The unexpected release of a series of Lambeth Conference Call statements on assorted subjects, and the equally unexpected news that bishops attending the Lambeth Conference next week would be voting on them, has knocked a bunch of Anglicans around the world back on their heels. Some in the Communion are delighted with this sudden turn – but most of the voices I hear are dismayed. And here in the Episcopal Church, many people in our […]
Lord Jesus hear us; the earth is crying in torment, the west is in flames, storms threaten the southern coasts and our communities are separated by pandemic. Our leaders seem absent and uncaring while our communities are turned against each other. By the power of your Holy Cross, overcome our woundedness and bring us hope and a new dawn. Protect those in danger and turn the hearts of those intent on harm. Let us find […]
“Bitcoin’s surge in price has sent its electricity consumption soaring.” Source: One Bitcoin Transaction Now Uses as Much Energy as Your House in a Week Well, this isn’t good news for the people speculating in the crypto-currency markets. This isn’t a problem with mining new coins in a block-chain system (which is even worse). This is per transaction. And this is happening against a background of exponential growth – which means the energy cost will […]
Yesterday bishops and spouses from around North and Central America went to visit with the native congregations of the Diocese of Alaska. As part of our day, we joined with the people who live in this beautiful and majestic place to bless the land and thank God for the gift of it. (Arriving at St. Matthew’s in Fairbanks) I was part of a group that stayed in Fairbanks. We walked along the Chena River, saw […]
The Fall 2017 House of Bishops meeting is being held in Fairbanks Alaska this year. Held in Fairbanks is sort of a misnomer. We’re spending part of our time in Fairbanks, and the main meeting site is in Fairbanks, but Alaska being Alaska, we’ll be spending time away from the city – far away – too. Some of the bishops are going to be loaded on to mail planes I’m told, to fly out to […]
We have a great tradition of holding classes for parishioners in Lent, but once Easter comes, and Spring springs, we tend to focus on other things. But, what would happen if we tried an Easter class – like a Lent class, but later? Have I got a deal for you: In 2011, the Episcopal Church House of Bishops issued a pastoral letter on the environment. In response, a five-week study course titled A Life of Grace […]
Bill Nye, the Science Guy, is releasing a new book on the science behind Climate Change and the implications – in the short and long term – for all us. When asked about the myths that have come to surround the whole topic he speaks very plainly: The biggest myth is that scientific uncertainty, plus or minus so many percent, is the same as doubt about the whole thing. And that’s wrong; that’s patently wrong. […]
Here’s an interesting idea. Apparently there’s a company in the US that is about to release a small power generating device capable of providing up to 250 megawatts of power in a 500 pound unit small enough to fit in the engine compartment of a car. The device uses Thorium, a relatively common rare-earth element. The US leads the world in thorium reserves. “The key to the system developed by inventor Charles Stevens, CEO and […]
There’s a group that’s been looking at driftwood dispersal as a measure of the historic extent of the ice sheets in the northern hemisphere. It’s interesting right now because there’s been a series of claims that we’re close to or have crossed the tipping point where we are about to lose all of the northern ice cap. That would create a huge problem as the oceans suddenly receive a huge supply of cold fresh water […]
Why is the Earth so different than Venus? Both planets are roughly the same size, and both exist within what is known as the “Life Zone” in the solar system. (The Life Zone is the region of solar space where it’s possible for liquid water to be found on the surface of a planet.) I used to ask that question every semester when I got to the section on planetology in an Astronomy course, and […]
