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Raining Death on Chicago—The Plunge of the Wingfoot Express

21 July 2023 at 03:00
Wingfoot Express takes off from Grant Park on July 21, 1919. There were many horrific Chicago disasters in the early 20th Century like the Iroquois Theater Fire of 1903 and the Eastland capsize in the Chicago River in 1915 which are not only well documented but they have become iconic in the city’s history.   But an air disaster back in the summer of 1919 is far less remembered. Of course, fewer people died when the flaming Wingfoot Express crashed through the skylight of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank at in the Loop at LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard on July 21.   Seventeen were killed and 27 injured compared to more than 800 drowned on the Eastland.   But you would think for shear drama, nothing could beat an air ship disa...

A Tender Place

20 July 2023 at 16:53
“Everybody’s been there Everybody’s been stared down by the enemy. Fallen for the fear And longed to  disappear and Bowed…</p> The post A Tender Place appeared first on Taking Up Space.

Archeologists find 2,000 year old graves in Paris necropolis: Part II on Gaulish-Roman burial sites

20 July 2023 at 16:21
Archeologists find 2,000 year-old graves in Paris during the building of a train station expansion near Notre Dame Cathedral. Continue reading Archeologists find 2,000 year old graves in Paris necropolis: Part II on Gaulish-Roman burial sites at The Wild Hunt.

RELIGION AND CHANGE

20 July 2023 at 14:59
          When clergy gather to update the state of religion amid divisions over LGBTQ+, racism and antisemitism, the entire world should turn out. But don’t look for that to happen even if the world were coming to an end.           Still, a goodly turnout met four such panelists the past month and all found it […]

GOOD PEOPLE, BAD THINGS

20 July 2023 at 14:45
          Rabbi Harold Kushner died this month. His 1981 book, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” was a #1 bestseller. He said he had been hurt by life and he wrote what he learned, hopefully to the benefit of readers.           I felt the title was better than the book. I had a problem […]

1969—Man on the Moon

20 July 2023 at 07:49
  The world was transfixed by the grainy video from a camera attached to the Lunar Module as Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. As Americans and countless others around the world stayed glued to their televisions, Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the face of the Moon on July 20, 1969, 54 years ago today. Armstrong, the commander of the Apollo 11 mission climbed down a ladder from the Lunar Module Eagle to the surface in the Sea of Tranquility at 10:56 P.M. Eastern Day Light Time.   As he climbed down he repeated a carefully constructed statement on what he knew would be a historic occasion.   Viewers at home heard him say, “That’s one small step for man, one giant step for mankind.”   Armstrong wou...

Earthrise

20 July 2023 at 06:00
Reposted from February 11, 2014 It was Christmas Eve, 1968, when the above photo, “Earthrise,” was taken by the crew of Apollo 8. The image caught astronaut Frank Borman by surprise. They were taking photographs of the moon when he … Continue reading →

Be Yourself

20 July 2023 at 05:00
I have had several jobs in which my predecessors were beloved. It is a humbling experience to come into a new position on the day the denomination renames the award in the field for your predecessor. And what I’ve learned is that the less time I spend trying to be someone else (or to live … Continue reading Be Yourself

Errors

19 July 2023 at 05:00
“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.” -Mahatma Gandhi When have you been too sure of your wisdom?

Summer reading: nature books for kids

18 July 2023 at 21:31
Last week, I led ecology programs for kids, including the “Sanddiggers,” a group of children in preK-K. The forecast on Wednesday was for rain much of the week, meaning we might be indoors. Uh oh. With the help of my librarian sister, I quickly ordered half a dozen nature-themed picture books to use with the … Continue reading "Summer reading: nature books for kids"

Ghanaian Parliament seeks to criminalize witchcraft accusations

19 July 2023 at 17:00
The Parliament of Ghana is considering a bill to prohibit the practices of witch doctors and witchfinders as well as preventing the naming or labeling of another person as a witch. Continue reading Ghanaian Parliament seeks to criminalize witchcraft accusations at The Wild Hunt.

For the First Time, the Summer of Hate Told by the Voices of Charlottesville

19 July 2023 at 15:39
A Q&A with Nora Neus | This decision was a key component of the book from the very beginning, and the thing I thought could (and almost did) sink the whole project. Prevailing wisdom from experts in this space say that interviewing and quoting white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and members of other hate groups either (1) gives them a “platform” from which to spew their hateful ideology or (2) minimizes the threat they represent if treating them as just another actor in the story.

