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For Catholics, a new kind of pro-creation

Strap on your sandals, Catholics, during this Holy Week journey into Jerusalem. Pope Francis is guiding the global church towards two major right-to-life issues: poverty and the environment. Take heed: it’s not just about prophylaxis. First, poverty. Francis has called for a “poor church, a church for the poor.” Certainly, the Bible is rife with injunctions to care for the poor, and Catholic social teaching insists on the theological and ethical imperative known as the “preferential option for the poor.” But has any pope ever talked the talk while walking the walk? Enter Francis, who has decided to not live in the papal apartment (he will live in the Vatican guesthouse), who has eschewed highly filigreed garments, and who has constantly spoken of humility and poverty. Might this papacy be less about pontifical pomp and theological rhetoric than about attention to concrete circumstance? That would be theology as praxis: where the word of God hits the ground, and keeps walking. Second

Egyptian Blogger Accused of Violence Released

Egyptian authorities released a prominent Egyptian blogger Tuesday after he refused to cooperate with prosecutors over allegations of instigating violence against the country's most powerful Islamist group in comments posted on social media. The blogger, Alaa Abdel-Fattah, was freed following his demand that an investigative judge take over his case, according to one of his lawyers, Malek Adly. His attorneys are now awaiting a decision on the request, which amounts to a snub to the prosecutor's office by questioning its independence. Abdel-Fattah handed himself in to authorities earlier Tuesday, a day after the country's prosecutor general ordered his arrest along with four other activists also accused of inciting violence. The arrest warrants stoked concerns among Egypt's opposition that Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was using the prosecutor's office to go after political opponents. The allegations against the activists are rooted in clashes between suppor

Nice and unpredictable world of the Great American Ostrich Races

Well It may seem hard tobelieve it but this sport of ostrich racing has a a very long history. A statue of Egyptian queen Arsinoe II riding an ostrich was discovered in an ancient tomb, and racing the birds is a fairly common practice in parts of Africa. That's not to say it's easy. Ostriches can reach speeds of over 43 mph and their long legs can cover up to 16ft in a single stride. When ostrich racing featured in Disney fantasy film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time the filmmakers had to hire Moroccan horse jockeys as stuntmen. In the U.S., the Chandler Ostrich Festival in Arizona celebrated its 25th year this weekend. Ostrich racing is a major part of the festival and the runs were as eventful and crazy as usual. As the festival website asks: 'When was the last time you witnessed an ostrich race? If you haven’t yet experienced it, you must make it a point to attend this hilarious and unpredictable event. Ostrich races will captivate audiences with their crazy riders a