Martin World News

 

Once again it's time for a romp through the worlds headlines, this time focusing on the Giants of the world- and on my own twisted takes.

FoxNews

I'm not feeling it, frankly

Rand Paul has released his annual 'Festivus Report' on government waste, and among other spendings, he highlights...

-Agency for International Development (USAID) spent $20 million on a Sesame Street spin-off show in Iraq, titled "Ahlan Simsim," in an effort to promote "inclusion" and "mutual respect."

-The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reportedly gave New York University (NYU) over $400,000 to study whether lonely rats seek cocaine more than rats who are in positive environments.

- The senator also mentioned the Biden administration giving $2.1 million to fund Paraguay's border: "Nothing says "America First" like securing someone else’s border," Paul wrote.

Others included a $1.5 M research project that basically bolted kittens to a spinning wheel to observe the effects of motion sickness on them; $10 K for an ice-skating drag show called 'Beards On Ice'; and a $12 M pickleball complex in Las Vegas.

So after you get done with your pickleball game and have hit the casino, secure in the knowledge that grown men pretending to be women aren't going to be affected by dizziness; and can go to sleep happy to dream knowing Uruguayan ne'er-do-wells aren't sneaking into Paraguay, where local rats are dealing with their cocaine addiction in a positive environment.  And all that peace of mind cost you a mere $36,010,000.

CNN

Bonnie King Chuck says no to chocolate eggs

King Charles released his annual (well, the monarch's annual) list of Warrants (Americans, think 'royal seal of approval'), and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, Cadbury Eggs, and even (gasp) Marmite fail to return to the list.

The blow to Cadburys and Unilever (for Cadbury's, the first time they didn't make the list since Queen Victoria first added them in 1854) come apparently because they weren't playing nice- ignoring the Ukraine inspired injunctions against doing business in Russia.  Cadbury CEO Dirk van de Put says to MWN reporters, "It is a bit of a sticky wicket, but we believe it will be mitigated by that warrant from the Czar and his family... wait, what?"  One thing I don't find surprising is Ben and Jerry's (owned by Unilever), playing fast with the rules, because as we know here in the states, nothing says, "I'm a communist" like a nice tub of B&J's Half Baked.

***Note:  The phrase "MWN reporters" denotes items that might not actually have been said, at least not to the person credited.***

BBC

A denial is the same as the truth, these days

The Kremlin is saying reports from Turkish media aren't true that the Brit-born wife of deposed Syrian monster Bashir al-Assad has NOT filed for divorce and wants to leave Russia.  According to the Turkish reports, the possibly-unhappy couple "were living under severe restrictions in the Russian capital, and that the former Syrian first lady had filed for divorce and wanted to return to London."  After Bashir recently let slip, "I never wanted to come to Russia anyway", the Turkish report seems at least somewhat believable- not that it matters to the former Asma Fawaz Akhras; the UK foreign ministry poured ice water on her hopes when the report came out: "(UK foreign secretary) David Lammy said: "I want it confirmed that she's a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK."

He added he would do "everything I can in my power" to ensure no member of the Assad family "finds a place in the UK".

"Great Mohammed on a stick", Bashir was quoted by MWN reporters, "I just wanted to stay in Syria where I could be tortured for all my secrets and then have my corpse drug through the streets.  Now I'm stuck in this two room rental- with HER."

France24

I think I saw this one before

For me, the title said it all:

How French soldiers train for trench warfare

And in my mind, I said, "In a world of hypersonic missiles and drones, the French are once again preparing for the previous war.  Or was it the one before?"

Moscow Times

When the Bear does it in the woods...

One thing that Vladmir Putin might do even better than Trump: making things happen with but a word:

During Putin’s annual press conference and call-in program last week, a mother-of-five complained to the president about high prices for flights.

“You are right, there is such a problem. We are already talking about this with the relevant managers,” the Kremlin leader told the woman.

Putin said airlines have introduced “small, insignificant” discounts that fail to take into account the financial burdens parents of multiple children face when traveling.

“This practice must be stopped,” he said.

Within hours, Aeroflot and Ural Airlines announced 50% discounts for kids 2-12 years old (2 and under ride free already) on all in-Russia flights starting well before a Putin-set deadline of January 14th.  Now if he could just say something to Charles about that Cadbury warrant...

News.AU

Like we couldn't have guessed that one

Thanks to Australia's news for pointing out to those of us hoping 2025 would be better than 2024, that 2025 starts out with Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...

...or, to abbreviate, WTF.

