Books
Yesterday at my university bookstore, I took a look at the dozen or so imported titles in English. All were best-sellers, including those books about the teenage warlock, the one that suggests men and women are from different planets, and several by that Brazilian new-age novelist, in other words, none that would interest me.

Then there was one with a provocative question on its back: "Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool?" [The former, of course.] The book was Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything:

I tend to avoid books published within the last 50 years or so, especially best-sellers, but this one looked interesting. It looked to be filled with trivia, something I love. I went on-line to look for some reviews, and decided to buy the book after reading Jimmy Akin's (Freakonomics), two from Lew Rockwell's site (Freakonomics: The Blinders of Conventionality by Bill Walker and Freakonomics by Doug French), and one from that Jezzie rag (Deconstructing Reality).

The book stirred some controversy by suggesting that legalized abortion has produced a drop in crime in the United States. I fail to understand why this or Bill Bennett's comments were controversial. Of couse abortion has reduced crime! Coupled with prenatal screening, it is also reducing Down's Syndrome. Infant euthanasia in Holland is reducing Spina Bifida. Oregon's euthanasia program is reducing the responsibilities children have for their parents, thus giving them more freedom to pursue their lifestyles. Hilter's euthanasia program got off to a good start in cleaning up the German gene-pool quite nicely. Mao and Pol Pot helped people experience country living. Suggested reading for believers in Transhumanism and all its Satanic manifestations: Brave New World.

Another book I'm in the midst of is Father Elijah: An Apocalypse:

I have to admit, I didn't take the book too seriously at first, although I found it quite entertaining. It reminded me a bit of the only Steven King book I ever read or will read, The Stand, which I remember thoroughly enjoying in high school. The book employs all the turns of phrase that orthodox Catholics use, so much so that I was almost put off; it seemed too strained. I feel more comfortable with Saint Flannery's groping and grotesque Protestants, I guess, or the agnostics of Waugh, Greene, and Percy.

As I read on, Father Elijah: An Apocalypse grows on me more and more. There is some serious theology and eschatology embedded in its pages. It's a great book, both edifying and entertaining. I highly recommend it.