A Centre for Unitarian and Dissenting Studies

19 July 2023 at 11:05
A brief reflection on my time at Harris Manchester College and the nascent effort to establish a Centre for Unitarian and Dissenting Studies. The post A Centre for Unitarian and Dissenting Studies appeared first on Colin Bossen.

a swing and a miss.

19 July 2023 at 10:11
 As one of my students helped me to understand, we all love learning but may not feel so hot on being taught. Being taught involves power dominance of one person over another, fails to acknowledge what's already known and assumes the ignorance of one party or the other. Learning at its best is self-motivated and driven by a desire to understand. The Arkansas State Legislature, driven by Trump's former press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders passed the "Arkansas Learns Act" which is considered one of the most radical legislative actions in the history of Arkansas education. It purports to increase teacher salaries, but makes no recognition of the value of long time teachers and the learning that takes place in their careers. Teachers str...

Stewards of Life

19 July 2023 at 06:09
Reposted from February 21, 2014 Similar to arguments against evolution, the Bible is often cited as evidence behind the attitude that man is the “ecological dominant” over all other species of beings on the planet. Genesis 1:26 has been used … Continue reading →

Small Wonders

18 July 2023 at 05:00
Somewhere, growing out of the crack in a sidewalk, is a dandelion. Somewhere, laid where people are liable to step over it and miss it, is a delicate bunch of flowers. Somewhere, there is beauty nearby you that you have overlooked. Notice small wonders of beauty today.

To Sit Down to Tea in Seneca Falls Was to be Present at Creation

19 July 2023 at 03:00
Mrs. Stanton reads the draft of the resolution. Note:   This celebration of the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention has been noted here several times before.   And it deserves to be.   It is also a reminder of how powerful just a handful standing up to all of the norms and expectations of their society can spark kindling that over time becomes a roaring bonfire.   Change is possible—even deep, fundamental, and revolutionary change.   The actions of a few, sustained over time and adversity, can lead to the paradigm shifts that seem to transform societies overnight.   Our own lonely collaborations around kitchen tables and in church basement meeting rooms may at this very moment be igniting that change. 1848 was the year of re...

Wednesday Photo: Lovers walking on Ditton Meadows

18 July 2023 at 19:00
Taken with a Fuji X-T2 (with a SMC Pentax-M 1:1.7 50mm lens) using Kevin Mullin’s “Parr” simulation Just click on the photo to enlarge it

Archeologists announce necromancy site near Jerusalem echoing the story of the Witch of Endor

18 July 2023 at 17:45
Research published yesterday describes evidence of necromancy performed by witches in an ancient cave site near Jerusalem Continue reading Archeologists announce necromancy site near Jerusalem echoing the story of the Witch of Endor at The Wild Hunt.

Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – July 18th

18 July 2023 at 15:31
Pausing to reflect, we gather strength and insight to face tomorrow. We are so grateful to the lay folks who are leading worship this summer. They are offering their gifts with open hearts, reflecting on their lives on the adventure of a free and responsible search for truth ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – July 18th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Was the Siege of Cuddalore the Last Battle of the American Revolution?

18 July 2023 at 07:54
  British Regulars engage forces of the Sultan of Mysore during the Siege of Cuddalore. What might   be considered the last battle of the American Revolution came to an end on July 25, 1783 when the combatants got preliminary notice that a Peace Treaty   had been signed.   The British forces including Hessian mercenaries and native forces lifted their 48 day siege of the strong point citadel of Cuddalore which was known to the French as Gondelour and defended by a recently reinforced French garrison and their native allies.   You scholars scrambling to find the fortress on a map of North America or even a map of the New World will be frustrated. Cuddalore was a port on the far southeast coast of India. Huh !?!   Let me explain. The...

Valuable Resources, No Waste

18 July 2023 at 06:03
Reposted from February 14, 2014 Where in our lives do we consume nature’s resources?  Where in our lives do we allow nature to provide us with renewable resources?  These are the fifth and sixth principles of permaculture–principles which we can … Continue reading →

Accidents

17 July 2023 at 05:00
Sometimes, things happen in our lives that bring us back to some healthier sense of who we are. We are beautifully imperfect, each of us, and it’s good to get that reminder regularly. When have you been reminded of the beauty of your imperfection?

