Posted: August 21, 2019

Indonesia is a very unique country! It is made up of 17,000 islands scattered between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Lately, Indonesia has been in the news. President Joko Widodo wants to change the country’s capital from one island to another. The capital is in the rundown and overcrowded city of Jakarta. Now, leaders want to move the capital to a nicer city. Can you imagine if a U.S. president tried to move the country’s capital? What if the president suggested moving it from Washington, D.C. to Honolulu, Hawaii? 

Indonesia has other big news too! The country turned 74 years old on August 17. It was once a colony of the Netherlands. On Saturday Indonesia celebrated becoming its own nation. In America, people say “the fourth” when they talk about Independence Day. Indonesia’s Independence Day is called Tujuhbelasan, or “the seventeenth.” 

Every year, Indonesia’s Independence Day is a time for rejoicing. The streets are filled with parades, flags, patriotic songs, and lots of games. Everyone tunes in to watch the National Independence Day Ceremony. It is broadcast live from the capital—Jakarta. When the ceremony is over, the rest of the day is a fun party filled with games.

Neighborhoods have competitions. There are marble races, cracker-eating contests, and pillow fights. A popular game is called the Panjat pinang. It is a greasy pole race. The race is named after the “pinang” tree. Pinang trees are tall, slender palm trees found in tropical climates. People race up slippery poles. They try to be the first to reach a prize. They climb over each other, slipping and sliding up (and down!) the greasy poles.   

The people of Indonesia make celebrating freedom fun!

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” — 1 Peter 2:16

Posted: August 20, 2019

When you receive your September WorldKIDS magazine, you will read about Marium. The eight-month-old dugong had lost her mother. Scientists had to paddle out in canoes to feed the young sea creature.

Sadly, the orphaned dugong too has died. One day, she strayed away. When scientists found her body, they also found plastic in her stomach. Sea animals can mistake plastic for food, and it makes them very sick.
“She must have thought these plastics were edible,” says Jatuporn Buruspat, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.

People in Thailand followed news about Marium on social media. They saw pictures of biologists feeding her with milk and seagrass. They watched videos of veterinarians giving her health checks and feeding her (up to 15 times a day!). 

A dugong is a marine mammal similar to the American manatee. It can grow to about 11 feet in length. A baby stays with its mom for eight years until it can live on its own.

Can something good come from such a sad story? Yes. People learned about one of God’s amazing creatures because of Marium. While the country is sad, the Thai government says this loss can teach people to take care of the ocean and its creatures.

“Her death will remind Thais and people all over the world not to dispose trash into the oceans,” says Mr. Buruspat.
In Matthew 10:29, Jesus says “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” God sees every detail, even of animals who live in the wild. We can trust Him to care about every detail of our lives as well.

Posted: August 19, 2019

She did it once, but can she do it again?

In late 2017, Suzanne Sullivan saved the bells of St. Lawrence Martyr Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Now she needs another miracle before the bells can ring again.

Bong, bong, bong. Until a few years ago, the bells of St. Lawrence sounded the time of day. They played carols at Christmas time and signaled the return of fishing vessels to the city.

In 2014, the church was in debt. Repairing the aging bells was expensive. So church officials sold them. Sullivan started raising money—$75,000 in just 52 days! She bought the bells back from the company that had purchased them.

The bells were safe. But now Sullivan must raise $220,000 to restore the chimes and install them in a new bell tower at Clasky Common Park, near the church. For now, the bells are packed away in a nearby storeroom.

The bells need lots of work. They must be cleaned, tuned (Yes, bells can be tuned! It is a process of shaving the thickness of the metal.), and fitted with new clappers (the part that strikes the bell to make noise).

 “Do we want to hear them ring or sit in a warehouse? The bells were meant to ring,” she says.

This time, fundraising has been slow. Sullivan has raised only about $22,000.

She hopes the bells will play patriotic songs for the city’s Memorial Day Parade.

Mayor Jon Mitchell admires Sullivan’s work to save the bells. He says, “Cities are built by people who persevere through sheer determination to make things happen.”

Think about this: Sullivan’s good work will last only for a time. Consider how much more important it is for us to remain steadfast and receive eternal life! (James 1:12)

Posted: August 16, 2019

A drone soars over cornfields. Its infrared camera gathers images of the crops below. Minutes later, researchers scroll through the photos on their computers. They’re looking for clues. Are the crops stressed? Do they need more water? 

Technology is changing quickly. The farming community is doing its best to keep up! Some farmers use remote sensors to measure soil moisture. Cellphone apps collect information from weather stations in the field. This helps farmers calculate how much water crops need. In the future, tiny needles attached to some plants could measure precisely how much water a crop is taking in. Automatic watering systems could then be set to switch on and off. Such technology would help conserve water while protecting plants. 

Seven U.S. states rely on the Colorado River. These states have some of the highest levels of water stress in the nation. In those states, demand for water is sometimes too high, or water quality is makes it unusable for a time. Look at the Colorado River on a map. Can you guess which states have serious water stress? 

Although the Colorado River has plenty of water this year, farmers are wisely planning ahead. They need a plan for years when the river might run low. In Egypt, Joseph planned ahead for hard times. He had a plan for years of famine. He wisely stored grain during years of plenty. (See Genesis 41:47-49.) 

Leaders need to figure out how to stretch the Colorado River’s water. The supply must meet the demand of growing cities. But the river’s water is needed for farms too. The Colorado supplies water to more than 7,000 square miles of farmland. 

Researchers want to understand crops, soil, and weather so that they can use technology to help people use water wisely. 

God asks us to be faithful with what he gives us. That includes resources like water. “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:2

Posted: August 15, 2019

They’re off and running, or rather climbing. These men and women seem to be made of nothing but bone and muscle. And grit. They’re the world’s top climbers. They’re stretching and grasping to win the Sport Climbing World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, August 11-21. 

A win would be great. But athletes have another goal. Sport climbing will be an official event for the first time when the 2020 Olympic Games are held here. And climbers who do well enough at this week’s World Championships will qualify for a chance to compete next year.

Next year’s Olympics will award medals in gold, silver, and bronze to men and women in four events: bouldering, lead, speed, and combined. 

In bouldering, an athlete tries to conquer five man-made boulders within a set time. In lead, climbers hoist themselves up slim holds for hands and feet on routes that reach to 50 feet! (It’s a good thing each athlete is attached to a belay [safety] rope!) Speed rhymes with lead, and the events are alike too—except that in speed, climbers race upward in pairs. Top times are under six seconds for men and under eight seconds for women. Athletes who compete in all three specialties can also earn a medal in the “combined” category.

(Jakob Schubert of Austria clings to slender holds. Aug. 13, 2019, in Tokyo, Japan. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Posted: August 14, 2019

Ready or not, here they come! Scientists in Alaska think people are going to see more polar bears. Why? The bears are spending more time on shore. They are arriving earlier in the year. And they’re hanging around longer than before. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the bears’ sea ice habitat is changing. So is their schedule!

Polar bears live in the Beaufort Sea. They come to land when sea ice breaks up in the summer. They stay on land while the ice re-freezes in the fall. Over the last 30 years, the ice-melt season has lengthened by 36 days. That changes the dates when polar bears are on the move. They are “a little bit ahead of schedule,” says Todd Atwood. He’s a wildlife biologist leading the U.S. Geological Survey’s polar bear research program. 

Usually, polar bears head to shore in mid-August. Some have been seen as early as May in Kaktovik, a small town north of Anchorage. One resident had a recent run-in with a bear. Annie Tikluk’s daughter was playing outside when she saw a polar bear. “I saw the bear and ran,” she says. Neighbors scared the bear off. 

Not only are bears spending more time on land. They are sharing that land with more people also. People are developing the arctic regions. They are building businesses and homes. Bears and humans will have to learn to get along. 

