By the time I decided to see James Cameron’s Avatar, I had already heard enough about the film to be unsure whether it would be worth the time, effort and petroleum to see it. People’s comments about the film ranged from praise for its groundbreaking 3D animation; to criticism of its racist portrayal of the [...]

Goshen College president, Jim Brenneman, recently announced that the Mennonite college will begin to play the National Anthem at their sporting events. The move to overturn 114 years of resistance to the war song came in response to local pressure and press after 300 people — mostly non-Mennonites — contacted the school after hearing about [...]

Police in riot gear brandishing pepper-spray. Protesters arrested without provocation. Handcuffed bodies sitting on cold concrete streets. Physical abuse on caged human beings. Deliberate humiliation and the denial of so-called “basic rights.”
These are the kinds of mementos thousands of eco-activists will take home after vigorously protesting the failed Cop-enhagen talks on what I like to [...]

Late last week, an alert on the Catholic Worker e-list caught my attention. The subject line of “War on homeless accelerated in Memphis” grabbed my attention by itself, but given that we just had the annual Jesus Radicals conference in that city, I was even more intrigued. I was sad to read the following message, [...]

The anniversary of September 11, 2001 in the U.S. represents many things to many people. When I do reflect on it, as I am now, it calls to mind a montage of images from my time in the city both during and after that memorialized day. My computer screen with instant messages from friends living [...]