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Showing posts with the label faith
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One, maybe two, articles by C. S. Lewis reappeared about a half-dozen years back. Not that they'd been invisible. Collectors had the articles in their copies of The Strand Magazine, but "A Christmas Sermon for Pagans" and "Cricketer's Progress" hadn't made it into lists of work by Lewis. Maybe it's just one new 'Lewis' article. "Cricketer's Progress: A Famous Reputation and What Became of It", was written by a "Clive Hamilton". Sure, Lewis published his first book under the Clive Hamilton pseudonym. But Lewis isn't known as a sports journalist. 1 And that's another topic. Anyway, I'll be talking about "A Christmas Sermon for Pagans" this week. Or, rather, I'm sharing a few excerpts; and talking about whatever comes to mind. "A Christmas Sermon for Pagans": No Longer Forgotten "... 'Objective' Right or Wrong...." "...Nature is ... A Kind of Machine fo

Thanksgiving 2023: Still Being Thankful

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This week will be less routine than usual, partly due to Thanksgiving Day. I'll be staying home, and haven't decided whether or not I'll try finding free online streaming of Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. This — and probably my regular 'Saturday' post — will be the text equivalent of a clip show: excerpts from stuff I've posted before. So: Happy Thanksgiving Day, Greetings on November 23, or whatever seems appropriate. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Stuff happens: wealth and poverty, sickness and health. None of that is a sure sign of virtue or sin. What I do with what I've got: that is what matters.)

Medieval Monkish Medicine: Scientific Before Science was a Thing

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Looks like word is getting around, among historians at any rate, that the "Dark Ages" weren't an abyss of superstition and ignorance. I see that as good news, and recommend reading the rest of Meg Leja's Smithsonian Magazine article. I've highlighted parts of this excerpt, and talked (briefly, for me) about the medical angle of post-Roman Europe under Respecting Ancient Authorities: Above and Beyond the Call of Reason .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The Medieval roots of modern medicine: excerpt from a Smithsonian Magazine article, how I see monastic medicine and the Renaissance.)

Double Jupiters, a JuMBO Puzzle; Antimatter Falls Down

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Every time we develop new tech for studying this universe, we find something new. New to us, that is. This week, I'll be talking about unexpected Jupiter-size objects in the Orion Nebula, and why scientists at CERN dropped a few hundred antihydrogen atoms. Baffling Binaries, Planetary Problem: JuMBOs in Orion Low Expectations, a Pleasant Surprise A Planet by Any Other Name JuMBOs and Questions Antimatter, Gravity, the Universe: and an Experiment at CERN A Quick Look at Antimatter, From Hicks to Dirac, and Weirdness (Most) Antihydrogen Atoms Fell Down Mystery of the Missing Antimatter 'Where's the Antimatter?' — Broadening the Search Ptolemy, C. S. Lewis, the Universe, and Assumptions "...Its Inhabitants Like Grasshoppers...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Unexpected Jupiter-size binaries in the Trapezium Cluster, antimatter and gravity experiment at CERN. New data, new puzzles.)

Fear, Change, a Loving God: and Choices

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This week I'm sharing what Fr. Mark Botzet said during Mass on the last Sunday in June. I was going to just post his homily and let it go at that. But then I thought his focus on fear might make more sense if I put it in context of what's been happening in my part of the world. So I've put a short (for me) look at life in central Minnesota, and the big picture, after Fr. Botzet's homily. Fr. Mark Botzet's Homily — June 25, 2023 Four Decades, Two Millennia and the Long Haul (Brian H. Gill) Under the Circumstances... Promises and the Best News Ever More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Dealing with changes in Parishes on the Prairie ACC. Remembering priorities. Not letting fear distract us from what is important.)

