Eye on Faith: October 2021

Sunday, October 31, 2021

A Hair Away

Sitting Bull, circa 1883 (Photo by David F. Barry)

DNA analysis used to be an either/or situation: either from the female line’s mitochondrial DNA, or from the male line’s Y-chromosome DNA.

Just recently, a sample of Sitting Bull’s DNA was successfully matched with that of his great-grandson’s, using autosomal analysis. Since autosomal DNA contains genetic material from both the male and female lines, it greatly expands possibilities for successful ancestral matching.

This autosomal technique also allowed for Sitting Bull’s DNA to be successfully analyzed from a century-plus old lock of his scalp hair.

Resources

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/28/americas/sitting-bull-great-grandson-dna-scn-scli-intl/index.html

Saturday, October 30, 2021

What could possibly go wrong?

Yikes! (Photo by Pierre5018)

If people paid as much attention to their marriages as they do to their weddings, the world would be a more peaceful place.

That being said, “for better or for worse” also applies to the wedding. In the case of a recent one that was held in the mountainous region of Mexico, there suddenly appeared an unexpected guest.

This wasn’t just a matter of rustling up one more place setting. This was a matter of be still or forever hold your breath. The guest was grizzly – and hungry, to boot.

As people remained frozen with fear, the bear scanned the scene. Fortunately, it quickly bounded away. Perhaps it found impending marriage to be a frightening prospect.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2021-10-27-watch-a-hungry-bear-crash-a-wedding-as-brave-guests-calmly-keep-eating/?mid=733582&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline6_readmore

Friday, October 29, 2021

Froggy went to court

(Public Domain)

Frogs often go a courtin’, but seldom win in court.

In 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled against protecting a key habitat of the endangered dusty gopher frog. Industries such as ranching and mining had also managed to weaken the Endangered Species Act through their vigorous lobbying of the Trump administration.

Why worry so much about an obscure amphibian? The answer goes way beyond Froggy’s protection. The answer reflects a desire to protect God’s Creation so that generations to come can appreciate America the Beautiful in all her purple majesty.

Resources

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/10/26/22747216/trump-endangered-species-rules-canceled

Thursday, October 28, 2021

What Lurks Below

Thawing Permafrost (Photo by Boris Radosavljevic)

As the permafrost thaws, who knows what sleeping giants might awaken. What’s tiny in size could have huge implications for human health.

Scientists suspect that there are “Methuselah microbes” lurking beneath the frozen Arctic ground. These millennia-old germs could reinvigorate themselves at our expense. Some may never have encountered humans before; we therefore don’t know what their effects might be.

If that weren’t enough, Cold War leftovers are also in the mix. These include “hazardous chemicals and radioactive material.”

Resources

https://www.livescience.com/warming-arctic-nuclear-waste-viruses

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Extra, Extra, Extragalactic!

What a Whirlpool! (NASA/ESA photo)

Recent headlines were of the “read all about it” variety. They announced the potential discovery of an extragalactic exoplanet (say that three times fast).

This would be the first time that such a far-reaching planetary discovery has occurred. Although we have located many an exoplanet within the Milky Way, this newfound one is “about 28 million light years away” in the Whirlpool Galaxy.

Astronomers might not be able to verify these findings for another 70 years, which is when that planet’s orbit would next allow us to get a glimpse.

Resources

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/26/world/exoplanet-intl-scli-scn/index.html

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Wipeout

A mixed blessing? (Photo by Breawycker)

Humans have been trying to wipe out COVID-19 for a couple of years, and cancer for at least a couple of millennia. Wiping out COVID while causing cancer is therefore not a wise approach.

It turns out that 44 out of 260 hand sanitizers were found by Valisure to contain benzene, a known carcinogen. It can enter the body via “skin absorption” and/or “inhalation.” Up to 16.1 parts per million of this toxin were found in one product, which far exceeds the FDA’s “interim limit of 2 ppm.”

