.A. Martin writes:

I believe that the concept of authority is often misunderstood. Authority in popular society seems to have the connotation of the proverbial “foot on the throat.” Those in authority have an oppressive power over those under authority, and those under authority must yield, regardless of their protests, either cheerfully or begrudgingly, but yield nonetheless. This concept is a perverted concept of authority, and it is attributable to secular influences. (more…)

JOE writes:

Susan conceptualizes marriage as a type of business partnership, an idea supported by contemporary terminology, in which the point of “marriage” is rather like the business goal of “maximizing shareholder value (profit).”

Since marriage is not a commercial enterprise, and there is not an actual dividend to be paid, the “value” must necessarily realize in the form of other contemporary personal concerns: “[political] equality,” “self-esteem,” “pleasure,” “autonomy,” “self-expression,” etc. In practical terms, this means a constant, never-ending contention over transactional gain: inherently selfish scorekeeping. How is this good? To what end? What is the purpose of such a “marriage,” especially one deliberately without children?  (more…)

[NOTE: This entry has been edited. Kelli Connell used a model for the photos. They were not images of herself.]

A CHICAGO photographer has eerily illustrated the narcissism of homosexuality. Kelli Connell’s exhibit of photographs, Double Life, at a prominent Chicago art gallery, juxtaposes photoshopped images of herself, portraying a relationship between seemingly two women who are really the same person.

Kelli and Kelli (the women are a projection of the artist) are depicted in bed together, in a cafe, in an amusement park, in a pool hall, in the car. Their relationship is both icy and steamy, too close for communion. 

The Catherine Edelman Gallery will be exhibiting Connell’s works in September. Catherine Edelman is a lesbian. According to the gallery, the photos are part of Connell’s exploration of identity:  (more…)

  THE DISCUSSION about a husband's role as head of the family continues in this entry. It is no accident that it has ventured into larger questions.

PENNY STARR  of CNS News reports:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is offering advice to parents and teens about sex education, including assurances that teens may “experiment” with homosexuality as part of “exploring their own sexuality,” and that masturbation should be of concern only “if a child seems preoccupied with it to the exclusion of other activities.” (more…)

THIS PREVIOUS entry looked at a piece by Washington Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax. Hax’s response to a woman who had recently received a devastating blow showed the insensitivity that lies behind modern non-judgmentalism. The woman’s husband had left her for a man. Her friends and family were showing sympathy for him, even as her husband was posting indecent ads online with his boyfriend. Hax told her to get over it and move on.

Some excellent comments were added to that entry. Jill Farris wrote:

The proper response to evil and immoral acts should be anger and revulsion. A woman who is sickened by a husband who leaves her for another man and posts sex ads is doing her children a favor by showing her emotions. It is the right thing for her to do.

I grew up in the 1960’s when my parents and all their Ivy League colleagues were divorcing their wives and acting very immorally. It was the accepted thing among everyone we knew so the children kept quiet about their deep pain and sorrow over the break -up of their families. (more…)

CAROLYN HAX, the Washington Post advice columnist, is an incarnation of modern non-judgmentalism, which decrees that when someone does something utterly outrageous in his personal life, others must accept it and say, “Well, who are we to judge?” A woman writes to Hax and tells her that her husband has left her and their children for a man and is now posting indecent ads online with his boyfriend: (more…)

  NOW THAT charges have been dropped against Dominique Strauss-Kahn  on the basis of the character of his accuser, it is inconceivable that the case be closed. Nafissatou Diallo should be prosecuted for perjury and obstructing justice.

  SEE the coverage of World Youth Day in Madrid at Tradition in Action.

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER features this story today of a woman who joined the Marines to follow in the footsteps of her deceased boyfriend, who was killed in the Marines. One can’t help but feel for this woman’s grief and loneliness, but warriors are not made in this way. (more…)