Japan Times

Reason # 12,567 why the world sucks now

The headline:

Police called out to investigate suspicious Santa in Wakayama

I wish this was a funny story, but it isn't.  The Santa in question " a young man dressed as Santa Claus who was spotted handing out treats in front of Yuasa Municipal Elementary School."  He was just, as it turns out, trying to do a good thing; but in a world where we have idiots streaming themselves spraying bananas in a store with bug spray to get likes, they couldn't take the chance.  Still, Santa should have talked to school officials first to stay off the Naughty List.

Deutscheland.de

If it had a cost listed, it coulda made Festivus

Because this is just the kind of, "Don't we already know this?" survey I'm sure Congress would have allocated 6 figures for... 

Many respondents regard the conservation and restoration of ecosystems as a high priority for society: the study is based on a representative survey in which 94 per cent of adults and young people agreed that nature conservation is necessary to combat climate change. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke commented: “The nature awareness study shows that people care about a healthy and intact natural environment.” 

Or, as the original headline put it, "People In Germany Care about Nature."  No fooling?

Finally....

Taiwan News

I'm guessing I won't make dress code here

'Michelin-starred chef Lam Ming Kin (林明健) has unveiled Afterglo, an elegant restaurant and wine bar nestled in Taipei's Regent Galleria.'  The headline drew me to one of the notable food items...

 The "buby tea chicken nuggets with caviar" transform street food into luxury with generous Ossetra caviar and gold leaf garnish. Thigh meat with skin and cartilage is marinated for three hours in dozens of Indian spices and mala powder, then coated in golden fluffy batter. 

The crispy exterior gives way to tender meat with cartilage crunch, balanced by French crème fraîche and enhanced by the briny caviar. 

Caviar Chicken Nuggets, not what you get at Maccas.  As far as I can tell, it costs the equivalent of $18.95 for 4 nuggets.  Could we leave out the 'cartilage crunch, though, maybe?

Pictures

 It has been a bit of a fight to get walks in, what with crappy weather.  For example, Friday...

...it snowed.

"And I don't like snow near so much as I did as a puppy!"

But it was a fast-melting snow, so by the time the temps dropped Saturday....

"I don't care!  Let's go!"

And go we did- though she didn't know it was her Gotcha Day...

Interesting... fuzzy ball

This guy had no intention of moving until he had to...

Every few steps, a mouthful of snow

"At least my drink spot isn't frozen (yet)"

At least there's water again in South Canal, even if frozen

Checking for unfrozen at the river

"Not much..."

Back into the complex to interrupt a squirrel party

"What's this- TREATS!"

"And a new toy!!"

It's supposed to be a crab, but in her mouth it looks more like a tick IMHO, lol!  

Sunday it was just too darn cold for my white butt, but we did go out Monday AM...

At least it isn't too bad... but the wind...

"Daddy, this water's all froze!"

At least we're out of the wind at the Duck Pond

Both banks frozen

I think that ball will be lonely for a while

Replaced the big, ankle turning stones here with hardpack.  Nice!

Nobody on the road/nobody on the beach/ a feeling in the air/summer's out of reach...

This is Misty letting me know she's mad about taking the short way through the woods 

Wednesday Bible Study: Abraham plank by plank part I

 (NOTE:  As Christmas is Wednesday, I will be publishing this on Sunday instead...)

In my daily reading recently, I was debating on some of the whys involved in the story of Abraham.  The answer I got was, "I was building him into what I wanted him to be, plank by plank."  It wasn't long afterwards that I was reminded that He is building ME that same way, and it might just be helpful to go in-depth to see what lessons I can learn from God's worksmanship on Abraham.

One problem with starting at the beginning with Abraham is, where IS the beginning?  Because if you stay stuck just to Genesis, you only get part of the story the (good) pastors teach you.  And if you dig in the wrong places, you're going to get stuff that just don't belong.  I want to show you what I mean.  One of the commentators I have on my e-Sword, my big Old Testament go-to, is Keil and Delitzsch.  But they threw me a curve ball.  Look here at one of the 'starts' of the Abraham story:

Gen 11:31  Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. 

Now most pastors teach that God first called Abraham (or Abram, as he was then) in Ur, and they stopped off in Haran.  You note it doesn't say that HERE.  And K&D takes this a step farther:

This does not, however, necessitate the conclusion, that he had already been called by God in Ur. Nor does Gen_15:7 require any such assumption. For it is not stated there that God called Abram in Ur, but only that He brought him out.

