Eye on Faith: November 2020

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Wondering What

Merry what?!? (Fair Use)

When teenagers would ask a boy if he had a match, the reply would inevitably be “Not since Superman died!”

Girls would instead say, “Not since Wonder Woman died!” And yet, Wonder Woman is alive and kicking. She’ll be making a flashy comeback very soon.

Coming to a theater perhaps nowhere near you, this curvaceous idol will arrive on Christmas Day. Just in time to distract viewers from the real deal.

Resources

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/woman-1984-stream-christmas-day/story?id=74289975

Once a baby, always a baby?

(Photo by Andrew Filer)

Some stereotypes die hard. Although Ann Turner Cook just turned 94, she’s still being referred to as the “Gerber Baby.”

After having her image plastered upon boxes and jars galore, Cook morphed into adulthood. She then taught English and wrote mystery novels.

And baby, look at her now! At 94, she still exudes the glow that made her famous.

Resources

https://www.khou.com/article/life/original-gerber-baby-tampa-native-celebrating-birthday/67-dfaa6705-cd46-4a65-9510-096f1036dd6b

That's why they call it acting

Stewart in 2018 (Photo by Georges Biard)

Some of the most powerful performances have been by actors who are quite different from the characters they’ve portrayed.

In the words of Kristen Stewart, it therefore might be a “slippery slope” to only allow gay actors to portray gay characters. Would this then mean that only straight actors can portray straight characters? And so on...

Stewart adds that caring about the character is what’s important. To think that a straight person cannot adequately care about a gay person, or that a gay person cannot adequately care about a straight person seems quite limiting. It might even be stereotypic to lock actors so tightly into their everyday identities.

Resources

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/kristen-stewart-slippery-slope-conversation-gay-characters-played/story?id=74376566

What's in a name?

Bieber in 2011 (Photo by Pascal Parvex)

As far as the Grammys are concerned, to be named is a super big deal. The very word “nomination” stems from the Latin term for “a naming.”

So if you're not named, you might as well feel that you don’t exist. This could account for the pushback from snubbed artists such as The Weekend, who are calling the Grammy process “corrupt.”

And if unnamed sounds tough, try being misnamed. Justin Bieber claims to have devotedly made an “R&B album,” only to have it categorized as “pop” by the Grammys. Does this mean once a pop artist, always a pop artist? If so, then stereotypes exist and persist in Grammy land.

Resources

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55070142

What constitutes health?

(Public Domain)

In the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, health is certainly a top priority. But then again, what constitutes health?

Are we mere physical beings who are hardwired for a certain amount of mental/emotional capacity? Or do we have a strong spiritual component that must also be routinely nourished?

If the latter be true, then routine corporate worship could help to fulfill that need. Limiting the means to such could therefore block the healthy pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

Viewing health from a holistic perspective that includes a strong dose of spirituality would embrace both sides of this fierce debate. As concerns freedom of religion, health then becomes a both/and rather than an either/or.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/supreme-court-sides-with-religious-groups-in-new-york-in-a-dispute-over-covid-restrictions/ar-BB1bnfQq?tblci=GiCLqHyou-QfMN--HLG0mcZ0z4yM_KOoJ_qfwagUNXsvdiCC-00&ocid=uxbndlbingv

Monday, November 23, 2020

Look WHOO's There

Say what? Saw-whet! (Photo by Scorpion0422)

Rockettes move over, a new sensation is taking the town by storm.

It’s not this year’s Rockefeller Center tree, but it’s close. Real close. In fact, it was lurking in those branches.

Turns out that a stowaway owl came along for the ride from Upstate into New York City. Discovered by a fellow working to set up the tree, this fine feathered friend was hungry and thirsty. After all, it had gone three long days without nourishment.

Ravensbeard Wildlife Center to the rescue! These Saugerties folks took “Rockefeller” under their wing and fed him mice a plenty. It pays to be wise…

Resources

https://abcnews.go.com/US/tiny-owl-found-inside-rockefeller-christmas-tree-days/story?id=74290525vv

Celebrate the Ordinary

Frit's Former Self

(Photo by Harry Jans)

Sometimes it pays to be a “plain Jane,” especially if you’re about to be plucked by herbal enthusiasts.

