The Burning of Rome, 64 AD

During the night of July 18, 64 AD, fire broke out in the merchant area of the city of Rome. Fanned by summer winds, the flames quickly spread through the dry, wooden structures of the Imperial City. Soon the fire took on a life of its own consuming all in its path for six days and seven nights. When the 
conflagration finally ran its course it left seventy percent of the city in smoldering ruins.

From the ashes of the fire rose a more spectacular Rome. A city made of marble and stone with wide streets, pedestrian arcades and ample supplies of water to quell any future blaze. The debris from the fire was used to fill the malaria-ridden marshes that had plagued the city for generations.

americana of the past

October 1935. View of the L.F. Kitts general store in Maynardville, Tennessee.

jpr: some moonshine as well?   Ma would have been a teenager.

Gravitational waves

In physics, gravitational waves are ripples in the curvature of space time that propagate as a wave, travelling outward from the source. They move at the speed of light and penetrate dark regions of space where light waves cannot travel.

An artists rendition of gravity  waves generated by two stars colliding. Such waves have been detected indirectly.

jpr: could such a wave propel a space craft?

ocean's foam

Caused by agitation of great amounts of decaying algal matter in the water.

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.   Ecclesiastes1:7.

world cup soccer fans

those who can play those who can't paint!

The Church as it should be.

The Community of Sant'Egidio  (St Giles) is a Christian community at the socialist end of Christianity,  recognized by the Catholic Church as a "Church public lay association". It claims 50,000 members in 70 countries. Main activities are prayer, spreading the Gospel, service to the poor, commitment to ecumenism (The Community is ecumenical, rooted in the Catholic Church), and dialogue with members of other religions and non-believers.  Often condemned by church traditionalists, it has won the praise of Pope Francis.Their activities include setting up refuges for the old, hospices for AIDS patients, and printing a handbook titled "Where to Eat, Sleep, and Wash in Rome" as gifts to the homeless. The  Catholic Community is a global leader on HIV/AIDS, runs programs across Africa, funds scientific research on mother-child transmission, and advocates passionately that everyone deserves the best care.  Their Sunday ‘Lay’ prayer service, famous for its music and preaching, draws thousands of believers and nonbelievers

father and son day

My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

Clarence Budington Kelland