Rarely a week or even a day goes by when we do not read or see a story concerning preventable deaths caused by firearms. Acts both criminally intentional and totally accidental are committed on a regular basis. Mass murders at schools, places of worship and shopping centers vie for space in the print media and airtime on broadcast media and cable alongside serial snipers, victims of domestic violence, cop killer ambushes, murder/suicides and every imaginable form of accident involving people of all genders, age groups, religions and mental states.

Many of these deaths and injuries are needless and highly preventable. Passing common sense legislation – or at least not passing laws that any person with even a modicum of common sense will see as disasters waiting to happen – could easily reduce their occurrence. The fact that our government has been so hesitant to break this cycle of preventable death…

Last month, I was sent an article from The Jesuit Post that has changed the way I read the news.  In it, Jason Downer, SJ suggests seeking ways to respond to violence creatively and prayerfully, resisting the temptation to tune out tragedy as a sort of coping mechanism, or as he puts it, turning towards rather than away.  He adds, “It can be something as simple as when reading articles about the violence, to go over them slowly, prayerfully.  If a name is mentioned, either victim or perpetrator, pray for that person by name.”

I thought about this as I came across the particularly harrowing story of a Yazidi teenager who survived a mass execution.  Indeed, I could only think of one way to respond.  Inspired by the Divine Mercy chaplet, which I’ve lately been praying on my daily walk to work, and by the prayer I’ve taken up –…

Ridesharing has finally penetrated the consciousness of mainstream America. Pink mustaches and silver U’s have crept into cities of varying sizes, and the resulting political battles have raised enough of a ruckus to make Uber and Lyft household names. (That’s a relief to us poor tech writers, tired of endlessly explaining ridesharing to baffled relatives in far-flung suburbs.)

Some might say ridesharing has successfully disrupted the status quo — insert obligatory eye roll here. Certain aspects of that disruption have been covered far more extensively than others. The impact on taxis, of course. The state laws, shifting creakily to encompass this new industry that seemingly emerged from Silicon Valley overnight. Background checks, and safety precautions, and insurance.

But ridesharing also “disrupts” a few things that we’ve heard far less about. These companies haven’t said much about their effects — positive or detrimental — on public transit or the environment. They’ve largely stayed mum on…