I’m a fan of Dan Lewis’ book Now I Know and his daily email blog by the same name. He uncovers the “news behind the news”–the unusual facts which leave you scratching your head, and the trivia that will make you the hit at any party. Whatever happened to the flags on the moon? And when was the term “OMG” first used? (Hint: It involved Winston Churchill in 1917.) Today’s entry deals with the fascinating origin of our nation’s birthday... Read more
The Confederate flag has to go! That’s a popular sentiment among some Americans in the aftermath of the Charleston church shootings on June 17, which left nine African-American Christians dead at the hands of a deranged and racist young man named Dylann Roof. Investigators later found the Confederate flag among photos and racist imagery on Roof’s website. Indeed, the Confederate flag has been associated with racism, slavery and white supremacism. But is the connection between “racist hate” and “Southern pride” so inextricably linked that the Confederate... Read more
I’d like you to meet Hannah and Olivia McCullough. These precious twins are, you may have noticed, conjoined. Hannah, the stronger of the two, has a normal heart and no other malformations, other than being conjoined to Olivia, with the exception of her bladder and colon. Olivia, though, has a single ventricle heart and is missing valves; and she will likely not survive long after birth. Their mother Amber believes, though, that the twins have purpose, and that all life... Read more
I imagine cheering crowds at the gates of Heaven this morning, welcoming Sir Nicholas Winton to his eternal reward. Winton, you may recall, was a stockbroker and humanitarian who saved 669 Jewish children during the Holocaust, finding homes for them in Britain. His obituary in the L.A. Times explains: Winton arranged trains to carry children from Nazi-occupied Prague to Britain, battling bureaucracy at both ends and saving them from almost certain death — and then kept quiet about his exploits for... Read more
The Chicago-Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus has settled a lawsuit with a Chicago man who alleges he was sexually abused by Father Donald O’Shaughnessy, S.J. during his years at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois. The attorney in the case, Eugene K. Hollander, released a statement saying, “I’m relieved that we have been able to get some justice for this victim and hopefully he can now start to move forward with his life. I believe there are probably other victims out... Read more
Just a little history lesson for the day: In 1920, Russia became the first nation in the world to allow abortion in all circumstances. From 1936 through 1955, responding to Joseph Stalin’s fear of population decline, abortion was made illegal in that country; but the prohibitive legislation was revoked at the end of the Stalin era and by 1965, with 5.5 legal abortions recorded, the abortion rate in the U.S.S.R. was the highest in the world. The nations which were... Read more
We knew that Pope Francis was planning a reorganization of the Vatican’s wide-reaching communications offices. The nine-member Council of Cardinals, which includes Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley, had recommended an overhaul. I expressed puzzlement about it here, and I questioned how the reorganization would affect bloggers here; but I have to admit: the sprawl caused by new media, from television to radio to print media to the new media giants Facebook and Twitter (including the Pope’s Twitter account @pontifex) and more, there are... Read more
Wow, there’s a lot happening on September 22-27, when Pope Francis makes his first visit to the United States! The Washington Post offered an exclusive look at the preliminary schedule–with the disclaimer that things could change, this is not the “official” schedule. In fact, even after the Vatican releases the itinerary later this week, there could be last-minute changes. Here it is, though–the itinerary, as of this writing: Wednesday, September 23 Breakfast at the White House Meet with Bishops Canonization Mass for... Read more
Perhaps you saw this: At the funeral service for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor of Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, President Obama delivered a stirring eulogy. In the middle of his remarks, the President belted out “Amazing Grace”–singing a capella before being joined by mourners and members of the congregation. Ironically, he sang this verse: Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found– was blind, but now I see. But... Read more
June 26 was a hard day. The U.S. Supreme Court, disregarding longstanding tradition, religious belief, and the law, redefined the institution of marriage, which has throughout history been the bedrock institution upon which society is built. The 5-4 vote was hotly contested by Justice Antonin Scalia, who called the ruling a “threat to American democracy” and quipped that if he’d signed a statement like that, he’d have to wear a bag over his head. Chief Justice Roberts wrote a separate dissent, comparing... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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