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California Fires
These two images of the Los Angeles area were taken a little over three hours apart on October 21, 2007, showing the rapid growth of the fires that have already destroyed hundreds of structures and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. The fires spread rapidly due to hot, dry Santa Ana winds, …
Kimberlite Pipe Animation
Diamonds are formed in the Earth's mantle at a depth of 150 to 200 km, and brought to the surface rapidly in a volcanic vent that forms what is called a kimberlite pipe. No one has ever witnessed a kimberlite volcanic eruption, but it is believed that the magma travels at several hundred kilometers per …
First Date
On October 14, 1977, my wife and I went out on our first date. Something clicked: we had a nice date, and have had a fantastic thirty years. Thirty years is a good start. I look forward to the next 30+ years with my wonderful wife. Grace and Peace
2007 Ig Nobel Prizes
The 2007 Ig Nobel Prizes have been awarded ("For achievements that first make people LAUGH then make them THINK"): MEDICINE: Brian Witcombe of Gloucester, UK, and Dan Meyer of Antioch, Tennessee, USA, for their penetrating medical report "Sword Swallowing and Its Side Effects." PHYSICS: L. Mahadevan of Harvard University, USA, and Enrique Cerda Villablanca of …
Dinosaur Coins
The Royal Canadian Mint has released a commemorative $4 coin featuring a parasaurolophus, a Late Cretaceous dinosaur found in Alberta: This is the first of a four-coin "Giants of Prehistory" series, with a triceratops coin scheduled for 2008, a T. rex scheduled for 2009, and a dromeasaur in 2010. The mint has produced 20,000 of …
How would you like to have an ear on your arm?
From Scientific American's blog Sciam Observations: Man implants "ear" in arm. [The man] had a surgeon implant a human ear (grown from cells in a lab) into his left forearm. The next step in his living exhibit? "I hope to have a tiny microphone implanted [in]to it that will connect with a Bluetooth transmitter." Sounds …
Continue reading How would you like to have an ear on your arm?
Toilet House
From Yahoo News/AFP: Clean loo campaigner to open toilet-shaped home Seoul -- Sim Jae-Duck was born in a restroom and now he plans to live and die in one -- a 1.6 million dollar toilet-shaped house designed to promote his tireless campaign for cleaner loos worldwide. Click on the link for the full story and …
Al Gore — Nobel Peace Prize (part 2)
The Evangelical Ecologist (not normally a pro-Al Gore site) also approves of the choice of Al Gore and the IPCC for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Read it here: Credit where it's due. Grace and Peace
Maybe the Sky Isn’t Falling
From Christianity Today: Maybe the Sky Isn't Falling: New UN study says that reports of the world's death have been greatly exaggerated. My previous post was about Al Gore and the Nobel Peace Prize. Some environmentalists look as global warming and a dozen other ecological crises that face us and say, "The sky is falling." …
Al Gore — Nobel Peace Prize
Unlike many in the conservative blogosphere, I am not upset that Al Gore shared in this year's Nobel Peace Prize. I believe that the evidence is fairly strong that some degree of global warming is occurring, and that part of this is not natural; i.e. that it is due to human emissions of greenhouse gases. …
Has the U.S. already lost the new space race?
The director of NASA predicts that China will place astronauts on the moon before the U.S. can put someone on the moon for the first time since 1973. From CNN.com: NASA chief: China will beat us back to the moon The Soviets beat the United States at getting a satellite, and a man, into space. …
Continue reading Has the U.S. already lost the new space race?
Iapetus
Todays Astronomy Picture of the Day is Iapetus, one of the moons of Saturn: Each of the major moons of the solar system is unique. Iapetus is interesting for the great contrast between its brilliant white surface, which is probably composed of water ice, and the dark black area on the right, which could be …
The Great Exchange
Consider the following quote from Martin Luther with supporting verses from the Scriptures: Learn Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him and, despairing of yourself, say, "Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, just as I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and have given me what is yours. …
Where in the World? #6
This month's theme is coastlines. Where is this coastline, and how was it formed? Grace and Peace
Modern Reformation
I love the cover on the current issue of Modern Reformation, which is published by the same people who give us the White Horse Inn: All of our efforts to deal with our sin are like using a band-aid to cover a rottenness that goes to the core. Grace and peace P.S. What is worse …
White Horse Inn
The one Christian radio program that I regularly listen to from the United States is White Horse Inn. The description of the program from their web site is: The White Horse Inn is a nationally syndicated radio talk show hosted by Michael Horton, Rod Rosenbladt, Kim Riddlebarger and Ken Jones. On the air since 1990, …
Musandam Peninsula
Last week's "Where in the World" wasn't identified until I gave a clue. It is the Musandam Peninsula in Oman, at the Strait of Hormuz, which is the narrow passageway between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Here is a map of the area, from the 1:250,000 scale JOG NG 40-6, which I got …
Strange Maps
An endlessly entertaining blog for a map junkie like me is Strange Maps. This site has been up for a little over a year, and already has 3,000,000 views! Here are a few sample strange maps: Grace and Peace P.S. No one has indicated that they have figured out Where in the World #5 yet; …
Free advertising
The Evangelical Ecologist recently promoted my site; I'll return the favor. This is a site I go to daily. Ron Schott's Geology Home Companion recently added The GeoChristian to his blogroll. This site is for the more geologically-minded.
GeoChristian 