Posted: March 1, 2021

Mount Etna is a volcano that towers over Sicily, a region of Italy. It is Europe’s largest and most active volcano. The fiery, noisy volcano is putting on a spectacular show. People around the world watch its latest eruption in awe.

On February 16, Etna erupted. It sent up high fountains of red-hot lava. The molten rock rolled down the mountain’s eastern slope in bright, orange rivers. (Thankfully, no one lives on that side of the mountain.) Ash and stones showered the southern side of the mountain. What a display of God’s mighty power! Psalm 65:6 describes God as “the one who by His strength established the mountains, being girded with might."

It’s been days since the eruption, and Etna is still active. Glowing lava lights up the night. The volcano colors the sky bright red and orange. No one knows how long the activity will last, say volcanologists. They are scientists who work with the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

Etna is 11,050 feet above sea level. It measures 22 miles in diameter. The volcano is huge! People living in the towns and villages around the volcano see it and feel it too. Sometimes bits of hardened lava rain down on streets. They bounce off cars and rattle roofs.

Etna has brought good things to nearby residents too. Lava flows create fertile farmland. Apple and citrus trees flourish. Tourists flock to see the energetic volcano. Hikers and backpackers enjoy views of the mountain that “huffs and puffs.”

Etna’s latest eruption hasn’t caused any injuries or evacuations. But throughout history the volcano has been deadly. In 1669, Etna had its worst known eruption. Lava buried part of the city of Catania, 15 miles away. It ruined dozens of villages. In 1928, Etna erupted, cutting off a railroad route around the volcano’s base. In 1983, people used dynamite to change the direction of lava that was threatening homes. In 1992, the army built a dirt wall to keep lava from hitting the village of Zafferana Etnea.   

Posted: February 26, 2021

The mayor of Lyon, France, took most meat off the menu at school cafeterias. Children used to have a choice of meaty or vegetarian lunches. Now—with the exception of those who might choose the fish option—all kids will get a meatless meal. Lyon City Hall says that removing hearty entrées containing beef, poultry, and such is a good idea. The new menu will be quicker and easier to serve under coronavirus rules. But some in that famous food city are unhappy about the change.

City Hall insists that the meatless meals are temporary. The city says that schools will offer a range of meat options again when coronavirus rules are relaxed. Then children have more time to make food choices and eat.

The meat-free menus still include fish. Other proteins like eggs and dairy products are still available. And of course, there’s dessert. Kids who don’t eat meat for religious or dietary reasons can choose the vegetarian meals.

Still, farmers saw red. Some protested by driving farm vehicles, cows, and goats into Lyon. The city is proud of its rich restaurant culture and famous dishes, many of them made with meat.

Protesters’ banners praised meat-eating. Signs proclaimed “meat from our fields = a healthy child.” Some argued the switch would hurt children from poorer families who might not be able to get good protein-rich foods outside of school.

The fight is political too. More people are growing concerned about environmental damage from farming. They say eating less meat will help. There will be more arguments like this one as elections approach. Opponents of that view say good farming practices don’t harm the environment. Raising livestock produces nutrient-rich fertilizer that is actually very good for ecosystems when handled properly.

The mayor, Gregory Doucet, is a flexitarian. That means he eats meat in modest amounts. He says he isn’t trying to force vegetarianism on children.

“Being able to offer a seated hot meal to all the children is important,” Mayor Doucet says. “This is Lyon, the capital of gastronomy [the art of cooking and eating good food]. For us, flavor is also essential.”

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. — Genesis 9:3

Posted: February 25, 2021

It’s BACK! The Scripps National Spelling Bee returns this year. It will be mostly virtual. The in-person portion of the competition is limited to the top 12 finalists. Those finalists will gather on an ESPN campus at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Scripps canceled last year’s spelling bee. The organization was concerned that it could not hold the bee safely. That was the first bee canceled since World War II. Three years from 1943-1945 saw no Scripps contestants.

The National Spelling Bee usually lasts a week. Spellers call the week “Bee Week.” This year’s event will be different. It will stretch over several weeks. The first rounds will be in mid-June, the semifinals on June 27, and the finals on July 8.

