All rivers follow a gently winding path, regardless of the terrain. Now Physicists at the University of Cambridge have produced a mathematical model that explain a river’s winding, or meandering, habits.

The group of physicists has successes in modeling certain meanders from their beginning using “an equation of model.” This equation describes the river in terms of both time and space. Competing processes keep the river from making unusual paths through the terrain. Some of these processes include the erosion of material at the outside of a bend where the water’s speed is fastest and the deposition of sediment on the inside of the bend, where the water travels more slowly. The formation of oxbow lakes is a powerful competing factor. An oxbow lake is formed when a river bends so far out that it makes a complete loop. Eventually, the river pinches off the bend and flows straight through, isolating the water in the bend. Rivers naturally seek a steady state in which the two processes of forming bends and pinching off the bends to flow straight through again exactly cancel each other out. Terrain variations cause a river to reshape the terrain. Rivers always follow natural, scale invariant paths.

The forces which shape a river’s course may be predictors of oil deposits. Rivers have the force to compress organic sediments into oil over the course of thousands of years. By understanding the behavior of meandering rivers, it may someday be possible to explore for oil using far fewer test drills.

The Human Brain is an amazing phenomenon consisting of ten billion nerve units known As neurons., surrounded by mass (90 % by bulk) of a jellylike substance known as neuroglia (from the Greek word for glue, glia). Weighing about 3 lbs. in an average adult, the human brain is divided into three hemispheres, one of which is known as the temporal lobe which concerns itself with your emotions and memory.

With all the knowledge that science has acquired about the human brain there is still much that is unknown. We do know, however, that our brain processes more than 10 thousand thoughts everyday. Yet only a scant 3% of the brain is actually utilized.

Though people sometimes say that the human brain is far superior to any computer ever invented, it is actually unfair even to suggest a comparison to a computer. No computer, regardless of its tremendous sophistication, can rival the human brain with its vast scope of emotions and comprehensions. But there is one function of computers which sometimes wish the human brain had the ability to input a command which would erase or delete certain events which have been written indelibly on our memories.

Actually, shock therapy, which has used quite prominently in the 1950’s and early 1960’s, is an attempt to electrically remove certain events or memories which cause grief and pain. God has a better way which I described as healing the emotion.

Firecrackers and Sparklers

Just about everyone in the United States has some personal experience with fireworks, either from Fourth of July or . For example, you have probably seen both sparklers and firecrackers. It turns out that if you understand these two pyrotechnic devices, then you are well on your way to understanding aerial fireworks. The sparkler demonstrates how to get bright, sparkling light from a firework, and the firecracker shows how to create an explosion.

Firecrackers have been around for hundreds of years. They consist of either black powder (also known as gunpowder) or flash powder in a tight paper tube with a fuse to light the powder. Black powder, discussed briefly in How Rocket Engines Work, contains charcoal, sulfur and potassium nitrate. A composition used in a firecracker might have aluminum instead of or in addition to charcoal in order to brighten the explosion.

Sparklers are very different from firecrackers. A sparkler burns over a long period of time (up to a minute) and produces extremely bright and showery light. Sparklers are often referred to as “snowball sparklers” because of the ball of sparks that surrounds the burning portion of the sparkler. If you look at Patent #3,862,865: Sparkler composition, you can see that a sparkler consists of several different compounds:

* A fuel

* An oxidizer

* Iron or steel powder

* A binder

Speaking of oxidizers — potassium nitrate is a very common one. The fuel is charcoal and sulfur, as in black powder. The binder can be sugar or starch. Mixed with water, these chemicals form a slurry that can be coated on a wire (by dipping) or poured into a tube. Once it dries, you have a sparkler. When you light it, the sparkler burns from one end to the other (like a cigarette). The fuel and oxidizer are proportioned, along with the other chemicals, so that the sparkler burns slowly rather than exploding like a firecracker.

It is very common for fireworks to contain aluminum, iron, steel, zinc or magnesium dust in order to create bright, shimmering sparks. The metal flakes heat up until they are incandescent and shine brightly or, at a high enough temperature, actually burn. A variety of chemicals can be added to create colors.

Alexander the Great, one of the most renowned military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army. One night during a campaign he was restless and left his tent to walk around the campground. While he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty – a serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was in most cases death; the commanding officer sometimes pours kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit his clothing.

The soldier began to awaken as Alexander approached him. Noticing who was standing before him, the young man feared for his life.

“Are you aware of the penalty for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander asked.

“Yes, sir,” the young soldier responded with quivering voice.

“Soldier, what’s your name?” demanded Alexander.

“Alexander, sir.”

“What is your name?” Alexander asked again.

“My name is Alexander, sir,” the soldier repeated.

A third time and more loudly Alexander asked, “What is your name?”

A third time the soldier meekly replied, “My name is Alexander, sir.”

Alexander the Great then looked the young man straight in the eye. “Soldier,” he said with intensity, “either change your name or change your conduct.”

A friend of mine was greatly disturbed when he found that a program he had joined for personal interest had been exploiting his name to gain other participants for their less-than-above-board program. “Name dropping” is an extremely popular practice today. Dropping a name that has clout and credibility may help one gain without permission from that party, or including someone’s name in schemes that might paint him or her in a negative light, is exploitation.

When we call ourselves “Christian,” it means we are followers of Christ. If our purposes do not foster His ultimate plan, we are not Christians. It is interesting that today we have people, programs, organizations, churches, schools, and institutions that are known as Christians, and yet they no longer perform within the standards of the name by which they identify themselves. Some started with good intentions – had real plans to make an impact on behalf of Christ and in His name. However, they met social demands, deadlines, and financial responsibilities, and before long this “Christian” organization had become just another secular entity, another organization, another church called “Christian.” Without notice, Christ was no longer the central theme of their active objective.

During this time of year many questions come to light. Have we replaced the Christ of the Nativity scene with a Santa “clause”? Is His birth just another occasion to fulfill our selfish desires? Are we still interested in what the Christ child does for those who accept Him as the ultimate gift? Or is this just another opportunity to get over? Are we using His birth and His name to obtain what we want for ourselves without thought for what He expects from us? Does this season exploit Christ? Do we need to change our name or change our conduct?

During this holiday season, may we really get to know the Christ of Christmas. May He be reflected in the manner that we allow His purposes to be the ultimate emphasis of our actions.

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