This is the season of error when sin is being re-defined and overlooked

Peter Gross 1. lives in Australia 2. studies the secret life of megabats 3. in the Vatican

SIGN-ARTICLE

“Australian Catholic University: The secret life of microbats

After completing a Bachelor of Environmental Science and honours, ACU alumnus and current PhD student Leroy Gonsalves has developed a love and fascination for a micro-sized creature of the night.

People don’t give a lot of thought to bats. I guess they’re not all that popular seeing as they only come out at night and have creepy connotations.

The bats I’m working with for my research though are tiny. Most of them weigh about 4 grams and can fit in a matchbox, so they’re pretty cute.

I’m studying the diet of microbats that live on the Central Coast for a project funded by the NSW Environmental Trust.

My study area in Empire Bay has large areas of saltmarsh, which can support huge numbers of mosquitoes at different times of the year. Apart from nuisance biting, these particular mosquitoes have the potential to spread diseases such as Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses – which can cause rashes, fever and rheumatic pains.

A local residents group has been lobbying the local government to control mosquito numbers by spraying the larvicide Bti, which kills the mosquito larvae.

The larvicide doesn’t eliminate mosquitoes completely, it just reduces their numbers.

However these mosquitoes may also be food for up to 14 rare insectivorous bat species. Before the government can give the go-ahead for spraying they need to know if it’s going to be problematic for bats in the area, some of which are threatened species and protected by legislation.

So my research is closely examining the movements of these bats in association with the mosquito fauna of the area, and investigating bat diets to determine just how important mosquitoes are to their survival.

There are several ways I’m going about this.

One is radio-tracking the bats. We put little tags on their backs and release them, then track their movements, both when mosquito numbers are high, and when they are much lower.

Bats are pretty smart and a lot of them avoid traps, so we also record their echolocation call – which is a type of sonar that bats use to navigate and find prey. Another method is light-tagging, where we stick a little glow-stick on their stomach and observe where and how they fly in different habitats.

I’ve also been studying guano, or bat poo, to see what they’ve been eating. I’m using DNA techniques to give species-level identification of their prey, which hasn’t been done before for bats in Australia.

So far I’ve confirmed that certain bat species do feed on saltmarsh mosquitoes. I am continuing to look at what the other bat species in the area are eating. Next I’ll be doing a feeding trial, giving bats different quantities of mosquitoes and other insects in order to get an insight into the relative importance of mosquitoes to bat diet.
I’m also looking to see if bats turn to eating different insects, or move to different areas, when mosquito numbers are reduced.

It’s been an interesting research project, and pretty eventful.

I’ve been bitten by bats twice, and had to quickly get the rabies vaccine because they can carry Australian bat lyssavirus (ABL). The only two known people who’ve been infected with ABL in Australia both died, so I guess you could say it has a 100 per cent mortality rate.

The lack of sleep is definitely the worst part. When I’m radio tracking, it’s two weeks straight of being out in the saltmarsh from sunset to 2am, and then back at it again from 4am till daylight.

The mossies are also a killer. I’ll be covered up completely, usually with two layers of clothing and a whole can of aerogard, and they still get me. They have a nasty bite too.

When I first started my research project, bats did freak me out a little – it must have been the whole lyssavirus thing.

But after having one of them in the palm of my hand, that all changed. They are fascinating little creatures, each with their own personality, and now I just love them.”

http://www.acu.edu.au/alumni_and_giving/alumni/e-news_bulletin_archive/newsletters/2011_issues/april_2011/alumni_research_profile

(my comment iv)
*UNBELIEVABLE SIGN

“Sunday, October 24, 2010
Historic Church Bell Discovery
As you can see, this made the front page of the Windsor Star.

Tridentine Community News (October 24, 2010):
In the process of preparing for the restoration of Windsor’s Our Lady of the Assumption Church, architect

Jason *GROSSi climbed up into the nether regions of the bell tower. Like St. Josaphat, Assumption has a tower bell which is rung at the Consecrations of the Extraordinary Form Mass.

While up there, Jason noticed that above and to the side of the main bell, there was a second, smaller bell. Long disused, the bell had no rope or other activating mechanism attached, however as you can see in the adjacent photo, it was mounted on a frame clearly designed to allow it to be rung.

Jason invited organist and University of Michigan Professor of Campanology Dr. Steven Ball examine this bell. Steven was able to identify it as having been cast in the late 1700s, likely in France. This qualifies the bell as one of the oldest, if not the oldest, usable church bell in metro Detroit and Windsor. It may be from the original Assumption Church that was located on the parcel of land immediately south of the present church, closer to the Detroit River. Old though it is, the bell is in fine condition, so Steven attached a rope. Once its mounting is stabilized, it will be regularly rung along with the main bell. In a pleasant surprise, CBC Television (Channel 9), the Windsor Star newspaper, and two radio stations have already learned of this bell discovery and found it newsworthy enough to seek out Dr. Ball for interviews.

