I have been working with refugees since October of 2006, when our family agreed to host a family of five Karen refugees from Burma through World Relief, an international refugee resettlement organization with a great office in Spokane. These were the first Karen people to come to Spokane and because …

Lent started a couple days early for the ESPN editor who wrote a headline about Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin that recalled an ethnic slur against Chinese. Anthony Federico, 28,was fired on Sunday for the gaffe, which he said had no racist intent. “ESPN did what they had to do,” said …

By Tracy Simmons SpokaneFAVS.com Buddhist teachings are practical, useable and helpful. At least, they can be if adherents strive to strengthen their minds, Ven. Bhante Seelawimala said Saturday morning at the opening service of the 65th annual Northwest Buddhist Convention. He was one of 300 Buddhists who gathered in downtown …

Next week marks the beginning of the Lenten season for Western churches. Traditionally the season is kicked off with pancake suppers on Shrove Tuesday (pancakes are eaten because many people refrain from the food's main ingredients — sugar, flour and eggs — during Lent). Then, on Ash Wednesday, many Christians …

In “The Ways of Silencing” published last June inThe New York Times, Professor Jason Stanley raised a legitimate point on how political propaganda silences people. Stanley's piece drew plenty of criticism, especially with his comments on pornography. I took interest in what Stanley had to say because he drew from …

Nobel Laureate Desmond M. Tutu, archbishop emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa, will be the keynote speaker at Gonzaga University's senior commencement May 13. Tutu has been a voice for justice, peace, truth and reconciliation throughout his ministry. He retired from public life in 2010 but accepted Gonzaga's invitation after …