Just ask Fritillaria delavayi, a fancy name for the Chinese blossom that learned this lesson well. Rather than flaunt her golden green finery, she prefers to be one of the crowd. In this case, the crowd consists of brownish gray rocks.

Frit now sports humble shades of blah as she goes about the business of survival. Humans don’t grab her as much as they used to. Which just goes to show: Humility wins in the end.

Resources

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/20/chinese-flower-fritillaria-delavayi-evolved-less-visible-pickers

By cracky, is that by McCracken?

Cain et alia fleeing to the Land of Nod... (Public Domain)

Some say that Utah’s newly-discovered metallic monolith, rooted in the middle of nowhere, could be the work of the late Southwest sculptor, James McCracken. Others are convinced that aliens have landed.

In any event, the mystery remains for biologists who were flying overhead in order to count sheep. Good thing that someone else was piloting their helicopter because counting sheep can lead straight to the Land of Nod.

Resources

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/23/helicopter-pilot-finds-strange-monolith-in-remote-part-of-utah

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Bird is the Word

Fancy that! (Photo by Evanherk)

If you’re wondering what to get the one who has everything, bird is the word.

That must have been what Super Duper (aka “a wealthy Chinese industrialist”) was thinking when he plunked down a cool 1.9 million for a pigeon. True, this wasn’t just any old pigeon. But still…

Apparently, pigeon racing remains popular among certain sets. The rest of us will just have to settle for watching waddlers on crowded city streets.

Resources

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-kim-racing-pigeon-sells-record-1-9-million-belgium/

British to the Rescue

Old Chongqing (Photo by Chen Hualin)

For American colonists, “the British are coming” was somber news indeed. Yet times change, places change, and perceptions change.

Just recently, a British diplomat in Chongqing saved the life of a drowning Chinese maiden. She had fallen into the raging river and was rendered unconscious. Steven Ellison dove right in and swam her back to safety. She is now recovering slowly but surely.

Although tensions remain high between the Chinese and British governments regarding Hong Kong, Ellison has been hailed as a hero within both nations.

Resources

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54961075?at_custom4=F93E518A-2809-11EB-90D7-F6BD4744363C&at_medium=custom7&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_custom2=twitter&at_campaign=64

What Goes Down Comes Around

(Image by Matthew Trump)

Water here on earth is recycled in a somewhat karmic fashion. Rain that falls eventually evaporates back into the atmosphere. In the meantime, though, actions and reactions abound.

There’s an Alaskan glacier that is currently threatening to make Prince William Sound quite unsound. The ice has melted to such an extent that the surrounding slopes have destabilized. If a landslide should occur, a huge tsunami could result.

The sound is frequented by vessels of all types, and mariners have been warned to avoid this glacial area. Nearby Barry Arm communities have also been advised of the danger.

Resources

https://www.chron.com/lavoz/cnet/article/Melting-glacier-threatens-to-trigger-a-15723267.php

More is Less

Old-School Aspirin (Photo by Nikolay Komarov)

Some say less is more, and others say more is less. Both are more or less correct.

On the more-ingredients/less-disease side of the spectrum, a new polypill supposedly cuts cardiovascular risks by as much as 40%. This chock-full wonder drug combines “cholesterol and blood pressure” meds with “a statin,” and allegedly works even better when taken with aspirin.

Some might balk at such a pre-mix of ingredients. They might prefer to choose meds individually: perhaps to live simply in order to simply live.

Resources

https://www.webmd.com/stroke/news/20201116/combo-polypill-may-cut-heart-attack-stroke-risk-up-to-40#1

Less is More

Dustin Johnson (Photo by FOX Sports)

Everyone seems to want more these days, but golfers know better. They race to the bottom, as far as scores are concerned.

Dustin Johnson just won that race with a “20 under par.” He hit a new low, bottoming even the 18 unders of Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.

Johnson kept at it through ups and downs: lamenting the ups and courting the downs. Sometimes all bets are off as life goes through the looking glass.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/the-masters-2020-dustin-johnson-wins-with-tournament-record-score/ar-BB1b1Os0?ocid=uxbndlbing