“Chastity does indeed reside in the soul as its subject, though its matter is in the body. For it belongs to chastity that a man make moderate use of bodily members in accordance with the

The then relatively unknown model Emily Ratajkowski, got worldwide attention when she appeared topless in the tasteless video for the equally crass song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke. Before that pivotal moment, Ratajkowski had been

(Pictured above: Station of the Cross at St. Ignatius in San Francisco.) “The more I am exalted, Jesus, the more I want you to humble me in my heart, showing me what I have been,

Marilyn Monroe once said: “I’m a failure as a woman. My men expect so much of me, because of the image they’ve made of me—and that I’ve made of myself—as a sex symbol. They expect

Ever since I was a little boy, one of my favorite films has been “The Time Machine” (1960.) The movie was really the last great adventure picture before the advent of the over-sexed spy films,

Since her rise to superstardom, in the early-1980s, the center of Madonna’s creative output has been her continuing and seemingly endless struggle to escape her Catholic upbringing. From “Burning Up,” reaching an apogee with “Like

Looking back upon my childhood, some of the most cherished memories often revolved around jumping into my parent’s station-wagon and heading to the drive-in to see the rereleased Disney animated “classic” films. Yet, also, one

Recently, international sensation Rihanna posted home-made pornographic images of herself on Instagram. Never shy about going topless, or bottomless for that matter, Rihanna has successfully redefined what is main-stream pop-culture and what is porn. The

Ever since I walked into my first San Francisco “gay” piano bar and heard an impromptu chorus of men singing Wayne Newton’s “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast,” I have been fascinated by songs which

With the recent death of actress Joan Fontaine, I am reminded of a favorite film: Rebecca (1940.) The movie is remarkable, aside from the extraordinary performances from the three main leads: Laurence Olivier, Fontaine, and

"The Swing" (above) by Jean-Honore Fragonard (1767) There is a world of difference between the peek-a-boo pin-up of the World War II era Betty Grable and the hard-core blood-spattered porn musings of Lady Gaga, yet,

Jennifer Jones does the first modern "selfie" in "Madame Bovary." One of my favorite books, and films, of all time is ‘Madame Bovary” by Gustave Flaubert and the 1949 film version starring Jennifer Jones. At

On this question, I am admittedly biased. I have never had a drug or alcohol addiction, although I did occasionally try different illegal substances when I was in my 20s; but it was always to

I loved 1950s Hollywood musicals as a kid: “Calamity Jane,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” “Singin’ in the Rain.” When I grew-up, I learned that this proclivity was not unusual among boys who later entered

Damon Audigier 1991-2012 Suicide Adam Faust 1974-2012 Heart attack Tanner Hayes 1972-2012 Lymphoma Nathan Price 1978-2012 Cause of death: ? Roman Ragazzi 1974-2012 Suicide Sergio Real 1970-2012 Liver cancer Erik Rhodes 1982-2012 Heart attack Sean

On my way back to Napa, from a Marian Conference, October 20, 2012, I stopped at Mission San Juan Bautista. I have always loved this Mission for its somewhat remote location, and the original rustic

Thomas Hart Benton Lewis Hine Grant Wood Mike Rowe, the guy from the television show Dirty Jobs, wrote a letter to Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney, in which he rather eloquently shared his views on the

A bizarre story I recently read about finally inspired me to write this article that has been bouncing around in my brain for years. The story: in Berkeley, the town of my Alma-mater, a lesbian

First published in 1856, “Madame Bovary” by Gustave Flaubert initially appeared as a serial in a Paris newspaper then as a novel the following year. Flaubert wrote “Madame Bovary” in a country that still struggled