Gun Control is a Religious Issue | Rev. James Martin, S.J Pro-life religious people need to consider how it might be made more difficult for people to procure weapons that are not designed for sport or hunting or self-defense. Why would anyone be opposed to firmer gun control, or, to put it more plainly, laws that would make it more difficult for mass murders to occur? If one protests against abortions clinics because they facilitate the taking of human life, why not protest against . . .

Africa on the Rise - NYTimes.com While America may largely misperceive Africa as a disaster zone, China does get the promise on the continent. Everywhere you turn in Africa these days there are Chinese businesspeople seeking to invest in raw materials and agriculture. But American businesses seem to be only beginning to wake up to the economic potential here. Why does that matter? Because trade often benefits a country more than aid. Infographic: Here's What Obamacare Actually Does For You Now . . .

{click the title to read the whole post} Mr. Curry and Lola Moon | Flux Capacitor  He has overidden the status of blood with the status of the heart.For me, this great joy will be an everlasting one: that I, who had a father I struggle to comprehend, a brilliant, abusive and ill man who dictacted my childhood with his fierce rages and lies and abuse, was able to provide my daughter with the kind of father I had always dreamed of having: one who lives day by day in his family as if there is . . .

{click on the title to read the full post}  alleviate | Livesay [Haiti] Weblog Any group (faith based or otherwise) that wants to invest in alleviating the orphan crisis should consider finding ways to keep families together before operating a program that institutionalizes children. Removing children from their families and placing them in an institution doesn't so much alleviate the problem as it does change the problem. The Case for Breaking Up With Your Parents | The Chronicle of . . .

click on the title to read the full story PAIN: The Kindling That Fuels Empathy | Tim Timmons The more pain and sorrow that we endure, adds to the degree to which we can relate, empathize, and speak truth and encouragement into each other with an increased credibility. PAIN is the kindling that fuels and refines the truest empathy. I don’t know the journey of losing my son; or hearing “I don’t love you anymore” from your soon to be ex-husband; or not being able to have kids when it’s . . .

click on the title to read the full story An Open Letter To “Somebody That I Used To Know” | Thought Catalog I got so nervous when I started to feel differently, when the hair on my arms didn’t shoot toward the sky every time I heard your voice. I was driving the coast, on my way up to LA when I noticed it for the first time: You were on the radio. Which, we talked about, I know: about how it’d probably happen, how you were too good not to blow up, how you’d probably be busy on weekends . . .

click on the title to read the full story War. What is it good for? | Jillian Lauren And here’s the thing- as a storyteller, I naturally gravitate toward stories of battle. Because all good stories are about conflict. And heroic stories often have sword fights. And if you’re going to tell a story, why not make it heroic? Tariku struggles with a lot, frankly. He has tremendous fears and challenges to face. Maybe battle isn’t such a bad metaphor for him, if I can place it in the appropriate . . .

Why I Hate Mother’s Day | Anne Lammott I hate the way the holiday makes all non-mothers, and the daughters of dead mothers, and the mothers of dead or severely damaged children, feel the deepest kind of grief and failure. The non-mothers must sit in their churches, temples, mosques, recovery rooms and pretend to feel good about the day while they are excluded from a holiday that benefits no one but Hallmark and See’s. There is no refuge — not at the horse races, movies, malls, museums. Even . . .

corner | Tara Whitney I once used my computer time as a way to avoid my reality and immerse myself into an entirely different one. Now, all that I want is my reality  – my real, limited, fantastically beautiful and relentless life. Instead of using my computer time as a relief, I now see it as work, and I want to finish as quickly and efficiently as possible. So – how do I nurture myself?  I know I am on the right track when these things are happening: I take care of myself. . . .

Embrace the parenting longview | Motherhood Uncensored But now I also ask myself, "What kind of kids do I want to raise?" And then I ponder how exactly I make that happen. And I will be honest: It has absolutely nothing to do with how long I breastfed them. Or didn't. How I got them to go to sleep. Or didn't. It's hard to hear that if you're in the weeds. I've been there four times. I know. And the sleep and boobs (or lack thereof) seem so monumental. And for you, for . . .