Free Republic

More than 10,000 prisoners in Hong Kong will receive mooncakes on China’s Moon Festival, which this year falls on September 19, thanks also to the interest of Pope Francis in them. He not only endorsed this year’s Catholic initiative to provide mooncakes to the prisoners, he also gave a symbolic sum of money and, importantly too, encouraged the Catholic faithful in Hong Kong diocese to donate to the initiative. The Pope came to know about the project thanks to Cardinal Joseph Zen, the emeritus bishop of Hong Kong. He told me that he wrote to Pope Francis after the World...

By: Jay Donnie Darko is, on its most basic level, a film that is homage to 80s culture. It’s a cult classic (like many 80s films!) that references other 80s films, uses popular 80s film themes, and is set in 1988. But that is not all Donnie Darko is about. The film also makes statements about the socio-political and cultural developments of the late 80s, the reversal of family roles, etc., as well as being a superhero film, or more properly, an anti-super-hero narrative. It’s also a film that presents the age-old debate about predestination and free will; it posits...

The post: "The Second Law of Thermodynamics - The creationist perspective" sounds a LOT like our government!

The Night Before Christmas (Cambodian Version) Twas the night before Christmas and we were afloat Somewhere in Cambodia in our little boat. While the river was lightened by rockets red glare No one but the President knew we were there.

MITHRAISM The Cosmic Mysteries of Mithras by David Ulansey Author of THE ORIGINS OF THE MITHRAIC MYSTERIES (Oxford University Press, 1991) The following essay is adapted from my article,"Solving the Mithraic Mysteries" Biblical Archaeology Review (vol. 20, #5 [September/October 1994] pp. 40-53) This article is a summary of my book on Mithraism, THE ORIGINS OF THE MITHRAIC MYSTERIES(Oxford University Press, revised paperback, 1991) [To order this book (for $13.95), click here.]   The Encyclopedia Britannica has given this page its "Web's Best Sites" award. The Cosmic Mysteries of Mithras (Note: complete documentation for the following essay can be found...