incomprehensible vastness, yet no Space Program

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National Geographic excerpt

During a recent podcast, author, philosophy professor, and Catholic, Daniel O’Connor, said that it was his belief God created the incomprehensible vastness of the cosmos to symbolically represent the incomprehensible vastness of eternity. What’s more, O’Connor has extensively researched UFO/alien claims from a Catholic teaching angle (compilation of saints and Church fathers takes on this), and he has come to the conclusion there are no aliens. Just demons in metaphysical disguise, if you will… As providential coincidence would have it, the next day I picked up a National Geographic at random and turned to this page, initially. Notice the wording about Venus. “Hades of the Heavens… Brutally hostile, the planet broils at nearly 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit… seethes with fumaroles and glowing lava…” Biblically, Hell is described as: “…a lake of fire.” Apparently, God is giving us a tangible glimpse of this. Note 1: It’s our administration’s contention that we should nix the Space Program, and take the money to help the poor, to help the environment, and so on, on this planet. Telescopes, etc., can give us graphic looks into the cosmos. This is how, for instance, we understand the make-up of Venus.

A new ‘ocean ethic’

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National Geographic article cover

Our administration would push for a strong “ocean ethic.” Staying up on foreign/domestic affairs, across the board, I regularly read. This particular article was tremendously eye-opening. An excerpt: “The oceans are dying. The collapse of fisheries marks the decline, a steady funeral drumbeat: cod in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, anchovies off Peru, salmon off the Pacific Northwest, Patagonian toothfish in Antarctic waters, sharks in all the oceans…” And this article specifically focuses on the Bluefin tuna, which it says is “…the most overfished species on Earth. The stock that spawns on the western side of the Atlantic has been reduced by 64% since 1970.” While the Bluefin is, in a sense, the ‘canary in the coal mine,’ as the article notes, this is happening across the board, ‘er rather across the seas, of late. The essence of this is greed and gluttony. The fishing companies/fishermen want to make as much money as they can. And consumers want the best prices, and the most fish, that they can get. Unbeknownst to many, because, frankly, spiritual leadership is not calling out much, if any, of this, is that this is sin behavior on both fronts. And coupled with this is tremendously bad environmental stewardship. More sin. Our administration would promote guard rails, if you will, to promote an ocean ethic, with moral constraints. God gave us the natural resources to use, but to use in appreciative moderation. *The Native Americans were actually quite good at this. Our environmental platform is replete with examples that bring this kind of stellar environmental stewardship to life. See…

Flying

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Library display

Was doing some research on the Triplett Corp., which was a pretty high-profile, local company during the first part of last century. They specialized in making all sorts of meters. What’s more, during WW II, the Triplett Corp. contracted with the U.S. Signal Corp. to make meters for military ships, tanks, and planes. And speaking of planes… At a Bluffton Community Breakfast, I talked with a man who was an Air Force fighter pilot, and he then went on to volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol. During the Cold War, he and other patriotic volunteer pilots, would fly the coasts looking for enemy submarines, and the like. And staying with flying yet some more… I recently interviewed a former area police chief who has been flying the past 40 years, including being involved with “Angel Flight Midwest.” For the past 10 years, on his dime, he has flown cancer patients, and others, to hospitals throughout the Midwest. (*He had recently flown a boy to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.) He told me that God gave him the talent and ability to fly, and this was his way of giving back.

Federal Art Project, Part II?

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Saturday Evening Post photo

I just read an excellent Saturday Evening Post article on the “Federal Art Project,” which was part of Roosevelt’s WPA (Works Progress Administration) during the Great Depression. Some 7% of the budget for the WPA was allocated to artists across the country to do all sorts of mural projects, and such, in big cities and small towns. Besides helping subsidize “starving artists” (literally) during that time, it gave Americans, across the socio-economic spectrum, access to good art. The most poignant sentence in the article: “Artists painted recognizable subjects — ranging from portraits, to cityscapes, and images of city life, to landscapes and depictions of rural life — that reminded the public of quintessential American values, like hard work, community, and optimism… Our administration would push for a Marshall Plan to rebuild, and rejuvenate, our inner cities, as we would push for downtown revitalization in small towns across America. Creating a similar Federal Art Project, to accentuate this rejuvenation, once again make art accessible to everyone, and give more artists meaningful, creative work, would be an absolutely excellent idea.

Technology marches on. But should some of it?

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RR spike maul

I interviewed local historian Keith Sommer for a newspaper article recently. He has quite a collection of antique artifacts, including a good number of old RR artifacts — including a RR spike maul, pictured here. And he not only collects the artifacts, but he extensively reads up on them. He’s a virtual walking encyclopedia, actually. He told me that he likes to learn about old technologies, because the new technologies are, more often than not, an actual continuation of the old technologies. But herein, at times, lies the rub. That is, before, say, the Amish adopt a new technology, they go through prayerful discernment about whether the technology will get in the way of their relationship with God, their relationship with their family, their relationship with the community… At an Amish Interpretive Center in Shipshewana, Indiana, during our travels, I learned the Amish haven’t adopted motorized vehicles for several reasons. For one, the increased mobility, inevitably, allows for the splitting up of community. How many of us these days say of our grown children: “Yeah, Mary is now living in Des Moines, Charlie is in San Francisco, George is in Houston…” What’s more, the Amish believe to “kill someone” is a serious thing, accident or not. And driving motorized vehicles, to the Amish, increases the chances of, well, killing someone. You know, we often, as a society, technologically rush madly forward (motorized vehicle, or not) and call it all “progress.” But is it really, in God’s eyes that is?