Just for clarity, this is what they mean in Genesis 15:7:

Gen 15:7  And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 

So far so good- we can't assume that Abram was called in Ur rather than later on in Haran.  But, wait, here's the testimony of the soon to be martyred Stephen 2,000 years later:

Act 7:2  And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 

Act 7:3  and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ 

Stephen says definitively Abram was called in Ur.  Where does he get this?  Enter the Jewish Encyclopedia, which says the backstory can be found in the Book of Jubilees, which, they note, wasn't written until the 130s BC.  But if you go farther into the JE section on "In apocryphal and rabbinical literature" they spin a fantastic story involving Nimrod, a fiery furnace, the death of his brother Haran  (alluded to in Gen. 11:28) by Abram's own fault, among other things.  Of course, the authors note that much of it seems to have been drawn from Zoroastrianism from Persia and mythology from Hinduism.

A more digestible version of the story- sans Nimrod- is in the Book of Jubilees, but again, how do you corroborate what it says with what's in the Bible?  Answer: you don't.  See, the JE story of the rabbis- which included Og, king of Bashan, who was killed by Israel some 600 years later- often fails the test of continuity.  The reason is simple- they were trying to make things make sense LOGICALLY, instead of by God's inspiration.   He couldn't have heard God's voice, it seems; Abram had to have deduced who God WAS by figuring out what He WASN'T.  The Book of Jubilees is better, but not much; it gives you details, but are they true?  And it gets tempting to speculate.  Why, I was astounded to learn (from the Bible!) that Noah missed seeing his 8-great Grandson Abram's birth by a mere 17 years, and Noah's son Shem not only saw his birth, but outlived Abram by 35 years! (Because the after-flood ages were steadily shrinking; while Noah lived 950 years, Shem only got to 500, and 8 generations later, Abram/Abraham would have it down to 175.)

So what do I learn from all this?  That Abram was first called in Ur; and NOTHING BEFORE HIS CALLING MATTERS.  Just like with us- we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, and all our past life doesn't matter in God's eyes.  Clean slate.  But what he was to do with that clean slate is going to be my project.

M10 show week #145

 Elvis:  Well, working just a half-day today certainly gives ya a chance ta get things right this week!

Yes, and I've got the M10 done, the research done- can't do nothing with the sluggish early 80s charts, though! We do have two 'new' M10 hits- neither one from 2024- so why don't you kick us off with the first one?

Yep!  This'n has been floating around the shuffle since the start of October- the only one older are the two that lost their spots this week!  From the middle of the ABC game Chris 'n' Laurie played, it comes in at #10 this week.  They are Midlake, an' their song from 2006 is called... Roscoe...

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The very concept of a slow grower, it took from October 5th to November 19th just to make it into the extended 15!  Anyway, we are in 1980, and on Cashbox, the #1 song this week is Lady by Kenny Rogers.  A #2 in Canada, it made 16 in Australia.  Up north, the top spot was held- as it would be in all 3 countries soon- by John Lennon's Just Like Starting Over, which was just about to make its move to the top when John was killed.  I would place that as my favorite for the week- heady territory for me, as I've never been a big Lennon fan.

In Australia, it was a crazy novelty song by Joe Dolce, Shaddup You Face.  It never really caught on- unless you were a Dr Demento fan- in the US, with a peak of 43 on CB and 53 on Billboard; in Canada it made it's way to #2, but that was nothing compared to Australia.  It was in the midst of an 8-week run that would see it become-briefly- the biggest selling song ever in Australia.

Our big mover chart is much like last week- and not just because nothing was moving!  FIVE songs managed a 4-notch move; only three moved more than that!

3- Up 6 to 25 for Barry Manilow's I Made It Through The Rain.  It peaked 18 on CB, 10 on BB, 34 in Canada, and sorry Charlie in Australia.

2- Once again this year, we have an Eddie Rabbit sighting!  This time it's I Love A Rainy Night, up 9 to 32.  Better than last week's six, but still no picture!  It would hit the top here, 6 in Australia, and 11 in Canada.

And at the top...

 

...Boz Skaggs with Miss Sun!  An 11-spot climber to 38, and a personal favorite, it peaked at 18 here and 33 in Canada, and once again no Australian love.  Ready for that next debut?

I am!  Chris found this reading a twisted tale of how this came to be recorded.  Imagine a band once popular, but thought so outdated, when an A&R man tried to pitch them, the boss loved the single- and fired him when he told the boss who it was!  From 2007, here are the Cowsills...at #7...

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Okay, so next week we'll have the results of the Song of the Year, and just maybe we'll do a New Year's Eve special...

In other words, ya never did put yer mind to it...

No I did not.  But, I'll have a lot more time to do so next week!  In the meantime, the top ten...

9- Nothing More falls from 2 in week #8 with Jenny- another alphabet song that got held out at #2.

