Posted: April 2, 2020

Thieves stole a famous painting by Vincent van Gogh, and on his birthday, no less! They took it overnight in a smash-and-grab raid on the Singer Laren museum in the Netherlands. According to law enforcement, “The culprits were gone by the time police responded to the alarm.” 

The oil painting titled “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884” was on loan to the institution. The museum is closed due to the coronavirus.

It would be impossible for thieves to sell the painting publicly. But based on the auction price of other Van Gogh paintings, the lost value is in the millions of dollars. And this particular painting is unique. It is one of Van Gogh’s first works. It’s different than most of his 2,100 others.

Van Gogh used bold, bright colors in most of his artwork. His paintings are impressionistic. They have short, thick strokes of bright paint. Colors seem to bounce off the canvases. White backgrounds add light and depth to the paintings.   

The stolen painting is notimpressionistic. It’s the opposite. Dark colors make it look flat and bleak. A dark-clothed figure and gray church ruins blend into the poorly-lit scenery. But remember, every painting has a story.  

In December 1883, at the age of 30, Van Gogh moved in with his parents. His father was a pastor, and they lived in the parsonage of the Dutch Reformed Church at Nuenen. Space was tight. Van Gogh’s studio was in the laundry room! The “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884” was part of a series the artist painted from that home. The painting is dim; the landscape is dull. Maybe Van Gogh felt a little gray, living at home with his parents. 

Three years later, he moved to Paris. That’s where his paintings became more colorful and vibrant.

The early master work was stolen on March 30, 2020. The day of Van Gogh’s birth 167 years ago. 

Singer Laren Museum Director Jan Rudolph de Lorm describes the painting’s disappearance as, “terrible for us all because art exists to be seen and shared by us, the community, to enjoy to draw inspiration from and to draw comfort from, especially in these difficult times.” 

Art is a gift God gives us to enjoy, even when we’re cooped up with stay-at-home orders!

Posted: March 31, 2020

It was a long walk to the starting line. Tony Kanaan left his kitchen. He walked through the foyer, past the trophy case, and up the stairs. He headed down the hall, passing through the master bedroom and bathroom, and on . . . into a closet. That’s where the former Indianapolis 500 winner joined a virtual IndyCar race. 

Mr. Kannan spent a full day iRacing on a simulator in his closet. He’s competing in a racing series that will give cooped up IndyCar fans something to cheer for. 

 COVID-19 caused the racing season to screech to a halt. Races are now suspended—sort of. NASCAR, IndyCar, and other racing series' have traded stadiums for screens. Races have gone virtual. And NASCAR’s first iRace was the most-watched televised esports event ever. It had more than 900,000 viewers! 

NASCAR’s second race took place Sunday. It was called by Fox Sports announcers Mike Joy and Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. The track was a replica of the Texas Motor Speedway, where the real race would have taken place. Timmy Hill competed against 34 other NASCAR racers and took the checkered flag.

NASCAR’s seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson made his iRacing debut last weekend at an IndyCar virtual race. Sage Karam won that race, even though he had no prior experience on the race’s virtual Watkins Glen International Speedway track. Felix Rosenqvist, last year’s real IndyCar top rookie, came in second. 

Drivers compete in all kinds of virtual iRacing rigs. Advanced rigs with motion sensors can cost more than $40,000. But some racers just use a simple setup of a steering wheel and computer at a desk. Drivers race on simulators set up in their bedrooms, basements, garages, living rooms, and—even closets. Each real track is laser-scanned. Even bumps and flaws in the asphalt are captured onscreen. So are the billboards, pit lanes, and grandstands.

IRacing is a way to keep drivers’ skills sharp. Events keep people interested for when real races can resume. 

It may be a while before those grandstands are filled with fans again. Until then, virtual racing is a great way to keep fans connected with a favorite sport.

Posted: April 1, 2020

Stranded bulbs; lonely blooms. Dutch tulips are in trouble. Henk van der Slot has stacks of pots of bulbs in his barn in the Netherlands. They were going to the Vatican for Easter. Not anymore. The Pope won’t get his Dutch flowers this year. He’s not the only one. 

According to government figures, the Netherlands grows 77% of flower bulbs sold worldwide. The coronavirus is disastrous for the Dutch tulip flower and bulb industry. Border restrictions and lockdowns are hurting other flower growers around the world too. 

Fresh flowers don’t last long. Growers in Kenya and Ethiopia are tossing out mounds of unsold flowers––as many as 250,000 each day. Earlier this week, Dutch gardener Frans van der Slot threw out a batch of bulbs. The cost of planting them just wasn’t worth it. “They fed them to the cows,” he says. “They were first-class bulbs.” Some Dutch farmers are giving flowers away to health care workers as a token of thanks.

The famous Keukenhof garden in Lisse, Netherlands, is giving flowers away too. Virtually. “If people cannot come to Keukenhof, we will bring Keukenhof to the people at home,” says director Bart Siemerink.

Normally the garden is crowded with thousands of visitors. Close to 1.5 million people visit the park every year. Not in 2020. A lonely worker pushes his wheelbarrow through the garden. He’s taking care of the tulips, even though the park is closed due to the coronavirus.   

Annually, around 1,300 staff take care of the park’s famous Dutch tulips. Now, only 40-50 staff members maintain the flowers. Each of the seven million bulbs had been planted by hand. No one wants them to go to waste.

Want to tiptoe through the tulips? The park is showcasing their flowers online. You won’t be able to sniff the blooms, but you can enjoy their brilliance. Check out the Keukenhof’s virtual tour here: https://youtu.be/a0VXJL1AT4g.

“And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”—Matthew 6:28

Posted: March 30, 2020

You should know that your parents and grandparents might be a little sad this week. That’s because they probably have fond memories of watching Curly Neal and the Harlem Globetrotters. Fred “Curly” Neal has passed away. He was 77.

Curly was a dribbling wizard. He was a mainstay of the traveling comedy show basketball team for three decades. 

Mr. Neal appeared in more than 6,000 games in 97 countries. Always smiling, the crowd favorite would dribble circles around hapless defenders. 

Curly Neal was a star player in high school. He went on from Greenville, North Carolina, to play for Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, averaging 23 points per game as a senior. Mr. Neal was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. His Number 22 is also one of five Globetrotter jerseys hanging in Madison Square Garden arena in New York City, where the team entertained millions.

“We have lost one of the most genuine human beings the world has ever known,” said Globetrotters general manager Jeff Munn. “Curly’s basketball skill was unrivaled by most, and his warm heart and huge smile brought joy to families worldwide.”

The Harlem Globetrotters still perform. Ask your parents to show you some video of an Globetrotters show featuring Curly. You might understand why they will miss him. And they will also probably say they thank God that He brought Globetrotters fun into their lives.

Posted: March 27, 2020

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An orphaned koala is being cared for around the clock at the San Diego Zoo. That’s despite the fact that the zoo is closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Omeo is eight months old and zoo caretakers say he is thriving. The baby koala, called a joey, lost his mother to cancer in mid-December. Omeo was about five and a half months old and still in the pouch.

“Omeo has come a long way since we first started taking care of him,” said Kim Weibel. She is in charge of care for premature and sick newborn animals at the San Diego Zoo. “In the beginning, he was so compromised and so underdeveloped, we wondered if he would make it. However, he has grown stronger, his endurance has increased, and he has nice, thick fur. He is starting to sample eucalyptus, so we hope he will be eating it soon; and the next big step is meeting other koalas, and learning how to socialize and climb—doing all the great things koalas do.”

When he is not being fed from a bottle or playing with eucalyptus branches, Omeo sleeps most of the day in a substitute pouch made of plush fabric.

“The future for Omeo looks really bright,” says Ms. Weibel.

Posted: March 26, 2020

In Tennessee, bluegrass musicians David and Virginia Blood make sandwiches. In Pittsburgh, real estate agent Michelle Bushee stirs a pot of homemade black-bean chili. In Texas, Babette Maxwell Googles recipes. She wants to make homemade versions of her boys’ favorite Taco Bell items. 

