feature
September 17th, 2008
We’re Reading…
Busted Halo® Contributors Sound Off On What They're Reading On The Web Right Now
Busted Halo’s® contributors are an eclectic bunch of media-lovers who spend a good deal of their time checking out what is going on all over the web—from blogs and videos to what’s being covered in the mainstream press. If you like the content, approach and tone of Busted Halo, this new department will give you an opportunity to see what the people behind the Halo are reading out there in the cybersphere, blogosphere…and anything-else-sphere they might come across. It’s also a chance for us to highlight other great sites, writers etc that we love but don’t have the chance tell you about most of the time. We’ll be updating “We’re Reading…” often so please make sure you stop back to see what we’re thinking/talking/complaining about.
Archive
- Christine Whelan is reading “The Pope on ‘Love in Truth’” in the Wall Street Journal
- Bill McGarvey is reading Contributing Editor Robert Siegel’s moving reflection in the LA Times “Haiku for an ailing father”
- Trish Muyco-Tobin is reading “Pray to end Abortion: Why has God not answered this prayer of Anti-Abortion Activists?” on stltoday.com
- Phil Fox Rose is reading about the iPhone app part of the Pope2You new media initiative.
- Mike Hayes is reading about Ireland’s Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal which will make Boston look like a day at the beach.
- Brittany is reading in the BBC about a Polish monk’s guide to sex.
- Mirlande is reading about the poetry and spoken word concert held at the White House.
- Phil Fox Rose is enjoying The Anchoress’ post on this World Day of Prayer for Vocations about the value of wearing religious habits.
- Greg Ruehlmann is reading Kathleen Parker’s column about Obama’s upcoming speech at his alma mater.
- Mike is reading a review of Darrly Strawberry’s redemptive autobiography and is getting chills from the book itself.
- Brittany is looking at pictures of the Pope’s recent visit to the earthquake region of Abruzzo, Italy.
- Mirlande Jeanlouis can’t wait for the Spike Jonze adaptation of the children’s book classic “Where the Wild Things Are.”
- Greg Ruehlmann is reading about the Catholic Climate Covenant, and likes what he sees.
- Phil Fox Rose thinks this message from the Pope about new media and social networks is stunning and dead on.
- Elias Demopolous is reading “Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life”
- Mike Hayes is reading about fire-breathing pro-lifers possibly trying to turn Universities into “intellectual ghettos, offering only narrow exposure to ideas.”
- Jarrad Venegas is reading a Lenten reflection on “The Mocking of Christ” in America Magazine.
- Mirlande Jeanlouis is reading how, soon, some colleges won’t be able to afford “talented-but-poor” students.
- Brittany is reading about a traditional African spiritual healer taking her ancient traditions online.
- Marc Adams is reading about the controversy surrounding President Obama’s invitation to Notre Dame
- Brittany is reading about a prize-winning physicist who sees God in the truths found through quantum physics.
- Trish Muyco-Tobin is reading about an old-fashioned Lenten fish fry in Colorado.
- Brittany is reading in BBC News about the Pope’s visit to Cameroon.
- Mike Hayes is reading about how the more religious a person is the more likely they are to seek treatments to preserve life even when diagnosed with a terminal illness.
- Brittany is reading in the New York Times about a Connecticut priest who is was arrested for attempting to document inappropriate racial profiling by the police.
- Brittany is reading about the Pope as a scholar, but possibly not as a man of the people, on BBC News.
- Trish Muyco-Tobin is reading about the new American Religious Identification Survey in USA Today
- Trish Muyco-Tobin is reading about using the Rihanna-Brown as a teaching opporunity on domestic violence.
- Christine Whelan is enjoying this great, fun website, gracebeforemeals.com — check it out!
- Phil Fox Rose is reading an article in Commonweal by New York’s new archbishop Timothy Dolan about Pope Benedict’s call to fight poverty.
- Brittany is reading about an Italian archbishops call to give up texting for Lent.
- Christine Whelan is fascinated by gender differences in our concept of sin!
- Phil Fox Rose is reading in Julie Rose’s blog about Hallmark’s decision before Valentine’s Day to pull a TV spot demeaning homemade gifts in favor of cards–in response to negative feedback in her blog and elsewhere.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading in Whispers In The Loggia confirmation from AP that Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be his, and New York’s, new archbishop at 6AM EST.
- Greg Ruehlmann is reading on NCR about the death of peace activist Peter DeMott.
- Trish Muyco-Tobin is reading about Lincoln’s mysterious faith
- Christine Whelan is reading about the return of indulgences in the NY Times
- Brittany is reading about the Vatican order for the “Holocaust bishop” to recant his statements.
