Pope Francis will be offering a plenary indulgence–that is, a full release from Purgatory for sins committed up to that point–for those who follow the World Youth Day activities on Twitter or other social media sites. (more…)
Pope Francis will be offering a plenary indulgence–that is, a full release from Purgatory for sins committed up to that point–for those who follow the World Youth Day activities on Twitter or other social media sites. (more…)
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has been stuck in the transit zone of a Russian airport for a week. The U.S. government cancelled his passport, so he can’t get on another airplane. He has reportedly applied to 21 countries for asylum, all to no avail. (Some would take him, but he has to get there first.) What he should have done is settle in a country that would take him and then out himself as the leaker of the NSA internet and cell phone surveillance scheme. What he should do now is turn himself in to American authorities and take his punishment like a man.
Still, whether he is a traitor or a hero, I feel sorry for him. He is truly a Man Without a Country. (Read that short story by Edward Everett Hale to get your patriotic juices flowing on this Fourth of July.) (more…)
The conclave of 115 cardinals who will elect the pope convenes on Tuesday. They will keep casting ballots until someone gets two-thirds of the vote. Those of us who decry the office can still be interested in the outcome. I think it would be good for worldwide Christianity if the cardinals would elect a non-European, such as Peter Turkson of Ghana. Or maybe an Asian, such as Malcolm Ranjith of Sri Lanka or Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines. Interestingly, liberal Catholics oppose the election of a pope from the developing world, since those societies are extremely conservative when it comes to “women’s issues” and, especially, homosexuality.
But I would love it if New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan were to be chosen. That’s because I’ve met him! When he was Archbishop of Milwaukee, he was involved with a Catholic school where my wife taught. Lutheran though I am, I think it would be cool to be able to say that I’ve met the pope. (more…)
When it comes to economic measures and economic prospects for the future, the United States is not in decline at all. So says a report cited by economics columnist Robert J. Samuelson (who, however, is not quite so optimistic). Then again, despite what some people assume, economics isn’t everything. Are we in cultural, intellectual, or political decline? (more…)
A mash-up of weird biology and invasion of the body-snatchers:
Last month, three insect and plant disease researchers in the University of California system reported a discovery about the tomato spotted wilt virus. As its name suggests, this virus infects and damages tomato plants. It’s harmless to people.
To jump from plant to plant, the virus relies on insects known as thrips. A thrip feeds by sticking its oral probe into a plant’s cells and sucking out the contents. If a cell happens to contain the virus, the thrip sucks it up, too.
Scientists already knew that virus-infected tomato plants are more appealing to thrips than uninfected plants. The California researchers discovered something else: Once a thrip consumes the virus, its behavior changes. It spends more time feeding, and it licks more plant cells in the process, coating the next tomato plant with the virus.
The United States is now facing a brain drain that threatens its traditional scientific and technological leadership, as more and more American scientists are heading for greater opportunities in China and other ambitious countries. So says scientist Matthew Stremlau:
Twenty years ago, most molecular-science PhD graduates in the United States went on to start up their own labs at universities across the country. These labs drive innovation and keep the United States globally competitive. Today, however, only a handful of my friends will go on to run their own labs, though more would like to. Some go into industry or consulting or law. Others leave science altogether.
As public funding for science and technology shrinks, it just isn’t possible for people who want to become scientists in America to actually become scientists. So when a friend of mine who recently received her PhD in molecular biology asked for some career advice, the answer was easy. Go to China, I told her. . . .