Eye on Faith: May 2021

Monday, May 31, 2021

Colorfully Cloudy

Elongated Martian Cloud (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin photo)

If you’re looking for a home where the buffalo roam and the skies are not cloudy all day, then don’t move to Mars.

There’s nary a buffalo on Martian soil, but there are some clouds in the Martian sky. The lower fluffs are composed of water ice, and the higher puffs “are likely made of frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice.”

These ice crystals scatter the setting Martian sunlight in such a way that “shimmering” colors result. Not just the traditional reds that Mars is associated with, but also some blues, greens and purples. Photos from Curiosity’s cameras convey the beauty that awaits humankind.

Resources

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-curiosity-rover-captures-shining-clouds-on-mars

Sunday, May 30, 2021

There's something to be said for authenticity

(Fair Use)

There’s a popular coping mechanism called “fake it ‘til you make it.” Yet not everyone can pull that off. Some are just too darn honest. And yet they get slammed for being impolite.

Such was the plight of a recent Jeopardy contestant. When Ryan Bilger went down during the semi-finals, the camera grabbed a shot of his disappointment. He managed a weak version of applause for the winner while keeping his head somewhat bowed. For this he was said to lack graciousness by those who are steeped in so-called righteous indignation.

Not many of us would be genuinely pleased to have our crushing moments magnified on national TV. Yet that’s what often occurs, be it during sports events or game shows. When star athletes are injured, instant replays abound. As Phil Ochs once sang in his opus Crucifixion: “And do you have a picture of the pain?”

After time allowed Bilger to gather his emotions, he was able to offer this congratulatory response to the winner: Veronica played a brilliant game and is an amazing human to boot! Graciousness need not be an immediate response. It can be cultivated over time. Patience with this process is also a sign of graciousness.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2021-05-28-jeopardy-contestant-called-sore-loser-for-behavior-on-show/?mid=636150&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline6_readmore

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Devils on the Rise

Beware! (Photo by Peter Shanks)

Imagine being an early European settler in Tasmania.

Suddenly you hear a blood-curdling screech from the nearby bush. This is coupled with a series of “coughs and growls.” After summoning enough courage to investigate, you discover a canine-like creature with “red ears, wide jaws and big sharp teeth.”

Since no dog ever looked, sounded or smelled like this, you figure it must be the devil himself. The name stuck: Tasmanian Devil.

For a long time, the population of Devils dwindled. But lately, it’s been on the rise. These predators are now returning to the Australian mainland, thanks to those who are giving the Devils their due.

Resources

https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/fauna-of-tasmania/mammals/carnivorous-marsupials-and-bandicoots/tasmanian-devil#:~:text=%E2%80%8BThe%20Tasmanian%20devil%20(Sarcophilus,call%20it%20%22The%20Devil%22

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-special-kind-of-baby-boom-tasmanian-devils-born-in-mainland-australia-for-first-time-in-3000-years/ar-AAKpuVR?ocid=uxbndlbing

Friday, May 28, 2021

Just a Little Ingenuity

(NASA/JPL-Caltech Image)

While into its sixth flight from the surface of Mars, the mini-helicopter Ingenuity began to tremble.

Its dangerous tilting was caused by a camera malfunction. When a key image failed to register, the whole system was thrown off course. A back-up stability mechanism “came to the rescue,” and The Little Copter That Could managed to land safely.

Ingenuity and Perseverance: Sometimes that’s all it takes to succeed.

Resources

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nasa-mars-helicopter-ingenuity-wild-ride-navigation-error/

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Mated or Fated

Lonesome George in 2006 (Photo by Mike Weston)

The search for a mate can be a desperate one, especially for the last known member of a particular species.

Back in the 1970s, a Galapagos National Park tortoise named Lonesome George (you see where this is going...) failed to find a mate. He hasn’t been heard from since his childless death in 2012.

