There is one location on Earth where you get about the same solar radiation as you would if you were on Venus, which is 28% closer to the sun. The Chajnantor Plateau in Chile has an altitude of 1,500 feet. The thin, broken clouds at this location can intensely focus the sun on the surface… Continue Reading What is the sunniest place on Earth?
On Sunday, June 15, we will celebrate with love and gratitude the retirement from ministry of Rev. Ed Brock, who has been our interim minister for the past two years. During that time, he has guided our congregation with love and care, preparing us for our next settled minister. Rev. Ed has served as a… Continue Reading Love and Gratitude
People say that Pennsylvania was named after William Penn, who founded the Province of Pennsylvania. Nope. He wanted to name it “New Wales.” (New York, New Jersey…) But King Charles II “suggested” it be named after Penn’s father, Admiral William Penn. The admiral had loaned the king money, which was repaid with a grant of… Continue Reading What does Pennsylvania mean?
The Onandaga believe that the Creator gave them the sacred game called Deyhontsigwa’ehs, which roughly translates as “they bump hips.” Most schools call it Lacrosse. It is said to have healing power, which is why it is also known as the Medicine Game. Using hand-made sticks of hickory, the spirit of the tree connects the… Continue Reading What school sport has religious roots?
What does it mean to be truly free, to break the chains that hold you and keep you from truly being yourself? Laura Zocca ponders this in her song, I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.
The Share the Plate recipient for June is the Nanticoke Indian Association. This organization works to preserve Nanticoke culture and language, and educate about their people through the operation of a museum, and community center, and various events in Delaware. Share the Plate receives half of all plate collections and funds received by text: $20… Continue Reading Nanticoke Indian Association
Turning your back to the Trevi Fountain in Rome then throwing a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder is supposed to bring you luck. The fountain receives about €1.4 million annually (around $1.6 million), and most of those funds go to the Caritas Association for help with its charitable work. The toss… Continue Reading Who gets the three coins in the fountain?
There is a song in the movie The Greatest Showman where a young PT Barnum expresses a sense of hopeful ambition and the belief in the power of dreams to shape a better world. Here is Pink singing A Million Dreams.
A book of Anglo-Saxon poetry from the 10th century includes what researchers believe could be the first recorded joke in the English language: “What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole that it’s often poked before?” The punchline? (Keep it clean.) “A key.” 3,000 years before that, the Sumerians had the… Continue Reading What is the Oldest Recorded Joke in English?