“We gave up on the idea of Bee Week early on, because we knew we couldn’t bring hundreds of people to one location safely,” says Carolyn Micheli. She’s directing the bee. Ms. Micheli thinks this year’s format will be fun and exciting for everyone.

Kids were crushed when the normally annual match was called off last year. Eighth graders missed out on their final chance to compete in the prestigious competition. Spellers can’t compete once they enter high school.

Organizers for Scripps asked spellers and their families what they’d like to see for the 2021 competition. “Hold the bee somehow,” most said. That’s what’s going to happen––with a few big changes.

The spelling bee will host 200 spellers. That’s fewer than usual. Spellers can qualify for the bee by winning regional bees. Those who live in areas that don’t have regional bees can compete through online qualifying bees. There won’t be a written test this year.

This year’s spellers say they are up for the challenge AND the changes. Harini Logan is a 12-year-old from San Antonio, Texas. She’s busy preparing to try to qualify for the bee. “I have never really stopped or slowed down,” says the speller.  

Posted: February 24, 2021

Volunteers are scouring the sand along Israel’s Mediterranean coast. They’re gathering globs of sticky black tar. People are cleaning up a disastrous oil spill. It blackened most of the country’s 120-mile shoreline.

Thousands of volunteers, soldiers, and park rangers are picking up millions of tiny balls of tar. The cleanup will take months. It’s estimated that at least 1,000 tons of the black goo washed up on shore. Volunteers fill green bags with tar-coated shells.

Project 500 is an Israeli group that works to maintain national parks and nature reserves. The unit is part of the clean-up effort. Nir Hodeda works with Project 500. “You’re doing something for nature, not just for a person, for wild animals, for the climate, for the environment, for everyone,” he explains.

The cause of the oil spill is under investigation. Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry presumes that a ship offshore was responsible for the leaking a large amount of oil in the first two weeks of February. The Nature and Parks Authority has called it one of the country’s “worst ecological disasters” ever.

Oil floats on water’s surface. This floating oil is called a “slick.” The slick is moving north of Israel as well. It leaves sticky tar wherever it washes up. Some is now accumulating in southern Lebanon. There, the city of Tyre has a coastal nature reserve. It is one of Lebanon’s last remaining sandy beaches. It’s also an important nesting site for endangered sea turtles. Hassan Hamza is an engineer at the Tyre reserve. He says, “Most Lebanese beaches have been affected by this pollution.”

These beaches are important boundaries we read about in the Bible. When God brought His people into the Promised Land, the Mediterranean Sea was a boundary for them. Joshua 15:12 says, “And the west boundary was the Great Sea with its coastline.” Another boundary was at Tyre. See Joshua 19:29.

Posted: February 23, 2021

The Great Turtle Rescue is underway in unusually chilly Texas. People are saving cold-stunned sea turtles. The turtles are warming up in a convention center in the south Texas town of South Padre Island.

Sea turtles are cold blooded. They can’t keep their bodies warm like mammals do. If the water temperature drops below 50 degrees, they become “cold stunned.” They get sluggish and can’t swim. The dazed marine reptiles float to the top of the water. That puts them in danger. They could be be hit by boats or washed ashore. There, they may get stuck on land. 

Residents are busy saving stunned sea turtles. “Every 15 minutes or less there’s another truck or SUV that pulls up,” says Ed Caum. He’s the executive director of the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. He says that sometimes people bring in one or two sea turtles. Sometimes they bring more. “We had trailers full yesterday coming in that had 80, 100, 50.” That’s a lot of turtles!

The convention center started pitching in last week. Its neighbor, Sea Turtle, Inc., didn’t have space for more sea turtles. People kept finding cold-stunned turtles that needed help. Together, the convention center and Sea Turtle, Inc., have saved thousands of turtles from the dangerously chilly weather.

Mr. Caum says that they’ve “collected” more than 3,500 sea turtles at the center so far. “We’re trying to do the best we can to save as many turtles as possible,” he says.

In Matthew 22:38, Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart. The next verse says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The people of South Padre Island, Texas, are working together to help each other AND God’s creatures.