- Christine Whelan is watching this hilarious video!
- Bill McGarvey is reading Ian McEwan’s reflection on John Updike in the Guardian
- Mirlande Jeanlouis is reading about a French Catholic priest trying to document the holocaust by bullets, which has been largely ignored in the past.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading the Irish Times’ bleak, poetic, so-very-Irish coverage of the Superbowl.
- Brittany is reading about worshippers being banned from a rural hill in Burundi, where a woman claims to see the Virgin Mary.
- Mike is reading about how Joe Torre may not be as nice of a guy as he once thought.
- Christine Whelan is reading in the NY Times about a support group for women dating bankers.
- Brittany is reading about the Pope’s attempts to show solidarity with Jews, in light of his controversial recent rehabilitations.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading with gladness the details of how Obama will be able to keep his Blackberry.
- Brittany is reading in the BBC news about the Pope’s new YouTube station.
- Greg Ruehlmann is reading Joe Feuerherd’s recent op-ed about Rick Warren at National Catholic Reporter.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading Nate Silver’s take on Caroline Kennedy’s withdrawal from contention for Hillary’s senate seat.
- Bill McGarvey is reading a behind-the-scenes look at CNN.com
- Christine Whelan is reading “Who Would Jesus Smack Down?” in the NY Times.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading Stanley Fish’s blog post in the NY Times comparing the Roland Burris situation to St. Augustine and the Donatist controversy.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading about the controversy over breast-feeding photos on Facebook.
- Bill McGarvey is reading about how atheists are advertising in London.
- Jarrad is reading about how faith has shaped Tony Blair’s life in New York magazine.
- Greg Ruehlmann is reading about the struggles of Catholic parishes in Gaza.
- Mike Hayes wonders if Apple has finally run out of ideas?
- Mirlande Jeanlouis is reading the NYT article about Apple lifting their anticopying restrictions!
- Phil Rose is reading “The Meaning Of The Incarnation” on Andrew Sullivan’s blog
- Marc Adams is reading about the Real Meaning of Christmas and the uncomfortable truth Jesus calls everyone to follow.
- Trish Muyco-Tobin is reading “Medical ‘Conscience Rule’ may be ethical hot potato” in USA Today’s Faith & Reason
- Christine Whelan is reading “The Pope’s Real Message for Obama” in the NYT
- Phil Fox Rose is thrilled by the Warren pick and saddened by the knee-jerk reactions on the Left.
- Marc Adams is reading about the slow rise in interracial relationships and the attitudes that surround them.
- Bill McGarvey is reading about a the Sisters of Mercy Convent closing in Brooklyn.
- Bill McGarvey is reading about the death of the newspaper…
- Mike Hayes is reading about how bad economic times is bringing people back to church.
- Christine Whelan is reading about why religious people have more babies than non-believers–and not just for the obvious reasons.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading a sampling of Cardinal Dulles’ articles from America Magazine.
- Greg Ruehlmann is reading Kathleen Parker’s ongoing argument about purging the GOP of the Religious Right.
- Brittany Janis is reading about a new virtual world for Muslims in the BBC news.
- Marc Adams is reading Obama closes the God gap.
- Brittany is reading about the impact of religion on nanotechnology in the BBC news.
- Mirlande Jeanlouis is reading the NYT’s top ten new books of 2008.
- Brittany is reading about the conflict between the Catholic Church and the government of Spain in the BBC news.
- Mirlande Jeanlouis is reading Suzanne Vega’s blog in the NYTimes about how music defines a person’s culture.
- Brittany is reading about the split in the Anglican Church in BBC news.
- Greg Ruehlmann is reading Melinda Henneberger’s piece at Slate about the possible ramifications at Catholic hospitals of Obama’s abortion position.
- (Along with every other single New Yorker this week) Phil Fox Rose is reading the New York Magazine piece asking, “Is urban loneliness a myth?”
- Jarrad Venegas is reading the reuters article on how Indonesia is implementing a tracking device for AIDS sufferers.
- Christine Whelan is reading a fascinating piece on how women’s voices aren’t heard on top blogs… ladies, speak up!
- Trish Muyco-Tobin…People are holding off getting divorced during this economic downturn. Not sure if that’s good or bad?
- Christine Whelan is reading buildingcathedrals.blogspot.com.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading the full transcript of Obama’s 2004 interview about his spirituality, conducted by Chicago Sun Times columnist Cathleen Falsani before he became a senator, on beliefnet.