8- Up one for Linkin Park and Cut The Bridge. 

6- Up a pair for Maggie Rogers and Don't Forget Me.

5- Holding this week, Black Keys with Beck and I'm With The Band.

4- Up 3 for Geowulf and Dreaming.  

3- Matt and Kitty still at this spot with I Gotta Limit (and this might be theirs!).

2- Lucinda Williams steps down a spot with While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

And the new #1 earworm.... 

...Junior Senior with Move Your Feet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Until next time...

Wednesday Bible Study : Imagine if you will

 

This is another topical post, and the topic is: Did God put baby Jesus right at the point where He would be in the MOST danger?

First off, He was born when the Roman Empire was arguably at its height.  Practically, it was at a point of being unchallenged. Hannibal, their greatest enemy ever, had been in the grave for give or take 180 years.  His homeland of Carthage had been wiped off the map almost 150 years ago; the same year Greece ceased to be an independent power broker after a Roman victory at Corinth.  The Parthians had been driven from the area, and their King of Kings Pacorius killed 40 years before; and the last vestige of the old Hellenistic power died with Cleopatra and Antony 30 years before.  There was literally no one to say them nay.

And they had given the land into the hands of a "client king", Herod the Great.  Of course, his greatness stemmed from hundreds of public works to impress his Roman masters- works that caused incredible taxation, on top of that Rome levied.  Behind this "philanthropy" was a wolf set to devour. He, like all 'good' dictators, had a secret police reporting every stray comment, as well as a 2,000 man bodyguard.  And the fact that he would do what he did later- kill all the male children under 2 in the Bethlehem area, in hopes he would get his 'rival', the 'newborn King of the Jews'- is far from far fetched.  He killed family members, even two of his own children, to keep iron control of his power.  His "piety", which included keeping the Romans from making blasphemous sacrifices (ie, pigs) in the Temple, would allegedly cause Augustus to say of his 'client', "It is better to be Herod's pig than to be his son."

Just how many innocents were killed by Herod's men in that famous massacre?  Experts tend to low-ball the issue, noting that Bethlehem had only about 1,000 citizens, but forgetting Matthew 2:16 says, "and in all that region", calculating around 20 children died.  A far cry from the 14,000 the Orthodox Church claims, which would have depopulated the region (and hurt Herod's tax base).

Now, let's look at Mary and Joseph's home town, Nazareth.  Off the main road, with maybe 300 people, it was the "fill in the blank rat hole town" of Israel.  "No phones, no lights no motor cars, not a single luxury", without having to wreck a tour boat in a storm.  It brings to mind for me this prophecy:

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. 

Jer 22:30  Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

And as, by the genealogy in Matthew, Joseph was the legitimate heir to the throne in those days, he was about as far from prospering as he could get.

In addition, it is said by some pastors that Nazareth was an off the grid Roman garrison town, full of the worst Rome had to offer.  But in researching this, I found but one person who, without references, bases this on archaeologists finding a Roman spa there.  The Pharisees would later try to push the story that Jesus was illegitimate, that Mary had been raped by a legionnaire named Pantera, and I wonder if that is where the "garrison town" story started.  On the other hand, they were less than 4 miles from a large city that WAS garrisoned, called Sepphoris.  Likely if they needed a "supermarket trip", or Joseph wanted paying work, they had to make the trek there, and deal with soldiers who could (not legally) take your clothes from you, or (legally) make you carry their pack (though only for a mile, nod nod wink wink).  And if it was your goods, or your wife, who was going to say anything? It's only Nazareth.

And that was the start of the corruption.  Those of faith had also to deal with the priests in Jerusalem, who, as Jesus pointed out, had turned the Temple courts into a bazaar of thievery.  And the criminals such as, perhaps, Barabbas, who hid around every turn of the road.  Which brings us back to the chief foxes in the henhouse...

The Pharisees were the main power, through their dominance of the Great Sanhedrin. Interestingly, there are know records of either Pharisee or Saducee before the Gospels, although about 100 years later, Flavius Josephus (who may have been a former Pharisee himself), explained that they had gotten their start during the Hasmonean age ( the independent Israel in between the Greeks and the Romans), and began growing in power as the High Priestly position became more corrupt itself.  How do they fit in?  Well, that question caused me some time digging; And it boils down to this.  They had a belief in an 'oral tradition', that in their eyes was every bit as valid as the Law and the Prophets.  Much like a certain church today, this allowed them to cherry pick themes that they liked, while ignoring the point.  For example, they liked the 'messiah' they saw in Zechariah...

Zec 9:10  And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. 

But left out the important part...

Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. 

John McArthur went through how you could use the Book of Daniel to almost pinpoint the day when Messiah would come to Jerusalem; how do these 'experts' miss it?  Surely not all of them did; some of the crowd on Palm Sunday knew exactly what they were celebrating.  But Jesus wasn't the Messiah tradition dictated; He HAD to be false.  In the end, the reason they rejected Jesus was explained to Isaiah:

Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 

Isa 6:9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 

Isa 6:10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 

One last thing: That trek I mentioned.  December 25th is not when Christ was born onto the Earth.  Although, Joseph and Mary may have liked it better, as the winters there are relatively mild.  Figuring from the story of Zachariah's visit in the Holy of Holies by the Angel Gabriel, it was more likely late September; a hot, dusty, 90 mile trek for Joseph and Mary to go from Nazareth to Bethlehem (Because, let's just throw a Roman census in on top of things).  This at best- which I doubt they would achieve with a heavily pregnant woman, and chariots were for rich folks and Romans- would be a week's journey.  In all that heat, with all that danger.  And to top it off, they had to stay in the hottest part of the Hostel, the lowest floor, with all the sights and smells of the family's animal population.

Now...

The one point I wanted to make.  I want you to get a picture of Jesus:

Rev 1:13  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 

Rev 1:14  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 

Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 

Rev 1:16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 

Rev 1:17  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.

And:

Mat 17:2  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 

Now imagine Him setting this all aside, taking on the flesh of the most helpless of forms, the human baby- unable to talk, walk, comprehend, wrapped up so tight He couldn't move, and dropped in to THAT world.

That is love unimaginable.  But there would be more...

Martin World News

 

Well, here's another attempt at MWN.  I don't know that it is the knee-slapping humor I prefer, but maybe you'll get some subtle chuckles...

Fox News

Easy come, stupid go

A new(er) wrinkle on the story of CEO-UHC killer Luigi Mangione:

Mary Mangione, a Baltimore-area millionaire philanthropist married to real-estate developer Nick Mangione, left an estimated $30 million — and possibly more — to her family when she died in 2023. The matriarch had 10 children and 37 grandchildren.

And yes, Luigi was one of those grandchildren.  But, Granny was wise, and added a caveat:

"It is my precatory desire that the Trustees particularly consider invoking their discretion to implement this Section if the felony is a common law felony, a statutory felony if it is the codification of a common law felony, a heinous felony, any felony involving a physically violent act against another person or property or any drug related felony involving distribution or intent to distribute any type of drug or illegal substance," thereby forfeits their spot in the line of heirs.  Thus, whatever satisfaction he got out of his act cost him in the neighborhood of at least $630+K.

CNN

Go woke, go broke

We have yet another crying post about poor, poor Bud Light.  After the Dylan Mulvaney debacle, it had lost it's #1 place in all but one category- and it just lost that one too.  Michelob Ultra is now the most popular beer on tap, according to Draftlines Technologies, handing Bud Light its latest loss.  But who lost?  Michelob Ultra is also an Anheuser-Bush beer, so they're still at 1-2 on the list; and, according to an A-B spokesperson, "Bud Light is still 30% bigger than the next competitor". However, "In year-to-date sales through November 3, Michelob Ultra continues to be A-B InBev’s biggest beer in terms of sales at retailers, growing 4%, while Bud Light sales plunged 13%, according to Circana data obtained by Brewbound."

The accelerating fall of BL sales may be, IMHO, less to do with the continuing effect of Mulvaney than with the fact that, while beer drinkers were boycotting them, they discovered other beers TASTE BETTER.  Go figure.

BBC News

As if we don't have enough diseases...

Here's the latest invented medical condition...

"If I see someone tapping their fingers on a desk, my immediate thought is to chop their fingers off with a knife," an anonymous patient confides to a researcher.  Another shares: "When I see someone making really small repetitive movements, such as my husband bending his toes, I feel physically ill. I hold it back but I want to vomit."

Sound familiar? If so, perhaps you too have a condition called misokinesia - a diagnosable hatred of fidgeting.

In the old days, we called this, "Getting annoyed over stupid stuff," and the cure was, "Get over yourself".  While these may be extreme examples, they come from a simple source- a world so involved in each person's own little world, anything that pops the bubble grows from social faux-pas to health crisis.

Moscow Times

"Just following orders, sir..."

Lama Baldan Bazarov self-exiled when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, because he knew his Buddhist message of peace and non-violence would earn him a trip to Vladimir Putin's doghouse.  But a Moscow times reporter asked him, if this exile was in obedience to his religious principles, why did not more Buddhist clergy follow him out of the country- and why were some actively supporting the Russian effort?  His answer:

This is absolutely correct. Of course, it directly contradicts the Buddhist precepts. But I can understand Damba Ayusheev’s position. 

