Astronomers discover new type of stellar explosion A newly-discovered kind of stellar explosion could be commonplace in the universe and may change people’s understanding of how eruptions in stars occur, astronomers have suggested. A micronova is a blast that lasts for just a few hours, which makes it very difficult to observe. These explosions take…
Everyday Philosophy A friend who shares my fate of being a graduate student in philosophy was recently regaling me with tales of what teaching undergraduates was like. She informed me that an increasing number of them at her university were “both utilitarians and relativists”. She said it laughing, because this quite a mean feat. The…
Charlotte Vard Young people face many new challenges that some adults who are of a different generation are not aware of. From the daily broadcast of their every move on social media, to dealing with the heightened anxiety that stems from the need to ‘fit in’, young people live life online. TikTok is often their…
Marta Osborne Recently in an argument my husband said that I only see the things he doesn’t do and don’t appreciate his efforts enough. What can I do to improve our communication and avoid becoming overly critical? It just so happens that we find it easier to criticise people close to us than to praise…
Medical Matters We are now well into the phase of ‘living with Covid’ with the vast majority of the population either having been vaccinated or contracted infection. Hospitalisation rates have dropped and newly confirmed cases are also in decline. It is also estimated that those who are incompletely or not vaccinated continue to be disproportionately…
This month saw the release of another stark report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the third in a series of red alerts from the United Nations, calling for governments around the world to urgently respond to the climate crisis. The report painted a grim picture of a world with rising greenhouse gas…
‘Stolen’ Darwin manuscripts anonymously returned Two Charles Darwin manuscripts that were reported as stolen from Cambridge University Library have been anonymously returned in a pink gift bag, with a typed note on an envelope wishing a Happy Easter to the librarian. The precious items were found to be missing in 2001, but at the time…
Mindful Living In my article in February I wrote about meditation and marriage and how both contribute to deepening our sense of who we are at the deepest level of our being. Couples are often reminded at the marriage ceremony to view love, not as a noun, but as an action verb; to see love…
After two years of celebrating the most important week in our liturgical calendar behind closed doors, we are finally to welcome people back into church. How lucky are we! I mentioned this at a recent parent meeting for those whose children wish to be confirmed. Many blank faces looked back at me. I wondered, did…
My babi (granny) makes this bread a lot. It is a traditional Czech bread which is served around Easter, Christmas, or other special celebrations and is a kind of mix between a brioche and challah. This Easter version is usually shaped in a round loaf to symbolise the sun, with a cross cut into the…
Ben Conroy
Dr Kevin McCarroll