Main Bell Swings Again

One generally thinks of a church bell as a swinging object. Mounted on a wheel or rotating frame, the swinging of the bell causes the clapper to strike the bell and make the ringing sound. One bell in a tower often also has a “toller”, a hammer that strikes the bell while it remains in place. The more somber and slower ringing of a toller is traditionally used for funerals. The bells at St. Josaphat, St. Joseph, St. Albertus, and Sweetest Heart of Mary Churches are all swinging bells, one of which at each church has a toller. The accompanying photo by Richard Harmon (not of Assumption’s bell) is a clear depiction of a swinging mechanism and toller.

For some reason, Assumption’s main bell had been secured so that it would no longer swing. A special, faster-paced toller was installed to emulate the sound made by a swung bell. Whether one pulled the rope in the room behind the organ in the choir loft, or the automatic timer kicked off the 6:00 PM Angelus, it was the toller that was making the sound. To those of us familiar with the sound of St. Josaphat’s swinging bells, it was evident that something was unnatural about the sound of Assumption’s bell.

After determining that there were no structural issues preventing the main bell from being swung, Steven refurbished and reactivated the original swinging mechanism and connected a new rope to it. If you remember how the bell used to sound, you will notice that there are differences now: First, the bell does not instantaneously start (or stop) ringing, as the swinging mechanism has to build up momentum until the clapper begins to strike the inside of the bell. Second, you will notice a more distinctly “traditional” bell sound, caused by the Doppler Effect of the bell moving closer to and away from you as it swings.

Alongside the motor that drives the toller, there is a second motor in the tower that appears to have originally driven the swinging of the bell. In the next phase of the bell restoration project, the original motor will be reconnected. The plan is to acquire another motor to operate the second bell, and to upgrade the automatic timer to a model which can handle two bells. In the end, Assumption’s two bells will both be ringable by manually pulling the ropes, by automatic timer, and by remote control. The toller on the main bell also remains functional. If you would like to see how the bells are rung at any of our churches, please see one of the altar servers after Mass.

Someone Had To Do the Dirty Work

As is often the case in bell towers, bird guano covered most every surface. Jason and his staff removed over 1,500 pounds of guano in preparation for the bell restoration. The louvers in the tower will eventually be covered with screening to make it more difficult for birds to enter. Underneath the guano, the workers discovered a copper floor. The combination of the copper plus the absence of the sound-absorbing guano results in a brighter and more reverberant sound for the bell.

Bells in the Liturgy

As we have discussed in previous columns, bells have an historic role in the life of the Church. They call people to prayer at certain times of the day, and they alert the faithful of sacred actions taking place within the church. Rubrics specified that tower bells were to be rung at the Consecration in the era before hand “Sanctus” bell sets became popular. Bells serve a joyful purpose when rung for weddings and major feast days, and as a reminder to pray for the deceased when tolled for Requiem Masses.”

http://pblosser.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/historic-church-bell-discovery.html
(pertinacious = tenacious; call me Dr. Bell)

A DARK DAY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CHURCH

Today, Oct 7, allegations have been presented that Frank Houston, Father of Ps Brian Houston, Hillsong, Australia, had molested a child.

“At least 50 pastors in New Zealand were aware of the allegations which Mr Houston did not deny.”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-07/royal-commission-child-sexual-abuse-investigates-hillsong/5795308

It is the season for the protection of children, in the name of Jesus.

The bell tower must not become part of the Tower of Babel.

I don’t mean to go off-track here, but this is *exactly* what I am talking about.
Confirmation: “How significant is the ringing of bells prophetically in our nation at this time?”
http://decree.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/the-significance-of-bells-in-2012/

“The Bell Tower Disaster
Truth Unveiled: Bernini’s Bell Towers and the *Allegory of Truth*: The Bell Tower Disaster
–Chelsea Neal

Plans to add campanili, or bell towers, to the façade of St. Peter’s had been tossed back and forth around the Vatican as early as 1608, during the reign of Pope Paul V. Actual work was underway by 1612 under the direction of Bernini’s predecessor Carlo Maderno, but even in its earliest stages it would seem that the project was plagued by setbacks. The biggest of these occurred 1618: while in the process of *excavating foundations* for the south tower, workers accidently stumbled across subterranean springs. Not only did this cause significant delays in the project, but the water also resulted in *dangerously unstable ground*, “‘…so sandy, it gave way if you so much as looked at it,’” and in the formation of several cracks in surrounding buildings.[1]