Fern, a giant female Galapagos tortoise who was discovered seven years too late in 2019, seems determined to fare better than George. Her humans are therefore scouring the terrain for long lost Georgian brothers that could have their way with Fern. If everyone gets lucky, the species may have a renewed chance of survival.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/gal%C3%A1pagos-tortoise-feared-extinct-for-112-years-needs-a-mate-to-help-save-species/ar-AAKp8Ip?ocid=uxbndlbing

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

World still spinning, for now

Bloody but Beautiful (Photo by Giuseppe Donatiello)

For now, the world is still doing its thing. But later this evening, there will not only be a lunar eclipse, but also a blood moon.

Those familiar with Joel 2:31 know the prophet predicted that the “sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord.” Acts 2:20 then echoes these words.

This evening, we’ll be halfway, perhaps even three-quarters of the way there. The full moon will have a “reddish hue,” and will be eclipsed “for about 15 minutes.” This is not quite a solar eclipse, but it’s a bit too close for comfort.

So “people get ready, there’s a train a coming.” Don’t wait until it's pulling away before leaping on board.

Resources

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/25/world/may-full-moon-lunar-eclipse-scn/index.html

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Let There Be Light Sensitivity

Cross Section of the Human Eye (Public Domain)

Genetic engineering is making it possible for a decades-long blind man to see certain objects with the aid of “a specialized pair of goggles.” The goggles serve as a substitute for the rod-and-cone system.

Optogenetics is a relatively new science which utilizes light to control nerve cells. This particular man, who’s been suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, had engineered viruses injected into his eye. These viruses carried a light-sensitive gene to the retina’s upper layer. That layer was then able to also sense light.

Although the amount of sight regained was quite limited, much hope lies in the future of this science. Researchers using similar techniques have also had some success in treating animals with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-partially-restore-vision-in-blind-man-with-breakthrough-therapy/ar-AAKknEQ?ocid=uxbndlbing#image=2

Monday, May 24, 2021

Move over, Gecko

All in the Family (Photo by Ianare Sevi)

When it comes to reptilian life in the limelight, a baby alligator outdid even the Geico Gecko this week.

The wee gator happened to be strolling across this year’s PGA Championship course at Kiawah Island, thus bringing the game to a screeching halt.

This wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. Who knows? Maybe Ally will become the PGA’s new mascot.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/pga-championship-hole-comes-to-brief-halt-due-to-baby-alligator-walking-across-course/ar-AAKhdnD?ocid=uxbndlbing

Sunday, May 23, 2021

When ya gotta go, think twice

Ready to roll! (Photo by Rsa)

Sure it’s nice to always be punctual, but at what price?

Japan’s bullet-train drivers are hailed for their adherence to set schedules. This works out well much of the time. But rules, like pie crusts, are sometimes best broken. Especially if lives are at stake.

When a driver recently experienced stomach pains, he did not want to stop at the nearest station. That would cause a delay. While rushing off to the bathroom, he instead put the conductor in charge. This sounds like a plan, but for two major points: The train was then going 90 miles per hour, and the conductor had little to no experience with driving it.

Fortunately, no one was injured or killed. But that’s just the luck of the draw. Prioritizing scheduling over lives is just not the way to go.

Resources

https://www.cnn.ph/world/2021/5/21/Japanese-bullet-train-driver-bathroom-break.html

Saturday, May 22, 2021

Are U long in the troth?

Glowing Embers (Photo by Jens Buurgaard Nielsen)

Couples who are long in the tooth may also be long in the troth.

Psychological research from UC Berkeley shows a U-shaped trajectory for many long-term marriages. During the earlier years, couples are high on passion. This can then deteriorate into power struggles, “bickering and criticisms.”

Those who weather such storms may later begin lightening up. As couples rise from U-curve depths, humor and playfulness can help see them through. Although the fire of passion weakens, the embers of companionship glow brightly. In the long run, they finish strong.

Resources

https://qz.com/quartzy/1488362/researchers-found-one-way-that-marriages-get-happier-over-time/

Friday, May 21, 2021

Law, Order and Slime

Green Slime (Photo by Nevit)

Just as humans need commandments to keep them on track spiritually, they need law and order to keep them on track ethically.