- Christine Whelan is reading Therese Borchard’s Beliefnet blog on why joining Facebook became an obsession for her.
- Bill McGarvey is reading Christine Whelan’s article on using Buddhist mindfulness to help in your relationships.
- Greg Ruehlmann is reading about the potential excommunication of Fr. Roy Bourgeois in National Catholic Reporter.
- Bill McGarvey is reading Thomas Friedman’s How to Fix a Flat column in the NY Times.
- Bill McGarvey is reading “Donald Fagen Defends Steely Dan To Friends” in The Onion.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading “A New Counter-Reformation Starts at the Vatican” in the Wall Street Journal
- Bill McGarvey is reading Peter Steinfels’ NYT column in the on how Catholics voted in 2008.
- Brittany is reading about the discovery of the largest ancient Christian Church in BBC news
- Brittany is reading USCCB’s news release “Chicago Young Adult Receives National Award For Empowerment Of Immigrants”
- Trish Muyco-Tobin is reading the AP article on Catholic bishops’ plans to confront Obama on abortion
- Jarrad is reading the New York Post piece about public prayer booths as art.
- Phil Fox Rose is reading “The Cognitive Benefits of Nature” on Jonah Lehrer’s blog, The Frontal Cortex. (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan.)
- Greg Ruehlmann is reading Leonard Pitts, Jr.’s column about the ascension of Obama.
- Brittany Janis is reading the NY Times article on the Catholic-Muslim seminar and How the Pope seeks to strengthen ties with the Muslim world.
- Brittany Janis is reading the NY Times article on the world reaction to the election…
- Brittany is reading: “God, politics and the Kennedys” in BBC world news.
- As election day approaches, Robert Anthony Siegel is spending way too much time on Realclearpolitics.com, checking the polls:
- Marc Adams is reading…The Homeless in Washington DC by Dolph L. Hatfield
- Christine B. Whelan is reading the US Catholic interview with Donna Freitas, author of Sex and the Soul, a book about the hook-up culture on college campuses.
- Trish Muyco Tobin is reading E. J. Dionne’s Washington Post column on how Catholics are realizing they can no longer be single-issue voters.
- Gregory Ruehlmann is reading the Cincinnati Enquirer’s article about the newly named successor to Daniel Pilarczyk as Archbishop of Cincinnati.
- Jarrad Venegas is reading about the success of the Clear Creek Monastery
- Stephanie Burton is reading Michael Hyatt’s Twitter blog. The chief executive of Thomas Nelson, the Christian book publishers, says Twitter helps him humanize his company and connect with his employees, customers and authors.
- Christine Whelan is reading “Confession for Orthodox Jews: Transfer your sins to a chicken–and then slaughter it?”
- Robert Anthony Siegel is reading “Catholic Church Riven By Internal Debate,” on what social justice and respect for life mean in this year’s election.
- Gregory Ruehlmann is reading “Your DVD Player Sleeps with the Fishes,” an article about the restoration of the “Godfather” series.
- Dr. Christine B. Whelan is reading “Is My Money Safe?”
- Trish Muyco-Tobin is reading “Two Options for Weathering Economic Storms.”
- Mike Hayes is reading “America Magazine on Catholic Social Teaching and the Economy.”
- Stephanie is reading “God’s Economy & Wall Street” by Jimmy Spencer
- Brittany Morgan Janis is reading “Boom-Bust-Boom Town” on New York City’s history of financial crisis.
- Robert Anthony Siegel is reading “Wasilla Watch: Sarah Palin and the Rape Kits,” a really startling piece on Palin’s record as mayor.
- Bill McGarvey is reading the NY Time’s “In Bailout Vote, a Leadership Breakdown”
- Robert Anthony Siegel is reading “Barak Obama, John McCain, and the Language”– a sharp and compact look at the racial dynamics underlying the campaigns
- Gregory Ruehlmann is reading John Kavanaugh’s editorial “letter to Obama” from America magazine.
- Robert Anthony Siegel is reading Factcheck.org to compare what the candidates are saying and what is actually true.
- Bill McGarvey recommends Robert Anthony Siegel’s essay on Nextbook. Almost 65 years after the Holocaust, why does genocide keep happening?
- Bill McGarvey is reading the NYT’s “Abortion Issue Again Dividing Catholic Votes”
- Robert Siegel recommends: Danya Ruttenberg, author of “Surprised By God,” talks about her journey from ironic hipster to rabbi on Nextbook.org
- Dr. Christine Whelan recommends: Huffington Post’s Susan Smalley on Writing as Meditation.