Pagan Community Notes: Week of July 17, 2023

17 July 2023 at 16:24
In this week's Pagan Community notes, new research suggests colleges lack religious accommodations, announcements , events, and Rufus. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of July 17, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

Up up up

17 July 2023 at 15:31
You climbed how many flights of stairs today? What’d you do, walk up the Eiffel Tower? Why, yes we did. That’s 674 steps from the ground to the second floor, from which point those who want to go to the summit must take the elevator, so we did. The view was gorgeous. If not for […]

Upcoming Events at All Souls

17 July 2023 at 12:57
It’s difficult to believe, but we’re preparing for the start of the new church year, with Homecoming (September 10) on the horizon and a plethora of retreats and gatherings planned in the months ahead. Here’s a quick look at some of what’s coming up. (Please watch your email for the latest information, as details are subject to change.) July LGBTQ+ Meet-up Tuesday, July 25 | 6:30 pm | White Lion Pub All Souls LGBTQ+ will reconvene in person! Join us at the White Lion Pub, 6927 S. Canton Ave. for a casual get-together, featuring complimentary appetizers.  Foundations of Unitarian Universalism Sundays, July 30 […] The post Upcoming Events at All Souls appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Failure

17 July 2023 at 09:40
 Son #2, BMX Failure When my sons were adolescents, and devoted to skateboards and BMX bikes, we visited a skateboard shop called "Failure". I can only guess that the young adults owners' parents told them it would be a failure, or they would, so they embraced the name. I got a bumper sticker, and it lived on my Toyota Camry for about 400,000 miles. That was about 25 years ago, and I'm still learning to embrace the idea. It's one of the most valuable disciplines I can practice. Seen in D.C. Kavanope Last week, as the Senate moved toward confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh in spite of numerous accusations of sexual assault and his own partisan display, not to mention his erratic and unseemly behavior, my family and I were in Washington, DC. ...

Finding the Light

17 July 2023 at 06:05
Reposted from February 19, 2014 The physical and spiritual resources the earth provides are evident everywhere around us, but it is nature’s living example of growth and survival – it’s ability to sustain itself – from which we have much … Continue reading →

Spilling the Beans: Or, What I learned by living for seventy-five years

17 July 2023 at 04:00
                          Beloved, we have existed within you for all of our days. Before the earth was formed and the mountains arose, before stars and dreams, before any beginnings and all the endings, it is holy. You are holy. Even in the midst of […]

Unfurling

16 July 2023 at 05:00
At my ordination, a friend and colleague gave me a peacock feather to remind me that there would be times in my life when I had to unfurl my beautiful self in all of its fullness. -Michael Tino (CLF) When have you had an opportunity to unfurl the beauty and wholeness of who you are?

Murfin Mid-Summer Memoir of Cheyenne Far Away and Long Ago

17 July 2023 at 03:00
Cheyenne's 16th Street a/k/a Lincolnway/U.S. Highway 30.  My destination most Saturdays when I had money to spend.  That Army surplus store on the corner was a favorite. Note —Look for this in an adapted version in my forthcoming memoirs. It will be a sunny, warm day in McHenry County , Illinois .   A haze from wildfires scorching the Canada will keep the sky from its most perfect blue .   But a lazy day break encourages the mind to wander to other summers long ago and far away. Take those in Cheyenne, Wyoming 60 years ago. Which one to pick?  Each was a little different as I drifted from childhood into my early teens .  Let’s pick, say, 1963 for no good reason other than it popped into my headfirst .  I would have been 14 yea...

Summer reading: books about bookstores

16 July 2023 at 22:33
Climate change has changed summer reading. It used to be that you’d find a book to read while you sat in the sun on the beach. In this climate-changed world, now you might find a book to read while you sit inside hoping that your house doesn’t flood. So today, while rain pounded on the … Continue reading "Summer reading: books about bookstores"

A Brief Universalist Spiritual Reading Guide

16 July 2023 at 20:40
                        I’ve been working on a brief reflection to mark my seventy-fifth birthday tomorrow. After a ton of writing, I’ve done three quarters of a ton of cutting. This I couldn’t just leave as scattered pixels into the universe. A bit of a reading […]

God is Trans (2023)

16 July 2023 at 20:58
Reading: Jesus At The Gay Bar by Jay Hulme Before images of God, I had white Jesus. Hung in a picture frame in my childhood home. You can see his perfectly groomed beard and goatee, his long brown hair with soft … Continue reading →

“Equipping the paths less traveled” – an interview with Heron Michelle

16 July 2023 at 17:00
TWH speaks with Heron Michelle, owner of The Sojourner Whole Earth Provisions and author of Elemental Witchcraft, about her Pagan path and the challenges of creating and running a store that caters to "the paths less traveled." Continue reading “Equipping the paths less traveled” – an interview with Heron Michelle at The Wild Hunt.

