Balinese Family: Keluarga

In Balinese, this word means “family.” In Banjar Wani this word means “everyone,” because everyone feels like family. [excerpt

Fearless: Nadejiah Towns

This week we would like to recognize Nadejiah Towns ’15 as a fearless fighter against poverty. This summer she has served as a Heston intern for the South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP) and has spent the majority of her time with the Work Ready program, a “welfare to work” organization that helps low-income community members gain the skills needed to by obtaining a reliable, professional job and become self-sufficient

Because I Am

Why? “Because I am a Republican!” Why? “Because I am a Democrat!” Why? “Because I am a Christian!” Why? In America, religion and politics are not merely taboo dinner topics; it is strongly advised that you don’t discuss either one in nearly all situations. [excerpt

Discussion of Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi

In preparation for our book discussion on Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi for our Iran: Beyond the Headlines series, we created some of our own discussion questions about the book. Please feel free to use for your own book discussion

In Our Village

While in the village of Banjar Wani I had the opportunity to meet Kedek and his father Pak Sura. They took me into their home and showed me what an average Balinese house for someone in the Sudra caste looks like. The Sudra is considered to be the lowest classification in the Hindu Caste system. People classified as a Sudra are typically farmers and Pak Sura owns a rice patty. I asked Kedek to show me into his house and below is a drawing of an overview of the house. Kedek walked me into the house through the gate that is used to keep evil spirits away. Every Balinese person has a gate in front of their home that is meant to protect the family. [excerpt

Jesus Lives, but Should He Live in My Front Yard?

As I drove home from church, I eyed the bright foam sign my 6-year-old daughter held. “Jesus is Alive” it read in kid scrawl. “We’re supposed to put them in our yards!” Noelle beamed, eyeing her creation proudly through pink-rimmed glasses. I imagined our wide, open yard in Pennsylvania, the green grass stretching without fences from one neighbor to the next. Our best friends in the neighborhood, secular humanists, would easily see it. I cringed. What would they think? [excerpt

Mobile Activism: What Your Profile Picture Says About You

I know you’ve all been seeing this image all of your Facebook news feeds. All of the sudden a few weeks ago it became everyone’s profile picture. People were sharing it, along with other images, explaining why Prop. 8 and the Defense Of Marriage Act should be repealed, and were generally expressing their support of marriage equality. [excerpt

Opinion: Too Many Veterans with Children are Still Homeless

Don’t ignore homeless veterans. As we pause this Veterans Day to reflect on those who have sacrificed in the service of our country, let us not neglect to address the plight of those who have returned to a civilian life with far less promise than they have every right to expect. [excerpt

Lessons on Love from the Back of the Pew

Saturday marked the one year anniversary of the death of the most important man in my life, my paternal grandfather. Despite the desire of each of his grandchildren to be his one and only favorite, somehow, looking back, I now understand that he saw the same amount of value in each of us, and that is not something that can be quantified. I learned so much from him: how to shoot a gun, how to remove a splinter, and how to be a good, kind and compassionate human-being under any circumstances. [excerpt

The Forgotten -ism

“I’d rather not. I don’t like to talk to old people. They make me uncomfortable. They kind of smell weird and make me think about death. Some of them are even racist, so I’d just rather not.” As part of my internship this summer, in which I helped to coordinate the Friday evening dinners at the Gettysburg Senior Center, putting out advertisements to “hang out with old people” wasn’t exactly an easy task. [excerpt