Category Archives: Discursive Detours

A catch-all category

“One Small Step” in a Long Journey

“A journey of a thousand li starts with a single step.” (“Tao Te Ching,” Laozi) “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” (Neil Armstrong) I figure the journey to Earth’s moon began when someone looked … Continue reading

Posted in Discursive Detours | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Apollo 11, 50 Years Later

Apollo 11’s Lunar Module reached Mare Tranquillitatis fifty years ago this month. I remember hearing Neil A. Armstrong announce the landing site’s name: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” A few hours later, Armstrong opened the Lunar Module’s … Continue reading

Posted in Discursive Detours | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Saints, Romans, Emperors

Quite a bit has changed since imperial engineers designed and built a bridge in Emerita Augusta, today’s Mérida. The Pax Romana died with Marcus Aurelius.1 The Roman Empire kept going until around Isidore of Seville’s day. The name Isidore started … Continue reading

Posted in Discursive Detours | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Easter Sunday Bombings

Some folks in Sri Lanka were at church this Easter morning. Others were at luxury hotels, starting another day’s work or enjoying breakfast. About 250 didn’t return home. Their deaths were headline news for the next 24 hours: “40 dead … Continue reading

Posted in Discursive Detours | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Good Friday

Our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem was like a ticker tape parade. The original one, in 1886, an impromptu celebration. Jesus had grassroots support that few celebrities or politicos achieve. Our Lord could have written his own ticket. All he … Continue reading

Posted in Being Catholic, Discursive Detours | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments