In 1633, Galileo Galilei stood before the Inquisition, charged with heresy for saying that the earth revolved around the sun. He refused to recant what he believed was true, and as a result, he was forced into house arrest until his death in 1642. A man of science had stood up for the truth of…

nos·tal·gi·a (nŏ-stăljə, nə-)n.1. A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.2. The condition of being homesick; homesickness.[Greek nostos, a return home.] [Greek, from algos, pain.] All it takes is a picture, a smell, or a sound. We remember some past time and place, and a hollow feeling we can’t quite identify settles…

When I was six, I was sure a geologic age must pass until my next birthday or my family’s vacation at the beach. Now, both the days and weeks fly past with a rapidity that is alarming at times. One week gone, then a month, then a season and a year. Without realizing it is…

Naming things is difficult. Sure, it’s easy to throw a few letters or words together, but to really name something—to choose a few words that describe the essence of a thing—is not easy. Today we usually don’t think much about the meanings of the names we give our children. Often we base whether we like…