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2021-03-25-cancer-causing-chemical-found-in-at-least-44-hand-sanitizers/

Monday, October 25, 2021

Not doing Kyrie any favors

(Photo by Tandonva)

Non-violent protest is one thing. An angry mob, quite another.

A logical message can get quite lost within a chaotic environment. When chanted in the name of someone else, you’re not necessarily doing that someone any favors.

Although Kyrie Irving has thus far stood firm in his refusal of the COVID-19 vaccine, this is not the same thing as endorsing a violent rebellion. If “Let Kyrie play!” is truly the message, then a Barclays lockdown will not help that cause.

Neither the ticketed fans nor the Nets team itself will be enamored with that approach. As the world watches, what might other teams, nations and corporations be thinking? Will they be encouraged to welcome Kyrie aboard, or will they run like hell from the hell they’re witnessing?

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/kyrie-irving-supporters-try-bust-001730491.html

What's a pair of old sneakers worth?

Who's the hero? (Public Domain)

If any of us regular folks were cleaning out the attic and found a pair of decades-old sneakers, what would we do? Throw them in the dumpster, or sell them for $1.47 million?

Although we’d prefer the latter, we’d likely go with the former. For who in their right mind would pay that kind of money for second-hand footwear?

Just think about what $1.47 million could otherwise purchase. Homes for the homeless? Food for the hungry? Medicine for the sick? Sneakers for the barefoot multitudes?

Call it Air Jordan, call it what you will. Money is not necessarily rooted in evil, but greed certainly is.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/michael-jordans-sneakers-sell-for-record-breaking-24147-million/ar-AAPVHFM?ocid=uxbndlbing

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Just a Babe

Now that's hot! (USGS photo)

This is no babe in the woods, but rather a babe in the outermost reaches of space.

Scientists have recently discovered the existence of a newly-formed exoplanet, dubbed 2MO437 (but you can call it “Moe”). This young’un is especially important because it helps to “shed new light on the origin of the Solar System and Earth.”

Although millions of years in the making, “Moe” is an infant by astronomical standards. In fact, its original energy has not yet fully dissipated, making it as hot as Kilauea lava.

Resources

https://scitechdaily.com/astronomers-discover-infant-planet-one-of-the-youngest-exoplanets-ever-observed/

Friday, October 22, 2021

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Samson and Delilah (by Jose Echenagusia Erazzquin)

Some students at the Magnolia Independent School District in Texas are being relegated to in-school suspension because of the length of their hair.

Worse yet, a fourth-grader is also being deprived “of recess and normal lunch breaks, and banished… from campus to an alternative school” for the same reason.

A number of students and parents are therefore suing the district with help from the American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU staff attorney Brian Klosterboer claims that the school’s “gender-based hair policy violates the Constitution.”

And so we ask: What would Samson say?

Resources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/10/21/texas-students-long-hair-lawsuit/

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Securing Social Security

Rep. John Larson (Public Domain)

In some cultures, elders are revered. After all, we're standing upon their shoulders.

When these shoulders grow brittle and weary, helping those who helped us seems only right. Securing social security is one way of doing so, a way that is vital to the financial survival of many.

For years, social security has not kept up with inflation. In seeking to lessen the gap, House Representative John Larson is calling for a change. He’s proposing “an overhaul” to COLA calculations, as well as a payroll tax on “the wealthiest Americans.” Such a tax would help to keep the program financially viable.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/proposal-capitol-hill-could-impact-204645745.html

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Listen up!

18th Century Ear Trumpets (Diagram by Frederick Dekkers)

As tough as it is to skimp on hearing, it can be even tougher to afford a hearing aid.

Because such devices cost “an average of more than $5,000 per pair,” many folks simply suffer in silence. Yet hope is on the horizon. The FDA has been moving toward making over-the-counter "basic" hearing aids available.

These would be considerably cheaper than those which require prescriptions. And they could be “on the market by early next year.”

Resources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/10/19/fda-over-the-counter-hearing-aids/

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Is that really natural?

