Lest it all disappear . . . The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) supports heritage conservation around the world. This includes, but is not limited to, studying the impact of climate change on historical and natural property, identifying strategies to reduce natural and man-made disasters, and working to preserve historic structures. In my study of the Old Spanish… Read more »
Did the Spaniards of 1540 understand biological warfare? The use of attack dogs, who often wore their own suit of armor, is documented (la monteria infernal, or the hellish hunt, was the conquistadors’ sport of siccing Mastiffs on Native men, women, and children). But did they perceive how extensively European disease would decimate the Indian population? Smallpox–Big Problem From 1519 to about 1920, the… Read more »
For longer than I can remember, I am the one who cuts my husband’s hair. This is not because I am trained (you should see the dolls I have stored away that were victims of my earliest cosmetologist adventures), but he doesn’t seem to mind an occasionally bad hair day. Or week. Or however long… Read more »
Ever heard of Joachim of Fiore? This Twelfth Century Italian theologian came up with a dispensation theory, or a distribution of world history, that fell into three periods–each one associated with a person of the Christian Trinity. 1) The time of God the Father was all time before the arrival of Jesus Christ, 2) the… Read more »
My father is 84 years old. His mind is sharp, his memories vivid, but the photographs he stores in a shoebox on his desk are in bad shape. Since digital programs are available to repair the cracks of age, I decided to scan a few pictures and return them to their original glory, but when… Read more »
In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve realized they were naked, “and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” (Gen 3:7 KJV). What isn’t mentioned is what they used for thread. What do you think? Fig leaves began the trend, and today, recycled soda bottles are included in the array of fabrics… Read more »
A wildfire is a fire that’s uncontrolled … until it is controlled. Or contained at increments that indicate how much or little progress has been made in taming the beast. To see a global firemap, click here. Containment is the progress made by establishing a fireline around the perimeter of the fire. This fireline is… Read more »
Men of historical renown, writers and great thinkers alike, Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) would have liked the Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas (1484 – 1586 AD). They both believed in teleology, or goal directed activity. Here is an example of a teleological argument: if you wanted to make a case for creation science,… Read more »
Historically Speaking When the Spanish came to explore the New World, they calculated distances in leagues. This unit of length is no longer officially used by any nation. Today, we use metric or US standard, sometimes called imperial. (Need to convert metric to standard or the other way around? Click here.) Originally, a league was… Read more »
Von and Michelle Limbaugh are the kind of friends everybody wishes they had. He’s smart, friendly, conscientious, and a man of integrity. His wife Michelle has the same qualities, but I’m biased. She is a lot of fun. Recently, we had the pleasure of having them over for dinner. Naturally, I served all kinds of… Read more »
Recent Comments