Edited Twins, Genetic Engineering and Bioethics

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Gene-editing rules showed up in my news feed last Monday. So, indirectly, did genetically-edited twins who, as far as I know, are still alive. If I'd known how little I'd be able to verify about Dr. He Jiankui's famous (or infamous) twins, maybe I'd have picked another topic. But I did find a fair amount of information about genetic editing technology, and a hint at why Dr. He's science project produced twins: Gene-Edited Twins At Least Two "World's First" Defining "First" Not-So-Good News CRISPR Technology and Surprisingly Long-Tongued Rabbits Procedures, Perspectives and People CCR5Δ32, Recent History and Speculation Chromosomes, Science and Twins TALEN and CRISPR: Repurposing Prokaryotic Molecules A Genomic Revolution: New(ish) Territory Louise Joy Brown, HEK 293 and Me Making Sense: It's an Option Bioethics, From a Former Lab Rat's Perspective More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Genetically edite

Ancient Stone Tools: Hello, Fellow Humans?

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...[A BBC News article] reminded me that it’s been some time since I talked about evolution and how Age of Enlightenment aristocrats viewed different species. And why I don't see a point in complaining about how this universe works.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Some of the oldest stone tools made by humans, assuming Paranthropus is human. Looking at the human family tree, changing assumptions, and accepting what we are learning.)
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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died this morning — Saturday, December 31, 2022. His death is international news, but I don't have much to say at the moment. Headlines included the all-too-predictable political spins and 'hidden meanings.' And, happily, I saw the following articles: one from BBC News, the other from Vatican News; both giving a pretty good overview of our former pope. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Remembering Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. Excerpts from BBC News, Vatican News.)
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I'd been planning on writing about chimps, strength, muscles, and assumptions this week. Then, a few hours later, I noticed that I'd been talking about horses, digestion, etymology, cephalic index and other assumptions. Which, for me, is about par for the course. Eventually, I got back to what we've been learning about chimps and muscles. Horses Aren't Human Scientists, Science, and Assumptions: Old and New Phrenology and the Superiority of 'Folks Like Me' Scientific Scientists: An Etymological Excursion Cephalic Index: Numbers, Notions and Aryan Angst Assumptions, Attitudes and an Opportunistic Omnivore More Assumptions and Attitudes Using Our Brains, Seeking (and Accepting) Truth Making Sense and Other Options Chimpanzee Sort-of-Super Strength: It's the Muscles Reviewing the Evidence Twitchy Chimps And Finally, Malu Malu: the Slow Loris More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (How ho

Pope Francis and "The Virtue of Vigilance"

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When I saw "Vatican" and "elegant demon" in my news feeds, I cringed. Just a little. But not because I feared that the four horsemen of the Apocalypse were saddling up and the Antichrist was running rampant.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Finding a summary of what the Pope said.)

Pakistan: Blasphemy and Bombs, Death and Dalits; and History

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I'll be talking about today's Pakistan: particularly what it's like being a Pakistani Christian, Hindu or Sikh. Or, for that matter, the 'wrong' sort of Pakistani Muslim. The list of at-risk Pakistanis depends partly on who's talking. A few weeks ago, someone asked me to write about what Pakistani Christians are enduring. Finding more-or-less current news or information on that general topic wasn't nearly as easy as I'd hoped. What I did find told me that what's happening now has very deep roots. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . The story so far, from before the Indus Valley civilization and Vedic period to the East India Company, independence and blasphemy laws.

Feverish, Weak; But Other Than That, a Pretty Good Week

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I spent part of Monday morning making notes for a talk with our parish priest. Then I called the Parishes on the Prairie office — P. on the P. are six parishes and a school in central Minnesota. I left a message, asking our priest to call me back. So far, he hasn't. Which is probably just as well. A bit after noon Monday, I ran an errand: picked up meds. After that, I — actually, I don't remember just what I did. But I do remember feeling cold. Unaccountably cold. Good news, the furnace was working fine, and inside temperatures were normal. A little below normal in some spots, since my wife was baking. But well within the normal range. Decades of experience told me that checking my temperature was prudent. So I did.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