Posted: February 22, 2021

A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rover streaked through the orange sky over Mars and landed safely on the Red Planet Thursday. It traveled 300 million miles to get there. Ground controllers leaped to their feet. They cheered in triumph and relief. It was the news they’d been waiting on for nearly seven months. The six-wheeled Perseverance is now on Mars.

This is the third spacecraft to arrive to Mars in just over a week. The United Arab Emirates’ Hope Orbiter swung into orbit around Mars on February 9. Next came China’s Tianwen-1 Mars Probe. NASA’s Perseverance rover was the last of the three crafts to reach the fourth planet from the Sun. But it is the first to land. Read more about the three missions here: 2020: The Summer of Mars.

Perseverance––nicknamed “Percy”—landed at the Jezero Crater. Scientists named the crater after a small village in Bosnia. Back on Earth, villagers in Jezero gathered in front of a video screen in their community school yard to cheer Percy’s landing.

The landing came after what NASA describes as “seven minutes of terror.” For those seven minutes, Percy was completely on its own. Flight controllers waited helplessly for the preprogrammed spacecraft to hit the thin Martian atmosphere. It raced through at 12,100 miles per hour. To slow its speed, the craft released a 70-foot parachute. A rocket-steered platform called a “sky crane” lowered the rover carefully to the planet’s surface.

It took 11 and a half minutes for Mission Control to get the signal confirming that Percy had touched down. The spacecraft sent two black-and-white photos of Mars’ surface. Former astronaut John Grunsfeld tweeted that Perseverance’s landing was “exactly the good news and inspiration we need right now.”

In celebration of Percy’s safe arrival on Mars, the Mars Doughnut landed for a day at Krispy Kreme on February 18. The doughnut was a sweet-tasting replica of the Red Planet.

Over the next two years, Percy will drill and collect rock samples from the soil on Mars. Those rocks will eventually be sent to Earth. “Now, the amazing science starts,” says NASA mission chief Thomas Zurbuchen.

Praise Him, Sun and Moon, praise Him all you shining stars! –– Psalm 148:3

Posted: February 19, 2021

One of Alaska’s native people groups, called the Inupiat, loves seal oil. People eat it as as a dipping sauce for fish, caribou, and musk ox. It’s also used to flavor stews, or even eaten alone. But when Inupiat elders moved into nursing homes, they couldn’t get the comfort food. 

The state didn’t allow the seal oil because it can sometimes be contaminated with botulism. That toxin can cause illness or death.

The Maniilaq Health Association in Kotzebue, Alaska, came to the rescue. The association worked with partners in Alaska and other states. They made a process to kill the toxin. It took more than five years. But they did it—without changing the taste too much or losing nutrients.

Researchers discovered that heating seal oil at 176 degrees Fahrenheit for two and a half minutes destroys the toxins. To be extra safe, they decided to heat the oil for 10 minutes. Then they keep it frozen.

Most of the recent batches of oil came from ringed seals. Cyrus Harris works with hunters. He says those seals can weigh from 40 to 80 pounds. A smaller seal produces three or four gallons of oil.

Seal oil will be available at the association’s nursing home soon. Elders at the home have gotten tastes of seal oil in the past when relatives brought them food.

But now the residents are excited. They will be able to have the oil anytime they want it, says Marcella Wilson. She runs the nursing home.

“They consider it a part of them, their being,” she says about the elders. Some say they “feel warm inside” and sleep all night after eating it.

In Leviticus 19:32, God told the Israelites to respect the aged: “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” Workers at the association honored the elderly by providing this beloved food.

Posted: February 18, 2021

In Belgium, Maxime Fannoy puts the finishing touches on his miniature World War II tank. He makes the scaled-down plastic model look as real as possible. Just before the lockdown, Mr. Fannoy stocked up on brushes and paints. When the pandemic forced him to work from home, he got to work on his model kits. Model building is a fun distraction that is helping people like Mr. Fannoy avoid the pandemic blues.

