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LIGHT
Researchers have discovered an unexpected impact of
space shuttle flights on a part of the globe thousands of miles away from
the launch site in Florida. New findings link the space shuttle’s exhaust
plume with the appearance of noctilucent clouds in the Artic.
Since the shuttle’s exhaust is 97 percent water vapor,
the exhaust plume deposits a large amount of vapor in the highest levels
of the atmosphere. Global wind patterns at high attitude drive the moisture
northward toward the Artic regions. Once there, the vapor spreads out about
50 miles high in the Earth’s mesosphere, just below the thermosphere, the
highest layer of the atmosphere. At the 50-mile level the vapor forms a
wispy cloud.
The clouds are made up of ice crystals too faint to
be seen during the daylight. After the sun sets, and while the rays are
not too far below the horizon, the light rays light up the noctilucent
cloud layer from below, which causes the sky to glow long after dark.
While the shuttles’ exhaust is not the only source
of these clouds, it definitely provides more ingredients to produce them
about a week after each launch. Doug Schneider, the writer and producer
of the Artic Science Journey’s Radio says, “It’s one more story about just
how small a planet this is. The (shuttle launch) happens in Florida 5,000
miles away, and within a week
we have an effect in the Artic.”
—Associated Press, Shuttle Launches Create Artic Clouds,
September 1, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.
What an interesting picture. The space shuttle launch
over Florida brings a unique light to the artic darkness. Jesus called
his disciples to have an impact by bringing His unique light to the world
they live in.
Matthew 5:16 NIV “In the same way, let your light
shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father
in heaven.”
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LIGHT
The bearer of the Olympic torch for the 2000 Summer
games, came under attack 340 miles north of Sydney, by a teenager who tried
to douse the flame using a fire extinguisher. He was unsuccessful in his
attempt to put out the flame that will eventually light the cauldron at
Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony on Sept. 15, 2000.
There are always those who will try to douse our flame,
that's why Jesus commanded us to let our light shine.
—Yahoo Sports, 8-24-2000 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson
Matthew 5:16 KJV "Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven."
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LIGHT
The medical profession has a name for the "blues"
some people experience during the winter months. It's called "seasonal
affective disorder." When daylight hours grow shorter in winter, so do
the hours of joy and happiness. In fact, studies show that many people
have seasonal affective disorder—or, SAD—and don't realize it. One of the
treatments is for the subject to spend 20 to 30 minutes a day seated under
or near a bright light. Keeping one's house well lit is said to reduce
the effects of SAD.
One of the reasons the world is in "sad" shape is
because so many people don't know the Light of the world, Jesus Christ.
The remedy for a sad soul darkened by sin is to spend as much time as possible
with Him who lights the path of life: "In Him is life, and He is the Light
of Men." And the light Jesus offers is not seasonal, it's eternal.
—http://www.ncpamd.com/seasonal.htm, Illustration
by Jim L. Wilson and Norm Miller
1 John 1:7 NASB “but if we walk in the light as He
Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood
of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
LIGHT/EVANGELISM/ACTIVISM
In Spin, U2's Bono said, “Whenever you see darkness,
there is extraordinary opportunity for the light to burn brighter.”
—Reader’s Digest, June 2002 p. 61 Illustration by
Jim L. Wilson
Bono is a laid back kind of guy. But don’t let his
signature wrap-around blue sunglasses and casual dress fool you—he is passionate
about focusing attention on the needs in Africa.
— http://www.u2.com/lite/
I applaud Bono’s activism. He is doing something about
a cause he cares greatly about. Something we should all do, because in
the darkness, there is an opportunity to shine the light brightly.
Matthew 5:14-16 NASB "You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do men light a lamp, and
put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light
to all who are in the house. [16] Let your light shine before men in such
a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is
in heaven.”
LIGHT
When the sun rose Tuesday, May 10, 2005 it began a
three-month stay in the sky over Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost community
in the United States. When the sun went down at 1:50 am that morning, it
returned at 2:56 am for an extended period. Gina Sturm, of the Nation Weather
Service's local office says the next sunset will occur on August 2, 2005.
Many residents of Barrow say they welcome the transition
to midnight sunshine each summer. Resident Diane Martin said, "It's almost
like coming out of hibernation. It brings us back to getting out and about."
