News of the Weird

There are days when I open the newspaper and feel like Alice after tumbling down the rabbit hole.

"We're all mad here."
~ Cheshire Cat

First up today is the news that circumcision of male children could be banned in San Francisco this coming fall. The proposal put forth by a group of “intactivists” got enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, and if the initiative passes, it will prohibit circumcision in all males under age 18, with no exceptions. If you’re wondering, as did I, why on earth anyone would want to dictate such a thing, the Wall Street Journal reports that the measure’s supporters believe it is mutilation without the permission of the child and has no health benefits. Hm.

Next, astronomers think we may have a whole mess of rogue planets floating around the Milky Way galaxy without a star to steer them by. They’ve identified 10 big gaseous balls, similar to Jupiter, wandering around unsupervised, apparently not orbiting any star. This news astonishes astronomers. How did the gas balls get there? Why are they homeless? Are they in fact homeless? Were they thrown out of orbit for insubordination? Are they gas bubbles burped by a baby universe? Hm.

Finally, we might not have time to ponder either of these news stories if this Saturday unfolds as predicted by Harold Camping, who expects believers in Jesus Christ to vanish from the earth in a phenomenon known as the rapture. Mr. Camping’s calculations of the Biblical timeline leave no room for doubt, he says: On May 21, Jesus Christ will gather all his faithful followers into heaven in the twinkling of an eye, and the last days of Earth will begin. Hm.

According to the Associated Press reporter who submitted this news story, “most Christians don’t believe in [the rapture]” and “the Christian mainstream isn’t buying it.” He doesn’t cite sources substantiating those declarations, so I assume he’s confusing his opinion with something called “facts.” I’ll just point out that “most Christians” I personally know do believe something similar will happen one day, at a time unknown by anyone.

But I think it wise to keep my ignorant nose out of things that might or might not happen in the future. There’s work to do here and now, so I’ll just keep my feet right here in the present. Actually, at this hour of the evening, my feet will carry me off to bed.

Cheers!