China has given the world a demonstration of their claim on the future. The opening ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics are unrivaled - and will remain unrivaled for generations. The grandeur of the Chinese coming out party was a delicate mix of technology and humanity.
At the center of the spectacle was “The Bird’s [...]

Son,
In 1986 a friend of mine was named the new Abbot of a Benedictine Monastery.   I was proud to just be a friend at the ceremonial induction.  The trappings of a basilica, with sunlight filtered through ornate stained glass windows, candles burning with gentle flames, rows of black robed monks walking in cadence to [...]