A few weeks ago, we heard of the discovery of another Earth-like planet not so distant from our own home, barely 40 light-years away. In lay terms, we would need 40 years to get there if we travelled at the speed of light… which is currently well beyond our ability. Nevertheless, it’s quite fascinating that we can look into such…
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We began this celebration in an unusual fashion: outside in the twilight, with live fire and my humble self, performing something that bystanders might consider a sort of magic. Then we entered the church where another performance of mine took place: a long, long hymn sang a capella. Clearly a show-off to those unfamiliar with the celebration – and of…
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Recently I watched a story about an American man in his twenties who’d died in an accident about a year ago. His main organs had been donated for transplantation, and many other parts and tissues of his body had been given for medical use. It was estimated that, thanks to the consent of his bereaved parents, up to a hundred…
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Last year the dramatic flood of refugees heading for Europe across the sea was a daily feature in the news. Tragic stories of those who drowned were making headlines. Reports on refugees holed up in migration centres or facing closed borders were shown on TV so often that they seemed to have become a permanent fixture in the regular schedule.…
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Last Wednesday night I was watching ‘Reporting Scotland’ on the BBC. Among many stories there was one about lowering the sugar content in the iconic Scottish fizzy drink ‘Irn-Bru’. A reporter asked a few people in the street for their opinions on the decision. My attention was drawn to a middle-aged woman whose forehead had been marked with a darkened…