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I called what I'm sharing this week a "fable". That's a misnomer. It's a very short story, about twelve hundred words. But since it doesn't have talking animals, I gather it should be called a "parable". 1 I'm calling it a fable anyway. That's because in my dialect of English, a "parable" is what we call the super-short stories Jesus told. The word, again in my dialect, has "Biblical" connotations — and I sincerely don't want to sound like someone trying to be "Biblical".... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A story about a sign that kept villagers from having fun, and a fence that hurt them. Or so they felt.

I've lived in Minnesota for most of my life. My home state doesn't often make international news, and I'm not happy about why it' making headlines today... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (One couple is dead, another may survive. The killer was impersonating a police officer. There is little I can do. But I can pray, so I will.)

Sooner or later, I figure someone will develop a spaceplane that takes off from places like Tampa International Airport, carries passengers and cargo to low Earth orbit, and flies back: either to the airport it came from, or the next stop in its flight schedule. It might be a next-generation version of Dawn Aerospace's Aurora, or an advanced Radian Aerospace model. But it won't be Reaction Engines Limited's Skylon. Developing their two-mode SABRE rocket engine ended up costing too much and taking too long. I'll take a quick look at Skylon. After that, I'll take a longer look at Seattle-based Radian Aerospace's PFV01 spaceplane. PFV01, a prototype of Radian's Aurora spaceplane, is the one that's been making test flights near Abu Dhabi. Closing the Book on Skylon Radian Aerospace PFV01: Another Step Test Flights Living With and Working Around Rules Rocket Sled — — To the Stars More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Reaction Engines Ltd. de...

"It's fair to say that if news sites were people, most would be diagnosed as clinically depressed right now." ("I stopped reading the news. Is the problem me — or the product?", Amanda Ripley , Washington Post (July 8, 2022) via Wikiquote) A comic strip started me thinking about the news, fearmongering, viewpoints, and weird groupings from Google News. I'll be talking about that: along with rich folks, free speech, and whatever else comes to mind. Free Speech, a Slogan, Journalism, and a (Very) Little History "The Yellow Press", Mayor Gaynor's Letter, and Viewpoints: Including Mine Freedom of Speech, Lèse-Majesté, and "The Apotheosis of Washington" By the Pricking of my Thumbs, Something Freaky This Way Comes Google News and 'Physics' Be Afraid — Be Very Afraid! — — — or Not Wealth, Averages, and Attitudes "Moral Panic" and Making Sense "Today in the News....” Good Advice, Actually More...

I'll be talking about a cartoon, a bishop, and brittle bigwigs. But first, an explanation or three may be in order. Politics, Pigeonholes, and Me Conservative? Liberal? Republican? Democrat? No: Catholic Out of Step: a Half-Century-Plus and Counting Protecting Americans From Unsanctioned Ideas Caricature and Sensitivity "...War Rages as Outcry Grows...." Self-Appointed Guardians of Freedom and Decency: Then and Now American and Catholic He Said WHAT? Resources: Political Life From a Catholic Perspective Irks, Ilks, Ethics, and Being Catholic Cancel Culture: New Phrase, Old Habit (Only) Free to Agree With Me is Not Freedom "Leaves of Grass", Underground Comix, and "Banned in Boston" More at A Catholic Citizen in America . How I see a cartoon, a bishop, and brittle bigwigs. Also politics, pigeonholes and me; caricature and unsanctioned ideas; and McCarthyism as cancel culture.

"The Fire of Rome," July 64 A.D., by Hubert Rober. (1785) The Pax Romana had been in progress for eight decades on July 19, A.D. 64. A fire started in a retail district near Rome's Circus Maximus. It was a windy night. The fire spread. Fast. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . The Great Fire of Rome and a public relations problem. The Roman Republic, Nero, Caligula and a golden age of Rome. Emperors, politics and nostalgia.

A tsunami flooded the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant eight years ago. Fires, explosions and meltdowns followed. Folks living within 20 kilometers were told to leave the area. Radiation levels are dropping. A few folks are moving back. Clearing debris and removing radioactive fuel rods is taking more time than expected.... (More, at A Catholic Citizen in America )

I'm not sure how the 'defrocked Cardinal' story will play out in America's news. Assorted presidential campaigns will be building up steam, and there's no shortage of other newsworthy angst. Maybe the McCarrick case will be a nine day wonder, maybe not. Either way, I did a little checking, and shared what I found.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Folks in the United Kingdom may be changing their rules for wood and coal fires. Or maybe not. It depends on whether their rules match Europe's. Volkswagen paid researchers to mistreat monkeys and people. Or maybe not. We know the research happened. It's complicated, a bunch of folks are upset, and I'll get back to that. Fireplaces, outdoor grills, and coal-burning furnaces aren't basically bad. Neither is learning how stuff in the air affects animals. And us. But having smoky fires upwind of our neighbors isn't a good idea. Neither is mistreating critters. Or people. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

4th-century synagogue, Capernaum [ Wikipedia ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel Mark 1:21-28 ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Edition ) They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they...

