With the Patriot Bill in place, the NSA no longer needed to get a warrant from a judge to tap into anybody's electronic information. A Surveillance State that would have boggled the mind of Orwell was born. Jay Parini bearbillboggle share on social
It seems likely that Jesus, being a scholarly young man, learned some Hebrew, but that's conjecture. It's more likely that Jesus spoke some Greek, as this language dominated the region after the conquests of Alexander the Great in the fourth century. Jay Parini alexandercenturyconjecture share on social
Indeed, we might all forget where we have been if we didn't have somebody to assemble and arrange the little blocks called facts from which history is constructed, artfully or less so. Jay Parini arrangeartfullyassemble Change image and share on social
In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are many Aramaic texts from the time of Jesus, so one can get a pretty good idea of what the language of Jesus looked liked. Jay Parini aramaicdeadgood Change image and share on social
My own grandparents came to the United States as immigrants in 1912, and they lived for some years in Italian ghettos in New York. Most immigrant groups start in ghettos somewhere, and many of them never get out. Jay Parini ghettograndparentgroup share on social
When Gore Vidal was coming up, there were three major channels, and he could count on a big audience when he debated someone like William F. Buckley on TV. Jay Parini audiencebigbuckley Change image and share on social
As 'Possession' progresses, it seems less and less like the usual satire about academia and more like something by Jorge Luis Borges. Jay Parini academiaborgejorge Change image and share on social
Fundamentalism takes different forms in different religions, but there is one striking similarity in all forms of fundamentalist thought. Each wishes dearly to hold in check all varieties of 'modern' or 'decadent' thinking. Jay Parini checkdearlydecadent share on social
Honest, simple work for young people is essential to their well-being. Jay Parini essentialhonestpeople Change image and share on social
To bolster his right flank and attract women voters, John McCain had cynically opted for a running mate who was, by any stretch of the imagination, unqualified for a position a heartbeat away from the presidency. Jay Parini attractbolstercynically share on social
