Category Archives: The Passing Scene

A Remarkable Fifty-Year-Old Time Capsule

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Jim Langcuster

“It’s a very Catholic film…” This statement, which was offered in this extensive and deeply thoughtful review, pretty much sums up “The Exorcist,” which was released in 1973. It was indeed very Catholic. Yet, that was not the impression that … Continue reading →

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Boundless, Heedless and Puerile

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Jim Langcuster

I read stuff like this and count myself fortunate that I grew up as a late boomer in the Appalachian South and whose formative influences were a saint of a mother with a simple, straightford evangelical faith, a strong-willed, cynical, … Continue reading →

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That Mongrelized Language

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Jim Langcuster

One of the more clever memes currently making its rounds within social media depicts two elite Romans discussing how a mongrelized language spoken on the periphery of the Empire would replace Latin and Greek as the de facto language of … Continue reading →

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Windsor Monarchy versus U.S. Presidency

Posted on May 6, 2023 by Jim Langcuster

The British Monarchy is changing; it’s being forced into change. And what may emerge within the next generation very well may be starkly different from the one occupied by Elizabeth II. My nephew, a very bright and intellectually curious world … Continue reading →

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The Natural

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Jim Langcuster

Actor Jack Nicholson responding to applause at a Lakers game after a long absence. Speaking as one who loves and follows film and acting, I have always thought that Nicholson was one of those rarest of geniuses who carried innate … Continue reading →

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An Autistic Society?

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Jim Langcuster

I think that I have mentioned before that I can’t get enough of former Soviet propagandist Dima Vorobiev, one who has written copiously about may obscure facts about the Soviet Union, everything from culture, ideology and, even more fascinating, the … Continue reading →

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Prefabricated Socialist Promises

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Jim Langcuster

I am not a socialist. In fact, I have read enough of the old Austrian School pro-market economists to be adamantly opposed to socialism. Yet Sociology was one of my undergrad majors and I have always been fascinated with understanding … Continue reading →

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Old Bricks in New Structures

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Jim Langcuster

I am struck by statements about God and transcendence that are still used commonly in public discourse today by public intellectuals and other commentators, more often that not conservative ones. One that stands out: “…our rights are inalienable because we … Continue reading →

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A Man Ahead of His Time

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Jim Langcuster

I have tried to make it a point to honor the lives of people who have left behind a deep footprint. Kembrel Jones was one of the most outstanding graduates ever produced by my alma mater. He went on to … Continue reading →

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Digitization, Black Swans and the Paradox of Holes

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Jim Langcuster

There are so many reasons, despite all of the turmoil and division unfolding around us, why we should regard ourselves as so fortunate to live in the 21st century. Digitization, to be sure, has rocked the world. It represents the … Continue reading →

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