What Is a Minister, Anyway?

16 July 2023 at 12:30
SERVICE PARTICIPANTS Rev. John Cullinan, Pastor Nylea Butler-Moore, Director of Music Vocal Trio: Kelly Shea, Tamson Smith, & Jenni Gaffney Renae Mitchell, Mike Begnaud, Patrick Webb, Galen Gisler, and Rick Bolton, AV techs WELCOME!  New to our church community?  Sign our guestbook and let us know if you’d like to get more connected. If you …<p> What Is a Minister, Anyway? Read More »

Goodbye Old Pine

16 July 2023 at 11:59
It was a sad day on July 6th when our neighbor’s huge pine tree was taken down. It had been the target of woodpeckers for a few years, so that was a sign that it was likely distressed–and in fact the tree company later confirmed the core had rotted. Situated so close to both our […]

Weekly Bread #231

16 July 2023 at 11:05
This week we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our legal marriage. This picture is from that wedding day. For the time being anyway, our relationship is still recognized by both God and Country. 10 years ago the country finally caught up with God who clearly had blessed us back in January of 1975. We were […]

Building a Truly Pagan Culture

16 July 2023 at 05:00
Conservatives who complain that the U.S. is becoming Pagan show their ignorance about Paganism. What they mean is that their version of Christianity is losing its cultural dominance. But what if they were right? What would a truly Pagan culture look like?

Treehouse

16 July 2023 at 05:57
Living in a tree has been a fantasy of mine for a long time. Right up front, I should say that it’s the kind of fantasy I never seriously thought I’d enjoy making real. I don’t like roughing it. I like my creature comforts: a shower at least once every couple-three days, hot water to […]

Bees

15 July 2023 at 05:00
When I searched for examples of humility in nature, I was offered this picture of a “humble bee,” which I think was a typo, but it made me think. I’m not sure that bees know their importance to all of life–that the things they do going about their daily lives make possible the food that … Continue reading Bees

The Morning the Sky Melted—Robert Oppenheimer and a Test Called Trinity

16 July 2023 at 03:00
                                        A poster for the widely anticipated new film Oppenheimer . The story of Robert Oppenheimer, the development of the Atomic Bomb, and his downfall has long fascinated story tellers across media.   That interest is bubbling over again with the widely anticipated release of a new film, Oppenheimer , which will open in American cinemas on July 21.   Directed by Christopher Nolan it stars Cillian Murphy in the title role, Emily Blunt as the scientist’s wife, Matt Damon   as General Leslie Groves , and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss . The story has also been told in American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (2005) by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherw...

Snake

14 July 2023 at 20:40
Walking back to our campsite, I came across this beautiful garter snake. It was willing to sit still while I took a portrait photograph.

Far from the Mainstream

15 July 2023 at 17:00
This is the first place that has been entirely mine, where every piece of art or display has been chosen because it represents something important to me, something that makes me happy. Trying to see it with another set of eyes feels distancing, like a particularly unpleasant magic trick. I suppose that’s fitting. Continue reading Far from the Mainstream at The Wild Hunt.

Engaging Ancient Spiritual Texts

15 July 2023 at 14:30
It is good to sing praise to you, my heart. To give thanks for the blessings of life,To notice love coursing through my body in the morningAnd faithfulness through the night.I hear our human voices as music,And silence as melody.I delight in your world;You make my body sing with joy. How great is your goodness.How unfathomable […]

All Ages Worship (16 July 2023)

15 July 2023 at 13:30
Please join us on Sunday (16 July 2023) at 11:00 AM for “Schadenfreude, Freudenfreude.  Afraid of ‘Freude,’ Freed in ‘Freude.'” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106 if you are able … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (16 July 2023)"

Painting Project, Part II — Summer Activities for Children and Youth (16 July 2023)

15 July 2023 at 13:20
During the summer, our children and youth participate in various fun artistic and creative activities. On this Sunday (16 July 2023), the brilliantly creative Maggie Molisee is back to continue with the new painting project they started last Sunday. Kids should wear clothing that can risk getting some paint on them — this is a … Continue reading "Painting Project, Part II — Summer Activities for Children and Youth (16 July 2023)"

Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education — 16 July 2023

15 July 2023 at 13:13
Please join us on Sunday (16 July 2023) for our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM. Our adult religious education class is now a dual-platform class — meeting in person in the church social hall and also on Zoom. For that week, we will continue our discussion of Patrice Cullor’s An Abolitionist’s Handbook.  We … Continue reading "Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education — 16 July 2023"

Zoom (and In-Person) Lunch on Tuesday (18 July 2023)

15 July 2023 at 13:07
Please join us next Tuesday (18 July 2023) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Our weekly Zoom lunch is going dual-platform — join us from home using Zoom or in person in the social hall. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

A reposting of “Kicking the can into hell?”—A meditation written during the extreme heatwave in the UK during 2023

15 July 2023 at 12:53
“An Angel Leading a Soul into Hell”—a follower of Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450–1516)    Given that I have a number of Italian and French friends who are currently suffering badly as a consequence of, firstly, the fierce anticyclone called Cerberus (named after the gruesome three-headed dog who turns up in Dante’s Inferno) and now thanks to an even more severe one called Caronte , or Charon , who was the ferryman of the dead for the Ancient Greeks, it seems only appropriate to repost a piece I wrote last year just after the UK experienced a couple of days of 40 degree celsius heat. Kicking the can into hell?—A meditation written during the extreme heatwave in the UK during 2023 A short  “ thought for the day” offered to the...

Weather Report

15 July 2023 at 10:33
A week ago we finally made it to the beach. We’ve had so many rainy days this summer, alternating with a few very hot muggy days. That day was hot and muggy, but less so at Crescent Beach, so we got ourselves over there. The water was totally full of seaweed, and somehow that dampened […]

A soft start...

15 July 2023 at 08:39
Last night we opened the new Museum of Eureka Springs Art space to the public for a preview,  and were pleased by the response. There were far too many people to accurately count. The response tells us us what we already know. Eureka Springs is a city of the arts in which the arts matter. Many of the guests in last night's affair, have collections of works by local artists, things treasured for years, that they hope to share with others. The museum will provide the means for that. Some guests asked about becoming docents.  Others were offering works from their own collections. The level of enthusiasm was great and all were wanting to find ways to help. And there will be ways. Next week the floors in the museum will be stripped and poli...

Ten Years After a Whitewash Verdict—Murfin Verse for Trayvon

15 July 2023 at 07:46
The most iconic photo of Trayvon Martin in a hoodie. It is hard to believe that it has been   more than eleven years since 17-year old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a self-appointed vigilante on a drizzling Florida night and ten years since his killer George Zimmerman was cleared of a second degree murder charge by a Florida jury on July 13, 2013.   The shooting of the unarmed teen who had committed no crime, sparked national outrage and protests by the African-American community and social justice activists that only intensified after the verdict .   Trayvon’s death and a spate of police involved killings that followed became catalysts for the BlackLivesMatter movement . On the other hand , the gun lobby and their slavish m...

Patience

14 July 2023 at 05:00
“May the mantle of humility give courage to admit when we are wrong. May compassion’s loom weave in us the discipline to forgive. May patience help us bear in mind that ours is not the only scale of time.” -from a prayer by Maureen Killoran How can you exercise patience in order to cultivate humility … Continue reading Patience

Meditation with Larry Androes (15 July 2023)

14 July 2023 at 22:31
Please join us on Saturday (15 July 2023) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching. Please note that this group is still meeting via Zoom.  You will need … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (15 July 2023)"

Ibis Incantations

14 July 2023 at 17:35
It’s no surprise then that the ibis has made it into our religions from the very earliest times, manifesting as Thoth in ancient Egypt with the sacred ibis, close relative of the white ibis. Continue reading Ibis Incantations at The Wild Hunt.

Indigenous Lives and The Climate Crisis: A Photo Essay Series (Part 3)

14 July 2023 at 13:24
The final installment in this three-part series examines climate change impacts in Alaska.

A reply to an inquiring teenager . . .

14 July 2023 at 12:35
A short  “ thought for the day” offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful   Meditation.   (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece)   —o0o— On Friday morning, under the featured post of this blog, namely, my 2016 talk to the Sea of Faith Conference at Leicester University called, “The freedom to be tomorrow what we are not today,” the following comment was posted: Hello! My name is Benedict and I’m a teenager. I’m establishing a personal belief system/religion for myself and I was wondering if you could say a blessing for me to become the first priest of my religion. I ask you because I would like to have a Unitarian bless me. Also, can you create ...

