Nature

The Vatican has reportedly declared it “morally obligatory” to feed patients in a vegetative state, even when recovery seems impossible. What do you think?   This decision will make little sense to one who does not have a basic Christian view of man. The church has always taught that man “is made in the image and likeness of God.” Man has the Godlike qualities of intelligence and free will. Of all God’s creation, man is very special.

My background is very provincial, so being reared in Catholic schools in the ?50s and ?60s I didn?t know a doggone thing about the birds and the bees, particularly the female anatomy. In those days there wasn?t a movie to explain where babies came from. We just thought the stork brought them. Let me tell you about the day that changed. I was in the eighth grade and my buddies and I were playing stickball in the street. The Spalding that we were using had lost its bounce. That was unusual for a Spalding, since they were the best balls made.

America is becoming more rude. That's the opinion of several writers and bloggers, and they're backed up by a Rasmussen Report survey that says 76% of Americans believe the nation is becoming less civilized. A similar study by Weber Shandwick says 65% of respondents believe there is a major problem with civility in the U.S. Writing on www.npr.com, Linton Weeks berates the fact that fewer people seem to be using basic pleasantries such as “please” and “thank you,” and say “no problem,” “sure,” or “you bet,” instead of the traditional “you're welcome.” Weeks quotes Lisa Gache, the co-founder of Beverly Hills Manners, who blames today's casual attitudes for the decrease in manners.

Many government meetings are broadcast live and archived with a vast array of official records posted online. Mainstream media may be on financial life support, but more than half the adult population still reads a newspaper daily, in print or digital form, as part of their news overload from radio and TV and their blogosphere favorites. We've never been so well-informed - or so cynical about our government and society. Evidence of this is the long-term decline in voting, even with mail-in ballots.

What is the most significant loss you can remember? For some, the answer may come immediately to mind. Others may have to ponder a bit to figure the answer out. Mine is fresh on my memory…my grandmother. She passed Oct. 21, six days short of her 99 th birthday. I will never forget the last time I saw her, nor will ever fail to remember the last conversation we had. My grief started 17 days before her passing when my mother phoned to tell me the end was near. I cried the entire night from somewhere deep within my being.

Deep in the heart of Central Park is a little-known stand of redwoods with massive branches providing plenty of shade in which to escape the summer heat. The small grove is a departure from its surrounding habitat, mostly low-lying shrubs and California poppies. "There was some debate about what we should do with the trees, because they weren't thought to be native plants," Steve Ray of the Shipley Nature Center said. "But we did a little research, and we found at one time, there were redwoods in this area.

Artists Monica Furmanski and Janet Neuwalder are integrating their shared love of nature into abstract projects they are creating together. Furmanski specializes in digital photography while Neuwalder works in ceramics and they are combined in two installations in the group show “Selected Curiosities” opening today at the Brand Library Art Galleries. Friends since 1993, this is the first time they’ve explored blending their works. In the “Stream of Contradiction” installation, the two media have been integrated into one large installation piece on one wall of the Brand gallery.

The beauty of nature is the common theme for the painters showing their works this month at Descanso Gardens Boddy House Gallery. Half Dome in Yosemite was the inspiration of Eagle Rock artist Dory Grade's painting "Half Dome Yosemite, Perhaps the Shoulder of God," a highlight of her show "Art and Soul." "It's such a spiritual thing to me, to see it rising out of the mist, and it's more than a familiar icon, it's truly a symbol for meditation," said Grade, who is celebrating her 32nd year showing at the La Cañada Flintridge gallery.