It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, October 07, 2021
THE FASCINATING PHYSICS BEHIND BOWLING IS A FUN SCIENCE LESSON by Matthew Hart Oct 6 2021 •
Usually when an amateur bowler toes the line in front of a lane and ten pins, they’re not thinking about much else besides hurling their ball so it hits its target head on. But the physics of the game—as professionals know—is as complex as the rules are simple. In a new video, YouTuber and science educator Derek Muller gives us insight into the spins, speeds, and angles of the game. And you’ll probably never look at bowling the same way. Laughing Squid picked up on Muller’s new video, which he recently posted to his YouTube channel, Veritasium. For those unfamiliar, Muller is popular for taking deep scientific looks into random, interesting questions about the world. The YouTuber has, for example, found answers to the questions “Is dust mostly skin?” and “Why do scorpions glow under UV light?”
Veritasium
In this new video, Muller takes a (very) close look at the physics that underpin bowling. Throughout the video, the YouTuber shows everything from how people make bowling balls to how to throw the perfect strike. Double hint: find yourself a ball with a low moment of inertia and aim just to the right or left of the headpin.
Speaking of which, Muller shows in the video that the ideal angle at which to hit a standard arrangement of pins is at six degrees. In other words, if you’re throwing a bowling ball straight down the line, it’s at zero degrees. To throw it at an angle of six degrees, you need to find a way to attack the pins “head on,” but from a little to the side. This is where “hooking” the ball comes in for pros. Veritasium
Muller covers just about everything else from the world of bowling physics, including a lot about oils. It turns out that the game of bowling as most of us know it wouldn’t be possible without a lot of oil-coated onto lane wood. In fact, without the oil coating, the game would be far more difficult; especially if people still played with today’s relatively “spiky” balls. Although even with perfect conditions, and Albert Einstein as a coach, luck would still play a big part in outcomes.
GIVE IT UP ‘ONE MORE TIME’ FOR THESE MUSICAL TESLA COILS by Rotem Rusak Oct 5 2021 •
Tesla coils love to make music. We’ve heard them play all kinds of songs, from Daft Punk’s “Around the World” to Toto’s “Africa.” But now they’re back…one more time. In a video we first spotted on Laughing Squid, a musical quartet of Tesla coils performs Daft Punk’s “One More Time.” And boy, do sparks fly.
When things behave in ways we don’t expect them to, the results are always a lot of fun. Especially if the results please the ear and eye. But these musical Tesla coils take it to the next level. They put on an incredible show. It’s something right out of our best nostalgic dreams. These Tesla coils know how to rock and roll. Their special effects are out of this world. Though the music they make wows, we can’t deny the show of purple lightning isn’t what makes this extra special.
The coils use their buzzing tones to make the song come to life. This harmonious marvel is made possible by Franzoli Electronics. The channel shares:
Welcome to Franzoli Electronics channel, where a hobby and passion for music, science and electronics, is taken very seriously, becoming a priority over everything in my life.
That passion has undoubtedly paid off here.
Franzoli Electronics
The video’s description further explains how these musical Tesla coils operate: For those who did not understand what is going on this video, here’s a brief explanation: The main loud music really comes from the tesla coil sparks. They are literally playing the music due to the programmed phase, pulse width and firing frequency! So, there are no speakers, no audio / video special effects. It looks even better in person and sounds almost the same, just louder than people expect!
The fact that Franzoli Electronics uses no speakers and no added special effects astounds. The video is up there with cool sequences from the best movies, but you could actually experience this performance in real life. Are these coils going on tour soon? We hope so
.
Global Stagflation Reminiscent Of The 1970s Is Forming, And It’s Bad News: National Bank
Stagflation is high inflation during a recession, when it typically shouldn’t be seen. In a healthy scenario, inflation is the result of rising productivity and a tight job market. It’s viewed as a side effect of too much success. During stagflation, inflation rises with high unemployment and slow growth. It’s often the result of lower confidence in a currency.
It might be obvious why this is an issue, but let’s just spell it out for everyone. Rising inflation for essential goods means diverting spending from other areas of spending. Diverted cash diverts revenues for certain companies, which can further slow growth.
One of the most well-known periods of global stagflation was the early 1970s. Oil trade restrictions resulted in rising energy costs, which trickled into most goods. This made already elevated inflation even worse, especially for food. Since this was during a recession, it exacerbated the difficulty of unemployment. Keep this in mind when reading the tale from NBC. Early Signs Of Stagflation Have Begun To Appear
The bank sees some signs of stagflation beginning to appear in the economy. Like in the 1970s, it’s starting with a shock to energy prices. A shortage, and rising carbon permit costs in OECD countries are causing a price squeeze. This can hurt emerging economies, slowing global trade.
All while the pandemic recession is still raging on, with elevated unemployment. NBC said, “the risks of a stagflation scenario are increasing.”
“This confluence of factors is looking more and more like a supply shock reminiscent of the early 1970s, when soaring production costs idled industrial capacity and lowered potential GDP for many quarters,” he said. Rising Global Food Prices May Slow Global Economic Growth
Global food prices are rising at an unusually fast rate these days, and it’s not a base effect. The United Nations Food Price Index (FFPI) shows the basket price of food is up 30% year to date, from it’s 2020 average. NBC found this is the largest increase over the last 47 years of data. It’s the highest level of growth since the 1970s, which is that period again.
“As if this were not already bad news for inflation, we now have to contend with soaring food costs,” he said.
Food is one of the largest components of household expenses in emerging economies. Heck, it’s a big expense in advanced economies as well. As food prices rise, capital will be diverted into essentials. Emerging markets are about 60% of global GDP, estimates the economist.
As inflation kills emerging market consumption, it will drag global trade. “Clouds are forming over global economic growth forecasts for 2022,” he said.
Apple takes a stand on the environment—the wrong one
Apple likes to tout its environmental record. So why is it trying to kill clean-energy laws?
According to several reports, Apple is trying to have its environmental cake and eat it, too.
Eat it in a super truck that’s rolling coal. With a totally unnecessary coal-powered fork.
Why a coal-powered fork?! You could just use a regular fork, Apple! You don’t need a coal-powered one that lifts the cake to your arrrgh whatever.
Popular Information has called out “Bad Apple”. (Tip o’ the antlers to Tay Bass.)
Normally the Macalope might take issue with calling out Apple here when there are plenty of other companies involved, but in this case, it’s appropriate because of Apple’s consistent PR push on its environmental record.
The crux of the argument is that while Apple makes a big deal of that record (“If you’ve owned your AirPods for more than six months, they’re 90 percent biodegradable earwax by weight now!”), it’s also a member of the Business Roundtable, an organization that is about to launch a “massive lobbying blitz” in an effort to kill the Clean Energy Standard, a provision designed to decarbonize the electric grid by 2035. The reason—you guessed it, a tax increase that the Business Roundtable says is “bad for workers and the economy.”
What’s weird is that Apple signed a letter in August calling on Congress to pass the Clean Energy Standard. The Macalope encourages you to go to the piece and read the two competing quotes, one from the letter Apple signed and the other from the Business Roundtable that Apple is a member of because they could not be more starkly in contrast if one was set in Papyrus and the other in Helvetica.
Maybe you’re saying “But Apple’s just one of the hundreds of members of this organization. I never return those proxy statements from my mutual fund company. I don’t attend meetings of the homeowners association. I haven’t seen my children in weeks, I don’t even know where they are.
Maybe likewise Apple has no idea what’s going on at the Business Roundtable!”
Well, that’s possible. But, you see, Tim Cook is on the board of the Business Roundtable. And he seems like a pretty thorough guy. You and I might sleep through a Zoom meeting, but Tim? Not likely.
Maybe now you’re saying “Well, if they’re meeting via Zoom, maybe Tim’s been on mute. Maybe he’s shy and doesn’t want to speak up. LOOK, I JUST WANT TO ENJOY MY IPHONE.”
The Macalope gets that, but as far as Tim Cook’s influence on the Business Roundtable, the horny one don’t know if you’ve noticed this or not, but Cook’s the CEO of the biggest company in the history of money. You’d think he’d have more sway than, say, the CEO of Land O’Lakes, who is also on the board.
IDG
Unless she’s bribing the other board members with butter in which case he doesn’t. Because who’s going to turn down butter? Jim Fitterling, CEO of Dow?! Not likely! Guy’s got a stick a day habit! (Disclaimer: the Macalope has no idea what Jim Fitterling’s butter habits are.)
This revelation is also awkward in light of Apple VP for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson recently being named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women.
If an organization Apple sits on the board of manages to kill a bill with an important environmental provision and Apple really does support the provision, you have to wonder what kind of influence Apple is exerting on that organization. Either it’s not trying or it’s not being effective. Those are the only two options. If Apple doesn’t agree with the organization’s stance, then it should walk away from it.
“But I can change the organization from inside!”
Theoretically! But you’re literally not!
It doesn’t even matter if you don’t agree with this provision. As a forest dweller who breathes oxygen and likes to keep his head above water, the Macalope does. But one thing we should all be able to agree on is that if Apple actually cares about the environment then it should be consistent about it if it wants to take credit. Speaking out of both sides of its mouth is not okay and it’s not going unnoticed. In addition to being a mythical beast, the Macalope is not an employee of Macworld. As a result, the Macalope is always free to criticize any media organization. Even ours.
Vancouver Island slides west, tremors could signal tectonic shifting
A map pinpoints unfelt tremors online at pnsn.org (Pacific Northwest Seismic Record) More than 2,000 recent tiny tremors a reminder to be earthquake ready on Vancouver Island
More than 2,000 tiny tremors recorded in the south Island and Puget Sound area may mean a small move to the west for Vancouver Island.
It’s too soon to tell, but likely they’re an indicator of “episodic tremor and slip,” said John Cassidy, an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada. His research involves all aspects of earthquake hazard studies to help mitigate the impact of future earthquakes in Canada.
It’s not uncommon for the little bursts to happen with hundreds of tremors but the episodic tremor and slip (ETS) events happen about every 14 months and include a little tectonic movement. Puget Sound is on track for an ETS, with the last in October 2020. Southern Vancouver Island had one in February.
ETSs were discovered a decade ago, through global positioning data, Cassidy said when researchers noted that at the same time as a large number of tremors, the plate beneath the region shifts a few millimetres – the thickness of five dimes – to the west over the course of a week or two.
“It’s really tiny and it’s really slow but it’s remarkable we can see this with our instruments,” Cassidy said.
Typically, Vancouver Island is slowly moving east.
Within the week researchers should have confirmation if this is an ETS event.
“At this point, it looks like one, it has all the characteristics, but we’ll be looking for this subtle slip,” Cassidy said.
Questions remain about the events themselves – for example, the cause and where the energy is coming from – but they serve as solid reminders about life on the coast, Cassidy said.
This is an active subduction zone. Residents should be ready.
“It’s easy to forget about earthquakes and what to do, so just practising that on a regular basis is good,” Cassidy said. The Great B.C. ShakeOut (shakeoutbc.ca), held the third Thursday in October each year, is geared to exactly that.
Damaging earthquakes occur every decade or so and magnitude nine earthquakes happen offshore four to six centuries apart, Cassidy said. The last known was Jan. 26, 1700. That date comes from written records of a tsunami that hit Japan at the time. Researchers derived the time and place of the original earthquake from wave heights and arrival times noted in Japan. Local Indigenous oral traditions also describe exactly what would be expected in one of those earthquakes – on a winter’s night, before settlers arrived.
He suggests the Capital Regional District’s website, crd.bc.ca/prepare-yourself, for resources across Greater Victoria and practical, simple advice that can make a difference after an earthquake.
Black Press Media also produced a resource guide for local residents. It is available online at vicnews.com under e-editions.
Teck sees a brighter future in copper than in steelmaking coal By Nelson Bennett | October 6, 2021 One of Teck’s metallurgical coal mines near Sparwood BC. The company may be seeking a buyer for its steelmaking coal interests as it increases its investments in copper mining | Submitted
Metallurgical coal prices are at all-time highs, providing companies like Teck Resources (TSX:TECK.B, NYSE:TECK) – the world’s second-largest producer of steelmaking coal – with a potential big windfall.
And with the long-term demand for steel expected to grow significantly over the next few decades – driven largely by global decarbonization efforts – there is perhaps no better time to be in the met-coal business.
So why would Teck be considering getting out of the metallurgical coal mining business?
Bloomberg recently reported that Teck is considering divesting itself of its steelmaking coal portfolio – estimated to be worth $8 billion.
In a recent investor and analyst presentation, Teck CEO Don Lindsay said he wouldn’t comment on speculation about the company’s plans, but went on to explain why it might make sense for Teck to either divest its met-coal assets altogether or at least shrink its coal portfolio in comparison to its growing copper portfolio.
“Conversations about the composition of our portfolio and the role of carbon in our portfolio are not new, nor are they news. We’ve been quite public that we were looking to reduce the proportion of coal in our portfolio over time.”
That strategy is part of Teck’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and reducing its emissions intensity 33% by 2030. It may also have something to do with the growing reluctance of environmental, social and governance-minded investors to commit capital to anything that has the word “coal” in it and the difficulty in getting new projects approved.
Teck is going all-in on copper. It plans to double its copper production by 2023, when its new QB2 mine in Chile goes into production. The expected increase in demand for, and value of, copper is being driven by energy transition initiatives, especially in the electric car market.
“They are definitely focused on copper, and copper is very important, but arguably met-coal is just as important for the energy transition,” Anthony Knutson, metallurgical coal analyst for Wood Mackenzie, told BIV News.
The energy transition will also require a lot of steel, as well as the metallurgical coal that is a critical component in making it.
Though there are lower-carbon alternatives proposed for making steel – hydrogen being one of them – analysts expect it will be decades before those alternatives will replace steelmaking coal in blast furnaces, especially in places like China and India.
“Hydrogen won’t become the dominant reducing agent for decades,” Knutson said. “Our base case has met-coal growing, as India and other regions, including Southeast Asia, urbanize.
“We looked at some accelerated energy transitions for a 2.0 scenario, which is a two-degrees rise in temperature, and met-coal is required. We still need it.”
Meanwhile, in the short term, if Teck is seriously considering its coal assets, now would be a good time to put its mines up for sale, because met-coal is suddenly a very hot commodity.
Met-coal prices have gone through the roof, in part due to China’s ban on Australian coal imports. Seaborne met-coal is generally selling for around US$400 per tonne and US$570 per tonne in China.
That’s more than double what the prices were a year ago, and US$100 per tonne above the record high of US$300 per tonne in 2008.
But while long-term fundamentals for met-coal are good, Teck points to the difficulties producers face in getting new mines permitted and financed. Asked about new met-coal mines in the pipeline around the world, Lindsay said there aren’t many.
“There isn’t much being announced, other than projects being turned down in both Australia and Canada and elsewhere in the market,” he said.
In early August, federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson rejected the Grassy Mountain met-coal mine an Australian company hoped to develop in Alberta. The year before that, Wilkinson determined that a planned Teck expansion for its Fording coal mine would need to undergo a full federal environmental review. The company had not expected the project to be subjected to a full environmental review, because it is an expansion of an existing mine operation.
Despite being used for different purposes, the mere association met-coal has with thermal coal (burned to produce power) has tainted it in the minds of some investors and insurers, Knutson said, even though it will be critical for making the steel that will be needed for electric cars, wind turbines and transmission lines.
He can therefore understand why a company like Teck might consider getting out of the met-coal business, and with prices where they are now, it would be a good time to try to find a buyer. •
MANILA -- The Asian Development Bank plans to create funds, possibly next year, to facilitate early closures of coal-fired power plants in Southeast Asia. The new funds will buy such plants and take an active role in their management.
Working with governments and financial institutions, the ADB plans to launch the funds in countries such as Indonesia that rely heavily on coal for power generation, aiming to speed their transition to a low-carbon economy.
"To coincide with the United Nations' COP26 climate summit, the ADB will revise its energy policy. For a start, we will stop extending loans to build new coal-fired power plants. We will also establish funds to help retire existing plants before the end of their life cycles," said ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa in an exclusive interview with Nikkei. COP26 will open in late October in Glasgow, Scotland.
The funds will be financed with government grants and long-term, low-interest loans and solicit investments from financial institutions. Several lenders are believed to be showing interest. The ADB aims to set up a fund to buy power plants and another to promote renewable energy in Southeast Asia. It has started consultations with the governments and utilities in coal-dependent countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Asakawa did not disclose the size of the funds, but they could be huge. Coal-fired power plants can cost more than 300 billion yen ($2.7 billion), depending on their generating capacity. The first purchase is expected in 2022 or 2023.
"Asia accounts for about 60% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. It is also vulnerable to natural disasters triggered by climate change. The ADB has set a goal of investing $80 billion in projects to address climate change between 2019 and 2030," Asakawa said.
Asian Development Bank President Masatsugu Asakawa
(Photo courtesy of ADB)
Coal-fired power plants are typically designed to operate for 30 and 40 years. The ADB hopes that by buying the plants, it can shorten the time needed for utilities to recoup their investment and depreciation costs, so they "can be closed earlier, by even five or 10 years," Asakawa said.
Coal-fired plants account for nearly 40% of global electricity output, according to the International Energy Agency. That proportion is higher in the Asia-Pacific region, at around 60%. Reducing reliance on coal will help transform the region into a low-carbon society. Asia accounts for around 80% of global coal consumption.
If Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam replace half their coal-fired power plants with ones powered by renewable energy, their greenhouse gas emissions would fall by an estimated 200 million tons per year, equivalent to taking 61 million conventional vehicles off the road.
The hurdles to such a shift in Asia remain high. Coal is a major power source for many emerging economies in Asia because of its relatively abundant supplies. Renewable energy has a low environmental impact, but power output fluctuates depending on the weather and time of day. If a hasty shift to clean energy leads to power shortages, it could hamper efforts to nurture industries in fast-growing emerging economies. To achieve a low-carbon society, ensuring a stable power supply is essential.
Asakawa became ADB president in January 2020 after his predecessor, Takehiko Nakao, stepped down before completing his five-year term. Asakawa's second term will begin in November.
Asakawa said he has been busy responding to the coronavirus pandemic since taking office. "We've allocated a $20 billion relief package to directly supplement the state finances of emerging economies. We also launched a $9 billion vaccine initiative," he said. "But even when countries have funds, the establishment of vaccine rollout frameworks is sometimes delayed. We aim to play a part in helping improve rollout capabilities in Asia."
On top of infrastructure development, the ADB recently issued its first-ever "blue bonds" to finance projects to protect the marine environment. Japan's Dai-ichi Life Insurance and Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance have purchased the bonds. "In addition to coronavirus responses, the ADB hopes to implement projects that will help address poverty and climate change," Asakawa said.
China has been promoting its Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to create a huge economic zone stretching from Asia to Europe. But many emerging economies are saddled with ballooning debts owed to China, and the amount of these debts remains unclear. "Internationally, we have the Paris Club, a group of major creditors that includes Japan, the United States and Europe. China and other 'emerging creditors' need to be incorporated into multinational frameworks. It's also important to persuade private-sector lenders to get actively involved in these matters," the ADB president said.
Pope Francis launches academic program for 'ecological conversion'
Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, grand chancellor of Rome's Pontifical Lateran University; Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople; Pope Francis, Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO; and Vincenzo Buonomo, the university's rector, meet at the university Oct. 7. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
ROME — Academic institutions need to promote an "ecological conversion" that combines natural and social sciences with theology, philosophy and ethics to help humanity safeguard creation, Pope Francis said.
Responding to current challenges requires a new way of learning and doing that is built on "openness, creativity, wider educational offerings, but also sacrifice, dedication, transparency and honesty in choosing, especially in these difficult times," he said at Rome's Pontifical Lateran University Oct. 7.
"Let's permanently ditch this — 'it has always been done this way' — it's suicide," he said at the launch of a new chair and program of studies at the school. Such an attitude undermines credibility "because it creates superficiality and answers that are valid only in appearance," he added.
Francis and Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, signed an agreement at the event establishing a new theological chair supported by UNESCO "On Futures of Education for Sustainability" at the pontifical university.
The signing coincided with the launch, together with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, of a new academic program dedicated to "Care for our common home and safeguarding creation." Both initiatives are endorsed by the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches.
Patriarch Bartholomew said the initiatives reflect the collaboration between the two "sister churches" and their commitment to work to protect "God's wonderful universe." They also reflect a needed interreligious and interdisciplinary approach to the urgent environmental challenges of today, especially concerning climate change, he added.
The chair will encompass the fields of theology, philosophy, law and socioeconomic aspects "in order to train and shape students [in] how to respond to the ecological crisis in a collaborative and conscientious manner," he said.
Francis praised the patriarch's decades long dedication to promoting the safeguarding of creation, quoting the patriarch's conviction that safeguarding "is a way of loving, of moving gradually away from what I want to what God's world needs. It is liberation from fear, greed and compulsion."
Addressing the complexity of threats to the planet, its inhabitants and the most vulnerable requires "responsibility, practicality and competence," the pope said.
The original mission of every university was to be a place where students and teachers dedicated to diverse fields of study could come together to discuss and find creative ways forward, he said. Today, he said, this includes forming an "ecological conscience" and conducting research on how to best protect creation.
"Academic activity is called to promote integral ecological conversion to protect the splendor of nature" by merging social and natural sciences with theological, philosophical and ethical reflection so as to impact regulations and legal standards as well contribute to "a healthy economic vision," Francis said.
The aim includes protecting creation "from nefarious deeds, perhaps inspired by policies, an economy and formation tied to immediate results that benefit a few," he added.
In a letter addressed to Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, grand chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University, formally instituting the school's new program of studies and chair, the pope wrote that they reflect the church's efforts to live up to its duty to protect creation.
"We, believers and nonbelievers, have the duty to guarantee not an abstract [form of] sustainability or to proclaim the good of future generations, but to develop the tools for safeguarding diverse ecosystems" in ways that are scientifically valid and culturally courageous, he wrote.
The pope wrote that the new chair and studies in safeguarding creation are also meant to benefit church organizations, consecrated life, religious associations and movements and anyone who wishes "to acquire that conscience, knowledge and environmental competence needed for a commitment inspired by a just and sustainable model of the human being, life, society and a relationship with nature."
Pope at Lateran: Damage to earth threatens life itself
Pope Francis has inaugurated a new cycle of studies at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, dedicated to ecological and environmental issues, in conjunction with the Patriarchate of Constantinople and UNESCO.
In his speech, the Pontiff underlines that the complexity of the ecological crisis requires responsibility, concreteness, and competence.
By Vatican News staff reporter
In the presence of Patriarch Bartholomew I and Audrey Azoulay, Director of UNESCO, Pope Francis issued a stark warning: As the COP26 conference draws nearer, he said, there is the awareness that “the harm we are doing to the planet is no longer limited to climate damage, water, and soil, but now threatens life itself on earth.”
In the face of this, he underlined, “it is not enough to repeat statements of principle that make us feel good.” No, he added, “the complexity of the ecological crisis, in fact, demands responsibility, concreteness, and competence.”
Speaking on Thursday morning at Rome's Pontifical Lateran University, he recalled the "Faith and Science" event that took place in the Vatican this week and included the participation of scientists and representatives of different religions. He was struck, he revealed, by the words of one of the scientists who said, "My granddaughter, who was born last month, will have to live in an uninhabitable world if we don't change things." Universities to form ecological consciousness
Speaking in this place of learning, the Pope harked back to the original mission of 'Universitas', “where students and faculty come together to reflect and creatively work out new ways forward.” “The effort to form ecological consciousness and develop research to protect the common home passes through the Universities,” Pope Francis said.
Continuing on this point, the Pope underlined, “Academic activity is called to foster an integral ecological conversion in order to preserve the splendor of nature, first of all by reconstructing the necessary unity between the natural and social sciences with what is offered by theological, philosophical and ethical reflection, so as to inspire juridical norms and a sound economic vision.”
Ecology and Environment studies
During his discourse, Pope Francis expressed his thanks to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), for its “active attention” to this Ecology and Environment initiative.
JESUIT IDEOLOGY It is a path, he said, that will operate together with the Patriarchate of Constantinople with "an open perspective" capable of "welcoming the attention of the Christian Churches, the different religious communities, those who are searching and those who profess to be non-believers." The cycle of studies, the Pope stressed, should therefore be a meeting point of experiences and thoughts, combining them through the method of scientific research. “The University not only shows itself to be an expression of the unity of knowledge but also the repository of an imperative that has no religious, ideological or cultural boundaries.”
Expectations for 2030 sustainable development goals receding
Warning that expectations for the 2030 sustainable development goals are receding, Pope Francis said "there is no ecology without an adequate anthropology. Without a true integral ecology, we will have a new imbalance, which will not only fail to resolve problems but will add new ones.”
Therefore, "the idea of a special cycle of studies,” the Pope underlined, “serves to transform even among believers the mere interest in the environment into a mission carried out by trained people, the fruit of an adequate educational experience. This is the greatest responsibility in the face of those who, because of environmental degradation, are excluded, abandoned, and forgotten.”
He continued by saying, “This is a work to which the Churches, by vocation; and every person of goodwill, are called to make the necessary contribution, becoming the voice of the voiceless, rising above partisan interests and not merely complaining.”
"Let's abandon the yes it's always been done this way," the Pope said, "it is suicidal ... Instead, we are called to do qualified work, which demands generosity and gratuitousness from everyone in order to respond to a cultural context whose challenges await concreteness, precision, and the ability to confront them." Hence the invitation to "sow beauty and not pollution and destruction."
Signing of the UNESCO Convention At the end of the meeting, the Pope, along with the Patriarch and the Director of UNESCO, jointly signed the UNESCO Convention for the new cycle of studies in the "University of the Pope" on Ecology and Environment.
THE ORIGINAL 007
Queen Elizabeth I confidant used mirror with Aztec origins for occult practices: study
CTVNews.ca Writer Wednesday, October 6,2021 John Dee was a close confidant of Queen Elizabeth I who delved in occult practices. (Antiquity journal)
TORONTO -- A close confidant of Queen Elizabeth I used an obsidian mirror with Aztec origins to contact otherworldly spirits in his occult practices, according to new research.
John Dee was a renaissance polymath during the 16th century who was interested in astronomy, alchemy, and mathematics, Stuart Campbell, an archeology professor at the University of Manchester, said in a press release.
“Later he became involved in divination and the occult, seeking to talk to angels through the use of scryers, who used artefacts - like mirrors and crystals,” Campbell added.
One of those scryers – a tool used to see or predict the future – was an obsidian mirror that has long been suspected of having Aztec origins, but with no records to show how Dee obtained it, it was difficult to prove.
That is until Campbell and a team of international scientists used geochemical analysis to reveal the mirror’s origins.
To do this, they studied four objects currently housed in the British Museum – Dee’s mirror, two other Aztec mirrors, and a polished rectangular obsidian slab.
They then bombarded the mirrors with X-rays, resulting in the objects also emitting X-rays, which allowed the scientists to measure the artifact’s composition. The researchers described these X-rays as “unique fingerprints” that can be compared to other obsidian artifacts to trace the origins of the materials.
According to the findings, published in the journal Antiquity, all four of the obsidian artifacts studied were made from Mexican obsidian exploited by the Aztecs.
Dee’s mirror, specifically, along with another with a similar design, originated from near Pachuca in Mexico.
The scientists said obsidian, an igneous rock occurring as a natural glass formed by rapid cooling of lava from volcanoes, had a spiritual significance to the Aztecs. It was used as part of medicinal practices, as a shield against bad spirits, and to capture souls on its reflective surface.
The rocks’ symbolic value may have made them appealing items for Europeans to collect and bring home as they conquered the Aztecs in the 16th century, the researchers theorized. The mirrors were also often viewed as magical artifacts in Europe at that time too, which may have served as additional motivation.
“The 16th century was a period in which new exotic objects were being brought to Europe from the New World, and opening up exciting new possibilities in the intellectual world of the period,” Campbell said.
The scientists said the Aztec mirrors were “novel and exotic items” that found a place in many early collections in Europe. They suggested stories about the mirrors may have been why Dee chose to include one in his occult practices.
THE ORIGINAL BLACK MIRROR OF SCRYING
John Dee's obsidian mirror has Aztec origins, according to new research. (British Museum)
Obsidian 'spirit mirror' used by Elizabeth I's adviser has Aztec origins
Researcher Elizabeth Healey holds John Dee's obsidian mirror.
(CNN)An obsidian "spirit mirror" used by a confidant of Queen Elizabeth I is actually a product of the Aztec culture, according to new research. An analysis of the obsidian mirror, made from volcanic glass, and three other similar objects at the British Museum revealed their Mexican origins.
The obsidian mirror with the Elizabeth I connection belonged to John Dee, an adviser of hers from when she became queen in 1558 and through the 1570s. Dee served as the queen's astrologer and also consulted with her on science. This included Dee acting "as an advocate of voyages of discovery, establishing colonies and improving navigation," said Stuart Campbell, study author and professor at the University of Manchester.
"John Dee is a remarkable historical figure, a Renaissance polymath -- interested in astronomy, alchemy and mathematics -- and confidant of Elizabeth I," Campbell wrote in an email. "Later he became involved in divination and the occult, seeking to talk to angels through the use of scryers (those who divine the future), who used artifacts -- like mirrors and crystals."
The obsidian mirror used by John Dee was created by the Aztecs.
While it had been previously suspected that the mirror had been made by the Aztec culture, there were no records accompanying the object to show how it came into Dee's possession.
A team of researchers used geochemical analysis to target the four obsidian objects with X-rays. This in turn caused the objects to emit X-rays, helping the scientists determine their composition by revealing the elements of the obsidian. In addition to Dee's mirror, they studied two other Aztec mirrors and a rectangular slab of obsidian.
The analysis showed that all four were made using Mexican obsidian. Dee's mirror and a similarly designed mirror were made using obsidian from Pachuca, a city that is a source of obsidian the Aztecs used. The third mirror and the slab are made of obsidian from the town of Ucareo, another obsidian site in Mexico.
A study on the findings published Wednesday in the journal Antiquity.
The researchers estimate that Dee's mirror is about 500 years old, most likely made in the final decades before the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1521, Campbell said.
This figure shows Tezcatlipoca, lord of the smoking mirror, with circular obsidian mirrors on his temple, his chest and his foot highlighted.
While researchers haven't been able to pinpoint the obsidian mirrors' intended use in Aztec culture, depictions remain that show circular obsidian mirrors made at this time. "They're shown particularly in drawings of the god Tezcatlipoca, in place of a missing foot, or attached to his chest or head," Campbell said. "The mirrors that have survived may well have actually been attached to statues of the god. Tezcatlipoca was the god of divination and providence, amongst several other things, and the obsidian mirrors were probably much more than simply symbols of power -- they also seem likely to have been used for divinatory purposes."
Tezcatlipoca's name also means "smoking mirror." The Aztecs believed that obsidian had spiritual significance, and it was used in their medicinal practices, as well as a way to ward off bad spirits or even capture souls by using the reflective nature of the volcanic glass. Items of such significance to the Aztecs would have been intriguing to the Europeans exploring Mexico.
These are Aztec depictions of the mirrors.
"The 16th century was a period in which new exotic objects were being brought to Europe from the New World, and opening up exciting new possibilities in the intellectual world of the period," Campbell said.
Dee, the first person known to use the term "British Empire," would have been fascinated by the idea of the mirrors if he heard stories of how the Aztecs used them, Campbell said. Dee had an interest in the occult early on, and once he obtained the obsidian mirror, he used it to try communicating with spirits, according to the study.
This is a portrait of John Dee from 1594.
Understanding the origins of the obsidian mirror can help researchers retrace the paths of such objects from a time when appropriation occurred frequently.
"To me, it helps us understand something of the way in which the European voyages of discovery and engagement with other parts of the world, often through disastrous conquest, was matched by intellectual attempts to understand how the world worked," Campbell said. "Novel artifacts brought back to Europe from the Americas entered collections of nobility and of intellectuals, and were used and appropriated in the efforts of people, who -- like John Dee -- saw themselves as scientists, to understand the world in new ways."
During his time as Elizabeth's confidant and adviser, she visited him several times at his home, Campbell said. Dee was considered to be one of the reigning intellectuals of that period; he had the largest library in England and one of the greatest in Europe, Campbell said.
"The surviving record of (the library) is actually of major importance in understanding 16th- and early 17th-century intellectual thought," Campbell said.
To Dee, the supernatural was indistinguishable from science. "It may have been his growing interest in those areas of study that gradually undermined his role in the court by the end of the 1570s," Campbell said.
THE GERMAN ALCHEMIST AND OCCULT PHILOSOPHER CORNELIUS AGGRIPA USED BITUMEN, ASHPHALT AND WATCHGLASS TO MAKE A BLACK SCRYING MIRROR IN THE SAME PERIOD AS JOHN DEE
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