By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. — Job 37:10

Posted: August 14, 2019

If you were to think about painting emojis on your house, what would they be? Residents of one California seaside neighborhood might consider “angry face,” “eye-roll,” “frowning face,” or “thumbs down.”

That’s because a Manhattan Beach homeowner didn’t just thinkabout it. Kathryn Kidd actually didpaint giant yellow emojis on her bright pink house. Both have crossed eyes and big eyelashes. One features a goofy expression with its tongue hanging out. The other has its mouth zippered shut.

What inspired the garish paint job? Neighbors claim it is a way to get back at them. Some had reported the house for being used as a short-term rental. Renting a home for a few days or a few weeks to travelers or vacationers is not allowed in some communities. The owner was hit with a $4,000 fine.

“This all got started because a neighbor was trying to help the city enforce the rules,” says resident Dina Doll.

But Ms. Kidd denies her pink paint job and giant faces are payback. “Oh no, no. Never,” she told a reporter for KABC-TV. Even so, she admits it her design might not fit in with the neighborhood.

The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. —Proverbs 17:14

Posted: August 13, 2019

Nothing says “Welcome” like giant swarms of green stink bugs.

Manager Cindy McFarland started to open up a gas station in Smithfield, Utah, on Wednesday. “I came in to unlock the doors this morning,” she told The Herald Journal, “and I could see these little green bugs all around the lock. And I didn’t want to put my key in there because it was gross.”

She wasn’t the only one who ran into the bugs. Gas station visitors found stink bugs clumped all over garbage cans and gas pumps too. They were everywhere!

Why all the bugs? Scientists say it’s partly a wet spring, partly a slow-to-come summer, and partly unpredictable rains. Scientists say residents can spray the insects, but it might not be a good idea. More bugs will probably just gather on top of the dead ones.

Officials say the green-backed bugs gather in large numbers partly because of a chemical they produce that draws them toward each other. It’s not the same chemical that makes them stinky. The bugs release that chemical only when threatened. And the bugs probably won’t stick around for more than a week. Good thing for Ms. McFarland!

In Exodus 8, God sent a plague of flies on the Egyptians because Pharaoh would not let His people go. Imagine a plague of stink bugs!

Posted: August 12, 2019

There will be 75 candles on his birthday cake . . . and Smokey Bear hopes none of them start a forest fire!

Do you recognize Smokey the Bear? People post videos of themselves singing Happy Birthday to Smokey. Smokey promoters share old fire prevention videos featuring the bear. People around the United States throw the fictional bear birthday parties. And people share his message too: “Only you can prevent forest fires.”

Smokey Bear was born on August 9, 1944. Well, actually, he was invented when workers for the U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council agreed to use a pretend bear for a fire prevention campaign.

Six years later, firefighters found a cub in New Mexico’s Capitan Mountains. The bear had severely burned paws and hind legs after a fire. The cub was named Smokey Bear after a New York Assistant Fire Chief, “Smokey” Joe Martin. The bear died in 1976. He was buried in what is now Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, not far from where he was found.

Smokey’s anniversary comes at a good time to think about fire. Scientists warn: Wildfires are still a big problem—especially ones started by people!

Posted: August 9, 2019

More than 1.8 million Muslims from around the world arrive in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. They’re getting ready for the trip of a lifetime.

Muslims follow many rules: Say five prayers daily. Give to charity. Fast during the month of Ramadan. Here’s another: Once in his or her lifetime, every able Muslim must take a five-day journey called hajj. The pilgrims meet every year in Mecca, which is a holy city for the religion of Islam. 

Muslims follow a book called the Qur’an. The Qur’an commands hajj: “Proclaim to men the pilgrimage: They will come to thee on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path.” 

The millions of Muslims come to hajj dressed simply. That way no way can tell who is rich and who is poor. Women wear plain, white dresses and headscarves. Men drape themselves in unhemmed clothing with no seams (stitches).

