The opening chapter of The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, begins during the dustbowl when dry weather, over-tilling, and high winds stirred dirt into the air so much that “[the] dawn came, but not the day,” the sun being unable to penetrate to the crops and people below. When it settled, the men come out first, then the women, and then the...

The famous phrase “the medium is the message” comes from Marshall McLuhan in his book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. McLuhan was a Catholic and really should be more widely read in our day. The quip means that the very way that you receive something is perhaps more important than what you receive. We can thank McLuhan for his prop...