“Mr. Swinburne does not hang up his stocking on the eve of the birthday of Victor Hugo. Mr. William Archer does not sing carols descriptive of the infancy of Ibsen outside people’s doors in the snow…. The strange truth about the matter is told in the very word ‘holiday.’… It is hard to see at first sight why so human a thing as leisure and larkiness should always have a religious origin. Rationally there appears no reason why we should not sing and give each other presents in honour of anything--the birth of Michael Angelo or the opening of Euston Station.  But it does not work. As a fact, men only become greedily and gloriously material about something spiritualistic."

G.K. Chesterton Heretics

In my latest Mercatornet article I say the problem with "ethical debates" is they always end up saying yes to whatever departure from traditional morality is under discussion.

Thanks to everyone who has pushed the "Israel for Canadians" funding campaign past the 10% mark. But there's still a steep hill to climb and less than 4 weeks to climb it. So if you want to help set the record straight on the dynamic, open, peace-loving Jewish homeland, the only democracy in the Middle East, and you haven't yet backed the project, please make a pledge today and share it on social media and elsewhere.

If you are a backer, thanks for the contribution and please keep helping spread the word so we can get to 25%, 50%, 75% and then by the April 2 deadline to 100% and maybe beyond.

As always there's a stretch goal; if we get significantly past our basic target I will also make an "Israel for North Americans" version and perhaps one for Australians and others. But first things first.

Let's get it funded.

"So far as I am able to discern, there are only two kinds of strong-willed people: saints and psychopaths. According to the ancient understanding, the former have made a pact with God, the latter with the Devil. The modern understanding is, nature and/or nurture on both sides. As ever, the ancient understanding is correct."

David Warren in Ottawa Citizen Jan. 3, 2009

In my latest Mercatornet article I say the extended version "making of" DVDs show that The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was an amazing logistical and creative achievement that unhappily missed much of the moral point of Tolkien's masterpiece.

"the telescope through which we can see the star upon which we dwell."

G.K. Chesterton defining religion, quoted in Gilbert Magazine Vol. 8 #1 (Sept. 2004)