On the first day, pilgrims go to the “Holy Kaaba.” That’s a black, cube-shaped building at the middle of a mosque in Mecca. They circle the building seven times. Some also touch and kiss the Kaaba. (Muslims are thinking about the Kaaba even before their journeys. When they pray at their homes around the world, they pray in the direction of the Kaaba.) Before starting their journey, pilgrims drink water from Zamzam Well. Muslims believe this is the same well God showed to Hagar. (God opens Hagar’s eyes to a well in Genesis 21:19. But the story is not exactly the same in the Qur’an.)

On the next day, the pilgrims travel to the plains of Arafat. They gather in tents and spend the day praying. Some climb the hill where they believe their prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon. 

During the last three days of hajj, Muslims reenact part of a story they believe about Abraham—that he was told to sacrifice his son Ishmael. (Does something about that sound wrong? In the Bible, Abraham is asked to sacrifice Isaac, not Ishmael.) Just as Ibrahim (their word for Abraham) was about to kill his son, the Qur’an says, God intervened. A ram was sacrificed instead. In remembrance, hajj pilgrims will sacrifice an animal. Then, as a final sacrifice, pilgrims will shave their heads or cut off part of their hair.  On the last two days of the hajj, pilgrims start to put on their everyday clothes. This shows they are returning to their worldly life. 

Muslims believe the hajj can take away past sins. But only Jesus’ death can take away sins. No journey, prayer, or sacrifice can do what He has done.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. — Ephesians 1:7

Posted: August 9, 2019

Welcome, wolves! Wildlife officials say at least three new wolf pups have been born in California. The pups join the only known wolf pack in the state.

KQED-FM reports that people caught sight of the pups on trail cameras. The cameras were set up by state Department of Fish and Wildlife workers in northeast California. They caught the footage of the pups and two or three adult wolves in June.

Wolves are protected under California’s Endangered Species Act. But some officials at the federal Fish and Wildlife Service want to take gray wolves off the endangered species list.

California has been basically wolf-free for a long time. In 2011, a gray wolf crossed the California border from Oregon. It wore a radio collar. People called the wolf OR-7. OR-7 became the first wolf in the state since 1924!

Posted: August 8, 2019

People in Issaquah, Washington, have never worried much about wildfires. Why should they? Where they live, it’s too wet to burn! Or, it was.

Issaquah is nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The region is famous for how much rain falls there. Even as fires move through the rest of the American West, this part of the country doesn’t normally burn. But right now, the weather there is hot. Humidity is low. Droughts last longer.

And many people are not ready for fire. They have never had to be before. People have built their homes right beside forests. Some even have thick vegetation in their backyards. Many live on mountains where wind is strong and few roads lead out. All of that is a very bad recipe for fire.

 Normally, land stretching from northwestern Oregon to British Columbia has short summers.  Moisture protects it. Even medium-sized fires are rare. “Megafires”—fires on hundreds of thousands of acres—happen 100 years apart or longer.

But this year, winter was dry. And fire counts are up: As of late June, western Oregon forests have seen 48 fire starts. (In the last decade, they usually had only 20 by that time of year.) Western Washington has had even more: 194 fires compared with an average of 74.

How can westerners get ready for fire? They might have to make new rules about where and how people build houses. But most important, they need to know: Their home may not actually be “too wet to burn.”

Posted: August 8, 2019

Biologists in Delaware say, “Protect lightning bugs!” But developers plan to build big homes right on top of one important lightning bug habitat.

A swale is a hollow marshy area found between sand dunes. Its water comes from underground and from rain. The water inside is fresh, not salty. A freshwater swale might be a beautiful spot for a house. But it’s an even better spot for a lightning bug family to grow. For now, seven swales are home to one kind of lightning bug—Bethany Beach fireflies. And construction is bad news for them.

Bethany Beach fireflies were first identified in the 1950s. They have been found only on a small part of a southern Delaware coast land. They are on Delaware’s endangered species list. That makes it illegal to transport, posses, or sell them. For years, no one even saw them. In the late 1990s, they were rediscovered. A bunch were found in one spot—right where the new houses will be built.

