Relationships and Going Places

Rose Madeline Mula writes: I'm depressed. I just got back from the first high school reunion I ever attended. I refuse to say which one. Not which high school-which year. I don't want anyone to know. I won't even admit it to myself. What I will tell you is that none of my classmates showed up. They sent their grandparents instead, all of who insisted they had gone to school with me. No way. more »

Among US adults overall, more than six-in-ten (64%) express a favorable view of Pope Francis. While this is lower than the high of 70% who gave Francis a favorable rating in February of this year, the share of Americans expressing an unfavorable view of Francis also has ticked down (10% now, compared with 15% in February). Making up for these differences: The share of people who say they cannot rate the pope has increased from 15% earlier this year to 27% now. more »

There are so many possibilities in the change of seasons — to see something new, to rethink something familiar, to expand our understanding. The shift of my perception of moth to butterfly pleased me. I saw it anew. Perhaps that's what the seasons really foster, new ways of seeing our usually familiar world. more »

Joan L. Cannon writes: She e-mails me several times a week. Most of them are edited, selected pieces of public information couched so as to elicit immediate fury or panic on the part of the reader. She is honestly afraid of every Muslim who sets foot in this country, or who is already here. She uses her out-of-context evidence with the convictions of a missionary. more »