Through a new ‘looking glass’

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Feb. 2024

I just read (…and took some notes) this particular National Geographic cover article on glass. Of note, the UN categorized glass in 2022 “…as the 100 percent recyclable building block most likely to help countries reach sustainable-development goals by 2030.” And with that, notes the article’s author: “Simply put, we’ve entered a new glass age…” Alicia Duran, an actual “glass professor” at the Spanish Research Council, and president of the International Commission on Glass, was quoted: “The main quality of glass is that it can be produced, re-produced, born and reborn — really in the same, or other, applications — forever.” Conversely, we are currently awash in plastic — which is anything but sustainable. As just one, of many, examples: Common sense says we go back to using re-usable glass bottles across the board. I mean, and I’m going to sound like a dinosaur here: But remember the thick glass milk bottles that were delivered to homes? The seas are filling up with this toxic plastic, the landfills are fulling up with these toxic plastics, the air is filling up with the off gassing from making this toxic plastic… What sane parent would want to leave a world of plastic toxicity for their children? Note: Toward the end of the article, it was noted that the giant Magellan Telescope, on top of a mountain in Chile, and with 27.5 foot glass mirrors, when fully functional in 2029: “…will be able to measure distant planets passing in front of stars to a degree never before achieved, allowing scientists to determine temperatures, and whether they contain gasses like methane and oxygen, possible signs of life.” Note 2: Part of space exploration, a big part, is trying to find out if there is: “Anyone one else out there?” Instead of spending the billions/trillions on space exploration with spaceships, why not let these highly advanced telescopes do the initial exploring — taking the savings to help those in dire straits in the Third World on this planet? More common sense.

Catching up; and: GO FRANCISCAN!

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Greenhorn Restaurant

Catching up on the last few weeks… In between painting this restaurant, I wrote a story about a local couple who regularly goes to The Honduras to help the rural poor there. Concurrently, I reported on a group of local guys who went to western North Carolina with Samaritan’s Purse, to help people in mountain communities there who had been devastated by flooding from Hurrican Helene. I also wrote about a Community Oriented Policing officer here who regularly interfaces with the community in the most creative of ways. Then there was a story about a local home furnishings thrift store that just celebrated it’s one year anniversary and is going a long way toward helping people in these inflationary times. While doing all this, and more, I’ve been following my son Jonathan’s soccer team (Franciscan University) on their march to winning the conference. I’ve watched a number of livestream games, but I am going to cut this short to hop in the car to travel across the state to watch his playoff matches. “GO FRANCISCAN!”

Joe concedes; and a little sanity: PLEASE!

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Joe concedes

Well, that’s right. I have, once again, graciously decided not to ask for a recount — conceding the race. That’s difficult. Not out of misguided hubris, or narcissistic tendencies, or thinking the presidential race was “rigged.” No, it’s hard because I know, really know, that my platform would “Make America Great” — in the eyes of God. And by some measure at that! The “Make America Great Again” paradigm being held out is tremendously shallow, at best. And will, ultimately, continue to be akin to “…rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” Note: Instead of watching the results coming in last night, I covered a village council meeting. It was reported that the Tree Commission had done a village-wide “tree survey,” and determined 15 trees on village property needed to come down. The fiscal officer released a report indicating the village has been operating “…in the black” for yet another year. And the Police Chief reported his officers had all reached the state mandated yearly criteria of 24 seminar/training hours… Frankly, while not riveting, this was a little touch of ‘subsidiarity sanity’ amidst a world going absolutely off the rails. For more of a touch of sanity, see our: position papers.

Nuclear (energy) Nightmare!

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ticking time bombs

I just watched a PBS Front Line documentary on nuclear power plants. These are “…ticking time bombs.” A number of them, worldwide, are in earth-quake zones, including Japan’s now ill-fated Fukishima Nuclear Power Plant. Not only was there an earthquake close by there, but the resultant tsunami caused the plant, ultimately, to melt down. This sparked massive radiation clouds drifting on the wind, the ‘fall-out’ being catastrophic to humans, as well as nature… In our rush to have an abundance of cheap, abundant energy, we unleashed a ‘Genie,’ with this tremendously unsafe nuclear technology. Our administration would push for the phasing out of all nuclear power plants in America, as Germany is already doing. For more on our Energy Policy, see… Note: And it’s not just earthquake zones. At the time I’m writing this, Zelenski says Putin has designs to attack Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. Did we not think nuclear power plants could be weaponized in times of conflict?

Furnishing America, and beyond…

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Bee Home store

I just wrote a story about an Ada, Ohio thrift store that features home decor items. Quality stuff at rock-bottom prices. The store falls under the umbrella of Beatitudes, a non-profit organization in the heart of Ada. Area volunteers collect the donations, clean them up, refurbish some, and so on. One of the volunteers that I interviewed, said that she gets tremendous gratification seeing people “…who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford most of this, be able to afford most of this.” What’s more, in the midst of our current, for the most part, ‘throw-a-way society,’ this is also about: recycling. This Bee Home store is an absolutely excellent model, which could be replicated from town, to town, to town… across America. Also, from a social justice angle, some of these second-hand decor savings could go into outreach funds for Third World home decor. *See my last post.