The First Post-Kepler Brightness Dips of KIC 8462852

We present a photometric detection of the first brightness dips of the unique variable star KIC 8462852 since the end of the Kepler space mission in 2013 May. Our regular photometric surveillance started in October 2015, and a sequence of dipping began in 2017 May continuing on through the end of 2017, when the star was no longer visible from Earth. We distinguish four main 1-2.5% dips, named "Elsie," "Celeste," "Skara Brae," and "Angkor", which persist on timescales from several days to weeks. Our main results so far are: (i) there are no apparent changes of the stellar spectrum or polarization during the dips; (ii) the multiband photometry of the dips shows differential reddening favoring non-grey extinction. Therefore, our data are inconsistent with dip models that invoke optically thick material, but rather they are in-line with predictions for an occulter consisting primarily of ordinary dust, where much of the material must be optically thin with a size scale <<1um, and may also be consistent with models invoking variations intrinsic to the stellar photosphere. Notably, our data do not place constraints on the color of the longer-term "secular" dimming, which may be caused by independent processes, or probe different regimes of a single process

Change and Confusion in Catholicism

We live in a liminal time. The anthropologist Victor Turner describes liminality as a time of severe disorientation for individuals and societies that lies between one stage of life and another. All the former signposts that provided people with an identity are in a state of upheaval as they transit between these stages. This book uses the lifelong personal and professional experiences of the author to analyse how Catholics experience liminality today and dealt with it yesterday. It provides the reader with an historical case study of frightening experiences, both in teaching what to expect during such a time and what to assume when it ends.https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/bookshelf/1072/thumbnail.jp

Defending Religious Diversity in Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Building Our Democracy and Deepening Our Education

Defending Religious Diversity in Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Building Our Democracy and Deepening Our Education makes a powerful case for exposing students to the multiplicity of faiths practiced in the United States and around the world—then offers a range of practical solutions for promoting religious understanding and tolerance in the school environment. Nathan Kollar\u27s timely volume centers on the common issues associated with respecting religion in people\u27s lives, including religious identities, the religious rights of students, bullying and other acts of intolerance, and legal perspectives on what should and should not happen in the classroom. It then focuses on the skills teachers, counselors, and administrators need to master to address those issues, including forming an advocacy coalition, listening, cultural analysis, conflict resolution, institutional development, choosing a leader, and keeping up to date with all the latest research developments from both the legal and educational communities.https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/bookshelf/1030/thumbnail.jp

Religions’ Future in the Anthropocene

When the present epoch is described as “Anthropocene” human choice is seen as essential to the planet’s future. This essay accepts this presupposition of choice and demonstrates its consequences upon the religions of the world. It does this first by describing what human choices must be made in order to bring about a healthy planet; then provides a way of expanding the current definitions of “religion” so these new social realities will be recognized in the future. It describes in detail how religions have interfaced with planetary necessities in the past and present. Presupposing that the religions of the world have been a force of good as well as ill, it describes what must happen in both the classical as well the newer forms of religion to enable the future environmental changes to be for the good of humanity