Today we honor Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles (died first century); today is also the birthday of Matthew (aka Matt), one of the Assembled (1983).
Saint Simon was called the Cananean or Zealot because of his zeal for the Jewish law; he was not from Cana, nor a member of the Zealot party. Like all the Apostles, he was a convert, and was trained by Saint Peter the Apostle. After the Ascension he evangelized in Egypt and Mesopotamia, though there are traditions of him being in several other locations. He was a martyr for the faith, but several places claim to have been the site of that, too; Christian Ethiopians claim that he was crucified in Samaria, while Justus Lipsius wrote that he was sawn in half at Suanir in Persia, and Moses of Chorene wrote that he was martyred at Weriosphora in Caucasian Iberia. He is the Patron Saint of sawyers and lumbermen. Saint Jude was the son of Cleophas, the brother of Saint James the Lesser, and the first cousin of Jesus. He wrote the canonical Epistle named for him, and preached in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia with Saint Simon. A healer and exorcist, he could exorcise pagan idols, which caused the demons to flee and the statues to crumble. He was martyred by being beaten to death with a club, then beheaded post-mortem in 1st century Persia. He is the Patron Saint of lost causes and of the Chicago Department of Police. And today is the birthday of Matthew (aka Matt), one of the Assembled (1983).
Last night, we watched the first several innings of Game Six of the World Series, and I read the December 2011 issue of Consumer Reports.
I woke up at 1:00 am conscious that I would have to fast until 11:00 am for my blood work for lab tests. On our way to work I did my Devotional Reading; once at work Richard was the relief dealer for Mini-Baccarat and Pai-Gow, while I was the relief dealer for Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, and Mississippi Stud. At 10:00 am Tropical Storm Rina was downgraded to Tropical Depression Rina.
After work we went over to the clinic, and I was told that because they are starting off brand spanking new with records and all, that I cannot get blood drawn for lab tests based on an order from my previous doctor at the clinic, but that I would have to see the current doctor at the clinic and have him order for lab tests. This is something I wish they had told me back when they called me while I was on vacation asking me to confirm my appointments, not to mention something I wish they had mentioned before I fasted all day on Monday and today. I confirmed that I did indeed have an appointment with the doctor this coming Monday at 11:00 am, then we headed home by way of McDonald’s for lunch for me (and for Richard).
When we got home I read the morning paper, then took a nap from 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm. When I awoke mail call included my Fort McHenry Hiking Staff Medallion which had arrived and a catalog from Seltzer’s Smokehouse Meats in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (I had purchased some Lebanon Bologna from them last year.) And I am now doing today’s Daily Update; we will have pizza for dinner while we watch the first several innings of Game Seven of the World Series. (Go Cards!)
In the Tropics, as of the 4:00 pm Advisory from the National Hurricane Center Rina has degenerated into a Post-Tropical Remnant Low, with winds of only 30 miles per hour, and there will be no more updates unless the storm regenerates. A system of showers and thunderstorms over the western Caribbean Sea has a 10 percent chance of developing into a Tropical Cyclone during the next 48 hours, and a system of showers and thunderstorms over the eastern Atlantic, about 850 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands, has a 10 percent chance of developing into a Tropical Cyclone during the next 48 hours.
Tomorrow is Saturday; work, lunch, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession (I have not been to Mass, nor Confession, in too long), and 4:00 pm Mass. I especially want to go to Confession and Mass tomorrow because LSU has an open date; next week, they play Alabama at 7:00 pm, and I might need a nap next Saturday afternoon before watching the game.
This Friday afternoon brings us a Parting Quote from Richard Smalley, Professor of Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy. Born in 1943 in Akron, Ohio, he grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and attended Hope College in Michigan before transferring to the University of Michigan where he received his B.S. in 1965. Between his studies, he worked in industry where he developed his unique managerial style. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1973. He completed postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago, with Lennard Wharton and Donald Levy, where he was a pioneer in the development of supersonic beam laser spectroscopy. Smalley’s research in physical chemistry investigated formation of inorganic and semiconductor clusters using pulsed molecular beams and time of flight mass spectrometry. As a consequence of this expertise, Robert Curl introduced him to Harry Kroto in order to investigate a question about the constituents of astronomical dust. These are carbon rich grains expelled by old stars such as R Corona Borealis. The result of this collaboration was the discovery of C60 and the fullerenes as the third allotropic form of carbon, and this research earned Kroto, Smalley and Curl the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Following nearly a decade’s worth of research into the formation of alternate fullerene compounds (e.g. C28, C70), as well as the synthesis of endohedral metallofullerinese (M@C60), reports of the identification of carbon nanotube structures led Smalley to begin investigating the iron-catalyzed synthesis of carbon nanotubes. As a consequence of these researches, he was able to persuade the administration of Rice University under Malcolm Gillis to create the Rice Center for Nanoscience and Technology (CNST), focusing on any aspect of molecular nanotechnology. His last research was focused on carbon nanotubes, specifically focusing on the chemical synthesis side of nanotube research. He was well-known for his group’s invention of the high-pressure carbon monoxide (HiPco) method of producing large batches of high-quality nanotubes, and spun off his work into a company, Carbon Nanotechnologies Inc. and associated nanotechnologies. In 1999 Smalley was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which later became chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In his later years he was very outspoken about the need for cheap, clean energy, which he described as the number one problem facing humanity in the 21st century. He felt that improved science education was key, and went to great lengths to encourage young students to consider careers in science. Skeptical of religion in general for most of his life, Smalley became a Christian shortly before his death (died 2005): “The purpose of this universe is something that only God knows for sure, but it is increasingly clear to modern science that the universe was exquisitely fine-tuned to enable human life. We are somehow critically involved in His purpose. Our job is to sense that purpose as best we can, love one another, and help Him get that job done.”
From The Recamier 