By: United Church of Canada | Press Release:

TORONTO, April 8, 2013 – Shareholders at tomorrow’s annual meeting of the Bank of Nova Scotia will be hearing a thought-provoking challenge from at least one proxy holder who’s asking questions about the salaries earned by the bank’s top executives.

William Davis is the retired Chief Financial Officer for The United Church of Canada and a long-time advocate of corporate social responsibility. He will be attending the meeting in Halifax as a shareholder and as co-filer with The United Church of Canada and NEI Investments of a motion that asked the bank to integrate vertical metrics into the calculation of executive compensation. That motion was withdrawn when the Bank of Nova Scotia indicated its willingness to take the concern seriously.

Groups Submit Report on Worldwide Sex Abuse Crisis

By: Center for Constitutional Rights (Press Release) | Feb. 28, 2013:

NEW YORK and ROME – Today, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed an alternate report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child documenting the ongoing worldwide sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. The UN committee has summoned the Vatican to report on its record of ensuring children are protected from sexual violence and safeguarding children’s well-being and dignity, the first time the Holy See will have been called to account for its actions on these issues before an international body with authority. The first meeting will take place in Geneva in June.

Globally, 61 million children, most of them girls, are denied their birthright to education. They’re discriminated against, marginalized and exploited.

Please click here to add your voice to millions around the world calling on governments and international organizations to ensure that these children have access to education by the end of 2015.

As the 2012 U.S. presidential election approaches, it’s safe to assume that a significant chunk of the debate will revolve around same-sex unions. This graphic from the Marriage & Family Counseling puts things into perspective.

Source: Marriage and Family Counseling Degrees

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Today, over a billion Muslims around the world begin to observe the holy month of Ramadan, fasting from dawn to sunset. This year, Google is in on the action. In a serious way. The search engine behemoth will stream Islamic prayers live from Mecca via a dedicated YouTube channel. That means millions around the world will be able to experience “over 50 premium Ramadan shows.”  Shows like the one depicted in the clip below, starring famed Syrian actor Jamal Suliman. Find out more on Google+ Arabia.

In this 25-minute video, Jonathan Pararajasingham, a London-based neurosurgeon, presents 30 Renowned Writers Speaking About God. The writers offer both a literary homage to rationalism and humanism, and a not-so-generous critique of orthodox religious belief.

The titans include Booker Prize-winning Canadian author and poet, Margaret Artwood, African writer and Nobel Laureate in literature, Wole Soyinka, and the late best-selling author, award-winning columnist, Christopher Hitchens.