The Garden of Eden (by Thomas Cole)

Zookeeper Erik Cowie died in what’s being called a “natural” manner.

Yet the very same NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner spokesperson who used this adjective is also saying that Cowie died “from acute and chronic alcohol use.” So we ask: Is such a cause really natural?

The adjective “natural” has been defined by Dictionary as follows: “existing in or caused by nature, not made or caused by humankind.” You’d have to stretch pretty far to make the argument that alcohol abuse is caused by nature rather than by humankind. And with a belief that nature is created by God, you might have to stretch even further…

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/tiger-king-zookeeper-erik-cowies-cause-of-death-revealed-1-month-after-he-died/ar-AAPFW89?ocid=uxbndlbing

Monday, October 18, 2021

Sins of Omission

Parable of the Good Samaritan (by Balthasar van Cortbemde)

Sins of commission occur when something that shouldn’t be done is done. Sins of omission occur when something that should be done isn’t done.

In the Good Samaritan parable, sins of omission were committed by all those walked on by rather than helping. A version of this unfortunately occurred on a train bound for anything but glory.

While several passengers were recently riding on the Septa (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) line, a woman was being raped before their eyes. Rather than band together to help, they simply ignored her pressing need. “The assault, recorded on the train’s surveillance cameras, went on for eight minutes.”

At the very least, one of these passengers could have called 911. By doing so, help would have arrived in time to “apprehend the suspect in the act.”

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/police-woman-raped-pennsylvania-train-051021619.html

Coming Back Home

West Columbia, SC (Photo by Dr. Blazer)

Many a faithful follower has felt estranged from God at one time or another. What’s commonly called “dark night of the soul” seems to be an integral part of the spiritual journey.

After Beau Biden died, “Dr. Jill (Biden)” fell into that morass. As it threatened to pull her under, a “Good Samaritan” came to her aid.

Robin Jackson, the pastor’s wife from Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia, South Carolina reached out in prayer to the first lady. She would subsequently “text Dr. Jill” on a weekly basis to assure her that the Bidens were routinely included within the church’s prayers.

Dr. Jill recently surprised Robin Jackson with a visit to the church on the occasion of Rev. Charles B. Jackson’s 50^th anniversary as pastor there.

Resources

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/jill-biden-surprises-south-carolina-prayer-partner

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Christmas in October

(Photo by Gerbil)

Some say, “Life is short, eat dessert first.” Others say, “Find more joy, celebrate Christmas now.”

Britney Spears is one of those others. She’s got her tree up already and intends to find that joy. After all, it’s been 13 long years since she felt this free to do so.

While celebrating Christmas, she’s also celebrating freedom from her father’s control over “her business and personal affairs.” With this freedom comes a certain amount of fear – fear of losing it again. So why not celebrate the here and now by getting into the Christmas spirit?

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/britney-spears-explains-why-she-074238779.html

Friday, October 15, 2021

Peak Experience

Aye, aye, Captain! (Public Domain)

Psychologist Abraham Maslow often spoke of peak experiences. And some peaks are definitely higher than others.

Ninety-year-old William Shatner (aka “Captain Kirk”) recently experienced the apogee of his life. During a ten-minute sojourn to the edge of space, the veteran actor summed things up with these two words: “Oh, wow!”

Now you may have seen plenty of pictures of Earth from a blue-dot perspective. But, as Shatner then added, “No description can equal this.” Sometimes you just have to be there in order to grasp an essence. FaceTime is one thing, face-to-face time quite another.

Resources

https://www.space.com/william-shatner-sees-earth-from-space-blue-origin-video

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Right up there with the Taj Mahal

What a view! (Photo by Ram-Man)

If the wife ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. This was the reasoning that 66-year-old Vojin Kusic no doubt applied when his spouse frequently complained about the limited view from their window.

Some might have told her to pull down the shade and turn on the travel channel. Not Kusic. He had bigger ideas. He was going to build her a rotating home.

