To fight the coronavirus at home, France is removing all military forces from Iraq. When NATO scaled back its war games in Europe because of the pandemic, Russia reciprocated. Moscow announced it would cancel its war games along NATO’s border. Nations seem to be recognizing and ...
We live in strange times these days. Nearly every American’s life has been upended by something we can’t even see, a miniscule coronavirus that has proven most deadly to those who already have compromised immune systems due to age or existing illness. So, during this volatile time, what ...
A few words on the quiet death of an Italian priest. His name was Father Giuseppe Berardelli, and he served in Casnigo, a small village not far from Milan. He was 72 and died in a hospital of the novel coronavirus. This was on March 15, though reports are just now filtering out. Again, it ...
The social and political response to major catastrophes often proceeds in stages. Stage 1 is denial. Thankfully, this stage is largely over for the coronavirus crisis. Not counting a few poltroons and conspiracy theorists, nobody is saying it’s all hype or no big deal. Now we’re ...
Gold and silver exploded higher this week, with gold re-approaching seven-year highs near $1,700 per ounce. As investors’ panic “sell everything” mentality has calmed, the metals are finding eager bargain hunters. Long-term investors are also warning that inflation could become a ...
What manner of man was Jesus physically? Since He could not carry His own cross as other criminals did, was He physically weak? The Bible gives us no description of the physique of Jesus and there is no known contemporaneous description of Him. Accordingly, we have no means of knowing his ...
President Trump enjoys 60 percent approval for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but that has not stopped his critics from trying to stoke public outrage at his expense. After the president expressed hope that the anti-malaria drug chloroquine was showing signs of success as a ...
“Nine out of 10 schools are cheating. The other one is in last place.” — Jerry Tarkanian When Tark the Shark was basketball coach at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, 1973-1992, his win-loss record was 509-105, he took the Runnin’ Rebels to the NCAA’s Final Four four ...
Diego knew he was on the right path, that God had spoken to him. Coming from Bolivia, speaking no English and working on his ministry certification in the United States, he struggled desperately. He spoke Aymaran, a native language of the Andes and had learned Spanish. He sat in the dining ...
I think there may be at least one positive result from the recent pandemic one that we are all having to practice each day, whether we want to or not. In fact it is actually a responsibility we all have to self-isolate, which has an unintended consequence of “slowing down” of our lives and ...
This week, President Donald Trump began openly considering at what point the American government ought to take steps to reopen the American economy. He explained: “Our country wasn’t built to be shut down. America will again and soon be open for business,” suggesting that the timeline ...
He was the 44th vice president of the United States in the George H.W. Bush administration, but for the last 20 years, Dan Quayle has stayed mostly away from the unfriendly glare of political life. I called him to get his thoughts on the coronavirus and the current political scene. On the ...
After reading the March 20 Times-Republican column “Coronavirus is the Chinese virus” by Ben Shapiro and March 21 Ask Augustine section by Dr. Paul A. Tambrino both employed selective memories. Regarding Shapiro, Leonard Pitts latest March 22 column “viruses do not carry passports” ...
A favorite book I try never to be without is by the late Irish poet and priest John O’Donohue. It’s on my bedside table, on my Kindle and on the Kindle app on my phone. One needn’t be Catholic (I’m not) or Irish (I am, but I try not to brag) to appreciate O’Donohue’s calm and ...
Precedent doesn’t provide much guidance. There’s a deadly coronavirus threatening to circulate through the population. The resulting government orders and social sanctions of self-distancing and self-isolating behavior are unprecedented in living memory. Operating without guiding ...
As Americans do everything they can to stay safe and limit their exposure to COVID-19, we are seeing more clearly the great divides in our society. While the virus doesn’t discriminate, we are seeing that its impacts certainly do. In a pandemic, there’s a huge difference between having ...
Greetings to all of you from the new remote site of the Gutekunst Public Library! In the last week, we’ve ceased curbside service out of consideration for our staff and patrons, turned down the heat and buttoned up the building, and sent Rosie the Cat to live with library board member Buffi ...
There are three accounts in the New Testament of Jesus Christ feeding a multitude of people with a handful of loaves of bread and a few small fish. In the Gospel of Matthew, the number of people is listed as 4,000. In the Gospels of Luke and Mark, the number is stated to be 5,000. According ...
Dear Readers: This past week I attended the funeral of my best friend’s brother who died suddenly of a massive heart attack. He was only 49. You don’t realize how many lives one life touches until you attend a funeral. The exchange of love and support between friends and family, the stories ...
Over the last few weeks, the United States has been grappling with the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. But the devastating effects have only just begun to surface for the average citizen. While COVID-19 is a very real and dire threat to the health and lives of the elderly and our ...