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All the righteous of the world

Scripture tells us that all the righteous of the world have a share in the time to come. With Israel under constant rocket attack from terrorists and their sponsors, it sometimes feels to a Jew like we are alone in the world. Bob Dylan in his classic, Neighborhood Bully, wrote an ode to the Jews of Israel which is as current today as when it was written. The second verse of the song reads: The neighborhood bully he just lives to survive He’s criticized and condemned for being alive He’s not supposed to fight back, he’s supposed to have thick skin He’s supposed to lay ...

Deepest gratitude for our brave first responders and our caring community

On the evening of Wednesday, October 23rd, life at Calvary Baptist Church changed forever. Our weekly Prayer Group and Bible Study had just ended, and by 7:45 p.m., the church stood empty. But just 20 minutes later, the unimaginable happened—a fire broke out in the very building where we’ve worshiped, prayed, and served for generations. As a volunteer firefighter for over 45 years, I know the swift, life-altering impact of that call for help. But nothing prepared me for being on the other side of the flames—standing not as a firefighter, but as a pastor, helplessly watching the ...

In a struggling Pennsylvania town, Elon Musk discusses ‘purpose’

McKEES ROCKS — At the freshly renovated Roxian Theatre along Chartiers Avenue in a struggling river town, Loren Stephenson said she and her fiance, Alex Ames, had been standing at the front of the line since 8 a.m. to hear billionaire Elon Musk speak at 2 p.m. Stephenson, a Duquesne University professor, said she came to see Musk speak because she respects his brilliance as an entrepreneur and innovator. “I love his ideas about our safety, less government spending, talking about purpose and getting the country back on track,” she said. The Pittsburgh native held a homemade ...

Tariffs and taxes and tips, oh my!

Donald Trump is touting a tariff on imports to raise revenue from other countries. However, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), these tariffs would be largely passed on to consumers as increased prices. Trump proposes tariffs from 20% on all imported goods up to 200% on imported cars. Tariffs would be imposed on phones, clothing and even foods like coffee and bananas. Furthermore, he has no plan to prevent American companies from raising their prices to just under the cost of imports. Trump’s defense is his 2018 tariff on washing machines. The purpose ...

Three Mile Island and free markets

In a political environment that increasingly pretends government-imposed fixes are the best answers to everyday problems, it sometimes feels like a rare moment when we can celebrate the problem-solving dynamism of the marketplace. Three Mile Island – specifically, the new 20-year agreement between Constellation and Microsoft to fire up the decades-old reactor and provide urgently needed baseload power to the electrical grid – is such a moment. This deal represents a genuine market-driven solution to a broader economic challenge: satisfying our unquenchable thirst for ...

Soft landing achieved — but risks remain

Last month’s jobs report alleviated recession concerns, and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report about three weeks ago showed headline inflation continued to move in the right direction – though at a slower pace than expected. Long-dated yields, which depend on expected inflation and future economic growth, moved higher on this news. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury increased by another 10 basis points last week. Falling energy prices helped drag down headline inflation as measured by the CPI, but core inflation accelerated for the third consecutive month. Meanwhile, ...