Tom Faranda's Folly

Yesterday evening my Aunt Ardis called with the terrible news that my cousin Tim – my oldest cousin, a year younger than me – had died. Of course a shock, but not a surprise – Tim had been diagnosed in January with thyroid cancer, and seemingly everything that could go wrong did go wrong. He … Read more

Here’s a good posting on the weblog of a Catholic journalist about the "Fraternal Encounter" of Pope Benedict and the Ecumenical Patriarch of  Constantinople, Bartholomew I. The photos alone are worth a look. Whispers in the Loggia: Fratres in Unum From their joint declaration: This fraternal encounter which brings us together, Pope Benedict XVI of … Read more

This past weekend a friend of mine, Patricia Lent (Tish or Tisha) got married to Owen O’Sullivan, in the Bronx. I hadn’t seen Tisha in months, since I met up with her and a couple of other friends in lower Manhattan for lunch. Tom Faranda’s Folly: Lunch with three ne’er do wells, or the 4 … Read more

One of the few print publications I still subscribe to is First Things, a monthly interfaith journal with a strong Catholic and Evangelical bent. It’s edited by Fr. John Neuhaus (The only other religious publication I get is America, the weekly U.S. Jesuit magazine). December’s issue arrived a couple of days ago, and it has … Read more

Dawn Eden is a popular blogger with an interesting background (She is single, about 37, writes headlines for the Daily News). Here’s her weblog – The Dawn Patrol And she has a book out entitled The Thrill of the Chaste: How to Have Fun while Keeping Your Clothes On.     Thrill of the Chaste I … Read more

A business associate of mine used to say, "money can’t buy happiness, but it can make the misery more palatable." Here are a group of studies that say the answer is complex –Money-Happiness Link Is Complex, Study Says – AOL News There is still another twist to the money-happiness story. Even though people who make … Read more

What do the turkeys know that we don’t know? Is it like rats getting off a sinking ship? Wild Turkeys Try to Hop Train Out of N.J. – AOL News

Here are two fine op eds from the WSJ deputy editor, Dan Henninger. He writes a column every Friday. The first is on Reaganomics and the second on the so-called Bush Doctrine. Optimism Pays Off OpinionJournal – Wonder Land … 25 years later and with the post-Reagan Republican Party in tatters over a confused political … Read more

Here are a few pictures. Last year we were with my brother Phil and his family (wife, three kids, two dogs and Grandma) but today had a quiet day with just the four of us and Grandma. Brigid did all of the cooking and carving! Post main course horsing around Tim took these at the … Read more