Eye on Faith: October 2020

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Frugal Is as Frugal Does

Fitness Routine (Photo by Chuck Marean)

One way to get richer quicker is to make more money. Another way, often more accessible, is to simply spend less.

Our grandparents chose the latter as a matter of course. Sure they did without, but they also recycled long before it was fashionable to do so.

Shoes were repaired rather than tossed. Socks were darned, zippers were mended, buttons were sewn. Last night’s stew became this afternoon’s lunch.

Slow foods were the order of the day. Juice was squeezed, eggs were beaten, greens were grown. Tea was brewed, cakes were baked, extras were frozen.

Vacations were just a car ride away. Books were borrowed from the library. Cars were washed in the driveway. Exercise occurred in the yard. In the home. On the farm. You get the idea...

Resources

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/100-frugal-habits-to-live-by-if-you-re-trying-to-save-money

A Burger is a Burger is a Burger

Veggie Combo Meal (Photo by Stephan Mosel)

It’s hard to confuse soybeans with cows, but the meat industry worries that some may not know the difference.

For one thing, plants were here long before animals. Science certainly says so, and Genesis 1:11 agrees: “Let the land produce vegetation...” That was on the third day. Animals didn’t make a showing until the fifth.

Now a rose is a rose by any other name, as is a burger. Call it a disc, call it a patty, just don’t call it late for dinner because vegetarian mouths are watering.

So veggie burgers can be called burgers. just as almond butter can be called butter. And come to think of it: Is there really any ham in hamburgers?

Resources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sylviaklimaki/2020/10/23/a-vegan-burger-is-still-a-burger-the-eu-rules/#49bfff812fal

Monday, October 26, 2020

Who's more belligerent?

In the Garden (Public Domain)

Around this time of year, humans embark upon a genocidal mission against turkeys. When one bird decides to strike back, it’s trapped and banished.

Gerald the Turkey was deemed belligerent because he pecked at visitors of the Morcom Rose Garden in Oakland, California. One woman complained of a scar on her hand, due to Gerald’s irate behavior.

Yet if Gerald could talk, what would he say? Would he rise up and preach against the mass murder of his fine feathered friends? Would he compare notes with humans, then ask: Which species is really the most belligerent?

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/turkey-removed-from-oakland-e2-80-99s-rose-garden-after-terrorizing-visitors/ar-BB1al1RM?ocid=uxbndlbing

That Funny Feeling

Full-Scale Model of JWST (Public Domain)

Ever get that funny feeling that you’re being watched? Perhaps you are, and not just by traffic-stop cameras.

Scientists now declare that there are “about 1,000 star systems” from which aliens can glean our existence. Although reruns of “I Love Lucy” might not be showing on their radar yet, “chemical traces of Earthly life” could very well be.

Atmospheric gases associated with life, such as oxygen and methane, can be detected with precision instruments that are akin to our own James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). And who knows? Alien civilizations may have developed far more powerful tools, ones that are watching your jaw drop as you read these words.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/aliens-on-1000-nearby-stars-could-see-us-new-study-suggests/ar-BB1aj1B8?ocid=uxbndlbing

Touchdown!

Osiris (Image by Jeff Dahl)

OSIRIS-REx has lived up to its powerful name and accomplished the seemingly impossible.

The Egyptian god Osiris was able to raise people from the grave, and OSIRIS-REx was able to raise rubble from an asteroid. Scientists are hoping for the successful return and analysis of this rubble in order to glean “clues about the solar system’s early days and the rise of life on Earth.”

A tall order indeed, but Osiris thus far seems up to the challenge.

Resources

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-osiris-rex-successfully-touches-asteroid-bennu/