It took six long years, but the deed is now done. Their new house spins toward fields or forests. Rather than just sit there and watch the corn grow, Mrs. Kusic can now change perspectives with the flick of a switch.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/bosnian-builds-rotating-house-so-that-his-wife-has-diversified-view/ar-AAPjzQY?ocid=uxbndlbing

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Onward and Upward

(Image by Abestrobi)

Pilots have long reported the existence of things that others have discounted. There have been accounts of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and of blue lightning upward flashes.

The latter has recently been evidenced by a photograph taken from the International Space Station. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet “captured the shot” just a few weeks ago.

So it kind of makes a body wonder: What other firsthand reports might one day be substantiated and/or publicly verified? Reality does not always coincide with accepted theories. At that point, science must adjust.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/astronaut-on-the-iss-snaps-a-photo-of-lightning-that-strikes-upwards/ar-AAPqtuK?ocid=uxbndlbing

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Alzheimer's: Surprising hope

(National Institutes of Health)

While searching for new and exciting Alzheimer’s treatments, scientists may have come right back around to what’s already available.

For the past 50 years, doctors have prescribed bumetanide in order to “manage fluid retention,” a condition often associated with hypertension. Because this drug changes cellular levels of fluid, it may also influence “how neurons in the brain trigger electrical signaling.”

Bumetanide might also reverse “the effects of altered APOE genes,” which in turn could offer protection against the development of Alzheimer’s.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/50-old-drug-might-life-204136046.html

Monday, October 11, 2021

You can make this stuff up

The Author Herself (Photo by Glenn Francis)

Just when you think that you can’t make this stuff up, Britney Spears proves that you can.

She’s currently planning to write a novel which reflects her conservatorship struggles. One major difference: Britney is very much alive, whereas her protagonist is not.

After being murdered, Britney’s alter-ego finds herself in limbo. She becomes the ghostess with the mostess and manages to successfully move past all that trauma.

How this occurs is anyone’s guess. No spoiler alert here. Future readers will just have to turn those pages in order to find out.

Resources

https://tulsaworld.com/people/britney-spears-is-writing-a-fiction-book/article_6f64d485-f9fa-52a1-896a-cf8b1b64dc2d.html

Sunday, October 10, 2021

As the Two Become One

(ESA/Hubble and NASA)

As galaxies NGC 5953 and NGC 5954 attempt to merge, smaller NGC 5953 is hoping that this is not a fatal attraction.

It could go either way. If the two become one, this will literally be a match made in heaven. Yet if they can’t get it together, NGC 5953 will likely go down in flames.

Too soon to tell. Give it another few hundred-million years, and an outcome will emerge. In any case, it’s bound to be a long-term relationship.

Resources

https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/hubble-arp-91-merger/

Saturday, October 9, 2021

It could have been worse, much worse

Back off! (National Park Service photo)

No one likes going to jail, even if only for a short while. But what’s way worse is being attacked by a provoked grizzly.

Amateur photographer Samantha Dehring didn’t think about that when she got up close to a mama bear and her cubs. Although Yellowstone visitors are ordered to keep a minimum distance of 100 yards from bears or wolves, she foolishly ignored that rule.

When mama predictably charged, Dehring was lucky to escape with her life. She’ll have plenty of time to contemplate the proverbial wisdom of “don’t poke the bear” during her “four days in jail” and her “one year of supervised probation.”

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/illinois-woman-jailed-four-days-215500833.html

Friday, October 8, 2021

'Lake' Jezero

Artistic Image of Ancient Jezero (Public Domain)

A lot can change in 3.7 billion years. A lake can become a crater, and an entire planet can become arid.

Scientists are still trying to figure out why this occurred on Mars. They now have photographic evidence that the Jezero Crater was not only a lake, but also one that “endured flash floods.”

Perhaps when rock samples from NASA’s Perseverance are analyzed, ancient clues will emerge. Perhaps these clues will even show signs of past life…

Resources

https://www.republicworld.com/technology-news/science/nasas-perseverance-rover-confirms-mars-had-a-lake-3-dot-7-billion-years-ago.html