Another resident Ron Boynton says the hardest thing for him is figuring
out how to sleep during the unrelenting daylight. Boynton, who has lived
in Barrow for twenty-three years, says, "We all learn to adapt during the
years, and each develop our own little tricks." He added," Put foil on
your bedroom window, etcetera, but then if you have to get up during the
night... you get the full sunlight coming in, and it can be hard to get
back to sleep."
Barrow is located 330 miles north of the Arctic Circle
and has the opposite problem each winter. The sun sets in mid-November
and doesn't return until late January.
—www.cnn.com, Sun is up in Barrow Alaska—until August,
May 10, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.
1 John 1:7 (NASB) "but if we walk in the Light as
He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."
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LIGHT
Police in an East Chicago neighborhood had to turn
off a streetlight after a resident said she saw an image of Jesus in the
shadow the light cast on a nearby tree. After the first reports, people
flocked to the area in hopes of seeing the shadow, which could only be
seen after dark, when the streetlight was illuminated.
Police responded when the situation got out of hand
the following Saturday evening. East Chicago police Chief Angelo Machuca
called an emergency meeting early Sunday morning to recommend the city
turn off the light in the interest of public safety. The mayor agreed,
and extinguished the light to diffuse a crowd of more than 250 people who
had gathered in the area.
Machuca said neighbors had called to complain about
blocked cars and visitors gathering around the light until 5AM. He said,
"It came to the point where I had to ask for help from the (Lake County)
Sheriff's Department." Though the visitors were well behaved, the local
police did not have the manpower to maintain regular patrols and control
the crowd. Police were also concerned about access for emergency vehicles
because the street was so clogged with cars and people.
Machuca said the light would remain off until authorities
find a solution. East Chicago's Public Relations Director Damian Rico says
the city respects all religious beliefs, but insisted public safety was
their top priority.
—Http://www.thetimesonline.com, Light won't shine
at site of vision, July 11, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim
Sandell.
John 8:12 NASB "Again therefore Jesus spoke to them,
saying, 'I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk
in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.'"
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LIGHT
The city of Rattenburg, Austria is in the dark from
November to February each year. The city was built in the 1300's behind
a 3,000-foot mountain to protect it from marauders. Since the lack of winter
sunshine was a small price to pay for safety then, no one worried about
it. Times have changed though, current residents list the lack of winter
sun as one of the biggest drawbacks to living in the village.
Since sunshine is plentiful just a ten-minute walk
from town, residents are warming up to an idea to bring Rattenbergers some
sun each winter. An Austrian company proposes using a series of rotating
mirrors mounted on the hillside to reflect light from a neighboring village.
The company has already used mirrors for lighting projects around the world
including bringing sunshine to European basements and railroad stations
and even nighttime illumination for a mosque in Saudi Arabia.
The technology requires pinpoint beaming. Even modern
mirrors have slight distortions and are vulnerable to strong winds. The
company says to light up the entire village would require a mirror the
size of a football field. Instead, they will use smaller mirrors to create
"hotspots," areas about the size of a front yard where people can gather
and soak up rays. The mirrors will also reflect at various times of day
onto building facades to show daylight slowly turning to dusk. The director
of the mirror company, Markus Peskoller, says at least six other towns
in Austria and neighboring Switzerland have expressed interest in reflected
sunlight. Peskoller says, "I am sure we will soon help other mountain villages
see the light."
—Associated Press, Mirrors to banish village's winter
darkness, November 21, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.
John 12:46 (NCV) "I have come as light into the world
so that whoever believes in me would not stay in darkness."
LIGHT
Researchers at UCLA recently announced they have developed
the world’s smallest light bulb. The bulb uses a filament 100,000 times
narrower and 10,000 times shorter than those made by Thomas Edison.
The bulb which uses a filament 1000 atoms wide, is so small that it is
invisible until it is lit. When the bulb is lit, it appears as a
point of light to the naked eye.
The breakthrough is important because inventors are
searching for ways to make energy conserving LED bulbs cheap enough to
light the homes and offices of the future.
The discovery pushes back the boundaries of physics
and offers insight on how small light sources can produce large quantities
of light.
--World’s Smallest Light Bulb Created,
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090507/sc_livescience/worldssmallestlightbulbcreated;
May 7, 2009, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.
Our lives are invisible unless the light of Jesus
shines through us. The good news is, even the smallest light source becomes
visible.
Luke 8:16 CEV No one lights a lamp and puts
it under a bowl or under a bed. A lamp is always put on a lampstand, so
that people who come into a house will see the light.
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