Latest

John Stewart Throws Conservatives Some Crumbs

January 13, 2012
By
John Stewart Throws Conservatives Some Crumbs

You may have seen the link on our Newswire, ‘Daily Show’ Brilliantly Exposes President of ‘Civility Project’ Who Smeared Tea Partiers as ‘Terrorists’. This is what Rush Limbaugh has creatively come to call a random act of journalism, and it’s brilliantly executed and hilarious. In a media dominated by lefty progressive liberals, it’s a rare thing when they call their own side out on their inconsistencies or flagrant distortions. When this happens, conservatives, libertarians, classical liberals, constitutionalists (have I left anyone out), everyone who cares about liberty and limited government, gets excited. Wow! Truth in the media; far out!

Read more »

Dim Bulbs

January 13, 2012
By
Dim Bulbs

The best and the brightest? Not so bright, after all.

Read more »

The Sheer Joy of Genre Reading: Dirda’s ‘On Conan Doyle, or, The Whole Art of Storytelling’

January 12, 2012
By
The Sheer Joy of Genre Reading: Dirda’s ‘On Conan Doyle, or, The Whole Art of Storytelling’

While literally thousands of fictional characters have fallen by the wayside over the past century, Sherlock Holmes remains imperishable. Well, why, exactly? Author Michael Dirda explains the appeal of genre fiction in his new book, "On Conan Doyle, or, The Whole Art of Storytelling." Dirda's attractive little volume manages to range far beyond Sherlock Holmes or even Conan Doyle. The book is a paean to imaginative literature and the profound impact it has over the span of readers' lives, from childhood into older age. TAC's Curtis Evans explores Dirda's book and the enduring appeal of genre fiction.

Read more »

Stuck on Pogo

January 10, 2012
By
Stuck on Pogo

Stefan Kanfer has warmed my heart with an affectionate article on the cartoonist Walt Kelly, and his comic strip, Pogo, over at City Journal. I share Mr. Kanfer’s enthusiasm. Although Kelly was generally known as a lefty (though not an admirer of the Soviet Union, as Kanfer points out), the charm and sheer achievement of Pogo transcended politics. When I was a kid, vaguely hoping to grow up to be a cartoonist, I pored over his daily strips, and despaired of ever achieving anything like that masterful inking and character modeling, to say nothing of the preposterous, nonsensical humor. Imagine Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) collaborating with Robin Williams—while being possessed by the spirit of Lewis Carroll. This furry, scaled, quilled, feathered, and shelled quintet was backed by a supporting cast of Dickensian proportions—more than 600 players, all told. They included Beauregard Bugleboy, a doggerel-loving canine; Miz Mam’selle Hepzibah, a flirtatious skunk; and Deacon Mushrat, a hypocritical mammal of the cloth who spoke in elaborately lettered Gothic script. (When an editor complained that such effusions were hard to read, Kelly replied, “Mighty hard to letter, too.”) There were also Molester Mole, a paranoid sneak; Seminole Sam, a fox who specialized

Read more »

Unexpected ‘Devil Inside’ Success Reflects Rising Interest in Demonic

January 9, 2012
By
Unexpected ‘Devil Inside’ Success Reflects Rising Interest in Demonic

For many decades, including most of the twentieth century, the subjects of demonic possession, exorcism, demonology, and related matters received very little attention in the American society and culture, remaining confined to fringe interests. No more: there has been a profusion of films, novels, and nonfiction books about the subject in recent years.

The latest example of this burgeoning interest is the unexpected first-weekend success of The Devil Inside, a newly released film from Paramount. The Devil Inside brought in $33.7 million in its first weekend, finishing first in U.S. movie ticket sales. This was more than double the amount expected by "even the most optimistic forecasts" from industry insiders, as the Associated Press put it.

Read more »

Tebow 3:16!

January 9, 2012
By
Tebow 3:16!

I know, I know, God doesn’t care who wins football games, I think. But I do know God likes drama; the Bible is full of it. And Tim Tebow is nothing if not drama. Yesterday’s amazing win over the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers just added to the young legend. And it had to be this way didn’t it? At least for one more week.

Read more »

Book Review: ‘The Best of Ellery Queen’

January 7, 2012
By
Book Review: ‘The Best of Ellery Queen’

Ellery Queen is still THE American detective story.

Read more »

Book Review: ‘The Spotted Cat’

January 7, 2012
By
Book Review: ‘The Spotted Cat’

"There is no false sentiment about Chief Inspector Cockrill, none at all."

Read more »

Getting Old Can Have Its Compensations … I Think

January 6, 2012
By
Getting Old Can Have Its Compensations … I Think

"Age is a very high price to pay for maturity." - Tom Stoppard

Read more »

Dark but Balanced History in AMC’s Hell on Wheels

January 5, 2012
By
Dark but Balanced History in AMC’s Hell on Wheels

The AMC-TV drama series Hell on Wheels (Sundays, 10 p.m. EST) takes a rather cynical view of the building of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States, but it would be a mistake to dismiss it because of that. The points the show makes about the gigantic infrastructure project are quite defensible, and the picture Hell on Wheels draws of American society in the post-Civil War era, though exaggerated for dramatic purposes, has useful parallels to contemporary issues.

Read more »

California to the Rescue Again!

January 3, 2012
By
California to the Rescue Again!

Truly, I don’t know how any of us survived prior to the nanny state protecting us from ourselves. When I was a kid, before car seats and seatbelt laws, I actually lived through vacations where my folks drove us all up and down the west coast. I am scarred by the ordeal, but with a little bit of therapy I’ve made it to adulthood as a fairly balanced individual. But thank God California has finally come to the rescue of six and seven year olds all over this fair land (we know, what starts in CA eventually makes its way to the other 49 states—or is it 56).

Read more »

Would You Push the Red Button?

January 2, 2012
By
Would You Push the Red Button?

When morality and profit are in conflict, which one will win?

Read more »


"Culture is the expression of the guiding philosophy of the day."—Murray Rothbard

Subscribe to The American Culture.

 

February 2012
S M T W T F S
« Jan    
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
26272829  

Archive

Twitter Feed!

Follow the American Culture and S. T. Karnick on Twitter! Send message "follow stkarnick1" to 40404 on your cell phone or go to twitter.com.

Packages Seo