Indigenous Lives and The Climate Crisis: A Photo Essay Series (Part 2)

14 July 2023 at 12:29
Part two of this three-part series examines climate change impacts in Louisiana.

Eyes on Eastern Europe: Roma Women’s Fund (Chiricli)

14 July 2023 at 12:03
A series on UUSC’s partners in Eastern Europe.

This evening 5-7 PM

14 July 2023 at 08:45
Today we've invited the community to come to visit our new, fledgling Museum of Eureka Springs Art. We will have a few works on display and show off the space at the Eureka Springs Community Center complex that will serve as the starter home for a unique museum. While most museums feature the works of individual artists and highlight their work, we are a community of artists and art lovers and the museum will not only celebrate the the individual artists from our past, it will celebrate the relationships between artists  and art patrons that has made our city a unique haven for the arts. Please join us if you can. If not able, then celebrate and build the arts in your own community. What we have here can be replicated. Make, fix and cre...

Paris

13 July 2023 at 04:59
We have two weeks in which to relish Paris, and have been relishing away. Munchkin would like to go to college in French–not just in a French-speaking country, and certainly not just for a semester–so she has been exploring universities, first in Geneva, now here, and next week, in Lyon. Joy and I have no […]

Prayer For Wonderment Alongside Brokenness

14 July 2023 at 06:00
A Prayer For Wonderment Alongside Brokenness Gracious Love, may we pray ever for the wow and wonderment when we meet loss, challenges, and these judgments called brokenness. What are we breaking into? What are we remaking as? When we ravel and ravel and ravel into new fibres, shapes, colors, dreams...

A Meditation on Naturalistic Religion

14 July 2023 at 04:00
  The sea is calm tonight. The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits; on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay. Come to the window, sweet is the night-air! Only, from the long line of spray […]

Official France Celebrates la Fête Nationale but Parisians Cannot be Denied Their Bastille Day

14 July 2023 at 03:00
Many popular images of the storming of the Bastille are highly romanticized like this English school text illustration.  In reality there was relatively little fighting and only seven inmates were freed including common criminals. It’s  Bastille  Day , of course, commemorating the day in 234 years ago in 1789 when the Paris Mob set off the French Revolution by storming the Bastille, a fortress prison traditionally used by the monarchy to detain its political enemies without benefit of civil appeal.  The French make a big deal of it.  In the United States it is marked by an exceptionally busy evening in French restaurants.  In recent years the long-time loathing of all things French by the right wing stre...

Leadership

13 July 2023 at 11:58
“The example of the humble is also before us. Indeed, humility has seldom looked so wise. So many people in positions of public trust and responsibility, who otherwise would not attract our notice, have gained authority and our confidence by unspectacularly acting with honor. They persist in seeking truth, being accountable, stepping up to their … Continue reading Leadership

Leaving Home

13 July 2023 at 18:49
For the Traveler Every time you leave home, Another road takes you Into a world you were never in. New strangers on other paths await. New places that have never seen you Will startle a little at your entry. Old places that know you well Will pretend nothing Changed since your last visit. When you travel, you find yourself Alone in a different way, More attentive now To the self you bring along, Your more subtle eye watching You abroad; and how what meets you Touches that part of the heart That lies low at home: How you unexpectedly attune To the timbre in some voice, Opening in conversation You want to take in To where your longing Has pressed hard enough Inward, on some unsaid dark, To create a crystal of insight You could not have kno...

Canadian Lake may provide evidence of the start of a new Human epoch

13 July 2023 at 17:02
Scientists have proposed a small Canadian lake near Toronto has having the necessary evidence that may mark the era of humanity's impact on the Earth. Continue reading Canadian Lake may provide evidence of the start of a new Human epoch at The Wild Hunt.

Sunday, July 16 ~ Poetry Share at UUCSW ~ 10 a.m.

