Category Archives: Journal

Sharing more about me, less about (almost) everything else

Humanae Vitae Award: Fr. Greg Paffel, Parishes on the Prairie

My parish is Our Lady of the Angles in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. It’s part of the Parishes on the Prairie Catholic Community — and that’s a topic for another time. Aside from routine matters, we’re not exactly at the center … Continue reading

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

Freedom of Speech: On the Whole, I Like It

This isn’t the America I grew up in. But human nature hasn’t changed, and freedom of expression still makes some of us uneasy. I’ll be talking about that; and sharing a little family history that relates to the America of … Continue reading

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

Independence Day, 2024: America and Context, a Short Ramble

“A False Alarm on the Fourth” Udo Keppler, Puck. (1902)“Uncle Sam — It’s all right! There’s no fighting!The noise you hear is just my family celebrating!” I like that double-page cartoon by Udo Keppler. And I like his image of … Continue reading

Posted in Being a Citizen, Being Catholic, Discursive Detours, Journal | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Animals, Consciousness, and Conscience

I haven’t researched it, but I’m guessing that ‘animals are conscious’ headlines peaked about two months back. “Animal consciousness” makes more sense than some headlines suggest — so this week I’ll be talking about new research, old ideas, and how … Continue reading

Posted in Discursive Detours, Journal, Science News | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Substation Gone and a Dam in Trouble: This Year it’s Flooding

Noted: From that NBC piece: “…An Xcel Energy substation at the dam, which supplies power to about 600 customers, was washed away early Monday. The utility company said its crews were working to replace the destroyed substation and restore power….”(“Rapidan … Continue reading

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