Is Jesus on the streets of Las Vegas? Most people who’ve been to Vegas haven’t come away thinking much about Jesus and Vegas – the two seem incompatible. But, an ex-stripper and a former hooker are doing their best to prove he’s there.’,’This LA Times blog features the story of Annie Lobert and Heather Veitch who are taking it to the streets, and the strip joints, and the bars, and the casinos – basically all over downtown Las Vegas –... Read more

In the spirit of the season which celebrates the birth of the Savior for whom there was “no room at the inn,” this San Diego Tribune story from the AP tells how a U.S. soldier adopted a boy with cerebal palsy from Iraq.’,’In addition to the Captain’s heroic actions, the piece relates the role of the Missionaries of Charity, the movie The Passion, and -most significantly- the soldier’s own family upbringing, clearly making the point that no action is isolated... Read more

‘We hear a lot about the demise of the family, about the role of the family, etc. But this year the World Day of Peace Message puts the family front and center. A tradition started by Pope Paul VI, the Message takes the opportunity to address current concerns about the situation or lack of peace in the world from the perspective of the Catholic Church. Naturally, the text is not specific to Catholics. People of all faiths or even no... Read more

Many cultures have customs where the father gives the mother of his child a gift upon the birth of their child. Now that tradition has been dropped to a ridiculously low level of tackiness. Let’s take it back.’,’This NYT article covers a relatively new trend – “push presents, ” presents given to women because they’ve carried a pregnancy to term and delivered the child. The attitude expressed in the article is that the father got his present (the child) and... Read more

‘Author and playwright Fay Weldon – sometimes described as a feminist – has an interesting piece in The Daily Mail in which she maintains that the girl band Spice Girls has had a long and deleterious effect on women and feminism.’,’The Daily Mail is a mix of news and gossip, probably more gossip than news. But I always find it interesting when feminists point out the fallacies in other supposedly feminist endeavors. Spice Girls “girl power” has done little to... Read more

A.O. Scott reviews a new movie dealing with teen pregnancy in an unexpected, even comedic, way. It might actually be somewhat realistic. I haven’t seen the movie, but this review makes me think I should. If anything, it’s clear that the language surrounding abortion is changing….I think changing for the better. Read the review here. Read more

‘Want to save the planet? Reduce carbon emissions? Stay married. Study proves it.’,’Just after experiencing a twinge of guilt for turning up the heat, I read this article. Turns out that being married might offset my carbon imprint. Divorce costs an additional $6.9B in energy costs per year. Read here. Read more

While it’s important for as many people as possible to be educated, does it mean that everyone should go to college? Maybe it’s time to start challenging the conventional wisdom about going to college…’,’Thomas Sowell, an economist and former professor now with the Hoover Institute, has a new piece discussing why it may not be a good idea to increase the numbers of students attending college. As someone who knows and respects many successful people who had little or no... Read more