Biologists worry the Bethany Beach fireflies will go extinct very soon if they lose their homes. Jason Davis is a biologist in Delaware. In June, he and his team started catching fireflies. They caught and released about 12 Bethany Beach fireflies at four sites. Mr. Davis hopes they’ll find more. He plans to look for the bugs in 40 freshwater swales. Some people want the Bethany Beach fireflies on the federal Endangered Species list. There aren’t any fireflies on that list yet.

Did you know God created different kinds of lightning bugs? They belong to different families. Some lightning bug families don’t light up. Bugs from the Bethany Beach family have a double-green flash. They blink twice. But if you blink, you’ll miss them! It took years for scientists to catch enough of these fireflies to name them. It could take several more years for them to be protected by the federal government. They’re rare. They’re quick. And they’re elusive—hard to catch.

Posted: August 7, 2019

One of Maine’s most loved birds is having one of its best seasons ever.

Atlantic puffins have colorful beaks and waddling walks. Maine is the only state in the United States where the birds breed. Most people know them by sight. But the birds breed in hard-to-reach places like Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge in the Gulf of Maine. That body of water touches New England and Canada.

Scientist Stephen Kress studies the puffins. He says they are well on their way to setting a new record for most breeding pairs. Mr. Kress says nearly 750 pairs nested on Seal Island and Eastern Egg Rock in 2018. This year’s number will likely be higher.

Why are the birds doing so well? Part of the reason is that they have plenty of fish to eat this year. Their favorites—haddock, hake, and herring—fill the water. In other years, squid and butterfish were plentiful instead. The birds suffer when they have to eat seafood that is difficult for them to digest. A lot of puffins also laid eggs early this year. That probably means the parents are in good shape.

“This is a good year,” says Mr. Kress. But he also says the pattern often goes like this: good year, bad year, good year, bad year.

Posted: August 6, 2019

Did you read about the man who crashed while hoverboarding over the English Channel? His wife said he would try again. He did—and this time he made it!

Looking like a superhero, Franky Zapata successfully completed the 22-mile English Channel crossing in just 22 minutes Sunday morning. At times, he reached speeds of up to 110 miles per hour on his Flyboard Air. 

A power pack of kerosene (similar to jet fuel) propelled Mr. Zapata. He set off from Sangatte, France. The daring flier landed in St. Margaret’s Bay in southeast England. He stopped only once to refuel his hoverboard from a boat in the choppy waters.

“I’m feeling happy,” he says. “It’s just an amazing moment in my life.” 

Mr. Zapata set a record. No one else has tried to cross the English Channel in this way before. It was also a personal record—the furthest distance he has ever traveled atop his hoverboard. Mr. Zapata bent his body into the wind. He said his leg muscles were “burning” during the flight.  “Your body resists the wind,” he says. “I tried to enjoy it and not think about the pain.” 

Mr. Zapata says he and his team worked around the clock to pull off the feat.

“All week, we worked 16 hours a day . . . we worked like crazy,” he says.

Posted: August 5, 2019

Cats hate water. But not this cat!

Tissy the cat lives in Bradys Bend, Pennsylvania. She loves to swim. She is an orange Maine Coon cat who regularly cools off in the family pool.

Sonny Herr tells the Tribune Review he rescued Tissy as a homeless kitten about five years ago. He found her in a parking lot near the county fair. Tissy got curious about water when the kitty was about a year old and started to swim. Tissy’s favorite thing is to swim with Mr. Herr’s nine-year-old daughter Taylee.

Tissy even wears a floatie around the waist—a piece of plastic from a ring toss game. The Herr family gave her the floatie because they weren’t sure how long she could stay afloat by herself. Tissy likes to be snuggled in the pool. The cat also loves bubble baths and doesn’t mind putting her head underwater.

According to the Cat Fancier’s Association, many cat breeds enjoy water, including Turkish Angora, American Shorthair, Norwegian Forest Cat, and the American Bobtail.

Do you know your sphinxes from your Japanese bobtails? Learn about cat breeds—including Tissy’s—in All Kinds of Cats.