Requiem in Sea Oh, to call the conch my home . . . Stormy-smoothed tunnels of Kaleidoscope walls spiraling into Pearl-shimmered dyes, Ever-changing with the light Of the sun, of the moon, Of the tide, and the gloaming, And surging, and sighing, Of the sea . . . Of that space That calls to me Beyond the Polished Pier, Beyond the now, and here. Echo of ocean breath, Silhouette of Light, Indescribable description Passing, mortal fathoming. Passion, ebbing into solace,... Read more
Remember last week, I told you the story of Seppu Kuma, the Japanese “suicide bear” that let suicide-minded people choose their poison: death by suffocation, asphyxiation, or lethal injection? Well (wiping egg off face), nope! It was a joke. The readers who were incensed at the dangerous direction our world is taking can breathe a sigh of relief. There is, in fact, a cute, cuddly robot which looks like that–but its intended purpose isn’t to “off” the terminally ill or the perennially... Read more
How often I’ve enjoyed the little pearls of wisdom which come from Pope Francis’ morning homilies! “That would be a great blog post!” I say to myself; but all too frequently, I don’t get around to writing about it. Life goes on. Each morning when he’s at home in Vatican City, Pope Francis celebrates an early morning Mass in the chapel at his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae. The audience varies–journalists, nuns and priests, office workers, gardeners, and heads of state;... Read more
How would you prefer to die: By lethal injection? suffocation? helium asphyxia? Japanese engineers are trying to give you a choice. A research team has developed “SeppuKuma” (translation: “Suicide Bear”), an assisted suicide support robot which smiles like an innocent cartoon character while strangling, hugging or kissing a patient until he or she is dead. According to a report on iflscience.org: SeppuKuma, which loosely translates to “Suicide Bear” has robotic arms that are able to carry up to 80kg of... Read more
I get it: I’m older and crankier than some of you. There is an entire generation of young Americans, many of whom have a casual regard for the rules of polite speech which marked my early years. For some of these young people, the ‘f’ word is just another, more expressive means of communicating. To which I say: No, it isn’t. Every once in a while, I have to repeat the rule that offensive speech–name calling, profanity, blasphemy and obscene speech–will not... Read more
Pope Francis has set up a five-person committee to streamline and modernize the Vatican’s many communications structures. Carol Glatz, writing for Catholic News Service, has the story. She writes: The Vatican announced the official establishment of the new commission and its members April 30. Three of the papal appointees are top-level officials at Vatican communications outlets. The five members of the commission are: — Msgr. Dario Vigano, 52, director of the Vatican Television Center, and now president of the new... Read more
Seven “well prepared” women attempted to be ordained Catholic priests in Morristown, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 24. I say “attempted” because women cannot be ordained Catholic priests. It is a theological impossibility. They are not priests. I just read the report of the event on the blog of “Rev. Dr. Judy Lee,” a self-described Roman Catholic Women Priest who is co-Pastor of the Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community in Fort Myers, Florida. According to Dr. Lee, there were 200 joyful... Read more
Want to see what the boy Jesus really looked like? The scientific unit of Rome’s police force has produced a computer-generated image which, they believe, shows for the first time what Jesus must have looked like at the age of twelve. The Italian investigators have long used computer aging techniques, like those used in the United States, to determine what a criminal would look like, years after he was last seen. The aging technique has helped them to identify Mafia... Read more
We lost a mighty tree in our front yard this winter. It was an ash, and yes, it was already dead—defeated by Michigan’s pernicious emerald ash borer. When it toppled during a windstorm, it brought down the electrical wires, snapping a wooden pole, pulling the meter off our house and taking out the cable and internet in one fell swoop. The weight of the massive trunk wrestled the roots from the damp earth, and 80 feet of bark and bole... Read more
Where are America’s true black leaders while Baltimore burns? I understand that the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who was fatally injured while in police custody, is a serious problem which must be investigated. But what we’re witnessing–the multiple injuries, the thousands (millions?) of dollars of damage, the looting and vandalism, the destruction to the city’s reputation for years to come–is not “justice.” What’s happening is that enraged vigilantes and opportunistic thugs have had their rage fueled... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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