Eye on Faith: December 2020

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Indoors an Infestation, Outdoors an Ecosystem

Silver Fir (Photo from Vista-commonswiki)

Not sure what folks expect when they cut down a forest tree and haul it into their home. Do they think it will be as sterile as the one ordered straight from a human manufacturer?

A living tree is an ecosystem for countless critters, large and small. Although mammals have the wherewithal to leave while the going’s still good, insects are in your living room before they and you know it.

O Tannenbaum was originally written about faithful firs. Many still look to these hillside sentinels for inspiration. They remain evergreen, long after others are kicked to the curb.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2016-12-06-your-christmas-tree-could-be-infested-with-up-to-25000-bugs/?mid=539486&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline2_readmore#

O Holey Moon

(from Le Voyage dans la Lune)

Looks like the Man in the Moon’s got a lot more holes in his head than we do.

According to recent calculations by a team of international researchers, there are approximately 110,000 newly-discovered lunar craters. This greatly adds to the long-believed total of 9,137.

And why does this matter? Because the erosion-limited lunar surface can yield revealing glimpses into Earth’s own pitted history. Chances are, we’ve been hit by comets and asteroids a lot more times than our current geography shows.

Resources

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article248060785.html

Just sit this dance out

Smith-Schuster in 2018 (Fox Sports photo)

No one likes to be a wallflower, least of all football’s JuJu Smith-Schuster.

But all that dancing on opponents’ logos is becoming downright dirty. JuJu is therefore respectfully being asked to stomp out the disrespect.

And if that doesn't work, karma might. Wasn’t it Pittsburgh that recently suffered a streak of stunning losses?

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/mike-tomlin-to-talk-with-juju-smith-schuster-about-logo-dancing/ar-BB1c9Am8?c=11419836265968585248%253Fmkt%253Den-us%2520%2522%2520target%253D%2522_blank%2522%253ERead%2520the%2520Article

There's the swamp, and then there's the Swamp King

The Eight Beatitudes (from the 15th-century Walters Manuscript)

These days, you hear an awful lot about the swamp (emphasis on “awful”). Yet swamps have been around since prehistoric times, as have Swamp Kings.

Today’s crocodiles are scary enough, but imagine giant ones ruling the Australian waterways about 55 million years ago. One such “heavy-set skull” was discovered in Queensland. Its fierce owner must have sent marsupials fleeing in all directions.

But bullies don’t tend to last. Eventually they go extinct, as did Paludirex. Which then clears the way for the meek to inherit the earth.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ancient-swamp-king-monster-croc-once-terrorized-australia/ar-BB1caQGC?ocid=uxbndlbing

What's the backstory?

(Painting by Marcel Rieder)

No one is disputing that it’s wrong, way wrong, to steal a grandchild’s Christmas gift. From beneath the tree, no less.

Nevertheless, there’s got to be a backstory. What drove that granny to such an extent? What sense of desperation might she have felt?

Perhaps she was hungry. Perhaps she was being threatened by debt collectors. Perhaps she was in the throes of drug withdrawal.

Now you might then think that this was self-induced. But it can be tough to figure out where to point the finger. Sometimes it’s just best for compassion to pick up where analysis leaves off.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2020-12-22-tennessee-grandmother-charged-with-stealing-grandchilds-christmas-present/?mid=537761&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline7_readmore

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

These Bootes are made for listening

Mr. Bootes himself (Public Domain)

In a constellation far away, life forms might be emitting radio waves. At least that’s a theory being seriously discussed by Cornell University researchers.

Astronomer Jake Turner tells of a radio signal that seems to be coming from Tau Bootes, a star system 51 light years from Earth. This system is thought to contain a planetary magnetic field that is compatible with the signal’s “strength and polarization.” Further confirmation is needed, yet the possibilities are meanwhile intriguing.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientist-believe-theyve-detected-mysterious-radio-signal-from-alien-planet/ar-BB1c35et?ocid=uxbndlbing

If you've got the time, MIT's got the clock

(Image by J-Wiki)

For some, a Bulova watch just won’t cut it. On-time sticklers require accuracy right down to the atomic level.

We’re not talking any old atoms either. We’re talking quantumly entangled atoms, ones that defy all known laws of classical physics. Yet MIT folks are working on just that sort of clock.

It won’t be ready for this Christmas, and perhaps not for many to come. But chances are that it will exist on Earth someday, just as it might already exist elsewhere.

Resources

https://www.engadget.com/mit-atomic-clock-quantumly-entangled-atoms-154816392.html

Is Happy happy?

Ahimsa (Jainism Image)

What’s in a name? In Happy’s case, a whole lot of irony.

Happy is a Bronx Zoo elephant who’s been pretty much kept in solitary confinement. Although zoo staff has claimed that Happy’s had enough opportunities to interact with other pachyderms, an animal rights group has begged to differ.

So much so that The Nonhuman Rights Project took Happy’s case to court, declaring her to be “unlawfully imprisoned.” They asked that Happy be moved to a larger sanctuary, one that would afford her plenty of contact with other elephants.

The courts have so far ruled that an elephant need not be given “human-like rights.” They feared that such a decision would open up a judicial can of worms. Possibly so, but why not find another way to simply allow Happy to fulfill her name?

