10/1/2025 Wednesday
The math behind Kevin Bacon's famous Six Degrees of Separation, investigated by Veritasium on Network Science. For how someone gets hired through unexpected friends/connections: Strength of Weak Ties mentioned ("The Strength of Weak Ties" is a foundational concept in sociology, introduced by Mark Granovetter in 1973 arguing that weak ties—casual acquaintances or distant connections—are more effective than strong ties (close friends, family) at providing access to novel information, opportunities, and diverse perspectives. This is because strong ties often exist within homogenous "cliques" of people with similar backgrounds and information, while weak ties bridge different social circles, offering access to new resources and ideas critical for innovation and career advancement ~google AI):
Painting of the day: Christ Calling the Apostles James and John, 1869
Painting by Edward A. Armitage (1817-1896),
Painted in 1869,
Oil on canvas
© Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust, UK
Fr. Patrick van der Vorst: Luke 9:57-62 Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead' - "it is fair to assume that his father is still alive" [I've never heard this interpretation before and don't plan on buying it] but it's an interesting take on the urgency of His calling. Do not postpone, do not be sluggish.
"In our painting by Victorian artist Edward A. Armitage , we see Jesus standing on a rocky shoreline bathed in soft light, addressing James and John who are in their boat. The landscape reflects the great adventure that is awaiting them. Edward Armitage was a noted Victorian painter trained in Paris under Paul Delaroche. Rooted in the tradition of Academic realism, Armitage specialised in historical, classical, and biblical subjects. His is a master at depicting —dramatic narrative moments with great technical detail.
You will see that the font of the boat carries a 4 letter inscription. I haven't been able to work out what it stands for... Feel free to leave comments on our webpage below today's reading to share your thoughts or... if you know the answer."
Scientists make embryos from human skin DNA for first time. The fundamentalists are going wild with this, I'm sure: Human egg is still needed, just replaced its nucleus with that of a skin cell (perhaps appealing to same-sex couples, infertility due to old age, etc.) but the idea that the egg is emptied is just something else:
9/26/2025 Monday
If it's not gun violence but evil in the criminal's heart that is the problem, then America is more evil than China, etc. with so many school shooting cases:
Most of the MAGA ideology is more pagan than the Christianity it is attempting to pretend.