The royal baby: Good news on a hard day

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, announced the birth of their third child yesterday. They followed centuries of tradition by notifying the sovereign first, in this case, Queen Elizabeth. Per tradition, they also did not reveal the gender of their child until he was born.

The royal baby will have a first name, then two or three middle names, typically names that have been used in the family for centuries. The latest royal baby might not be named until tomorrow, but betting companies have made “Arthur” the clear favorite for his first name.

Carl Sandburg was right: “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.”

The fragility of life: Four examples

The royal baby’s birth was wonderful news on a hard day.

A rented van plowed along a crowded sidewalk in Toronto yesterday, killing ten and injuring fifteen. Police officers arrested the driver, a twenty-five-year-old man named Alek Minassian.

He is expected to appear in court today. Authorities are still trying to establish a motive for his actions. The tragedy follows several similar attacks in Canada, New York, and Europe.

Meanwhile, Travis Reinking, the gunman suspected of killing four people at a Waffle House in the Nashville area, was apprehended yesterday. Authorities had mounted a massive manhunt for the man.

It’s not yet clear why he opened fire on restaurant patrons, though Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said Reinking may have “mental issues.” His bond has been set at $2 million.

And former President George H. W. Bush was admitted to intensive care at Houston’s Methodist Hospital after contracting an infection that spread to his blood. A spokesman said, “He is responding to treatments and appears to be recovering.”

A sacred gift from God

All four stories are evidence of the preciousness and fragility of life.

The first law of thermodynamics is clear: energy can be neither created nor destroyed. Humans cannot make anything from…