Tag Archives: history

Principles, Priorities, Politics: and Being Catholic

Another election is looming, so I’m reviewing how being a Catholic affects how I vote. I’ll mention what the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) calls the “Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching”, share some links, and talk about … Continue reading

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A Cursed(?) Diamond’s Story: The Koh-i-Noor

Last week, I said I’d have “…tales of cursed gems, glow-in-the-dark diamonds, diamonds from outer space…” ready this week: “barring the unexpected”. Then the unexpected happened. But I do have most of the Koh-i-Noor’s story ready for you. I pieced … Continue reading

Posted in Being Catholic, Diamonds and Gems, Discursive Detours, Series | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Big Diamond, a Little History, and Some Geology

I take commercial puffery with a grain of salt, but that 2,492 carat diamond from the Karowe mine does seem “epic”. It’s also what I’ll be talking about this week: along with the Karowe mine, Botswana, what diamonds are and … Continue reading

Posted in Diamonds and Gems, Discursive Detours, Science News, Series | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Squishy Stars, Science, and Sirach

A paper published this month doesn’t so much tell us what’s inside a neutron star, as show what’s not inside. Considering how little we know about these immensely-dense stellar objects, that’s a significant step toward understanding the things. I’ll take … Continue reading

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“We Will Come After You”, Being Careful, and Truth

America has changed since my youth. I’ve seen fire and brimstone give way to tofu and soy sauce, rotary dial phones replaced by smartphones. Some things, however, haven’t changed. Like the value we place on freedom. How my country’s self-described … Continue reading

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