Conventional wisdom upended by storm | Have technology lawsuits become patently absurd? | Catholic social teachings given a bully pulpit | Afghanistan's orphans lead the way to reconciliation | Papal reflections go digital
“Every perfect gift is from above,” the reading from the Letter of James assures us this Sunday. Perhaps some Democrats saw a political gift from above in the fierce storm that has blown through the Gulf of Mexico this week, but Republicans surely didn’t. As Hurricane Isaac came inland . . .
In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for fulfilling the letter but not the spirit of the divine law such as Moses handed down in the first reading. In the wake of a billion-dollar verdict in a high-stakes patent infringement battle between technology heavyweights . . .
The psalmist this Sunday stresses our obligations to one another, reminding us that the "one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” Promoting the church’s social teachings is a central concern of Catholic clergy and religious alike, and in the coming week two church leaders . . .
The Sunday selection from the Letter of James encourages us “to care for orphans and widows in their affliction.” Perhaps no nation has witnessed more affliction over the past decade that war-torn Afghanistan, but at least the nation’s orphanages offer glimmers of hope for this divided nation . . .
"Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe,” declares Moses the lawgiver in this Sunday’s first reading. Technologically speaking, we’ve come a long way since Moses descended Mount Horeb with divine teachings written on stone tablets. The Vatican publishing house . . .
“I apologize for my error in judgment and feel shame for the disgrace I have brought upon the church and myself.”
Despite intense political conflict over the U.S. economy, a University of Chicago Booth School of Business report found that Republican, Democrat, and independent economists surveyed share a "remarkable consensus" on economic policy. For example, while Republicans deride the Obama stimulus, 80 percent of the economists said it had helped reduce unemployment, and no economist would agree with the claim that tax cuts both boost the economy and pay for themselves.