30 June 2004
Describing the intentions behind his visit to Sudanese officials, Colin Powell told reporters: “I hope to give them a very direct message about how the United States and the international community see the horrific situation that exists in Darfur.” But there was little description of that perspective in Christopher Marquis’s coverage of the story for The New York Times, let alone any identification of the “ethnic cleansing” or genocide as primarily a religious conflict between the Muslim north and Christian and animist south. Read more about theSudanese civil war.

11:30 am: With great power–and great responsibility–Spider-man also becomes all things to all people. Or at least he “‘expresses a great truth, a truth that’s applicable to all men and all times,” as theologian Doug Blount told Jeffrey Weiss of The Dallas Morning News. Weiss writes: “The story of Spider-Man was created during a time of great national tumult. More than just an iconic battle between good and evil, it’s a tale that includes realistic uncertainty. What is the best way to do good?…In India, a reworked version of Spider-Man (civilian name: Pavitr Prabhakar) will battle a traditional Hindu demon in a comic book later this year. Rabbis recognize something essentially Jewish in Spider-Man, pastors find a Christian message and imams identify the tenets of Islam…”