My Oregon Coast, Past and Present

By Sheldon Photos by the author There is a stretch of coastline between Newport and Lincoln City that was a popular destination for our family while I was growing up, visits I agitated for relentlessly to feed my passionate interest in marine biology, … Continue reading

Would You Recognize the End of the World If You Saw It?

There is an enduring appeal about the end of the world, especially if we can watch it happening to someone else. Movies that dwell on an apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic theme are even more the rage than usual, but in the … Continue reading

Why Winning the War on Terrorism Requires Accepting Syrian Refugees

By Sheldon Greaves As the global Islamist insurgency attempts to expand their war to a new level, it is a good idea to remind ourselves of a few things, particularly in light of the growing debate over whether to accept … Continue reading

What Happens When a Community Connects

By Sheldon Greaves This post appeared previously on Unexpected Leisure, 12 February 2011 An article that appears in a recent issue of Yes! magazine caught my attention this morning. The article talks about how consumerism has caused families to weaken … Continue reading

Was the Fall of Rome a Good Thing?

By Sheldon Greaves There is a lot of talk these days comparing the United States to the late Roman Empire. Like Rome, we are an empire, which people more freely acknowledge than they did even ten years ago. There is … Continue reading

The Aesthetic of Ostentation

By Sheldon Greaves This post appeared previously in Unexpected Leisure, 02 February 2011 The imperative to keep up with the Jones’ has driven many a consumer to spend beyond their means.  Purveyors of stuff, particularly expensive stuff know this and … Continue reading

On Cecil and Samuel; Animal Life, Human Life

By Sheldon Greaves This past week has seen yet more brutality as the nation watches the shocking events unfold in the wake of the Samuel DuBose shooting. Meanwhile, America and the rest of the world has exploded in grief and … Continue reading

Laudato Si and the Green Book of Genesis

by Sheldon Greaves Thanks to some positive comments about my previous backgrounder post to the encyclical Laudato Si, I thought it would be worth while to add a few insights into the role of the Genesis cosmogonies in the structure … Continue reading