13 July 2023 at 16:43
Sunday, July 16, 10:00 a.m. “Poetry Share” at UUCSW Summer Worship On The Road Continues! On this midsummer Sunday, Phyllis Barrett and Sheila McPharlin will invite those who attend to share poems which give them a feeling of delight. Jane Gates will be providing music. “He who draws noble delights from sentiments of poetry is a   [ … ] The post Sunday, July 16 ~ Poetry Share at UUCSW ~ 10 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

What Autistic Girls Wish Their Parents Knew About Friendship

13 July 2023 at 15:23
By Jane Strauss | One of the things that many parents seem to be unhappy about when their child is labeled “Autistic” is this: “But they will not have play dates.” Friendship, “socializing,” and human interaction are seen as central to our very humanity. Females often fly under the radar for being labeled on the autism spectrum because their social development is different from that of males, generally resulting in more social orientation, better imitation skills at a younger age, and earlier speech, of whatever kind, than their male counterparts.

a mitered finger joint box

13 July 2023 at 09:18
The mitered finger joint is a very strong joint for box making, offering rhythm in the corners through the contrast of end grain vs. side grain. The mitered portion of the joint allows for a seamless movement of grain traveling around corners of the box, allows the easy use of floating panels on top (as used in this box), and also offers the possible use of decorative inlays along the top edge of the box. This box shown will have the lid cut free from the body of the box, and then a base, feet, and hinges will be added. Do not forget the soft opening of the Museum of Eureka Springs Art tomorrow evening 5-7 PM at the Eureka Springs Community Center. We have a very long ways to go in building our museum, and you're invited to help. Ozarks-...

Zen and the Wounded Heart

13 July 2023 at 04:00
                                          “An enlightened person who loves alcohol, when they pass the liquor store, their head will still turn.” I spent some time recently pursuing that quote. While one version of it or another is a […]

The Civil War Draft Ignited New York Rebellion Behind the Lines

13 July 2023 at 03:00
  After the outbreak of violence against the Draft in New York city rioters attacked the Provost Marshall's office--the small wooden building.  Police Superintendent James Kennedy tried to rally his overwhelmed men standing on the roof and was captured and nearly beaten to death. In the eyes of anti-war folks opposition to the Draft is a matter of principle.   I fully understand.   After all, I was a Vietnam resistor and did my time in Federal custody.   The active draft was allowed to expire un-mourned though a rusty Selective Service System remains in place if needed.   Our recent wars of choice—the Gulf War, intervention in Bosnia, and the tandem wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—have been fought by an all-volunteer professional ...

Unexpected

12 July 2023 at 05:00
Sometimes I make assumptions that are incorrect. Humility to me is when I take the time to pause. Stop. Listen. Then ask questions, without assuming I know the answer. -Beth Murray (CLF) When has a humble moment in your life led you somewhere unexpected?

Report on Forced sterilization of Canada’s Indigenous women: “horrific practice is not confined to the past”

12 July 2023 at 17:00
A Canadian senate report released last year outlines the ongoing incidence of forced sterilization of Indigenous women within the Canadian healthcare system. Continue reading Report on Forced sterilization of Canada’s Indigenous women: “horrific practice is not confined to the past” at The Wild Hunt.

Canadian Unitarian Universalists Mourn the Death of Rev. Rodrigo Emilio Solano-Quesnel

12 July 2023 at 13:26
Canadian Unitarian Universalists Mourn the Death of Rev. Rodrigo Emilio Solano-Quesnel July 12, 2023 Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the tragic death of Rev. Rodrigo (“Rod”) Emilio Solano-Quesnel, who died at age 42 in a traffic accident early on the morning of Tuesday, July 11. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and […] The post Canadian Unitarian Universalists Mourn the Death of Rev. Rodrigo Emilio Solano-Quesnel first appeared on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada. The post Canadian Unitarian Universalists Mourn the Death of Rev. Rodrigo Emilio Solano-Quesnel appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.

Coffee with God

12 July 2023 at 08:57
I speak daily with God. She loves me and wears great shoes. She said I can set the past down It’s really heavy and not getting me anywhere. It’s time to pack the wound and commit to the healing of it instead of letting it fester. We got coffee once. She checked her email while […]

The Second Adams—The Son Also Rises Part II

12 July 2023 at 08:08
                                   John Quincy Adams presidential portrait. The years of the Monroe Administration were already being called the Era of Good Feelings because following the War of 1812 the Federalists had all but disappeared making the Democratic Republicans the single major political party.   But it was now unwieldy and had lost the ideological cohesion of the heady days of the Revolution of 1800 when Thomas Jefferson and the party had swept into office, crushing John Adam ’ s hopes for a second term. The orderly system of party caucus which anointed the favorite of the sitting President had broken down and the era of Revolutionary Founders had run out.   Despite the advantage of being Monroe’s ...

