The story of the Deutsche Bank building following the NYC 9/11 attacks is a study in bureaucratic petence…but more importantly it’s an ongoing experience in human tragedy and loss. There’s a great deal to sort out. This piece, “The tombstone at Ground Zero,” does a good job introducing the issues. The article begins with an introduction into the fire at the building site in August of last year: …Thick black smoke was pouring out of the shell of what used...

Daily Times of Pakistan: LAHORE: Electricity shortage has exceeded 3,500 megawatts and load shedding is likely to increase across the country, Geo TV reported on Sunday. The water in both Tarbela and Mangla dams has dropped to dead levels, causing the shortfall, the channel quoted PEPCO officials as saying. The electricity demand had shot up after an increase in the use of air conditioners… Ah, load shedding. We lived in Guam for a couple of years in the early 90’s....

Michael Franc has an interesting piece on NRO about the demographics of campaign contributions. The gravamen is that Democratic presidential candidates in the current election have exhibited a whopping advantage among all kinds of elite groups, identified by professional, financial, or educational status. Meanwhile, Republicans garnered more support from plumbers, truckers, and janitors. Franc doesn’t make much of an effort to explain the phenomenon, other than to note that Democrats have enjoyed a $200 million advantage in general, which may...

Why should your high school apply for the Catholic High School Honor Roll? One reason is ecclesial recognition. The video below highlights the experience of St. Theodore Guerin High School in Noblesville, IN. Bishop William L. Higi of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana attended the school’s press conference to honor the school’s plishments. The video shows the press conference, and does a fantastic job of describing the Honor Roll. Other schools also saw this type of recognition, including Salesianum School in...

Last Friday the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its 2008 report, noting eleven nations as “countries of particular concern,” being “those that are are most restrictive of religious freedom”: Burma, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. (HT: The God & Culture Blog) Howard Friedman relates, “The Commission is postponing its mendations as to Iraq pending a Commission visit to the country later this month. promise was approved after a sharp party-line...

My blog post titled “Toward a Theological Ethic for Internet Discourse” has been recognized in the 2008 EO/Wheatstone Academy Symposium. Here is a full list of the top five posts (along wtih an honorable mention): First Place: Mark Fedeli at A Deo Lumen Second Place: Jordan J. Ballor at The Acton Institute Power Blog Third Place: Mark Stanley at Digital Reason Fourth Place: Jeff Nuding at Dadmanly Fifth Place: Letitia Wong at Talitha Koum Honorable Mention: Donnell Duncan at The...

On Wednesday the European Commission again delayed a decision on whether European farmers may grow more genetically modified (GM) crops. mission claimed that more scientific analysis is needed before three new crops can be approved. But curiously, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has already twice analyzed the crops and found that they pose no danger to public health. Divisions seem to have broken out within mission on how to proceed with GM food. es at a time when biotech...

Next Monday will be the sixtieth anniversary of Luigi Einaudi’s inauguration as Italian President. Einaudi (1874-1961) was a distinguished economist and defender of classical liberalism. In the immediate period following World War II, he was governor of the Bank of Italy and finance minister. Many credit his policy of low taxes and dismantling tariffs with having laid the foundation for Italy’s “miracolo economico” of the 1950s and 1960s. However, while his role as president between 1948-55 is still remembered, his...