RaMbLeS
Welcome to RaMbLeS, a collection of weekly musings on life and Scripture. It all began in 2005 on Google’s blogspot as the aBeLOG (a name now recycled), a semi-autobiographical devotional that attempted to keep well-wishers abreast of my activities as I relocated to Scotland for a few years. Since my return, I’ve continued my RaMbLeS, and here’s its most recent incarnation on Homiletix, as random reflections usually based on current news articles and travel experiences and whatever else takes my fancy!
Promotion!
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. The famous Portuguese professional soccer star, forward for Juventus and captain of the Portugal national team. One of the best players in the world, and though by some to be one of the G.O.A.T.! The man has won the Ballon d’Or award (one of the most prestigious individual awards for soccer players) five times (Lionel Messi of Argentina has won it six times), and the European Golden Boot (presented to the
Fixed!
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (aka the “broken heart” disease) is a sudden weakening of the cardiac muscle in the left ventricle that can be triggered by conditions causing a “broken heart”—death, break-ups, extreme stress. A surge of stress hormones flood the heart during such traumatic events. That causes changes in the heart muscles and blood vessels which prevent the left ventricle from working properly. The result is the heavy, achy feeling people get in the
Milk?
Milk is now good for you. Not just for your bones, but also for your heart.
Or so saith researchers from University College London and University of South Australia in “Evidence for a Causal Association Between Milk Intake and Cardiometabolic Disease Outcomes,” published in International Journal of Obesity the other day.
They pooled data from multiple international studies looking at almost 2 million individuals in the UK and USA. Those with a genetic predisposition
Nice!
Americans are cleaning up nicely. So reported The Wall Street Journal the other day.
As we return to civilization and normalcy after the annus horribilis of 2020 and its pandemic, folks are packing their shopping carts not with toilet paper and water sanitizers and disinfectants anymore. Nope!
What is flying off the shelves are deodorant, teeth whitener, perfume, nail polish, and sunscreen.
When the mayor of Washington, D.C., declared that bars and clubs would be fully open
Cooperation!
Scientists from Northwestern University reported recently on a wireless, light-activated neural implant, allowing them to trigger a mouse’s brain activity from afar. So the mice can actually roam around with their neurons monitored and influenced, without being tethered to heavy-duty equipment. “Wireless Multilateral Devices for Optogenetic Studies of Individual and Social Behaviors” was published in Nature Neuroscience.
The equipment was groundbreaking and kinda
Ambience!
What with the pandemic and stuff, many of us have not done much traveling the past year.
But did you know that you could even go to places that don’t exist? From the comfort of your living room? You could right now, and for free, kinda sorta perambulate to parts unknown and non-extant. Just go to YouTube!
You can be in the Hogwarts Library. Rain is falling, a fire is crackling, and you can lull yourself to these ambient noises. Add a quill scribbling on parchment. And
Influencer!
One day, in the Chimfunshi wildlife sanctuary, Zambia, Julia, an 18-year-old chimpanzee, created something new. A style. She began to put long, stiff blades of grass into one or both ears. And then she continued her daily life, those new accessories of style clearly visible.
Apparently, other chimps at the sanctuary were impressed. And pretty soon, they began copying her fashion statement: first her son, then a couple of female friends, then a male buddy. Eight of the ten
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching. 