Putin’s Mussolini Moment

In his criminal invasion of Ukraine, it appears that Vladimir Putin has underestimated Ukrainian resistance and overestimated his own Russian military.  History is full of such folly. Take a war, any war, and you will find this same hubris at work.  The...

DAVID VS. DON VITO GOLIATH

As I go to press, I read that yet another COVID variant, currently spiking in Europe and Asia, may be headed our way: DA.2, aka “Deltacron.” We can only hope that, if it does come to pass, it doesn’t lead to a major surge. In the interim, however,...

Inventions of Italy

On March 20, 1800, Italian scientist Alessandro Volta reported that he had created the Battery – a device to generate electricity from a pile of dissimilar metal discs, some salt water, and wire.  Two centuries later many people believe Volta’s invention will...

St. Patrick’s Roman Roots

St. Patrick’s Day is both a celebration of faith and a triumph of the human spirit.   In addition to his theistic mission, St. Patrick brought the gifts of classical antiquity to the Emerald Isle, enduring privation and enslavement: “So I live among...

Putin and St. Nick

I always ask the same question when war or terror breaks out – where are the holy men?  Pope Francis seems to be the only religious leader who gets media attention if he calls for an end to violence.  This week he urged Vladimir Putin: “In the name of God, I...