All Khambo Lamas swore an oath of loyalty to the Russian tsar during the imperial era. Without this, they could not be elected. During their election, they had to recite the pledge of allegiance [to the monarch]. When Damba Ayusheev was elected as the 24th Khambo Lama [in 1995], he also took an oath of loyalty to the head of the Russian state. He adheres to this oath because breaking it would not be honorable. Even in Buddhism, one must remain true to their promises and oaths.

As for the others, let’s say no one explicitly told them: ‘You must swear an oath of loyalty [to Putin].’ No one made them take it. Support for the war is their own choice. 

Today there is complete freedom. You can choose who to listen to, what to watch, and make your own conclusions. I know that some people only watch the TV and don’t want to hear a different perspective. They only listen to people such as pro-Kremlin TV hosts Vladimir Solovyov and Olga Skabeyeva or RT head Margarita Simonyan. They are under the spell of their rhetoric. It's clear.

REPORTER: As I understand, not all Buddhist leaders could resist that spell either. 

Yes, of course. The clergy are just humans. 

Wow.  One modern excuse- I only know what I see on TV.  One ancient excuse: In a world where American politicians won't even remain loyal to oaths taken in the previous administrations, Monks feel bound to oaths to a position that was eradicated 108 years ago.

The Times Of India

But, please, let's argue semantics

This was a story that I had to dig through a lot of culture I don't quite understand to get to, but here's my attempt:

The Indian government is developing something called the Dharavi Project, which I believe is basically what we would call "urban renewal"; and as usual, it is robbing the poor to comfort the rich.  At least that is how it seems to Rahul Gandhi, the leader to the opposition.  (Rahul is the son of one former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, and the Grandson of another, Indira Gandhi.)  His problem apparently stems from the government farming it out to Adani, a multinational conglomerate with perhaps illegal ties to the government.  A serious problem, yes?  But the lead story wasn't about what he was fighting for, but about HOW he said it.

In a speech before Congress, he was quoting from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, and used a word for a 'young man' to describe a 7-year-old boy in the story.

And the government party broke out in laughter, and attacked him for the mistake- a mistake he was trying to correct as the congressmen talked and laughed over him.

For this to even BE a story tells me that Adani isn't the only one in the government's pocket...

Vanguard (Nigeria)

Pastors unclear on the concept

This story kinda had two heads, but the second one showed more to me than the first.  Meet Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, founder of the SPAC Nation church...

Tobi has been in London the last several years, and is about to get kicked out, because his visitor's visa had ran out.  His excuse?  He "lost track of time".  He's coming up on his 20th year in London, and apparently it went by in a flash.  Secondary excuse? "I thought my family was working on it."  

But this isn't the thing that really got me; that came when he started defending himself against "financial irregularities" he and his church have been accused of...

The controversy has been fueled by claims that Adegboyega is linked to a £1.87 million fraud involving misuse of church funds. However, the pastor dismissed the allegations as baseless and attributed them to “disgruntled members” of his congregation.

“How on earth do you run an organisation without disgruntled people?” he asked during the interview.

Pastors out there, you want to handle this one?  "You handle it by bring it to the Lord, and before the elders, and prayerfully address the issue."  

Adegboyega also emphasized his church’s role in addressing societal issues in the UK.

“Our church has helped get hundreds of knives off the streets and tackled gun violence,” he said, highlighting SPAC Nation’s community outreach efforts.

But, how many souls have you saved?  How many hours have you spent explaining the Gospel to your congregants? His real problem is, he's running a social workers program that siphons money from government and congregants, and spends it on himself, IMHO.

Buenos Aires Times

Curses, foiled again

I don't know that this one needs a whole lot of expounding from me...

Senator Edgardo Kueider has formally requested temporary leave from the Upper House following his arrest in Paraguay...This request follows the Entre Ríos politician’s arrest at the La Amistad (Friendship) international bridge linking Paraguay and Brazil at the Triple Frontier when the DNIT (Dirección Nacional de Ingresos Tributarios) Paraguayan tax authorities found an undeclared sum of over US$200,000 in his car, more than 600,000 pesos and four million guaranis.

I kinda think his "leave" might be something more than temporary- unless Brazil allows senators to Face-Time their votes from Paraguayan prisons...

And, today's finale...

News.AM (Armenia)

Methinks you might be exaggerating...