More time at home means more time to build. Families are bringing old model train sets out of storage. They are creating miniature worlds. People are buying more model trains, cars, and planes to assemble. Gluing, painting, fixing, and fiddling are peeling people away from screens. Teens are catching the modeling bug from their parents and grandparents. Suddenly, people are finding time to enjoy long-forgotten hobbies.

In France, 70-year-old Guy Warein dusted off a model train set. He fixed up a room in his house for the train and a track. The set is helping him connect with his grandkids. “It’s a coming together of generations, and that can only be beneficial,” he says.

Model manufacturers are benefiting from the pandemic as well. Sales are booming! Many are having a hard time keeping up with demand for their products. The British company Horby had to airfreight 10,000 World War II “Spitfire” fighter plane kits from a factory in India. For the first time in the company’s 71-year-history, stores ran out of model kits. Another British manufacturer, Peco, hired extra staff to fill orders.

These days, more and more people are using their free time to create. Building miniature models is a fun way to use the creativity God has given us!

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. — Ecclesiastes 3:1

Posted: February 17, 2021

Larry the cat lives at 10 Downing Street in London, England. That is the headquarters of the government of the United Kingdom. Larry holds the unofficial pest control post at “Number 10.” (That’s a nickname for 10 Downing Street.) The chief mouse-catcher is celebrating 10 years on the prowl!

Number 10 is the official residence and office of Britain’s prime minister. The prime minister is the leader of the government for the United Kingdom. Former Prime Minister David Cameron noticed a pack of rats near Number 10. He brought Larry to the house a decade ago and gave the tabby cat a job: keep pests away from the residence!

Once a homeless stray, Larry has loyally served three prime ministers. “He belongs to the house, and the staff love him very much––as do I,” said Prime Minister Cameron in his final appearance in Parliament as prime minister. 

Larry came from London’s Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. “His rags to riches tale is yet more proof of why all animals deserve a second chance. One minute they may be an overlooked stray on the streets. The next, they could become one of the nation’s beloved political figures, with fans around the world,” says Battersea’s Lindsay Quinlan.

Visitors can see Larry patrolling the property. But reports of his rodent-killing abilities vary. Sometimes Larry has scuffles with neighborhood cats. He really doesn’t like Palmerston, chief mouser to the Foreign Office across the street. Palmerston has recently retired to the country, so things have been a bit quieter lately.

People wondered if Larry would retire when Boris Johnson became prime minister in 2019. After all, Prime Minister Johnson is a dog man. His dog Dilyn moved into Number 10. But 14-year-old Larry wasn’t asked to move out.

Sometimes Larry catches a catnap on a ledge above a radiator. When he snoozes on the floor, dignitaries are careful to step over him. Political leaders know Larry is a popular cat who specializes in power naps.

Posted: February 16, 2021

Bundle up, Texas! It’s cold outside. Unusually cold! “Typically, we just don’t have quite this much cold air in place that far south,” says meteorologist Marc Chenard. He’s referring to the snow and ice blanketing much of the southern United States. A deep freeze reached as far south as Texas’ Gulf coast early this week.

Residents in Houston, Texas, prepared for power outages and hazardous roads. Dallas, Texas, expected six inches of snow. Airlines postponed and canceled flights. Across the South, several governors declared a state of emergency. Utility crews moved into the area. The unusual winter storm has everyone on high alert.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned: “All of Texas is facing an extremely dangerous winter storm.” The president of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas says, “We are experiencing record-breaking electric demand due to the extreme cold temperatures that have gripped Texas.”

 Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson activated National Guard units to help residents weather the storm. Significant ice and up to 12 inches of snow were expected across parts of the southern Great Plains states by Monday. Residents in Arkansas registered temperatures of -2 degrees Fahrenheit!

In Tennessee, lines formed at grocery stores as people rushed to stock up. In Mississippi, sleet left roads and bridges slick. Parts of Kentucky and West Virginia expect up to eight inches of snow by Tuesday as the cold front turns a little more northward. Hundreds of utility crews are in place if power outages occur. They stand ready to help people in need as the “storehouses of snow” may be emptying on a region not normally accustomed to such harsh winter weather. (See Job 38:22.)