Why do all these people have time to cook? It’s because they’re not at work! 

Throughout the United States, day to day life has changed a lot because of the COVID-19 pandemic.Many take a break from work to slow the spread of infection. Many work from home.

But here’s a bright spot. Americans often dine out or gobble processed food on the run. Now they’re suddenly cooking a whole lot more. 

This unique time challenges Americans to try new ingredients when supermarkets run out of regular items. People ask each other for tips: How can we cook these unfamiliar cuts of meat? What should we do with these vegetables we wouldn’t normally buy?

For many, home cooking brings back memories. Moms and dads who were used to whipping up packaged, quick food start to pull out old family recipes. They remember their moms and dads standing over the stove, cooking for them.

“I’ve always enjoyed cooking,” says Kim Bierly of Central Pennsylvania. “But it was being saved for weekends. And by the time you get to the weekend you had all the other things you need to do. So it would be something quick or something prepared.” 

Now she’s cooking up the kinds of things she remembers her mother making: food like stuffed pork chops or a bubbling pot of chicken and noodles.

“I think we need comfort right now,” she says, “and food is comfort.” 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction. —2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Posted: March 25, 2020

Hello, baby. Wait—you already have a beard? 

A conservation center in Bulgaria has welcomed a rare baby bearded vulture. 

People believe bearded vultures are extinct in Bulgaria because of lack of habitat and food. A baby gives hope. It means Bulgarians may one day be able to reintroduce the species into the wild. 

Experts at Green Balkans Wildlife conservation center feed the baby bird rat and mouse meat four or five times each day. 

Mealtime looks like this: The bird curls up in a small bowl. The bowl balances on some electronic scales. This helps caretakers make sure the baby doesn’t eat more than it can handle. 

Boy or girl? Caretakers don’t know yet. A blood test will tell them when the bird is over 30 days old.

Andreana Dicheva is one person who looks after the newborn. 

“After it feeds, it falls asleep,” she explains.

She and other caretakers watch the temperature closely. Every time the bird eats, its body gets warm. So they make the environment cooler so the bird doesn’t overheat. But they are careful. The bird can’t get too cold either. 

The caretakers have done all this before. The first time their bearded vulture eggs hatched was in 2016. Since then, they’ve cared for one to two babies a year. This is their seventh.

The bearded vultures need help hatching. “We take the egg from the nest,” says Ms. Dicheva. “We see that the little one has cracked the eggshell and is trying to come out. To be sure that it will manage to hatch, that it will come out of the shell alive and well, we help it.” 

At first, the chick is wet. It’s still curled up in the shape of the egg. Off to the incubator it goes! Bulgaria can’t afford to lose even one baby bearded vulture.

I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. —Psalm 50:11

Posted: March 24, 2020

For close to a month, a worldwide virus outbreak caused the shutdown of businesses, gatherings, and events of all kinds. Through it all, Japan stubbornly held out hope that the Tokyo Olympics would take place as scheduled this summer. But so many questions were raised! 

Would the games truly show which competitors are the world’s best if large numbers of top teams and athletes don’t show up? Would the competitions be fair? Would athletes have places and time to train? Would large gatherings and the close contact of some sports help spread the coronavirus?

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” 

Over the weekend, leaders finally bowed to pressure from concerned athletes, sponsors, and broadcasters. Event planners and sports organizations voiced concerns too. Olympic organizers and Japan’s Prime Minister now admit it is most likely that Tokyo 2020 will become Tokyo 2021. 

We often can’t imagine how God’s plans are going to work out for good. But we do need to trust Him completely. How could putting off so many hopes and dreams ever be a good thing? Well perhaps people will be more grateful and loving when they dofinally gather for the Games next summer. One Olympics organizer says the spirit of the Olympics may be even stronger if athletes gather, “when the world has pulled through the virus.”

Posted: March 23, 2020

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Biomimicry is the idea of imitating God’s creation design. Here’s an example: Engineers have designed a robotic arm based on octopus tentacles.

Two-thirds of an octopus’s neurons are in its arms. Neurons are cells that send nerve signals. You might say each arm has a mind of its own. Octopus arms can untie knots, open childproof bottles, and wrap around prey of many shapes and sizes.

The hundreds of suckers that cover tentacles can form strong seals even on rough surfaces underwater.

Researchers at Harvard and Beihang Universities developed the octopus-inspired soft robotic appendage(something that gets added on to something else). It can grip, move, and manipulate a wide range of objects.

Its flexible, tapered design comes complete with suction cups. They give the gripper a firm grasp on objects—everything from eggs to iPhones to large exercise balls.

Researchers began by studying the tapering angle of real octopus tentacles. They figured out a design that would work best for bending and grabbing. They also figured out the best arrangement of the “suckers.” Two valves control the Festo Tentacle Gripper. One applies pressure for bending the arm. Another creates the vacuum for the suckers. By changing the pressure and vacuum, the arm can attach to an object, wrap around it, carry it, and release it.

Designers tested the device on many different objects. They tried it on thin plastic sheets, coffee mugs, test tubes, eggs, and even live crabs. They probably even tried it on themselves! Wouldn’t you?

The team members learned a lot about designing soft robotics. They also learned a lot about how God designed the octopus.

Posted: March 20, 2020

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Two young New Yorkers have gathered an army of volunteers. They deliver food and medicine to people most at risk during the coronavirus outbreak.

Liam Elkind and Simone Policano made a casual Facebook request for volunteers. Just 72 hours later they had 1,300 helpers of all ages. 

The Associated Press spoke to Liam. He is a 20-year-old junior at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He says the project, Invisible Hands, may soon include London, England, and more cities across the United States.

The idea isn’t limited to shopping and delivering. During dropoffs, helpers pause to offer words of comfort or much-missed conversation to the lonely.

Liam Elkind’s big heart was the highlight of 83-year-old Carol Sterling’s week.

“So we’re picking up a delivery for a woman named Carol. She lives just a few blocks away from here and she’s requested some salad stuff, some salad fixings and some fruit. As I said, produce is really important to people,” says Liam as he sets out.

Ms. Sterling has been sheltering at home during the coronavirus outbreak. So she is unable to shop for herself. She found Liam’s help through the synagogue they both attend. Ms. Sterling is yearning for fresh produce. So . . . 

“I’m just going to pick that up and then deliver it to her apartment,” says Liam.

. . . he soon showed up at her door with a bag full of salad fixings and oranges.

On delivery day, Elkind and Sterling met for the first time. They exchanged money and a paper bag of groceries outside her 15th-floor New York City apartment. Liam and Ms. Sterling say it was an example of tikkun olam. Those Hebrew words mean something like “repairing what’s wrong in the world.”

Liam is the son of a doctor. And he has watched caregivers like his father work tirelessly during the present crisis. Liam has obviously taken their examples to heart.

Posted: March 19, 2020

Zap! COVID-19 zapped Maine’s big bash. The state’s 200th birthday is this week. But the celebration will have to wait. The coronavirus pandemic has forced the state to skip its own party.

Celebrations planned for Sunday were canceled. But Maine plans to celebrate its bicentennial—200th birthday, with a year fullof fun activities. After all, the state has 200 years of history to celebrate. A big parade is planned for May. Tall ships will arrive in June. 

Maine was “born” in 1820. The Pine Tree State is next door to Massachusetts. The two are friendly neighbors, but it hasn't always been that way. 

Here’s the history: Two hundred years ago, Maine split from Massachusetts. Why? The people living in what is now Maine were upset that the state of Massachusetts didn’t back them up. 

Maine began as a territory of Massachusetts. It hosted farming communities and summer colonies for the people of Massachusetts. The Plymouth Company created a trading post in the early 1600s in the area that is now Augusta, the state capital. The territory of Maine and the state of Massachusetts were trade partners. There were decades of unrest in the area, and the neighbors needed each other. The territory of Maine offered supplies. Massachusetts offered protection. 

During the War of 1812, British and Canadian forces occupied part of Maine. Massachusetts Governor Caleb Strong refused to send troops to defend Maine. The state turned its back on its neighbor. That didn’t sit well. After the war, the people of Maine voted for independence. On March 15, 1820, Maine became an official state. 

Today, Maine is known for lobsters, fishing villages, lighthouses, and logging. Hard feelings are long past. The state has become a home away from home for Massachusetts vacationers. 

The Maine state motto is “Dirigo,” which is Latin for “I lead.” The people of Maine can lead in how they respond to popped party plans. It can be disappointing when plans change. But our response to unexpected events is important. Maine has plenty to celebrate. What a great time to thank God for a state’s rich history. Happy Birthday, Maine!  

Posted: March 17, 2020

“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” That’s what Mr. Rogers’ mother would say to him when he saw scary things in the news. Doctors and scientists are helpers fighting the coronavirus. They want to protect people from getting sick. On Monday, researchers in the U.S. began testing a new vaccine. 

A vaccine is a shot that helps protect a body against a virus. How do scientists test new vaccines? They ask people for help. In a clinical trial, people are given a vaccine. People who take part help doctors figure out what works, and what doesn’t.

Monday was the first time a new vaccine for the coronavirus was tried on a person. Doctors will observe how this volunteer’s body responds to the shot. The National Institutes of Health is paying for this test. It is taking place at Kaiser Permanente in Seattle. We will not know for more than a year if the vaccine works and is safe. Lots of research will happen between now and then. 

Forty-five young, healthy volunteers will receive different doses of shots. These shots will contain the new vaccine. There is no chance the volunteers will get coronavirus from the shots. Why? The shots don’t have the actual virus in them. Researchers need to first make sure that what is in the shots doesn’t harm people. 

The number of cases of coronavirus is growing. Older adults and people with existing health conditions can get very sick from the virus. That’s why there’s a race to create a vaccine that works. Scientists are also trying to create temporary vaccines that will protect people from the virus for a month or two. These shots will keep people safe while a longer-lasting vaccine is developed. 

Thankfully, most of the people who get the coronavirus will recover. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness from the virus get better in about two weeks. That’s great news! It’s also great to know that researchers are helping develop shots to fight the virus. 

“Everyone helps his neighbor and says to his brother, ‘Be strong!’” Isaiah 41:6 

Posted: March 18, 2020

It’s not easy being “The Blue Boy.” The famous painting endured years of wear and tear. Paint flaked; colors faded. “The Blue Boy” is a masterpiece. It’s the star of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, in California. This month, the painting goes back up on the museum wall, as good as new! 

 “The Blue Boy” has belonged to the museum since 1928. That may seem like a long time—but not for art painted in 1770. A makeover was a perfect gift for the painting’s 250th birthday. 

Christina O’Connell is a senior paintings conservator. She gave the old painting new life. Her 21st century tools restored the 18th century masterpiece. 

Not all the tools fit in a tool belt. Ms. O’Connell has a six-foot tall microscope. It’s taller than she is. It can zoom in and magnify tiny details in the painting. X-rays are helpful tools too. They show Ms. O’Connell different layers of the painting. 

The makeover took more than 500 hours. Layers of paint were removed. Repairs were made. Loose paint was fixed. The new paint had to match perfectly. Now, the original colors, brushstrokes, and details are back like before. 

Ms. O’Connell took her tools to the painting, instead of taking the painting to her tools. She lugged the microscope into the area where the painting was hanging. Visitors were able to watch her meticulous, careful work. 

Thomas Gainsborough originally titled this painting “A Portrait of a Gentleman.” “The Blue Boy” is actually its nickname. All of the blue in the painting was original. So was a white fluffy dog. 

A white fluffy dog? There isn’t a picture-perfect pooch in the painting. The dog was spotted in a 1994 X-ray of the canvas. Mr. Gainsborough painted over it. Maybe he thought the dog got too much attention. 

Curators at the Huntington Museum are proud that “The Blue Boy” is the star of their collection. They’re happy to have it on display again.

