“Be courageous in that witness!”

Pope Benedict recently addressed all young people saying “I have noticed that against the tide of secularism many young people are rediscovering the satisfying quest for authentic beauty, goodness and truth. Through your witness you help them in their search for the Spirit of God.”Check Our Sources

Values and Belief Survey

Public Divided on “Pro-Choice” vs. “Pro-Life” Abortion LabelsWhen it comes to Americans’ specific attitudes about the legality of abortion, public opinion is somewhat more conservative than its attachment to these labels would suggest. Nearly 6 in 10 Americans (58%) think abortion should either be limited to only a few circumstances or illegal in all circumstances. … Read more

PEACE STUDIES

Structures of social oppression, actual or perceived, are argued by many to be among the causes of war and other violent conflict. Such conflict also has obvious effects on social structure and on the possibility of attaining justice. Conversely, one cannot attempt to evaluate the ethical implications of violence, whether it be war, revolution, or … Read more

PRACTICAL PEACE: ENGAGING IN CONVERSATION

Peace is about having ‘social conversation’ – engaging with others in a way that affirms the mutuality in relationships and asks “How can we best live in relation to one another?”. Whether we ask the question in the context of relations between individuals, communities or nation states is irrelevant; what matters is that we ask … Read more

Big Business

A Bustling Hate-Crime IndustryPolitical entrepreneurship involves devising benefits to excite or mollify niche constituencies. Hence HR 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, which has passed the House, trailing clouds of sanctimony — lots of members announced their hatred of hate.Hate-crime laws — 45 states already have them; Congress does not … Read more

LAST MINUTE REPRIEVE

Senators throw support behind internet radioLegislation has been introduced in the Senate that would overturn a decision putting Internet radio on a death watch. The “Internet Radio Equality Act” would vacate the recent ruling by the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) that hiked payment rates for performances 300 to 1200 percent, and would reinstate the … Read more

MORE SHEKELS LESS SHACKELS

Leaving the Pack!EMI Music announced in April that it is making all of its digital repertoire available at a much higher sound quality than existing downloads and free of digital rights management (DRM) restrictions on a global basis.EMI’s retailers have been offered downloads of tracks and albums in the DRM-free audio format of their choice … Read more

PRELUDE TO LIBERATION

Thoughts on Music by Steve JobsWhy would the big four music companies agree to let Apple and others distribute their music without using DRM systems to protect it? The simplest answer is because DRMs haven’t worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy. Though the big four music companies require that all their music … Read more