Posted: February 15, 2021

Volunteers carefully placed thousands of footsteps in the snow. Their beautiful snow art caught the attention of many near Finland’s capital of Helsinki.  

Local resident and artist Janne Pyykko directed 11 volunteers as they stamped patterns on a golf course. Each volunteer wore a set of snowshoes. Their organized steps created a series of complex geometric shapes. The center design looks like a starfish. Six huge snowflakes surround the starfish shape.

It took two days to make the large, snowy work of art. The complete design measures 525 feet in diameter! Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat says it could be the largest snow-drawing ever made in the Nordic country.

Mr. Pyykko has created smaller snow illustrations by himself––but nothing this extravagant. “It was both a social challenge and a visual challenge,” says Mr. Pyykko.

When he says “social challenge,” he’s talking about having to lead the group to create the complicated geometrical design. At the site, group members used strings to help make the round pattern shapes. Mr. Pyykko mapped out the patterns for snowshoers to follow on the golf course. The project took a great deal of ground planning.

Of course, the drawing is best observed from the air. And it won’t be around for long. It will last only until the next snowfall or heavy winds erase the footprints. Psalm 147:16 tells us that God commands the snow when to fall. The verse says, “He gives snow like wool; He scatters frost like ashes.”  

Posted: February 12, 2021

Researchers made a new discovery about a large conch shell in a museum. They think it is the oldest known seashell instrument—and it still works! The shell makes a deep, mournful sound, like a foghorn.

The shell was found in a French cave in 1931. The discoverers thought it was a ceremonial drinking cup. Archaeologists recently took another look. They saw that it had been made into a wind instrument many millennia (thousands of years) ago.

The researchers invited a French horn player to play it. Archaeologist Carole Fritz feared that playing the 12-inch shell might damage it, but it didn’t. The horn made three notes: C, C sharp, and D.

Conch shells were used in many places, including ancient Greece, Japan, India, and Peru. The shell horns are a bit like the shofars of the Bible. Those were usually made from rams’ horns.

The researchers noticed some holes in the shell. The tip of the shell was broken off. That made a hole large enough to blow through. A look under a microscope showed that the opening was made carefully, not accidentally.

A tiny medical camera found another hole in the shell’s inner chamber. And traces of red pigment were on the mouth of the conch. The pigment matches a decorative pattern on the wall of the Marsoulas Cave where the shell was found.

“This discovery reminds us that their [the ancient peoples’] lives were much richer and more complex than just stone tools and big game,” says archaeologist Margaret Conkey.

The Marsoulas Cave is not near an ocean, so the people must have either moved around widely or traded for the shell, the researchers say.

The archaeologists plan to continue studying the horn’s range of notes using a 3-D replica.

Posted: February 11, 2021

“Newborn baby pandas from the class of 2020…wish you a happy New Year,” the panda keepers shouted. Their arms were full of fuzzy cubs. The panda keepers introduced 10 black-and-white panda furballs to the public. They live at China’s leading panda reserve. The panda celebration marked the coming Lunar New Year, which is Friday, February 12.

The pandas were a handful at the party! One was shy and covered its face with both paws when it saw the crowd. Another tried to escape, sneaking away from its keeper. They range in age from four to six months, says the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda in southwest China’s Sichuan province.

The fluffy cubs made their first appearance at the center’s playground. It was decorated for the panda party. There were lanterns, traditional Chinese knots, paper cars, and flags.

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, it is a tradition for adults to give children red envelopes with money inside. The little panda cubs didn’t get red envelopes. But they did get bamboo baskets of snacks. Some of the pandas were curious about the treats. Others were distracted. They wanted to play with the toys and decorations nearby.

As of December, there were 44 panda cubs in the world. More than half of those live in China. The country is proud of its work to preserve pandas. They are a symbol of China. They are part of its culture. More importantly, they are part of God’s amazing creation!

Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He commanded and they were created. — Psalm 148:5

Posted: February 10, 2021

This miniature chameleon is so tiny that it fits on a human fingertip. Its little body looks exactly like a full-sized chameleon shrunk down in size. The chameleon might set a big record for being so small! Scientists from Madagascar and Germany say the newly discovered species of chameleon could get the title of World’s Smallest Reptile.

The new species is Brookesia nana. Frank Glaw was part of the international team of researchers that classified the chameleon. He says the chameleon’s body is just a little more than one half inch long. That’s at least one and a half millimeters smaller than the previous record holder. That reptile record holder was also a chameleon.

Mr. Glaw is a reptile expert at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich, Germany. He says that a local guide in Madagascar found the tiny male chameleon and a slightly larger female on a mountainside during a 2012 expedition.

“You really have to get down on your knees to find them,” says Mr. Glaw. “They are obviously camouflaged, and they move very slowly.”

Many different chameleon species live in Madagascar. More than ever before, people are cutting down the forests where they live. The loss of trees is hurting the chameleon population and making them harder to find.

It will take time to confirm Brookesia nana as the smallest reptile species. First, scientists will have to find more of them. That’s a task that could take several years. Imagine trying to spot the miniscule chameleons in the wild. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack!

Acts 7:50 says, “Did not my hand make all these things?” One look at the itty-bitty reptile has us marveling at God’s handiwork. He formed their parts perfectly––as miniature as they are!

Posted: February 9, 2021

Donald Rabin hopped on a Chicago Transit Authority train in a hurry. When he did, he forgot his fancy flute. Most belongings left behind on a train are never found. But not Mr. Rabin’s flute! The owner located the valuable instrument after a pawn shop owner heard about the missing flute on the news. 

Mr. Rabin was riding a Blue Line train from O’Hare International Airport. When he got off the train, he realized that he forgot his flute. The flute was a gift from his grandmother. It is made of gold and silver––and worth $22,000!

Mr. Rabin hopped back on the train. He rode the train for hours in hopes of finding the misplaced woodwind. When he couldn’t locate it, Mr. Rabin reported the missing instrument to police. Then he took to social media. He hoped someone would spot the flute.

The Chicago Tribune reports that a Cable News Network reporter told Mr. Rabin about a comment on Facebook about the flute. The instrument was in a pawn shop. A pawn shop is a store that loans people money for valuable items. A homeless man found the flute and took it to a pawn shop. He got a $550 loan from the shop in exchange for the flute.

Gabe Cocanate owns the pawn shop. He thought the gold and silver flute looked pricey. When he saw the story of the missing flute on the news, he knew that was the flute in his shop.

Police picked up the flute. They contacted Mr. Rabin who flew back to Chicago to pick it up. He treated officers to a brief concert.

Mr. Rabin is grateful and relieved to have his instrument back. “I’m just thankful that I have the flute in my hand, that I can make music again and I can make people smile,” he says.

Posted: February 8, 2021

In Hong Kong, the Lunar New Year holiday is a busy time for flower farmers. They sell plum blossoms, orchids, and daffodils at flower markets. This year, those markets are smaller than in other years. New rules are in place due to the pandemic. Fewer people and shorter hours at markets are taking a toll on many flower farms. Farmers worry that their hands will be full with an oversupply of flowers.

This year, the Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, is on Friday, February 12. Lunar New Year is usually a helpful boost for businesses in Hong Kong. People kick off the new year selling festive items like holiday snacks, gifts, decorations, and, of course, flowers. Flower farms often make about half of their yearly profits at Lunar New Year fairs.

Hong Kong’s government is tightening up restrictions this year. The markets can only run at half-capacity. That means only one half of the usual number of people can attend. Market business hours are shorter. This is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But it is spreading concern among flower growers. Flowers don’t bloom forever! “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever,” says Isaiah 40:8.

Farm owner Yeung Siu-lung runs one of Hong Kong’s largest orchid farms. To get ready for the festive season, he grew 30,000 pots of orchids. Originally, Mr. Yeung planned to sell the flowers in 16 stalls in flower markets. Now he will sell them online or directly from his ten greenhouses.

Customer Pinky Chan drove an hour to buy orchids from Mr. Yeung. “Because of the pandemic, we are all not very happy, we are not able to meet with our families. So I hope buying a pot of flowers for my parents can make them feel a bit happier.”