196 Pentecost 20: Of Rumor and War
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me;" ~ Psalm 23
Of Rumor and War
We at Mad Mondays offer prayers of mourning and pleas of mercy for the many helpless people trapped in a conflict very few seem to understand. War may never change, but the rumor always alarms. We rest in the certainty that not all religions are built on harsh justice alone, but that in the Kingdom of Christ mercy triumphs over sacrifice. This is Rev Fisk’s reaction to the the horror of the newsfeed:
“This will end poorly.” Gar was a coward. But he was right. Dusk was already begun. “They’re all dead,” he went on, but that did not stop Wern from sticking each body with his sword. “And, they’re children!” “They’re elves,” Wern said, sticking another. “More than enough reason to leave this place. This is their land.” Snaren was also a coward. But he could add and subtract. “We don’t need to assume blooddebt.” The skin about Wern’s eyes visibly tightened. The fool. But there’s more hope for a fool than a coward, and I had two plus one following me because in dark times, simply standing up again after getting knocked can make you someone’s idea of a king, or a bandit, or a freedom fighter. Me? I’m pretty idealistic. “They’re dead. It’s done. But the war is not, and this is not our fight.” “As you say, my lord,” Wern saluted and returned to his grisly task. “These, as we can see, are already dead.” “But their blood still flows from where you wound them,” Snaren noted. “ In these wilds, more than the stars alone will hear its cry and smell its call. We ought away, and presently.” “Where are their weapons?” Gar was pale, backing away in the snow, “No footprints! No signs! No answers!” He would bring down the whole of the territory on them. And then he was dead. Run through from behind by a blade of mithril steel. If there had been a moon, it would have shimmered for all who witnessed to make clear: in a world both too large and too small to know who was to blame and to have no one to blame at any time and all of the time, the elves had now found them in the darkness, and theirs was a justice that knew not of mercy.
Odds and Ends
Israel
The full brutality of Hamas' attack on Israel ten days ago is becoming evident. Although some initial reports look to be false, stories of confirmed barbarism defy belief. (Reuters, Tablet)
Israel is set to launch a ground campaign into Gaza, calling up 300,000 reservists to join its military. It has also relaxed gun laws to allow citizens to arm themselves. The Israel Defense Forces say they intend to eliminate all members of Hamas and hope to find dozens of hostages still being held by the terror group. The IDF has warned residents of the Gaza strip to head south to avoid being caught up in the conflict. According to recent reports, hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated. (The Blaze, BBC, YouTube)
One report claims that Iran is backing Hamas and has been using cryptocurrency wallets to funnel money to Gaza. The White House has frozen funds bound for Iran and the EU has frozen money pegged for Palestine. (ZeroHedge, The Hustle, The Blaze, NBC)
Israeli strikes have taken out the only Planned Parenthood in the territory. (Not the Bee)
Back home:
While President Biden was commended by Jewish groups for his clear condemnation of the attack, members of the Democratic party “squad” blamed Israel. Student groups at some of the country’s most elite schools held rallies in support of Palestine but prominent law firms and hedge fund managers rained on that parade, saying they won't hire students who supported Hamas. (Fox, Yahoo, Just the News)
Elon Musk called out Black Lives Matter for its anti-Jew, pro-Palestine posts, but old interviews reveal that founders of the movement have consistently called for an end to Israel since 2015. (ZeroHedge, Fox)
We made this video a couple of years ago and it had all but disappeared under the sofa. Now seems as good a time as any to share it. Let us know what you think!
Politics
After being nominated as the Republican candidate for House speaker, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La) has withdrawn himself from the race. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is the new nominee and he will need a simple majority to win the Speakership, currently 217 votes. (The Hill, Just the News)
Robert F Kennedy confirmed last week that he has left the Democrat party to continue his presidential run as an independent candidate. During a campaign event, RFK also admitted he had been wrong about open borders, after he went to Yuma and spoke to migrants and border workers. He said, "No country can survive if it can't control its borders." (YouTube, YouTube)
Crime and Policing
Democrat senator, Bob Menendez is facing federal conspiracy charges after allegedly acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government. (Politico)
Former Iran envoy for the Biden and Obama administrations, Robert Malley has been accused of spying for Iran and working to influence US policy. (Tablet)
New York Republican Rep. George Santos has been hit with 10 additional charges of spending public funds, money laundering and fraud. (Just the News)
The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried continued last week, with Caroline Ellison testifying that he masterminded the plan to steal billions of dollars from investors and lenders through cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Ellison is a former girlfriend of SBF and worked as a top executive at FTX. (NPR)
Police are still trying to ascertain why a man drove a car into the Chinese consulate in San Francisco. The driver was shot by police and died from his injuries. (The Independent)
California has unveiled a "first-of-its-kind" Ebony Alert system to let authorities know when a black child is missing. Earlier this year, the state set up a similar system to alert for missing indigenous Americans known as Feather Alert. (Hot Air, ABC7)
Economy, Markets and Jobs
Over 4000 workers have rejected a five-year pay and bonuses proposal by Mack Trucks, walking off job sites in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maryland. The strike is separate to ongoing action against three auto manufacturers. (WNG)
Flip flop flop: The 250 year-old German sandal company, Birkenstock has had an "underwhelming Wall Street debut" with its stock finishing lower than expected. Market experts said overvaluing companies looking to go public is becoming a bad habit. (Reuters)
Hotels in West Maui are receiving tourists again, two months after devastating fires killed 98 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. Maui County's mayor said in a statement to some it "feels too soon" to be reopening, "but the reality is there are those in our community who are ready to get back to work." (CBS)
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Religion and the church
Shocked? Probably not. A new report says that every political donation from staff of Christianity Today magazine went to Democrats. (Daily Wire)
UK university to offer world's first master's degree in magic and occult. (The Guardian)
Science
Researchers have demonstrated an "eraser" which can fix quantum computing errors in real time. (CalTech)
NASA has launched a probe to investigate the metal asteroid known as 16 Psyche. First recorded observations of the asteroid date back to the 1800s, but now astronomers would like to know what metal its made of. Asteroid mining “will be a real thing, and it will be profitable." (Space, Space)
Melting moondust with sunbeams could form roads on the moon. (Nature)
The NASA Parker Solar Probe travels at almost 395 000 mph, making it the fastest manmade object. (Boing Boing)
Climate and the Natural World
Gravitational pull fluctuates the world over, weaker in some places and stronger in others. Scientists believe they have an explanation for the Indian Ocean's huge gravity hole which has puzzled them since its discovery in 1948. They believe the hole is a fragment of an older ocean bed, which broke off the supercontinent 120 million years ago. Ah, old earth seems to be "God of the gaps" for evolutionists! But to us, it sounds like turtles all the way down.. (Big Think)
Scientists want to know what is feeding the great belt of seaweed floating in the Atlantic Ocean. (WHOI)
Lahaina's famous banyan tree is sprouting after Maui’s terrible fire. (Moss and Fog)
The Arts and Sport
X-ray scans of Leonardo daVinci's paintings reveal he changed his paint mix depending on what he was creating, but probably followed recipes handed down through centuries. (AP)
A bunch of new sports have been added to the Olympic line up including breakdancing, skateboarding and surfing for Paris 2024 with flag football, cricket and lacrosse added in Los Angeles 2028. (Olympics, CNN)
It's Monday, but as always, Jesus Christ is still on his throne
Pop Psychology
Not just an engineer's trap: Solve the problem you have not a bigger more complicated one. "Sometimes you need to solve today's problem and move on." (Swizec)
Questions to ask yourself before you take it personally. (Fast Company)
A brief history of the emoji: can what was lost as we moved from speaking to texting be recovered by these little symbols? (Nautilus)
Stories from Far Away
France has been on alert after the fatal stabbing of a teacher in a school attack in the northern city of Arras. The French government deployed 7000 troops around the country as bomb threats saw the evacuation of the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versaille. France has also banned pro-Palestinian protests. (AP, CNN)
The White House says containers of military equipment have arrived in Russia, courtesy of North Korea. (The Hill)
New Zealand has voted convincingly for a conservative government. (New Zealand Herald)
Australians have voted down a measure to establish a permanent indigenous government advisory body. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Argentina: annual inflation has topped an eye-watering 124%. (Reuters)
Visualising the scale and fragility of China's massive property sector. (Reuters)
Stockholm will ban gas and diesel cars from its city centre from 2025. Meanwhile, Swedish start-up Luvly is aiming for a flat-pack car. ((The Guardian, Futurism)
Afghani-designed supercar debuts at Geneva International Motor Show (X)
Your favorite pixelated hero will return when EDH has returned from a well-earned rest..
John Michael Jones Gets a Life is produced for Mad⳩Mondays by E. Darwin Hartshorn. Episodes can also be found on Tuesday, along with previous episodes, on Bunny Trail Junction at bunny-trail.com.
Quick Hits for the Eyebuds
🔧Amazing metal scrap animals
⛵The quest for the world's fastest sailboat
🧊 1950s fridge with snazzy features
📆 A 1981 DeLorian discovered in a Wisconsin barn
💡 150 year-old Florida lighthouse reignited after a decade in the dark
➿ Father and son Hot Wheels track sets new record
👻 Fair question: Why are so many ghosts female?
📛 Things you might not have realised were actually named after people
🎃 Missouri man has broken the record for longest journey in a pumpkin vessel
✂️ How to recognise a well-made suit
A Good Word: Links from the Show Notes
On this week's Stop the White Noise (YouTube, Rumble), the Fisk’s discussed prayer, praise and prophesy. (Oh, and the Psalms, of course, but the silent ‘p’ sort of let the alliteration down… ). Here are some of the recs that came up:
Psalm 37 is the “everything Psalm”. Choose any section and pray it now!
Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
And for dealing with pornographic idols..
The Easy Peasy Way to Quit Porn- a free ebook
For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men by Shaunti Feldhahn
For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women by Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn
Salvo Mag: Porn is not Free
Sweetness You May Have Missed
This Week Preached:
Podcast Release:
Let us pray. Almighty God, You invite us to trust in You for our salvation. Deal with us not in the severity of Your judgment but by the greatness of Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen