USA TODAY: Cubs legend Ernie Banks dead at 83

From USA TODAY

Cubs legend Ernie Banks dead at 83

http://usat.ly/1BU1Ebg

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http://www.usatoday.com/mobile-apps

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Saudi King’s challenges: Yemen, Iran, ISIS

Saudi King’s challenges: Yemen, Iran, ISIS
http://www.cnn.com//2015/01/23/middleeast/saudi-arabia-new-king-challenges/index.html

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What’s happening in Mideast; why it matters

What’s happening in Mideast; why it matters
http://www.cnn.com//2015/01/23/middleeast/middle-east-country-breakdown/index.html

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USA TODAY: American Sniper as viewed by real American snipers

From USA TODAY

American Sniper as viewed by real American snipers

http://usat.ly/1BNif0h

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Scientists slow the speed of light

Scientists slow the speed of light http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-30944584

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From France 24

Questions still haunt victims of Toulouse chemical plant blast

http://f24.my/1yRZ2qK

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From France 24

Separatists reject ceasefire amid fears of fresh rebel push

http://f24.my/188p1By

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Hollande at Davos calls for big business to fight terror

http://f24.my/1yScACx

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Blue passion flower (P. caerulea) showing most elements of the Christian symbolism

“Passionflower2” by Simon Rudolf – visit rudolfimage.com for more photos – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Passionflower2.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Passionflower2.jpg (click to enlarge)

Saudi Arabia’s new monarch: What’s next for the oil kingdom? – The Globe and Mail

(Saudi Press Agency/Associated Press)

Saudi Arabia’s new monarch: What’s next for the oil kingdom?

Globe staff, Reuters and Associated Press

Published Friday, Jan. 23 2015, 5:22 AM EST

Last updated Friday, Jan. 23 2015, 7:59 AM EST

via Saudi Arabia’s new monarch: What’s next for the oil kingdom? – The Globe and Mail.

Today In History. What Happened This Day In History

A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.

January 23

1901		A great fire ravages Montreal, resulting in $2.5 million in property lost.
1913		The “Young Turks” revolt because they are angered by the concessions made at the London peace talks.
1932		Franklin D. Roosevelt enters the presidential race.
1948		The Soviets refuse UN entry into North Korea to administer elections.
1949		The Communist Chinese forces begin their advance on Nanking.
1950		Jerusalem becomes the official capital of Israel.
1951		President Truman creates the Commission on Internal Security and Individual Rights, to monitor the anti-Communist campaign.
1969		NASA unveils moon-landing craft.
1973		President Richard Nixon claims that Vietnam peace has been reached in Paris and that the POWs would be home in 60 days.
1977		Alex Haley’s Roots begins a record-breaking eight-night broadcast on ABC.
1981		Under international pressure, opposition leader Kim Dae Jung’s death sentence is commuted to life imprisonment in Seoul.
1986		U.S. begins maneuvers off the Libyan coast.
Born on January 23
1832		Édouard Manet, French impressionist painter best known for Luncheon in the Grass.
1899		Humphrey Bogart, U.S. film actor (The African Queen, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon).
1919		Ernie Kovacs, U.S. comedian and television personality.
1957		Princess Caroline of Monaco.

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/today-in-history#sthash.RlNlhdkI.dpuf

today’s image: the discovery of Insulin

The Discovery of Insulin
Following the birth of an idea and nine months of experimentation, and through the combined efforts of four men at the University of Toronto, Canada, insulin for the treatment of diabetes was first discovered and later purified for human use. Rural Canadian physician Dr. F.G. Banting first conceived the idea of extracting insulin from the pancreas in 1920. He and his assistant C.H. Best prepared pancreatic extracts to prolong the lives of diabetic dogs with advice and laboratory aid from Professor J.J.R. Macleod. The crude insulin extract was purified for human testing by Dr. J.B. Collip. On January 23, 1922, the first successful test on a human patient with diabetes occurred when insulin was administered to dangerously ill Leonard Thompson. Insulin, now made from cattle pancreases, lifted the death sentence for diabetes sufferers around the world.

