https://firststreet.org/research-library/climate-risk-in-global-data-center-markets-implications-for-investment-and-performance-report

"Approximately 54% of #global #datacenter capacity operates in markets facing elevated chronic #heat or #drought stress, while 79% is exposed to significant acute hazards such as #flood, #wind, or #wildfire. For many markets, #climate #risk should now be considered part of the base case rather than a tail-risk scenario."

#AI #GenAI #LLM #climatechange #water #climatecrisis

Courage!

Courage. What makes a King out of a slave? Courage.

What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage.

What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?

What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage.

What makes the Sphinx the 7th Wonder? Courage.

What makes the dawn come up like THUNDER?! Courage.

What makes the Hottentot so hot?

What puts the “ape” in ape-ricot?

Whatta they got that I ain’t got?

Courage

You can say that again.

Vidor, K., Fleming, V., Cukor, G., Thorpe, R., Taurog, N., & LeRoy, M. (1939). The Wizard of Oz. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

Let’s go to God in prayer.

God of wisdom, may the words that I speak, and the ways they are received by each of our hearts and minds, help us to continue to grow into the people, and the church, that you have dreamed us to be.

Amen.

These are difficult times.

The Department of Defense – or the Department of War as this administration is calling it – is removing women and people of color from leadership and from displays of historically important military people.

The Department of Justice is focusing on people who are critical of the President.

Congress is looking at decreasing Social Security benefits by up to $500 a month.

Transgender people may be considered terrorists.

Even the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – commonly called Mormons – are no longer considered Christians by the Department of Defense.

It feels like all the power lies in the hands of those who ant to divide and exclude. It might make us feel like giving up.

In our reading from the Hebrew scriptures, we heard a story about Hagar and Ishmael. If you don’t know the backstory, it is this:

Abram and Sarai had no children. So Sarai offered her slave Hagar to Abram so that he may have a child, and it would also be Sarai’s child by proxy.

Hagar became pregnant and began to look at Sarai with contempt, and Sarai turned her anger against Abram. Abram told Sarai that Hagar was her slave and she could do as she pleased, so Sarai treated her harshly and Hagar ran away.

An angel came to Hagar with promises that her son would be the ancestor of a great multitude. Hagar returned home, and bore a son named Ishmael.

Then the travelers came to Abram and Sarai, gave them the names Abraham and Sarah, and promised them a son, who would be named Isaac.

And that’s where today’s reading begins:

After Isaac was born, Sarah did not want Ishmael playing with her son, and had Hagar cast out. Imagine being cast out in the wilderness with your young son, with only some bread and water for the journey.

Now imagine the water running out. You’re alone, with no water, waiting for death to come to you and your son.

And an angel comes to Hagar, promises to make a great nation of her son Ishmael, and helped her to find a well of water.

Arabian people are generally considered to be the descendants of Ishmael.

Take courage: even in the darkest times, there are often signs of hope.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus makes some startling statements:

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

Matthew 10:25, NRSVue

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul

Matthew 10:28, NRSVue

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth;
I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

Matthew 10:34, NRSVue

I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.

Matthew 10:35-36, NRSVue

Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 10:39, NRSVue

Those who were hearing this teaching might have been tempted to run.

But Jesus is also reassuring his disciples:

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted.

31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

32 Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven,

Matthew 10:29-32, NRSVue

The God who protected Hagar and Ishmael, the God who watches even sparrows, watches over us.

That doesn’t mean our work is without risk. It means that the risk is only temporary, earthly risk, but our work is for a greater purpose.

And it takes courage.

Courage is not the absence of risk.

First of all, nothing is without risk. After a certain age, just sitting in a chair or lying in a bed may risk discomfort, pain, and disability.

But it takes little courage to breathe clean air, drink clean water, or eat healthy food. That’s just life.

Sure, it’s possible to choke on something, but the risk is small and the courage needed is negligible.

Courage is not the absence of fear.

The first time I rode a motorcycle, I was at least a bit nervous.

(I crashed my brother’s motorcycle, by the way.)

But with practice I became more confident. And with that confidence I needed far less courage.

Courage is when there is risk, real or perceived, and it causes anxiety or fear, and we push through that anxiety or fear.

In The Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion believed he was a coward and had no courage, and even so was able to do courageous things for his friends, something that was revealed when he met with the Wizard and got a medal for his courageous acts.

Likewise, we may feel we do not have courage, but when we see injustice, we may take courageous action, overcoming our own fear and anxiety.

Jesus does not call us to demean the poor and powerless.
Jesus does not call for us to harm the sick, or to abuse the prisoner.
Jesus calls us to live love, and to encourage others to live love as well.

That word “encourage” means to give courage to others. That’s a powerful act too.

So my challenge to us all this week is to find the courage we have to do what Christ calls us to, not because it is safe, not because we are fearless, but because with God on our side, we can have the courage to overcome.

Courage!

Amen.

Let’s sing NCH 475 God’s Eye Is on the Sparrow

* Scripture quotations marked NRSVue are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. https://www.friendshippress.org/pages/about-the-nrsvue

* Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible.

📖 🦢 📖 🦢 📖 🦢

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

"This book is all about Black Swans: the random events that underlie our lives, from bestsellers to world disasters. Their impact is huge; they're impossible to predict; yet after they happen we always try to rationalize them."

🔗 https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/56380/the-black-swan-by-taleb-nassim-nicholas/

#Reading #Nonfiction #Business #Finance #Probability #Risk #Management #RiskManagement #Books #Bookstodon

A quotation from Andrew Oliver

Andrew Oliver (1706-1774) American Colonial merchant, politician, government official
Speech (1774?)

More about this quote: wist.info/oliver-andrew/84550/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #andrewoliver #career #corruption #degradation #honor #politician #politics #potential #risk #statesman #temptation

Prediction Markets are moving beyond just taking individuals' "bets" and are attempting to woo institutions such as hedge funds and brokerages to execute big-ticket "trading" like hedging against specific business risks. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/business/dealbook/hedging-prediction-markets-kalshi.html?unlocked_article_code=1.rFA.L6RD.G_CozRXwosjn&smid=url-share

#Predictions #PredictionMarkets #Kalshi #PolyMarket #WallStreet #Hedging #Brokerages #HedgeFunds #Risk #RiskMitigation #Securities #CFTC #CryptoCurrencies #Insurance

Why Extreme Sports Enthusiasts Keep Jumping After a String of Tragedies

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/us/extreme-sports-deaths.html

#ExtremeSports #Adventure #Risk