An 11-year-old girl recently showed how slime can help law officers to identify those who commit slimy deeds. While being attacked by a sex offender, Alyssa deliberately smeared homemade blue slime on his arm. After bravely managing to escape, she then told police about this factor.

Sure enough, the criminal was now a marked soul. Officers soon located him, and the slime was a dead giveaway.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2021-05-20-11-year-old-florida-girl-who-fought-off-kidnapper-credits-law-order/?mid=630795&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline5_readmore

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Ramping Up

Bunch of Ramps (Public Domain)

We’re well into Spring, or what some might call “ramp season.”

Are we talking graded entrances and exits, or something more intriguing? If you’re into stalking wild members of the onion family, then we’re talking way more intrigue.

These palate ticklers can wake up many a taste bud. They make a snappy addition to salads, omelets, and just about any dish that could use a bit more pizazz.

Whereas ramps have been freely available in rural areas for centuries, they are now being coveted by city dwellers willing to pay the big bucks. Responsible foraging can therefore go a long way to ensure the long-term survival of this rustic staple.

Resources

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22433006/what-are-ramps-ramp-season

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Discovering Columbus

Alleged Portrait of Columbus (by Sebastiano del Piombo)

Just as it is debatable whether Columbus actually discovered America, it is also debatable as to where he originally came from.

Although the famed explorer sailed on behalf of Spain and is entombed in the Cathedral of Seville, his roots have been attributed to such diverse locations as Italy and Poland. Today’s DNA technology can help clear this up, and is slated to publicly do so in October 2021.

Although some people are eager to claim Columbus as their own, others are just as eager to divest themselves of his questionable legacy.

Resources

https://apnews.com/article/europe-science-0c320f8e80478206df0515c8047adce5

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Telling it Like it Was

Rijksmuseum (Photo by Marco Almbauer)

“Gone With the Wind” has not given us an accurate picture of slavery. Neither have syrupy sweet images of Aunt Jemima.

A new exhibit at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Holland seeks to tell it like it was. Anything less would not do justice to the ones who suffered most within its clutches. If people do not get a true feel for the horrors of slavery, they could be more likely to allow it again.

King Willem-Alexander rightly feels that such history not only pertains to the direct descendants of slave owners, but also to the public at large. It can take a village to raise a child, and a nation to enslave one.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/rijksmuseum-slavery-exhibition-confronts-cruelty-of-dutch-trade/ar-BB1gRjkd?ocid=uxbndlbing

Monday, May 17, 2021

Ketchup needs to catch up

The good old days... (1898 Advertisement)

Some things we’ve just plain gotten used to, such as reaching for ketchup bottles at picnics galore.

Yet there haven’t been many picnics lately, and if there were, ketchup would have been in short supply. Its so-called 57 varieties were lost in the pandemic shuffle (along with microchips, gasoline, lumber, chlorine and steel). And if you're thinking you’ll smear whatever ketchup’s left onto a chicken sandwich, think again: chicken has also been among the missing.

2020 has morphed into 2021, which may very well last for years to come. So what’s the answer? Simply put: Learn to make do with what you have and count those blessings daily.

Resources

https://abc13.com/us-shortages-gas-shortage-2021-food-coming-chicken/10598712/

Sunday, May 16, 2021

O say can you hear

1862 Sheet Music (Public Domain)

Amidst the cheers and jeers of Wisconsin sporting events that are funded by taxpayers, one sound will henceforth be mandated: that of the United States national anthem.

Thus spaketh “Assembly lawmakers,” based upon a proposal from Rep. Tony Kurtz, “a military veteran.” The bill passed by a wide margin of 74-22.

Yet some had their concerns. Rep. Lisa Subek pointed out that the term “sporting event” had not been exactly defined. This could lead to an insistence that the anthem be played at every single game within municipal parks.

Although many feel that “the bill will promote patriotism,” others wonder whether true patriotism can be bought for a song.

Resources

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/highschool/2021/05/11/wisconsin-lawmakers-vote-requiring-national-anthem-sports-events/5051413001/

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Dance like everyone's watching

Haka illustration, c. 1890 (Public Domain)

Dance is one of the most powerful means of expression.