Resources

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/appeals-court-upholds-ruling-denying-bronx-zoo-elephant-human-like-rights/2787885/

Raising a Glass

Speaker O'Neill in 1986 (Painting by Robert Vickery)

There’s a famous toast that President Ronald Reagan offered to Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill. After raising a glass to his friend and political adversary, Reagan declared: “Tip, if I had a ticket to heaven and you didn’t have one too, I would give mine away and go to hell with you.”

In that same spirit, Rep. Joe Cunningham of South Carolina recently cracked open a smuggled-in beer and declared to his fellow House members, “For the betterment of this country, we have to come together.” And the drink? Cummingham recalled his own grandfather’s words: “You can get through about any problem if you actually sit down with somebody and have a beer together.”

Resources

https://nypost.com/2020/12/17/congressman-cracks-open-beer-during-house-speech/

Sudsing Up

Erica forever! (Fair Use)

If the world ever needed proof that reincarnation exists, soap operas are it. No matter how lead characters die, they often manage to reappear.

Ever since the double demise of not just some, but of All My Children (first on network TV and then on Internet), the public has mourned their passing. How would life go on without the likes of Erica Kane et alia?

And so, a mere nine years later, it looks as though Erica and friends (using that term loosely) might soon be resuscitated. By two of their own, no less: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos will now be behind the camera, along with Robert Nixon (son of Agnes), Andrew Stearn and Leo Richardson.

Resources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcberman1/2020/12/17/abc-eyes-all-my-children-return-in-primetime-sequel-pine-valley/?sh=2bd83f337df9

Seeing Beyond

(Fair Use)

It is said that Alexander the Great’s dying request was to be buried with palms upward so that the world could see he took nothing material with him.

All humans eventually leave earthly possessions behind as they travel to other realms. Their loved ones then cling to particular keepsakes that are fraught with precious memories. So it’s been with Christy Hester, who “lost her husband Richard” not too long ago.

Christy has particularly clung to Richard’s glasses since his death. She then came up with a unique way to honor her spouse this Christmas. Since Richard had a keen sense of humor, Christy decided to craft his glasses into a cheerful ornament. Voila! The glasses now form the body of a Frosty-looking snowman that lights up her tree and life.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2020-12-17-michigan-womans-ornament-to-honor-late-husband-goes-viral/?mid=535148&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline7_readmore

Thursday, December 17, 2020

When dreams turn to nightmares

Jingle those bells! (Photo by Pete Markham)

Many dream of a snowy Christmas season. But when do such dreams turn to nightmares? If you’re in the Northeast of the United States, right about now.

A heavy-duty Northeaster pounded its way through state after state, killing “at least four people” and incapacitating countless others. As much as 44 inches of the flakey stuff was measured within New York’s Southern Tier. This on top of pandemic-induced crises…

Those who could grabbed snow-removal tools and got to work. If the rest of 2020 didn’t crush them, this wouldn’t either. This too shall pass, and one-horse open sleighs shall once again jingle.

Resources

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/17/winter-storm-gail-northeast-snow-totals/3931908001/

Hang a left at the asteroid belt

Asteroid Belt (Public Domain)

There are some who absolutely love to travel. Others would much rather stay home and knit.

If you are of the latter persuasion, then a trip through the solar system might seem daunting. Scientists therefore have good news for you: there is a potential short-cut between Jupiter and Neptune.

When you've just about had it with whizzing past planets, make your way over to Jupiter’s asteroid belt. There you might find a “known space manifold,” which can serve as a cosmic “superhighway.”

Hang a left, and you might then reach Neptune in less than a decade!

Resources

https://www.engadget.com/solar-system-superhighway-for-space-travel-214616795.html

Don't Wait

(Public Domain)

He who hesitates is sometimes lost. You can wait your entire life for those golden years and then never get to experience them.

Just recently, an enthusiastic group set off on bicycles for a special ride. They were celebrating the retirement of one of their members. At long last, that coveted phase had begun!

But years shrank to moments for some when a box truck careened their way. Five died “at the scene,” and another was found in critical condition.

There was no easy explanation for why this occurred. These were experienced cyclists on a wide stretch of shoulder. An investigation might yield some answers.

What we can meanwhile figure is that life should not be taken for granted. No one knows for sure when that last grain of sand will drop. So if it’s important, really important, start making it happen. Now.

Resources

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/10/nevada-highway-bike-crash-bicyclists-killed-injured/3885268001/

Monday, December 14, 2020

Bee Careful

Ouch! (Photo by Filippo Turetta)

Bigger is not necessarily better, especially regarding the giant hornet.

Honeybees have found an ingenious way to ward off such invaders. They simply smear the entrance to their nests with animal dung.

A dab’ll do it against pretty much any sensitive species!

Resources

https://www.rt.com/news/509220-bees-feces-defense-giant-hornets/

A Whale of a Species

Not a Bird (NOAA photo)

Beaks are usually associated with birds. No big deal. We’re used to seeing them fly by.

But when a beaked something swims beneath your boat, you tend to take notice. Especially if that something is huge.

Turns out that there’s probably a newly-discovered "beaked" whale species. A team of marine researchers detected it with underwater recordings. DNA samples can hopefully be analyzed in order to confirm its exact identity.

Resources

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/like-finding-a-unicorn-researchers-may-have-found-new-whale-species-20201210-p56mbb.html