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Podcast:  Empathy in the age of Schadenfreude

Podcast:  Empathy in the age of Schadenfreude

Prepared to explore “Empathy in the Age of Schadenfreude,” the God Squad showed up to a room full of people disturbed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It turns out our planned topic was just the opening we needed to explore how one addresses the moral complexities of the war in Ukraine.

Join Village Squarecast for this timely conversation as we seek spiritual reinforcement from God Squad originals Pastor Betsy Ouellette Zierden of St. George Island United Methodist Church, Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, and Rabbi Jack Romberg, author of "A doorway to Heroism: A decorated German-Jewish Soldier who became an American Hero."


Schadenfreude = the experience of feeling joy due to another person’s misfortune.

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Hollywood Gets Congress Wrong—and It’s Costing America Trust in Democracy

Hollywood sign and The Capitol

AI generated picture

Hollywood Gets Congress Wrong—and It’s Costing America Trust in Democracy

The following article is excerpted from "Citizen’s Handbook for Influencing Elected Officials."

Since the 1970s, public trust in American institutions—including Congress—has steadily declined. Approval ratings for the House and Senate usually hover in the teens. Certainly, some misdeeds by our elected leaders have contributed to this decline, and mainstream national media can claim its fair share of “credit” in portraying Congress in a negative light. Yet another major ingredient in the ugly formula poisoning public opinion of Congress is Hollywood. Movies and TV shows routinely portray Congress as craven, corrupt, selfish, and completely indifferent to the public interest. Regrettably, this is a wholly incorrect portrayal of our nation’s legislators.

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Interfaith Music Aims to Reclaim January 6 for Unity

Elena “La Fulana” Lacayo

Interfaith Music Aims to Reclaim January 6 for Unity

Music has played a significant role in uniting people of different faiths in the United States. From the Civil Rights era to the years following 9/11, Americans have used music to bridge religious divides and affirm their shared humanity. Interfaith music extends beyond worship and remains a lasting way for Americans to remember their common bonds. St. Augustine expressed the power of music in faith when he said “When I sing, I pray twice.”

In this spirit, The Fulcrum highlights stories during the holiday season that reflect universal themes. Messages of love, kindness, hope, and generosity resonate across cultures and traditions, reminding us that shared values are stronger than our divisions.

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A Baseball Team Caught Between Two Countries — a Visa Shift and a Shutdown

The Tucson baseball team playing against the Águilas de Mexicali in the border city of Mexicali. Photo courtesy of the Tucson baseball team

A Baseball Team Caught Between Two Countries — a Visa Shift and a Shutdown

NOGALES, SONORA, MEXICO — What was meant to be a historic first for America’s pastime — a Mexican Pacific League baseball franchise anchored north of the border — has become a bureaucratic curveball.

The newly relocated Tucson, Arizona, baseball team — formerly the Mayos de Navojoa from Sonora, Mexico — has yet to fulfill a long-held dream shared by fans on both sides of the border: bringing professional Mexican winter baseball to U.S. soil.

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From Bob Dylan to Kendrick Lamar: How Protest Music Still Shapes America in 2025
Bob Dylan | Xavier Badosa | Flickr

From Bob Dylan to Kendrick Lamar: How Protest Music Still Shapes America in 2025

Pop music has always been more than entertainment. Reflects society’s struggles, dreams, and contradictions.

Across the last fifty years, artists from Bob Dylan to Kendrick Lamar have given voice to war and peace, protest and resilience, identity and equality, economic struggle and hope. Their lyrics, written for a moment in time, echo with startling relevance in 2025.

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