Image: Banting House National Historic Site

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/picture-of-the-day?podMonth=1&podDay=23&pod=GO#sthash.FvHYuEHM.dpuf

Saint of the Day for Friday, January 23rd, 2015: St. Ildephonsus

Saint of the Day for Friday, January 23rd, 2015

St. Ildephonsus

St. Ildephonsus is highly regarded in Spain and closely associated with devotion to the Blessed Virgin which he fostered by his famous work concerning her perpetual virginity. Born around 607, … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

St. Ildephonsus St. Abakuh St. Agathangelus ST. Amasius St. Asclas St. Barnard St. Colman of Lismore St. Emerentiana St. Eusebius

Bl. Henry Suso St. John the Almoner St. Luthfild St. Maimbod St. Marianne Cope St. Ormond St. Parmenas St. Severian & Aquila

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (2015)

In 1908, Reverend Paul Watson proposed a week-long observance dedicated to Christian unity to be scheduled between the feasts of St. Peter’s Chair (January 18) and St. Paul (January 25), the two great leaders of the first Christians. The World Council of Churches maintains these dates. Each year, an inter-denominational committee selects a scriptural theme and prepares the outlines of a worship service for each day of the Week of Prayer. Individual congregations are free to use the material as is, or vary it to suit local practices and traditions.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Prayer for Christian Unity, Week of

January 18-25

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, as organized by the World Council of Churches, dates back to 1964. Calls for Christian unity and efforts to bring Christians of various denominations together in worship can be traced back at least 200 years earlier, however. In 1908, the Rev. Paul Watson proposed a week-long observance dedicated to Christian unity to be scheduled between the feasts of St. Peter’s Chair (January 18) and St. Paul (January 25), the two great leaders of the first Christians. The World Council of Churches maintains these dates. Each year an inter-denominational committee selects a scriptural theme and prepares the outlines of a worship service for each day of the Week of Prayer. Individual congregations are free to use the material as is, or vary it to suit local practices and traditions.

CONTACTS:
World Council of Churches
150 route de Ferney
P.O. Box 2100
Geneva, 1211 Switzerland
41-22-791-6111; fax: 41-22-791-0361
www2.wcc-coe.org

quotation: Age, like woman, requires fit surroundings. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Age, like woman, requires fit surroundings.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Discuss

today’s birthday: Stendhal (1783)

Stendhal (1783)

Largely unappreciated during his life, Marie-Henri Beyle, better known by his pen name Stendhal, is now regarded as one of the great French novelists. His psychologically complex works, like The Red and the Black and The Charterhouse of Parma, influenced the development of the modern novel. His unfinished, posthumously published, autobiographical Memoirs of an Egotist and The Life of Henry Brulard are among his most original achievements. What is Stendhal Syndrome? More… Discuss

Quotation: Stendhal

“The man of genius is he and he alone who finds such joy in his art that he will work at it come hell or high water”.

– Stendhal

this day in thenyesteryear: Daniel Pearl Is Kidnapped (2002)

Daniel Pearl Is Kidnapped (2002)

Pearl, the South Asia bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal, was on assignment in Pakistan when he was kidnapped by a group of Pakistani militants who believed he was a spy. His captors sent a lengthy list of demands to US officials—along with pictures of Pearl with a gun to his head—and killed Pearl just days after kidnapping him. A videotape of his beheading soon became public. Which high-powered Al Qaeda operative later confessed to decapitating Pearl with his “blessed right hand”?

3D X-Ray Used to Read Charred Vesuvius Scroll

When the Italian town of Herculaneum was destroyed by a blast from Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, it left behind the only classical library still in existence—but in charred and matted scrolls so fragile that they cannot be safely unrolled. Enter 3-D X-ray technology, typically reserved for mammography, which a group of researchers recently used to see inside the scrolls without unrolling them. The team has reported making out some Greek letters using this X-ray technique, which is best at picking out minute differences in similar surfaces. Because some ink never penetrated the papyrus, the letters stand out in relief. More… Discuss

Conscientious Objectors

A conscientious objector is a person who, due to religious or moral principles, refuses to participate in military service. The concept has been present in different forms since the beginning of the Christian era. Political opposition to conscription, such as that maintained by many during the Vietnam War, is usually considered a separate category. What leader—and noted war hero—said that war will exist until “the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige as the warrior”? More… Discuss

WORD: mollify

mollify

Definition:	(verb) To calm in temper or feeling; soothe.
Synonyms:	appease, assuage, conciliate, pacify, placate
Usage:	She was so outraged that nothing her friends said could mollify her anger. Discuss.