Free Republic

Continuing to look at some of the text from the Passion according to St. Matthew, we come to the trial of Jesus before Caiaphas the high priest.Having heard false and conflicting testimony from various witnesses, Caiaphas turns to Jesus, and here is what we pick up the text: The high priest rose and addressed him, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?” But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I order you to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Christ the son of God.” Jesus said...

From a concert pianist in Korea to a woman suffering from depression in Germany to schoolchildren in Japan, Zach Sobiech touched millions of people around the world with "Clouds," his song of farewell to family and friends. Sobiech was an "extraordinary young man who had the profound ability to make everyone feel better about themselves," said Dan Seeman, vice president and market manager for KS95/Hubbard Radio in St. Paul, who initiated Sobiech's recording of the song. "He embraced his life and challenged each of us to do the same." Sobiech died early Monday at his home in Lakeland, 3-1/2 years...

The storm clouds in Earth's atmosphere are filled with microbial life, according to a new study. The research, published today (Jan. 23) in the journal PLoS One, revealed that hailstones drawn from storm clouds harbor several species of bacteria that tend to reside on plants, as well as thousands of organic compounds normally found in soil. Some of the bacterial species can seed the tiny ice crystals that lead to rain, suggesting they play a role in causing rain. "Those storm clouds are quite violent phenomena," said study co-author Tina Santl Temkiv, an environmental chemist at Aarhus University in Denmark....

Ok so yesterday as I'm driving along I look up and I see a face in the clouds. It's very defined. You can see eyes, a nose, cheeks, etc. First I'll post a picture below without the face circled to see if you can spot it. Next here's a link with it circled for those not able to see. Click here to see the face circled.

LAMONT, Okla. — For decades, a small group of scientific dissenters has been trying to shoot holes in the prevailing science of climate change, offering one reason after another why the outlook simply must be wrong. Over time, nearly every one of their arguments has been knocked down by accumulating evidence, and polls say 97 percent of working climate scientists now see global warming as a serious risk. Yet in recent years, the climate change skeptics have seized on one last argument that cannot be so readily dismissed. Their theory is that clouds will save us. They acknowledge that the...

Green clouds over Moscow spark range of theories Mysterious green clouds have been spotted over the Russian capital, sparking fears of a chemical disaster and even some doomsday theories. ­But the Emergencies Ministry is advising the public to calm down. It says the clouds are actually composed of birch pollen, not of chemicals from an allegedly burning factory in the Moscow region, as some reported. Some people, however, got so scared that even the official comments could not convince them. Russian Twitter users have been posting alarming messages like “Moscow schools are closed because of the blast! Children are sent...

A misty “tsunami” has hit the coastline of Panama City, Florida, USA. A helicopter pilot managed to capture rare phenomenon and has posted breathtaking photos on Facebook. ­JR Hott, who makes his living, flying tourists in a helicopter over the city and the Gulf of Mexico, took photos of clouds of fog developing over buildings while hovering over Panama City’s coastline.

The long, feathery lines of condensation that form behind aircraft, called contrails, have more of an immediate warming effect on the Earth's surface than the carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases that the aircraft emit, a new study calculates. However, the researchers add, contrail clouds disappear within a day or two; the potent greenhouse gas carbon dioxide lingers in the air for many years. Contrails form when the hot, moist plume of exhaust generated by an airplane's engines mixes with cold air in the upper atmosphere. Liquid droplets form and then freeze, forming a straight, white line. Over the span...

After the sun sets on a summer evening and the sky fades to black, you may be lucky enough to see thin, wavy clouds illuminating the night, such as these seen over Billund, Denmark, on July 15, 2010. Clouds bright enough to see at night are not as hard to find as they once were. These so-called night-shining clouds are still rare — rare enough that Matthew DeLand, who has been studying them for 11 years, has seen them only once. But his odds are increasing. [Related: In Images: Reading the Clouds.] These mysterious clouds form between 50 and...

Viewers sent photos of a strange cloud formation over the Sacramento-area skies Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service says the phenomenon is called a “hole punch cloud,” which are frequently caused by passing jets.

Good Day, Sunshine: The Happy Image Of A 'Smiling' Sun [Pic in URL] 2nd July 2010 There is a lot to smile about today - it's Friday, it's summer, and Andy Murray is still in the running at Wimbledon (for now). This extraordinary image is just one more thing to be cheerful about. The photograph, which has gone viral on the internet, shows clouds passing in front of the sun - creating what appears to be a smiley face. Happy summer: Clouds pass in front of the sun in this image that is doing the rounds on the internet Little...

You may think it’s blue-sky thinking gone wrong, but some space-lovers believe a recent spate of UFO-shaped clouds point to the existence of alien life. JAKARTA – New footage has emerged of what appears to be a UFO hiding behind a cover of clouds! UFOs sightings that occur during the day are much harder to explain away, especially when caught on camera. This video was recently released, supposedly shot in Indonesia:

COPENHAGEN – The atmosphere at the U.N. climate conference grew more tense and divisive after talks were suspended for most of Monday's session — a sign of the developing nations' deep distrust of the promises by industrial countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions. ... The wrangle over emission reductions froze a timetable for government ministers to negotiate a host of complex issues. Though procedural in nature, the Africa-led suspension went to the core of suspicions by poor countries that wealthier ones were trying to soften their commitments and evade penalties for missing their targets. ... The negotiations were meant to...

Clouds come in many shapes, sizes, colors and forms—all unique and beautiful in their own way. Whether it is a sky full of red and orange clouds lighting up the Brooklyn Bridge or rare mother-of-pearl clouds in Scandinavia, we found some unbelievably stunning photos that capture fascinating cloud formations from around the globe. Have a look at the pictures below—and you never know, they may inspire you to look up to the sky every once in a while. Florence, Italy As Frank Slack stood over the Arno river, the combination of the setting sun and clouds rolling in produced this...

Enlarge ImageCloud killer? Research suggests that solar storms interfere with cloud formation on Earth. Credit: ESA/NASA Most of Earth's clouds get their start in deep space. That's the surprising conclusion from a team of researchers who argue that interstellar cosmic rays collide with water molecules in our atmosphere to form overcast skies. As common as clouds are on Earth, the processes that produce them are not well understood. Scientists think particles of dust or pollen can serve as nuclei for water droplets, which in turn gather by the trillions into clouds. That would help explain how clouds form over...

Whipped into fantastical shapes, these clouds hang over the darkening landscape like the harbingers of a mighty storm. But despite their stunning and frequent appearances, the formations have yet to be officially recognised with a name. They have been seen all over Britain in different forms -from Snowdonia to the Scottish Highlands - and in other parts of the world such as New Zealand, but usually break up without producing a storm. And some experts believe the stormy weather phenomenon deserves its very own classification. Experts at the Royal Meteorological Society are now attempting to make it official by naming...

A band of intense thunderstorms moved through Oklahoma and Arkansas on the morning of June 12, 2009. This series of photographs shows how such a storm sometimes appears. Some storm spotters call this the “spaceship” or “UFO” cloud. The official name is “shelf cloud”. Cold air produced by heavy rain rushes out ahead of the storm; as the cooler denser air lifts the surrounding moisture, it can create this odd-looking cloud. Shelf clouds may or may not be accompanied by severe winds; but they are not tornadoes.

These choppy clouds over Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in an undated picture could be examples of the first new type of cloud to be recognized since 1951. Or so hopes Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society. The British cloud enthusiast said he began getting photos of "dramatic" and "weird" clouds (including the above) in 2005 that he didn't know how to define. A few months ago he began preparing to propose the odd formations as a new cloud variety to the UN's World Meteorological Organization, which classifies cloud types. Pretor-Pinney jokingly calls it the "Jacques Cousteau cloud," after its...

Lead in the air is causing clouds in odd conditions—in conditions typically too warm and dry for cloud formation—according to scientists who've "bottled" clouds and even grown their own. Driven mainly by industrial lead-dust emissions, lead-heavy clouds could change weather patterns and might actually help fight global warming, the study suggests. Researchers collected cloud samples atop a Swiss mountain and found that about half of their ice crystals contained lead. Then, by building artificial clouds in laboratory chambers, the team determined that lead actually causes ice crystals to form. Clouds formed in warmer, drier air when lead was present, the...

Contact: Mary Beckmanmary.beckman@pnl.gov 509-375-3688DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Clouds: Lighter than air but laden with lead Atmospheric lead causes clouds to form more easily, could change pattern of rain and snow RICHLAND, Wash. -- By sampling clouds -- and making their own -- researchers have shown for the first time a direct relation between lead in the sky and the formation of ice crystals that foster clouds. The results suggest that lead generated by human activities causes clouds to form at warmer temperatures and with less water. This could alter the pattern of both rain and snow in a warmer world.The...