About 78 folks were on Amtrak Cascades passenger train 501 Monday morning. They'll be late. At best. I'll be looking at what happened, new and old technology. Also how I see change and progress.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Harvey's in the news, a lot, and probably will be for days. I noticed stuff piling up in my notes, and decided that getting part of my 'Friday' post done early was a good idea.... ...News reporting generally uses more superlatives than I like. "Unprecedented" seems to be particularly popular with BBC News editors at the moment. I don't mind things being biggest, smallest, newest, or whatever. But I've learned to be rationally skeptical when I read that something is the biggest, worst, or most devastating thing of its kind.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Harvey was still a tropical storm when it went over the eastern Caribbean. That was a little over a week ago. Folks in Barbados were without power for a while. At least one house was destroyed, and more folks had to evacuate their homes. Pretty much the same thing happened in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Suriname and Guyana had wind and rain: enough to kill at least one person, a woman whose house collapsed with her inside. Harvey was a category 4 hurricane when it reached the Texas coast, between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor . That was around 10:00 p.m. Friday.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The "most disturbing image" gag in Wiley Miller's Non Sequitur comic depends on a fairly common misunderstanding of Catholic belief. The important word in that sentence is misunderstanding. Papal infallibility doesn't mean that. I'm none too pleased that Catholic beliefs are misunderstood by non-Catholics: and by some Catholics. But I can't fault a cartoonist for poking fun at cultural quirks I see as silly. Not reasonably. Besides, strips featuring the Church of Danae's "so-called holy scriptures" have given me pretty good illustrations of what I don't believe.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster could have been much worse. But it may have been avoidable. Meltdowns and non-nuclear explosions at the power plant didn't directly kill anyone. More than 40 patients who were evacuated from a nearby hospital died later. They had been critically ill. Getting rushed away from a nuclear incident in progress wouldn't have been good for their health. Three former power company executives now face criminal charges. The earthquake, tsunami, and meltdowns in 2011 killed nearly 16,000 folks and left many others homeless. Many folks still can't return to their homes. Quakes happen. This one was nobody's fault. What happened in Fukushima is another matter. I'll be looking at the disaster, what's happened since, and why questioning authority can be a good idea. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'll be talking about Earth's climate, China's pollution problems, and icebergs: including one the size of Delaware. The big berg broke off from Antarctica this week. The recent G20 meeting was mostly about economics, not climate change; but that didn't deter the usual colorful protestors. I'm not complaining about folks at the fancy-dress street party in Hamburg. If nothing else, they added a touch of human interest to an otherwise-dry international business meeting.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(From Diliff, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) Authority, superstition, and misapplied technophilia (it's a real word ) rate at least one post each: but that'll wait until another day. Days. This time I'll take a quick look at all three, and then say why I don't believe in Progress with a capital P — and don't yearn for the 'good old days.' More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

St Joseph and the Christ Child , El Greco, c.1600 Museo de Santa Cruz, Toledo, Spain [ Web Gallery of Art They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.   They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.   Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit,   and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”   But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”   And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.     They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He   commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”   At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. Remains of the 4...

(From John Hart Studios, used w/o permission.) This post is not about global warming, the coming ice age, or manure burying London. Don't laugh: in 1894 the Times of London ran a warning that London would be under nine feet of manure by 1944. ( July 9, 2011 ) Wikipedia has a list of fizzled apocalypses, from 634 BC to 2013 AD; and that's another topic. Topics. ( February 25, 2014 ; November 29, 2013 ) Synod 14, an extraordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops, is in progress. It's running from the 5th to the 19th of this month. In this post, I'll be looking at what I expect from the Synod; what I don't expect; and why I'm not upset that the Synod probably won't address the annual collision of Mother's Day and fishing season in Minnesota. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Between spending my teens in the '60s and stubbornness worthy of a mule, my attitude toward "authority" had been less than fawning. Happily, I married a woman with a very low tolerance for nonsense. She pointed out that I had no problem with authority. It was pompous nitwits who claim authority that set my teeth on edge. ( December 2, 2012 ; March 30, 2011 ) That helped explain why I became a Catholic , and that's another topic. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .