On Thursday Griffin Thompson, a U.S. State Department alternative energy and climate expert, will be in Spokane to discuss how international climate and energy policies impact the community.

The event, hosted by the World Affairs Council of Spokane will be at the Saranac Public House from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

This past weekend I attended the Spocon, Spokane’s science fiction and fantasy convention. Nearly every decent-sized city has at least one, such as MisCon for the Missoula and RisCon for the Tri-Cities.

A candle glows inside the Sikh Temple of Spokane. Tracy SimmonsTracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships …

A Celtic Communion Service will be held at St. David’s Episcopal Church  at 7 p.m., Aug. 30.

The theme for the service is “Music for the Journey" and will explore the spirituality of music.

Evangelist Billy Graham, 93, was admitted to a North Carolina hospital after he developed a fever Saturday (Aug. 11) and is now being treated for bronchitis, said his longtime spokesman, A. Larry Ross.

“Mr. Graham continues to do well and the infection is responding well to treatment,” said Dr. David Pucci, the pulmonologist who is treating Graham at Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., on Monday. Graham is in stable condition.

The successful landing of the one-ton automobile-sized Curiosity on Mars was a great testimony to American ingenuity and to the future of the NASA space program. It seemed more like Star Wars than NASA.