Posted: March 16, 2020

There will be one less familiar sound on Chicago’s noisy streets. So long, clip-clopping horse hooves. Say goodbye to carriage rides in downtown Chicago. There’s a good possibility that they will be banned at the start of next year. A City Council committee voted in favor of ending the rides—for good. 

The committee’s vote still has to be passed by the full City Council. But that is bound to happen. The full council rarely disagrees with what committees decide. 

Chicago carriage rides have been popular for decades. City visitors, newlyweds, and sightseers have long enjoyed the city view from a carriage. 

Alderman Brendan Reilly is a city leader. He says it’s time for the carriages to roll into the history books. Why? Some people say they aren’t very safe. And the horse-drawn carriages do slow down traffic. Others are concerned about how the carriage horses are treated. 

Animal rights activists applauded city leaders. They are happy that horses will no longer be put at risk on Chicago’s streets. “We haven’t had that many accidents of horses dying, but we are lucky,” says Jodie Wiederkehr. She’s a founding member of the Chicago Alliance for Animals. 

The carriage industry is shrinking. It has been for quite some time. At this point, there are only 10 licensed carriages at work in Chicago. That’s one-sixth of the licenses that the city’s carriage industry used to have. 

Chicago won’t be the first to ban horse-drawn carriages. Others such as Salt Lake City and Camden, NJ, and New York City also ban carriages on their busy streets.

Posted: March 13, 2020

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A bank vault is a strong place to safely store cash, gold, and jewels. One icy vault is a strong place to store something even more valuable—seeds. That’s right! And the Svalbard Global Seed Vault just received a deposit that pushed its already impressive collection to over one million. That’s not one million seeds. That’s one million varietiesof seeds. 

This massive fortress was built into an Arctic mountainside in 2008. It is meant to preserve a supply of important crop seeds in case of some world disaster.

Nicknamed the “doomsday vault,” its doors are opened only a few times each year. When they swung on their icy hinges two weeks ago, it was to receive seeds from India, Mali, and Peru. The milestone donation also included specimens grown by Cherokee Indians and even some nurtured on the estate of Britain’s Prince Charles. 

Vital crop seeds lie dormant in the cold, dry conditions inside the massive fortress. But there are also many types of seeds for plant breeders to use to develop new varieties of crops. Did you know that the world used to cultivate around 7,000 different food plants? Many of those are no longer grown. Experts say the world now gets as much as 60 percent of its calories from a smaller variety of three main crops—corn, wheat, and rice.

Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the Earth. — Genesis 1:29

Posted: March 12, 2020

He lives in a cobweb-infested castle. Organ music plays and lightening flashes when he counts. The Muppet will count anything and everything. He started counting blocks with Bert and Ernie in 1972, and hasn’t stopped. He counts steps, elevator floors, phone rings, and now—people. Sesame Street’s Count von Count is spreading the word: “Make your family count!” People are counting on the Count to get young children counted in the 2020 census.

Count von Count and his friends Elmo, Rosita, and her mom Rosa, star in a new Sesame Street public service announcement that began airing on Monday. It’s just in time for the start of the official U.S. census. 

In the ad, the Count plays a census taker. As he counts people, he explains how a census helps people. Counting people in every home helps support neighborhoods. That’s because the government uses census numbers to decide where to give money for schools and other projects that benefit the public. 

Researchers say young children overlooked often in the census. Many live with aunts and uncles, or grandparents. Others are in foster care or spend time in more than one household. 

“Our youngest Americans need and deserve the resources that are vital to get an accurate count,” says U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts. Too many kids under the age of five weren’t counted in the last census. It’s estimated that one million kids were skipped in that count. 

Sesame Street hopes the Count von Count ad will grab attention and get kids counted in 2020 census. The Count’s favorite number is 34,969, according to his interview with BBC Radio 4. His favorite time of day is 2:30 (“Tooth Hurty”). Without a doubt, his favorite time of the decade is the census. After all, he’s a guy who loooooves to count. (Ah, ah ah!) 

“Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.” Numbers 1:2