February 2010
33 posts
5 tags
“The problem was not a shortage of sincerity but an excess of zeal in which...”
– — —Jonathan Aitken, commenting in The Guardian on former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his role in the lead-up to, and the aftermath of, the Iraq war. Aitken says that “once the Chilcot inquiry establishes the truth about Iraq, we should be quick not to judge, but to forgive.”
...
January 2010
34 posts
8 tags
12 tags
10 tags
5 tags
“Salvation somehow seemed closer — yet we also knew that we could be killed at...”
– — —Samuel Pisar, from an excellent Op-Ed in The New York Times titled “Out of Auschwitz”
Trent Gilliss, online editor
6 tags
WatchDog Ogling and Ursine Den Cam: Internet as Animal Habitat Kate Moos, managing producer
It’s been a great couple of weeks for critters on the Internet. I’m an animal lover, a declaration I offer with neither pride nor embarrassment. Pictures of kittens make me smile. (Yes, you CAN HAS cheezburger!) Puppies elicit oohs of delight. I can’t help it. But although I’m not covert...
4 tags
7 tags
WatchTaking the Pulse of Caprica Colleen Scheck, senior producer
Are you watching Caprica? We’ve heard from many of you who were Battlestar Galactica (BSG) fans — including our host — so I’m guessing some of you are tuning in to this prequel series. If so, you may be interested in the comments of Diane Winston, who was part of our program “TV and Parables of Our Time.” Along...
6 tags
7 tags
5 tags
“…unfortunately, society does not generally invest enough in...”
– -from “My Turn: Bill Gates on Education and Innovation” in the recent edition of Newsweek.
This brief commentary by Bill Gates’ nicely accentuates a point made by Jacqueline Novogratz for our show to be released this Thursday (via podcast). She sees an opportunity for social...
6 tags
"Nou Met Led Me Nou La!" (We May Be Ugly, But We...
Trent Gilliss, online editor
Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, whom we first interviewed for our program “Living Vodou,” grew up in Haiti, a member of the country’s aristocratic elite of African descent. He studied political science in the U.S. and earned his Ph.D. in International Relations from American University. Unlike his well-known grandfather, Dantès Bellegarde, Patrick...
8 tags
Should Women "Man Up" - Even If It Means Bad...
Kaeti Hinck, guest contributor
(photo: Pieter Musterd)
I’m not a narcissist. But Clay Shirky thinks I should be.
The media critic recently posted a controversy-mongering blog titled “A Rant About Women,” the premise being that women would do well to act more like men — stand up for themselves more and do what it takes to get ahead, even if it means being a “pompous blowhard”:
[Women] are bad...
8 tags
WatchThe Elusive Footage of Elephants Mourning Colleen Scheck, senior producer
This week’s guest, Katy Payne, was one of the scientists interviewed in a recent 60 Minutes feature about the ongoing study of elephant behavior in the Dzanga forest clearing in the Central African Republic. This is worth watching because it contains beautiful and moving footage of elephant interaction, including how...
8 tags
Reconciling "Intrusive Paternalism" and "Soft...
Andy Dayton, associate web producer
“This is not a natural disaster story. This is a poverty story.”
Last Friday, Krista sent around David Brooks’ recent editorial on the disaster in Haiti. As the quote above suggests, he discusses the connection between the scale of damage in Haiti and the nation’s “poorly constructed buildings, bad infrastructure and terrible...
4 tags
“…I want to beg you, as much as I can, dear sir, to be patient toward all...”
– —from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (translation by M.D. Herter Norton), which was cited by Jacqueline Novogratz in her interview with Krista for next week’s program, “A Different Kind of Capitalism.”
Trent Gilliss, online editor
4 tags
ARW: A Documentary Unit Worth Exploring
Colleen Scheck, senior producer
The vital work of our talented colleagues at American RadioWorks (ARW) is on my mind for a number of reasons. It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I’m reminded of their 2008 documentary, “King’s Last March.” I thought I knew a lot about the celebrated civil rights leader, but this program offers insight into his person that I...
8 tags
Our Former Guests' Perspectives on Vodou and...
Nancy Rosenbaum, associate producer
Sending around news articles is a regular part of workaday life here at Speaking of Faith. This AP story includes a quote from Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, who was featured in our program on Haitian Vodou:
Brazil army officials issued a statement saying many followers of the Voodoo religion would not accept the dead being touched until all of their rituals were...
6 tags
Britain Moves to Ban Islamic Group →
The British government’s decision to ban the Islamist group Terror4UK dovetails with our show this week, “Reflections of a Former Islamist Extremist,” as does this Thomas Friedman editorial about the role of moderate Muslims in counteracting terrorism. The response in the letters to the editor section is worth reading.
Nancy Rosenbaum, associate producer
5 tags
Women in Ministry: The Fashion Problem
Kate Moos, managing producer
No one has ever accused me of being fashion-forward. Neither will I ever willingly join a conversation on the relative merits of mascara brands. Nonetheless, I was completely entertained by Courtney Wilder’s essay on Sightings about a blog that enjoins women clergy to navigate the occasionally fine line between professional dress and excessive *hot-ness* as...
