If you are a regular reader of The GeoChristian, you know that I lean towards the validity of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), which is the idea that human activities are causing the Earth to become warmer. Much of the debate--on both sides--is driven by ideology more than science, but I have found the scientific arguments …
Month: January 2009
Beer can astronomy
Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day: A six month long exposure of the sun's path across the sky taken with a pinhole camera that was made from an aluminum beer can! Grace and Peace
Earth Observatory
I've linked to NASA's Earth Observatory a number of times. Today, the Boston Globe's "The Big Picture" has a collection of some of the best EO images, including these: HT: The Map Room Grace and Peace
K-T boundary
From NASA's Earth Observatory: Raven Ridge, Colorado. This ridge, south of Dinosaur, Colorado, apparently has an exposure of the K-T (Cretaceous-Tertiary) boundary, which marks whatever event ended the age of dinosaurs (asteroid? volcanism? the real reason dinosaurs went extinct?). This gives me two places within a day's drive to visit the K-T boundary, the other …
New York tsunami, 300 BC
From National Geographic: Meteorite Triggered Ancient New York Tsunami? A meteorite impact off Long Island 2,300 years ago may have set off a huge tsunami that flooded the New York City region, a new study says.It's not known whether any ancient settlements were in the path of the proposed killer waves, but "any significant tsunami …
Where I’ve been: US counties
A few days ago I had a post with maps showing states and countries I have been in. Here's another map: counties I've been in. I've lived in Billings, MT; Salt Lake City, UT; Bozeman, MT; Pullman, WA; St. Louis, MO; Bucharest, Romania; and now Lakewood, CO. The greater amount of red in the Western …
US gasoline prices by county
From gasbuddy.com: USA Gas Temperature Map -- Red is high, green is low. I saw gasoline here in Denver for $1.299 last week, though it has gone up a bit since then. Grace and Peace
Light pillars
From today's Astronomy Picture of the Day: Unusual light pillars over Latvia. It is not that light pillars formed by ice crystals in the air over bright lights are unusual, it is the curious fanning out of the light at the top of the pillars which is unexplained. Go to APOD for a better view. …
Carbon tax or cap-and-trade?
The carbon cap-and-trade system that many are pushing seems to be somewhat like medieval indulgences. An indulgence (from a Protestant perspective) was a document one could purchase in order to obtain forgiveness for sins. A company, or a country, can reduce its "guilt" for producing carbon dioxide by buying credits from another company/country that doesn't …
Crude oil predictions
A year ago, Geology.com News had pointed to an article predicting that the price of crude oil would decline due to high rates of exploration and lowered demand. The prediction was a decline to as low as $30 a barrel. After last summer's price spike, the price of a barrel of crude is now below …
Mixed marriages and the age of the Earth
I received a letter from a friend with questions about the age of the Earth, and how to raise children in a family where one parent is an old-Earth creationist, and the other is a young-Earth creationist. Here is my response, with the name changed and some of the letter changed as well: Dear Joe, …
“I looked at the Christian community and saw ugliness”
This item was originally posted in January 2008. I have added it to my blog recycling program. Because I have new readers of The GeoChristian, I will occasionally go back and re-use some of my favorite blog entries. I also wrote a longer review of the book Pollution and the Death of Man in January …
Continue reading “I looked at the Christian community and saw ugliness”
Self stem cells
Once again, it is using one's own body's stem cells where medical progress is being made, without the ethical or medical problems associated with using embryonic stem cells: Revolutionary stem cell therapy boosts body's ability to heal itself (from The Guardian). A groundbreaking medical treatment that could dramatically enhance the body's ability to repair itself …
Where I’ve been
Several sites on the geoblogosphere have had a link to a site (click here) where one can generate a map showing all the states or countries they have been in. Here are my maps: None of these are "airport only" states or countries. HT: Looking for Detatchment, Clastic Detritus, Highly Allochthonous Grace and Peace
Snow cover maps
The Map Room has a link to current snow cover maps. We had a few snowflakes here in Denver today, but the ground is bare. Let it snow!
Catastrophic space storms
Livescience.com: Perfect Space Storm Could be Catastrophic on Earth, Study Concludes Solar activity has just passed the low point in its 11-year cycle, and is expected to peak again around 2012. It is believed that about every 100 years or so, there is a particularly intense solar storm, which could disrupt power supplies on Earth …
Atheist: Africa needs God
A London Times article by Matthew Parris: As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God Subtitle: Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset A few excerpts: Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in …
President Bush’s environmental legacy gets a boost
President Bush hasn't been the favorite president of the environmental movement: pushing for oil drilling in pristine areas, pushing for relaxation of air and water quality regulations, uranium mining at the edge of the Grand Canyon, removing scientists from the process of evaluating endangered species, and low investment in renewable energy resources. A part of …
Continue reading President Bush’s environmental legacy gets a boost
National Geographic — irresponsible dismissal of a valid historical document
I have been a reader and collector of National Geographic since childhood. I am able to overlook some of their biases, which lead from time to time to sloppy journalism on the part of the magazine, such as the Gospel of Judas fiasco. Here is another NG piece of sloppy/biased journalism regarding religion: the cover …
Continue reading National Geographic — irresponsible dismissal of a valid historical document
Volcano art
Magma Cum Laude has a couple of nice paintings of Vesuvius, including this one: Pierre-Jacques Volaire, The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, 1777; from the North Carolina Museum of Art HT: The Volcanism Blog Grace and Peace
GeoChristian 