Now if you follow obscure international news as I do, you might know that the recent elections in Georgia (the European nation, not the southern state) have been controversial, with many protesting that it was a rigged next step to serving the country up to Russia (now you see why I included the caveat it wasn't OUR Georgia).   However, the pro- government people have a decidedly different view of their 'winner'...

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called Mikhail Kavelashvili “the country's first mentally and psychologically balanced president in the last 20 years,” Novosti-Georgia reported.

The story goes on...

According to the Georgian Prime Minister, for 20 years “hostile external forces” have been using the institution of the president to divide the society and “artificially weaken the constitutional order” of the country.

And what are these "hostile external forces"? You would THINK he was referring to the giant greedy neighbor to the north (Russia, not South Carolina), but I did a little digging into his party affiliation...

Kavelashvili has accused the political opposition in Georgia of being controlled by US congressmen with "an insatiable desire to destroy our country" and plotting "a direct violent revolution and the Ukrainisation of Georgia". (Wiki)

I hate to pop your importance bubble, my friend, but I think you might be mistaking "Lining our own pockets" with "Yeah, Georgia!  Love that red clay..."

M10 show week #144

 

Due to unforeseen... well, laziness... I'm still choosing who goes where on the countdown this week.  But that's okay, since you won't see the post for another 15 hours or so, anyway.  Of course it may take that long... our new, complex-chosen internet service kinda takes its sweet time hooking anything up, so...

Elvis: Whut, so that's yer excuse?  Yer just gonna mail it in?

No, no, I was hoping to wow you all with a great lead in from target year 1981, but this week's chart was a bit... well, underwhelming...

Oh, wunnerful... but ya got a backup plan, yes?

Working on it- I finally figured out how to get my Spotify top artists for the last year!  Here's that top 10...

10- Built To Spill

9- Hazel English

8- Real Estate

7- Dent May

So how many more songs do we gotta listen to before...

Six, now shut up so I can finish the "Backup plan", dipstick!

Mumblemumblemuttergrumble...

6- Alvvays

5- Linkin Park

4- Duran Duran

3- Geowulf

2- Lucius

1- 

...Beach House!

That soun's more like an all-time list, ask me...

I was thinking the same, until Linkin Park showed up at 5.  They also have my top genres- this was a little more puzzling.  10 was "Noise Pop", which is basically shoegaze, which means Alvvays and Dinosaur Jr.  9 was Soft rock; 8 was dream pop, both of which pretty well explain themselves.  7 was Indie pop, which is basically all of the below, just not on major labels.  6- is Dreamo, which made me wonder what the difference is in this and Dream pop- a site says, "blends dream pop and indie rock elements with a nostalgic, dreamy and hazy sound"- which is pretty much Real Estate territory.  5 is "indietronica", which you can probably figure out, and includes (apparently) a host of acts that make the M10 like Beach House, Two Door Cinema Club, and currently the Black Keys.   4 is Album Rock (cue Ace Frehley); 3 is Chamber pop- described as ""intimate, precisely arranged songs with rock's sweep but without its bluesy clamor."  They list a massive for example: the Beach Boys Pet Sounds lp.  I suspect this is another category Beach House slips into.  2 was "Rock".  And the top was Indie rock, so there's that.

All terribly fascinatin', but mebbe we should just get ta 1981...

Yeah, this won't take long.  This week in 1981, we all were stuck with Olivia Newton-John's Physical at the top.  Not only an across-the-board #1, but across the board THIS week!  For me, it would have been at the deepest sub-basement, under a pile of old garbage and dusty hefty bags full of long forgotten offscourings.

Tell us how ya feel, why dontcha?

Chill, I have one more to listen to before I make the list.  Let me continue...

In addition to that flatline circumstance, there were only THREE songs in the top 40 that moved 5 or more spots!  They were:

3- Don McLean, Castles In The Air.  Most successful in Australia at a #11 peak, it got to 31 here (much higher for me), and didn't chart on the Canada main chart, but made #2 on their Adult Contemporary. Up 5 to 38.

2- The Cars, Shake It Up.  Top ten everywhere- 10 in Australia, 7 in Canada, 4 here- it was up 6 to 33.

1- Eddie Rabbit, Some One Could Lose A Heart.  A #1 country song, it made 15 on the hot 100, 4 on Canadian country, but nowhere on either the main Canadian or Australian charts.  

Eddie don't get a picture?

When Eddie moves up 16 spots instead of six, he will.  In the meantime, I do have the chart done!  

10- Leon Bridges down from 3 in week #9 with That's What I Love...

And the first new debut at #9- more Linkin Park: Cut The Bridge

****************************************************

Maggie Rogers moves up one spot to 8 with Don't Forget Me...