Figure 3. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, Italy. Photo Credit: Andreas Tille

Afterwards construction proceeded so slowly that only the tower bases were completed upon Paul V’s death in 1621.[2] His successor, Gregory XV lived for only two years after his election before being succeeded by Urban VIII Barberini. Bernini had already been considered one of Urban’s favorites and although many resented it, few were surprised when the new Pope selected his protégé to fill the vacancy left by Carlo Maderno’s death in 1629. As the new head architect of St. Peter’s Bernini inherited a number of the projects left unfinished by his predecessor including the Baldachinno, work on the Crossing of St. Peter’s, and, in 1637, the *ill-fated bell towers*.

The story of the Bernini’s involvement in the bell tower debacle as it has been traditionally told is as follows: the new chief architect, who had a certain reputation for hubris, decided to alter the original design of the bell towers. He forfeited Maderno’s modest structures, which would have risen only one story above the façade, in favor of grandiose three-story affairs, six times heavier than the original towers, that would rise up to frame Michelangelo’s great dome.[3] An anonymous report dating to 1637 warned that Bernini’s towers were simply too heavy for the original foundations and that disaster was imminent, but the warning was ultimately ignored and the Vatican went ahead with Bernini’s plans. A fresco in the Apartment of the Noble Guards in the Vatican Palace, part of a series portraying Barberini building projects, optimistically depicts an *image of the completed towers* that dates to around the same time that construction was beginning (Fig. 4).

Figure 4. Simone Lagi and Marco Tullio Montagna, Facade of St. Peter’s with bell towers, 1637. Fresco. Vatican Palace. Source: Bernini’s Rome

Within a few months of the unveiling of the first tower, however, several cracks began to appear in the foundations. These soon spread to the façade of St. Peter’s, and there appear to have been real fears that the towers would fall and take the entire façade down with them.[4] Rightly or wrongly, the blame for this was laid entirely at Bernini’s door. One source reports that:

…the Cavaliere Bernini, who has undertaken to build a campanile at St. Peter’s, has failed and that the great weight of the tower will bring the façade down. This having come to the notice of the pope, he called Bernini to him and severely reprimanded him for not having wanted to take the advice of anyone.[5]

The delays created by the cracks combined with a war-driven lack of funds once again brought the construction of the bell towers to a halt. To make matters worse, Urban VIII, Bernini’s greatest patron and the most fervent supporter of the entire project, died in 1644, and with him any lingering protection the artist might have enjoyed from his critics. Bernini’s reputation and credibility as an architect, already in a precarious position following appearance of the cracks, came under brutal and entirely unhindered assault by his detractors, all of whom found a ready ear for their complaints in the form of the new Pope Innocent X whose hatred of the Barberini Pope (and consequently his favorites) was well-known.[6]

All of these events conspired to ensure that Bernini’s failure could not possibly have come at a worse time. The *new Pope ultimately ordered the bell towers torn down* and with them went Bernini’s reputation. Although he did not lose his position as the architect of St. Peter’s he was nevertheless held in disgrace and his reputation reduced to tatters by his critics, many of whom doubtlessly felt that such disfavor, after a lifetime of success and exclusivity, was long overdue. This was the harrowing environment that inspired the sculptor to create Truth Unveiled by Time.”

http://bernini2013.org/truth-unveiled-by-time/the-bell-tower-fiasco/

I am against ‘cancer’ not cancer patients. Here is a marvellous sign that was posted yesterday:

“Scientists discover cancer-fighting berry on tree that only grows in Far North Queensland”

The particular region is the ‘Atherton Tablelands.’ I am a resident of a town that is located on the Atherton Tablelands. This tree could represent the ‘tree of life.’ The fruit could give ‘new life’ to, or ‘revive’ people.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-07/queensland-scientists-discover-cancer-fighting-berry/5796106

I believe that the Lord is saying, “When man tries to accomplish unity in the body of Christ, it will fail. I have accomplished unity in the body of Christ with My body, My blood, My life. There will be unity when you go to the Cross [cf. Rick Joyner]. Unity can only be accomplished My way.” Yes Lord, cancer can come back.

Let me quote from the article above, “There’s a compound in the seed – it’s a very, very complicated process to purify this compound and why it’s there in the first place, we don’t know,” he said.

The reason why we can’t accomplish unity in the church is that Jesus is not in ‘first place.’ He is the head.

Interesting that there was a ‘blood moon’ last night and there was a total lunar eclipse on the Tablelands!
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/total-lunar-eclipse-on-wednesday/