One of the most common criticisms of Wal-Mart is that it drives small “Mom and Pop” businesses out of business, because they can’t afford to compete with the larger store’s prices and selection. If true, this would be a mark against the company (though whether this downside would be more than compensated by, say, the store’s lower prices and wider selection is a different matter). But is it true? According to a recent article in Regulation by West Virginia University... Read more
The citizens of Bolivia will vote by referendum on whether their president, Evo Morales, should stay in office. The confidence vote, which is actually Morales’ idea, has recently been embraced by the Bolivian Senate, which has long resisted his moves for reform. According to the BBC, the confidence vote will take place within 90 days. Michael Iafrate previously blogged about Bolivia’s choice to end its association with the School of the Americas. As I have noted, the politics of Latin... Read more
“There’s always an escape.” That is the central theme behind David Mamet’s intriguing new movie, Redbelt. Don’t let the fact that the central character, Mike Terry (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), is a fight instructor make you think that this is your typical martial arts film. Yes, martial arts, specifically Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, are central to the story. But it’s helps form the basis by which the drama can be played. The movie is about Mike Terry and his desire to be... Read more
Thank you to myCatholic.com for including Vox Nova in their “Commentary and Opinion” section! I just recently adapted my own myCatholic page to my home and work computer. I am very impressed with the concept and execution, and I recommend it to all our readers as a nice internet touchstone for Catholicism and news on the web. Read more
As a product of, and a dean at, a Catholic school, I laud and appreciate President Bush’s praise of religious-affiliated schools. Bush hosted the White House Summit on Inner-City Children and Faith-Based Schools at the end of last month, where he described religious schools as a glorious part of the history of the United States. The National Catholic Education Associate website has some candid photos of the event. Read more
As Katerina noted last week, Senators Clinton and McCain favor a temporary suspension of the federal gasoline tax, as a means of lowering voters pain at the pump. Senator Obama, by contrast, is opposed to such a measure, favoring instead a “windfall profits” tax for oil companies (Clinton favors a windfall profits tax in addition to the gas tax holiday, while McCain is opposed). To say that economists aren’t supportive of Clinton and McCain’s gas tax holiday idea would be... Read more
68% of Brazilians agree with their nation’s laws that restrict abortion only to cases of rape or the endangered life of the mother. Only 11% of Brazilians think abortion should be decriminalized. Well, a health committee in Brazilian parliament hearkened unto their call on Wednesday, rejecting a proposal that would legalize abortion. Thank God for the moral clarity of our brethren in Brazil! Read more
Fellow Vox Nova contributor, Soutenus, wrote a post on her blog about her experience with Adoration and her son. I have been feeling the urge lately to add adoration into my life. Something about just having silence and quiet and being in Christ’s presence that pulls me. I am interested to know, do you have Adoration stories to tell? How has Adoration changed your life? Your family’s life? Read more
Part I Part II-1 Part II-2 Part II-3 Part III From what we have examined, we could get a very strange picture of Theophilus. On the one hand, we have a very educated leader. Even before becoming Patriarch, he was known for his sharp mind. He had been a secretary for St Athanasius. Since he had distinguished himself with such great skill in that role, he became a popular choice for the Patriarchate.[i]It was from this erudition that he first... Read more
I came upon the interesting and encouraging group Catholic Democrats this morning. This organization looks to be very promising in terms of understanding the interplay and interchange of Catholic social teaching and public life. I most certainly will be a regular reader of its articles and statements. Here’s a description of the organization from the Catholic Democrats site: Catholic Democrats is a national non-profit organization of concerned Catholics, based in Boston. We present the weekly scriptures on this page because... Read more
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