Three spots to 7 for Geowulf and Dreaming...

 

And at 6, the other "new debut" - here in the States, you may have heard it on a new ad for Hyundai- that's where I got it.  It came out in 2002, and they are Denmark's Junior Senior:

*************************************************************

That video's burnt, man!

I know, I love it!  Moving on...

5- Up one for the Black keys and Beck and I'm With The Band...

4- Reversing course to climb back one to #4, Linkin Park's Heavy Is The Crown...

3- Matt Berry and Kitty Liv, up one with I Gotta Limit....

2- and holding, Nothing More and Jenny....

1- and holding...

Lucinda Williams with While My Guitar Gently Weeps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two more M10s to go before we head into 2025!  See you next time!

Hey, wait! Yer top song from this week in '81!

Oh, yeah, let me have the song at #3 this week- at it's peak here, a 14 in Australia and 7 in Canada- 

...Earth Wind And Fire doing Let's Groove!  Now we out!

Wednesday Bible Study: Just one man

 

Hopefully, I'll remember to put a title with this- as it is, there's precious little Bible in this post, but a lot of lesson learned.

It all began as I was listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs.  They were playing a sermon from a few years back, and in the midst of it, he played a clip (on the church video screen) that sent shock waves through me.  They were talking the demographics of the western world.  "The minimum birth rate needed to keep a culture alive", the speaker said, "is 2.1 per couple.  Below this level, it is economically and socially impossible for a culture to continue for long."  There was a brief explanation of how this works.  Say you have a culture who drops below this level at year X.  In year X+ 21, there are fewer new additions to the workforce than those leaving. And every succeeding year after.  Underemployment sinks jobs, depression sinks the economy, so on.  It has apparently been studied and proven in many fallen cultures of history.

That said, Europe- that is, long term, resident born in the nation Europe- hovers between 1.6 and 1.3.  Hence the problems you see on the news in the UK, France, and Germany.  However, the Muslim immigrant population- their culture's birth rate is somewhere around 8.  The clip went on to give some very near-term dates at which these nations will become Muslim nations.  

Canada in at 1.6.  They are starting to go through what Europe is.  We are at 2.0- but only because you add in the Hispanic population.

This was not a pretty picture, and I asked God why he was allowing it.  I said, "Their slogan is going to be, 'Go ahead and deport some of us. We'll make more!' "

And God said, "So?"

You and I look at the news and we see, Sharia Law, kidnappings, suicide bombers, when we see Muslims.  God sees the same thing we see when we go to school, work, the mall- lost people needing saved.

You wonder why the Bible never talks about race? God doesn't see race.  He sees hearts that don't love Him, ears that haven't heard of Him- and He sees us not looking past the hate they show, and we reciprocate, He sees us not even thinking about that they need Jesus, too.

Mat 5:43  'Ye heard that it was said: Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and shalt hate thine enemy; 

Mat 5:44  but I—I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you, 

Mat 5:45  that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens, because His sun He doth cause to rise on evil and good, and He doth send rain on righteous and unrighteous. 

We aren't supposed to be married to our culture- we're supposed to be married to our SAVIOR.  Marin Luther was born in Saxony.  Paul was born in Cilicia.  Watchman Nee was born in the Manchu Empire.  Mother Teresa was born in the Ottoman Empire.  Moses was born in Pharaonic Egypt.  All cultures that have disappeared- but God, and faith, and salvation lives on.  We talk a lot about prejudice.  But if we hate just one man, then we are guilty in God's eyes. 

One cold Morning

 ...is all you get of pictures this week.  Mainly because the rest was filled with wind that made 28F feel like about 3F.  But this morning was different, and so we took what would be a 70% boring walk....

We started out to an empty world.  From door to exiting the woods, we saw one runner and 3 squirrels...

...and a frozen Stoney Run

"Guess I'll have to eat snow..."

But then we came to the river.  With the mud flat frozen, we decided to adventure...

Bet you didn't know our river had a doormat...

The confluence of Stoney Run and the mighty St Joe.

Across the Run, the End of the Earth

Misty wanted to cross.  I was hesitant, until we found a spot that seemed safe...

About halfway across, there was a clear spot in the ice- you could see the bottom was about a foot down.  Doggie, you better be right...

Made it, not even a 'crack'!

This was a bit of an obstacle.  I climbed over this time...

Misty trying to get a drink in an open spot, but didn't much like the ice cracking...

Somebody else tried this- broken wine bottle

At this point, Misty is confused- and remained so until she figured out where we would end up.

Later, at Scrappy's Landing- snow coats the ice