Oops and Ouch

11 July 2023 at 10:08
I receive your “Ouch” with openness and curiosity. I receive your “Oops” with acceptance and empathy. I offer my “Ouch” with hope and trust. I offer my “Oops” with humility and courage. I release my “Ouch” with immeasurable faith. I release my “Oops” with purpose. I release your “Ouch” with promise. I release your “Oops” … Continue reading Oops and Ouch

Wednesday Photo: Heron by the River Cam on Grantchester Meadows

11 July 2023 at 19:00
Taken with a Fuji X-T2 using Ritchie Roesch’s Kodak Portra 160 recipe Just click on a photo to enlarge it

The Lady of Vix: Part 1 on Gaulish-Roman burial sites

11 July 2023 at 16:20
Our correspondent Sean McShee updates us on the continuing archeological research which is providing new insights into the burial of a powerful Gaulish woman known as the Lady of Vix. Continue reading The Lady of Vix: Part 1 on Gaulish-Roman burial sites at The Wild Hunt.

Become an RE Volunteer

11 July 2023 at 13:56

Recalling the Ancient Christian Universalist Bardaisan

11 July 2023 at 10:00
                      According to tradition Bardaisan, or sometimes Bardesanes, was born into a wealthy pagan family in Edessa (today Sanliufa, Turkey) today, on July 11th, 154 in our common era. He was educated with the princes of the Abgar dynasty. He became a Christian and was […]

The Second Adams—The Son Also Rises Part I

11 July 2023 at 08:13
Famous parents and a daunting legacy--John and Abigail Adams.  John Quincy admired and respected his distant father but bitterly resented his mother who was never satisfied with him and whose sharp tongue made it abundantly clear to him. At the end of his long life John Quincy Adams was revered as Old Man Eloquent by opponents of slavery and reviled in equal measure as a Yankee mad man by the Southern slave holding aristocracy.   As a boy and young man, he lived in his famous father ’ s shadow, an errand boy and gopher for the great man on his diplomatic postings for the infant American republic. In between he lived an eventful life , full of public service, accomplishment, and occasional respect all the while battling what is now ev...

Amazon prime day

11 July 2023 at 07:41
 It is Amazon Prime day in the US and a number of my books are available at special prices. These are Rustic Furniture Basics , Basic Box Making ,  Beautiful Boxe s, and Tiny Boxes. The sale should last until tomorrow.

Deep Time

10 July 2023 at 05:00
I’ve always loved visualizations of deep time — those huge timelines that remind us that all of human existence on this planet is contained in a tiny speck at the end of time as we can imagine it. Reminders our smallness in the scope of time offer a kind of nourishing humility; it doesn’t mean … Continue reading Deep Time

Pagan Community Notes: Week of July 10, 2023

10 July 2023 at 17:31
In this week's Pagan Community Notes: European Congress of Ethnic Religions adopts the Riga declaration, Witch Detectives annoys a Christian group, Devils Hole pupfish, upcoming events and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of July 10, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

Five Hundred Lives as a Cat: A Zen Reflection on the Koan “Mehitabel’s Song”

10 July 2023 at 15:56
  The Case this is the song of mehitabelof mehitabel the alley catas i wrote you before bossmehitabel is a believerin the pythagoreantheory of the transmigrationof the soul and she claimsthat formerly her spiritwas incarnated in the bodyof cleopatrathat was a long time agoand one must not besurprised if mehitabelhas forgotten some of her more […]

The UUA Welcomes the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt as Its Tenth UUA President

10 July 2023 at 08:47
It is with great enthusiasm that the UUA welcomes the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt as our tenth UUA President. With Rev. Sofía’s leadership, we are positioned to move forward in faithful community, in recognition of our shared values and the important work ahead. Continue reading "The UUA Welcomes the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt as Its Tenth UUA President"

Q&A: New UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt

10 July 2023 at 08:59
Charles Coe On July 10, Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt became the tenth president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Betancourt took time to talk a bit about her background and share with UU World some thoughts about the opportunities and challenges facing the UU community.

And more

10 July 2023 at 10:51
It’s amazing how you can walk into a room full of 17th century Dutch paintings, take a quick glance around as you move through,  and know immediately when your eye falls on a painting by Vermeer. I could spend the rest of my life trying to do what he does with light, but I figure […]

Indigenous Lives and The Climate Crisis: A Photo Essay Series 

10 July 2023 at 10:36
UUSC works with Native communities in Alaska and Louisiana to call attention to climate change and injustice—on a global scale.
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