And so the search for a replacement for Sandra Day O’Connor will continue: Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to be a U.S. Supreme Court justice Thursday in the face of strong criticism from President Bush’s most conservative supporters, who say she doesn’t have the qualifications or experience necessary to serve on the nation’s highest court. ...

Acton Senior Fellow Marvin Olasky in a column today on looks at the “important new coalition” called Kill Malarial Mosquitoes Now that is working to bring the banned pesticide DDT back into battle against malaria. The disease, he writes, kills an estimated 1 million people annually — 90 percent of them Africans. The United States has been contributing about $200 million per year to Africa’s war on malaria. Four months ago, President Bush promised an additional $1.2 billion over five...

In a move seemingly destined to cause a massive political fight on Capitol Hill, President Bush has nominated Judge Samuel Alito, Jr. to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the United States Supreme Court. In his years on the federal bench, Alito has earned a reputation as a reliable conservative voice, even earning the nickname “Scalito” for his philosophical resemblances to current Justice Antonin Scalia. Your thoughts on the nomination are e in ments section. (If you have an...

Reuters reports Rome</city />’s latest laws: Fish can’t be put in fish bowls and dogs must follow a mandatory exercise schedule. “It’s good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention,” said Monica Cirinna, the councilor behind the by-law. “The civilization of a city can also be measured by this,” she told Rome</city /> daily Il Messaggero. (see article) The civilization of a city can be measured...

Gregory of Nazianzus, in his first theological oration, “An Introductory Sermon against the Eunomians,” makes a plea for appropriateness in the airing of theological disagreements. He writes, “If we cannot resolve our disputes outright, let us at least make this mutual concession, to utter spiritual truths with the restraint due to them, to discuss holy things in a holy manner, and not to broadcast to profane hearing what is not to be divulged” (ੵ). His concern is that public disagreements...

So often we are bombarded with news of businesses accusing others of unfair trade practices, petition smashing, monopolization, etc. Every once in a while, its good to hear about the good business that goes on, the appreciation that pany has for another, and a customer oriented view of production. In that spirit, I offer up panies: Adobe (the creators of the PDF and Photoshop) and Apple. Apple’s recent foray into the image-editing world with the release of Aperture has many...

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Americans living in Europe were often scolded about the need for big, centralized government to look after the poor, and we heard yet again about the moral superiority of Europe’s social model over America’s market-driven one. People who follow the Acton Institute and read the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page are too smart and well-informed to fall for such bromides. The American Entreprise magazine also devoted a whole issue debunking Europe’s claims. But when...

A flap over religion in schools developed last week at Newark High School in Delaware. According to reports, “The principal of a public high school apologized to parents for allowing a Christian-themed assembly that featured two Philadelphia Eagles players, saying he was misled about what the presentation would cover.” “Principal Emmanuel Caulk of Newark High School wrote in a letter that he expected the talk by players Tra Thomas and Thomas Tapeh to focus on ‘values, choices and challenges that...

There’s a new venture, Kiva, that according to the founder Matthew Flannery is “a startup focused on connecting lenders with micro-businesses online. We provide the world’s first and only online micro-lending opportunity and just opened to the public 3 weeks ago. We have now started over 30 businesses in Uganda and are scaling at a rapid pace.” The effort still looks to be in its infancy, but as of October 11 Kiva was officially out of “beta” testing. This means...

Real estate mogul and reality show guru Donald Trump made a guest appearance on the NBC soap opera “Days of Our Lives” last week and, in a real stretch, he played himself. The brief cameo was in the context of Mr. Trump’s visit to the Horton Foundation, a charity based in the fictional town of Salem. The dialogue between Trump and Mickey Horton gives us some insight into Donald Trump’s view of economic success and the resulting responsibility: Donald Trump...