It can convey a range of human emotions, including spiritual ecstasy. You might recall that King David danced with passionate abandon as the Ark of the LORD entered the Holy City. As his people blew rams’ horns and shouted with glee, David’s own wife was far from pleased. Let’s just say that their marriage did not go well after that.

One way or another, dance is hard to ignore. The Maori of New Zealand have a ceremonial ritual called the haka. Its “vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment” can signify intense feelings, ranging from joy to sadness to anger.

When Maori lawmaker Rawiri Waititi became extremely dissatisfied with a perceived “constant barrage of insults” from his colleagues within Parliament, he employed haka as a means of protest. Right there within the debating chamber, Waititi began to emphatically dance.

As the song goes, “Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance, And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance. Dance... I hope you dance.”

Resources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmBSGlXqC4Q https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka https://news.yahoo.com/indigenous-zealand-lawmaker-censured-haka-075305400.html

Friday, May 14, 2021

Touchdown

(Public Domain)

It’s not even football season, yet something washed up on a California shore that strangely resembles the proverbial pigskin.

Turns out to be a rare type of anglerfish: one that generally dwells deep beneath the Pacific surface, and one that is named “footballfish” for obvious reasons.

Why it touched down on land is anyone’s guess. California Fish and Wildlife may come up with a theory or two as it examines the foot-and-a-half bulging carcass.

Resources

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/footballfish-pacific-crystal-cove_n_60995b5ee4b0aead1b86f375

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Speaking Her Truth

Can't take it with you... (Public Domain)

Although speaking truth to power has become a familiar statement, it doesn’t always translate into action.

In Liz Cheney’s case, it does. Bigtime! It might seem as though she’s losing power, but that’s just an outward (and perhaps temporary) manifestation. In the meantime, she’s gained tremendous inner strength.

When Cheney gazes into that morning mirror, she will like what she sees. And that will likely occur after a good night’s sleep.

In the end, it’s not about politics. Alexander the Great was said to be buried with empty palms upward to signify that worldly empires must be left behind.

Resources

https://www.thedailybeast.com/house-republicans-cancel-liz-cheney-for-her-refusal-to-lie

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Walking on Eggshells

Careful now! (Photo by Wiros)

Donald Glover thinks that walking on eggshells is not the best way to season an omelet. So to speak.

He claims that the cancel culture is stifling creativity within TV shows and movies. Fear of possible repercussions has kept many an experimental idea from seeing the light of day. Reviewers have consequently been complaining about an influx of “boring stuff.”

Comedy has long been loaded with politically incorrect material. There’s often a thin line between funny and callous. Skilled comics have walked that line without crossing it. Yet it’s a tightrope that seems to grow tighter by the day.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/donald-glover-fear-of-getting-cancelled-is-resulting-in-boring-films-and-tv/ar-BB1gC7On?ocid=uxbndlbing

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Handle with Care

Not for everyone... (Public Domain)

Who would have thought, at the turn of this 21^st century, that hugs would soon be semi-legislated? But here we are, with England’s prime minister issuing an official go-ahead on hugging “between households.”

Mind you, this is not just a blanket grab-thy-neighbor. It’s rather a cautious handle-with-care, lest a variant attack thy unsuspecting cells.

Come to think of it, handle-with-care is not such a bad idea. Some folks vastly prefer one waving hand to a pair of encircling arms.

Resources

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/cautious-cuddling-england-hugs-lockdown-eases-77598788

Monday, May 10, 2021

Impardonable

(Fair Use)

Although pardons are being granted to some Maryland victims of past lynchings, what remains is the impardonable sin of vicious racism. Until that is more fully addressed, verbal pardons will fail to walk the talk.

During a recent speech, Governor Larry Hogan associated “a posthumous pardon” with “equal justice under the law.” Better late than never, but this so-called justice would have been far more meaningful during the actual lives of its long-gone recipients.

Resources

https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-lynchings-governor-pardons-20210508-p5wu2ff7xzbdhembvi7ebvrvi4-story.html