Category Archives: The Scoop

As my husband and I drove east on the 10 toward mid-City, I had an epiphany. We'd come from a Christmas party at a friend's home in Venice Beach where pomegranate martinis and platters of red velvet mini-cupcakes limned the … Continue reading →

by Brie Loskota Many theologians, reporters and devout Catholics uttered a collective “whaaat?!?” when the Holy See announced that condoms could be used in a morally responsible way to help stop the spread of HIV. There is probably no more … Continue reading →

by Kevin Healey The New York Times technology section is a portal for all things geeky: smart phones, web browsers, video games. The last place you'd go to check the pulse of American religion, right? Not so fast, says tech … Continue reading →

by Lee Gilmore In this weekend's headlines about the stupefyingly successful penultimate installment of the Harry Potter saga, reviewers are mainly echoing fans' continuing enthusiasm for the films. But they also seem to have exhausted their well of fresh insights. … Continue reading →

by Rhonda Roumani This week, Muslims around the world celebrated the end of one of the most important events of their religious year—the hajj—with Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice. An estimated 2 million Muslims from around the world … Continue reading →

by Judith Weisenfeld On October 30, 2010, a fire destroyed Saint Mary Magdalene Roman Catholic Church in Springfield Gardens, Queens. The local CBS affiliate framed the story with a familiar, formulaic lede: “Fire Destroys Local Church, but not Parishioners' Spirits.” … Continue reading →

Despite smaller staffs, tighter deadlines and shrinking news holes, much of the legacy media produces reliable news around the clock. Some of its work is excellent, revealing vistas that would otherwise be overlooked. This Los Angeles Times piece describes a … Continue reading →

by John Adams “We are heading to a special meeting with a high-ranking Hamas leader to discuss the Israeli – Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian leadership point of view,” said our translator and guide as the 15-passenger van sped through … Continue reading →

by Dalia Hashad This week, while President Obama was in Indonesia trying to repair the damage that the previous administration did to the United State's image in the Muslim world, former President George W. Bush set about trying to rehabilitate … Continue reading →

Sunday's New York Times article on schools' efforts to end bullying seemed an “aw shucks” case-study of the law of unintended consequences. School districts, eager to stop the kind of harassment that led to a recent spate of gay teen … Continue reading →