Christ's Crucifixion

Christ Is King

And the whole multitude of them rising up, led him to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying: We have found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he is Christ the king. And Pilate asked him, saying: Art thou the…
March 29, 20249 Comments
Con Inc Crackup

The Coming Crackup of Con Inc

Unless you have a heart of stone, you've got to take pity on normie Conservatives' plight. Though still immersed in consumer culture, every brand they love to consume long ago sold out to people who hate them. Included in that regime-aligned rogues' gallery are the manufacturers of Conservative politics and…
March 28, 202429 Comments
Varadkar 1

Leo Varadkar Resigns as Irish PM

Foundering Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation in the wake of his party's recent crushing defeats at the ballot box. Leo Varadkar’s decision to step down as prime minister of Ireland was so surprising that, according to reports, not even colleagues from his centre-right party, Fine Gael,…
March 27, 20242 Comments
Medvegia Vampire

Arnold Paole: The Vampire of Medvegia

It's been a minute since our last foray into the weird domain of high strangeness. Here's a historic account backed by official documentation that helped lay the foundation of modern vampire lore. From The Land of Thieves and Ghosts: Arnold Paole (otherwise known as Arnold Paul) was the subject of…
March 26, 20246 Comments
Last Third Place Mall

The Last of the Third Places

Last week's popular post on the decline of the shopping mall drew robust comment about the societal consequences of losing that public forum. One key idea readers introduced to the discussion was the Third Place. Reader Sian writes: [T]he mall was the last Third Place. Previous and following generations definitely…
March 25, 202413 Comments
Perverse Generation

Faithless and Perverse Generation

American members of Generation Z face overlapping crises of identity, faith, and general happiness, if recent reports are to be believed. According to several high-profile surveys, young adults in America may be the most faithless and perverse generation yet. And they're suffering the mental and spiritual health consequences. Young people…
March 22, 202428 Comments
Retro Stream

Years Ago and in Another Country

A common saying has it that the past is another country. It's taken as a figure of speech, but pay a visit to almost any mid-American shopping mall these days, and the prevailing vibe resembles an archaeological site. What was the hub of American commerce in the previous era is…
March 21, 20247 Comments
Behind the Mask

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

From time to time, I open the curtain and give this blog's readers a sample of my premium material. Today’s review originally appeared as a Patreon and SubscribeStar exclusive. If you like it, please consider subscribing. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a unique and entrancing exploration of…
March 20, 202411 Comments
The Mall

The Idea of a Mall

Yesterday a fascinating intergenerational conversation took place on X. And it put me in mind of a subject we haven't touched on in a while: The cultural impact of the mall - how it rose to dominance, and how it faded. While loving the idea of a mall is a…
March 19, 202427 Comments
Sistine Chapel Patronage

Neopatronage: Seek and You Will Find

Innovation often emerges from the collision of new ideas with established systems, leading to a disruptive reordering of the status quo. That popularly called "creative disruption," facilitated by platforms like Amazon, drove the rise of indie publishing. By democratizing access to the world's top book market, Amazon enabled indie authors…
March 18, 20246 Comments