COVID-19 and People Who Need People, Another Year

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It's been a year and a day since I talked about socializing, the pandemic and individual differences. "...I can sympathize with folks who really do need people: people who are physically close, not 'close' only in a virtual sense. I'm also willing to accept that not everyone is like me. For which we should all be thankful. And that's another topic. "That said, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions haven't cut into my social life all that much. "Before 'social distancing' — a poorly-chosen phrase, and that's yet another topic — started becoming a cliche, most of my social life was online...." (" People Who Need People — and the COVID-19 Pandemic " (January 24, 2021)) Somewhere during the last year, I noticed that I'd been enjoying my research and writing routines less. And had let some projects drop off the back burner. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Light Show in Washington; Law and Life; Masks Back On

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I'd expected to hear about charisms during Mass this morning. I did, in the Bible readings. But the homily was about why killing innocent people isn't a good idea, even if it's legal. And why we should see killing innocent people as a bad idea. And help folks who maybe felt pressured into ordering a hit because it's 'for their own good.' At any rate, The last-minute topic change was due to Saturday's light show outside the National Basilica in Washington, DC., which wasn't part of the prayer vigil happening inside. So far, Saturday's light show doesn't seem to be a hot news item. Not for national-level traditional news media, anyway. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Science, Religion, COVID-19 and an Unexpected Opinion

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If you haven't already, you'll soon read about a new development in the war between science and religion. " How Covid Raised the Stakes of the War Between Faith and Science " Tish Harrison Warren, The New York Times (November 7, 2021) " Reviews | How Covid raised the stakes in the war between faith and science " newsnetdaily.com (November 7, 2021) Alleged war, at any rate. I can't read the original piece in The New York Times, since it's behind a paywall.... ...I did, however, find this snippet in an online blurb.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Notre-Dame, Paris: History, Two Cults and a Fire

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The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has survived Louis XIV-style redecorating, the French Revolution, Napoleon and 19th-century remodeling. I'm pretty sure it will survive repair and reconstruction, following the April 16, 2021, fire. Notre-Dame de Paris is Burning (From Getty Images, via BBC News, used w/o permission.) Somewhere between 6:50 p.m., Paris time, and 7:18 p.m., April 15, 2019, something caught fire under the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Alabaster Cities, Fireworks, a Condo Disaster and Tears

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Patriotism comes in many flavors: cheesy, sour, salty: and that's enough 'flavor.' Maybe too much. My country's Independence Day celebration, our Fourth of July, started me thinking about patriotism. Also screwball notions, drought and Florida's pancaked condo. But mostly, the impending holiday is probably why part of an old song has been on my mind's playlist this week.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Health and Surfside Condo Collapse: Siloam Scenarios

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Sunday's rain dampened Sauk Centre's streets, but delivered under four tenths of an inch. That's been good for our weeds, and for grass next to sidewalks. But it's nowhere near the two or three inches we need to get back to adequate soil moisture in these parts. Medical issues have been distracting me. I took one of the kids to an unscheduled clinic checkup with follow-up lab work. Then another enjoyed, if that's the word, a day or so in the hospital. Not Sauk Centre's hospital. One up in North Dakota, near where she lives. On the 'up' side, I've been okay this week, which left me free for chauffeur duty. I'm hoping the next week here will be less eventful. But, quoting an old Minnesota saying, it could be worse. I woke up Thursday morning. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Enjoying Our Annual Renewal of Baptismal Vows

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Life isn't back to normal, here in Sauk Centre, and won't be. Not if I see "back to normal" as "being just exactly the way it was two years ago." Time and reality don't work that way. At any, life may not be back to normal; but this fifth Sunday of Easter is less not-normal than last year's. The COVID-19 pandemic is still in progress, but regional rules — state and church — are relaxing a tad. Partly, maybe mostly, because mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are not just in the pipeline. They're here. And that's another topic. Topics. At any rate, life and my routines are less not-normal than they were at this time last year. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Sunshine, Holy Water and a Trip to the Emergency Room

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Between Saturday's sunshine and today's patches of green grass, I've enjoyed this weekend. For the most part. I picked up a bottle from the first of this year's holy water last Sunday, following up with blessing the house on Tuesday. I hadn't done that for quite some time. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .