Martin World News

 

So last week about this time I vented about the news.  Sometimes you gotta let go and let God, and I didn't do so.  This week, I'm a bit less crotchety and a bit more level headed, so let me go seek the fun in the pages....

DW (Germany)- The headline is enough for a groan...

Headline: Baa-rgain hunters: 50 sheep visit German supermarket

Welcome to Burgsinn, Bavaria, where about 50 sheep decided to come shop at a Penny Supermarket.  It was a section of a herd that wandered away from the shepherd, and mistook someone's shopping bag for a feed bag, and followed them in.  Luckily for the store, they just kind of milled around the entrance, and an employee banging on a register scraed them off.  And luckily for us- and non-obvious jokes- the store wasn't a Woolworths.

Japan Times- Yeah, I don't see "White Day" catching on

Headline: From ‘senpai’ to ‘love hotel’: 11 new Japanese words enter the Oxford dictionary

This was a fun opinion piece on Japanese terms that made the latest update of the (slightly addled) Oxford English Dictionary.  While some of them the writer could kinda see, many times, the reaction of staff writer Mike Fu was, ' yeah, English speakers will really use that!'  I know two of them you are "dying" to hear, and one is this "Love hotel"- Which is basically the Japanese version of "no-tell motel."  Others of some note are: "Washlet", which Google AI tells us: A TOTO Washlet is a brand of electronic bidet toilet seat by TOTO that provides warm water cleansing, often with features like heated seats, warm air drying, and deodorizers, replacing traditional toilet paper for enhanced hygiene and comfort...

and the phrase "Mottainai" whose meaning pretty much sums up the whole list- "What a waste".

And White Day?  March 14th, when whoever receives a Valentines Day gift is required to return the favor.  What's "Another Hallmark rip-off" in Japanese? (answer: Mata shite mo hōrumāku no pakuri shōhin).

Xinhua: Somehow, I'm not as impressed as I was...

Headline: In pics: giant snowman at Qunli music park in Harbin, China's Heilongjiang

So, the interesting part of this was how big this snowman really was: "19 meters tall, measuring 14 meters in length and 11 meters in width".  The disappointing part, part one:  With 35,000 cubic meters of snow used, I thought, wow, thats a lot of snow!  So I asked how much snow would need to fall across the city of Harbin to get that much snow? Answer- less than a quarter inch. Somewhere between 4 to 11 feet per ONE acre...  I guess snow really piles up.  Disappointing part two:  As I scrolled down the article to learn more informastion, I found there was none... 10 different pictures, with the same 2 sentences attached to each one.

GB News: the Woke get woked

Headline: Woke outrage as Springsteen classic censored by UK radio station: 'Britain is a LAUGHING stock!'

I find it amusing that Bruce Springsteen, about as woke a celebrity is there is out there, got hoisted on his own petard, to wit:

A radio station in the UK has sparked outrage from music fans after reports emerged that it had been purposefully editing the lyrics of a classic Bruce Springsteen track.  Absolute Radio has reportedly begun censoring Mr Springsteen's 1984 classic Born in the USA, muting the phrase "yellow man" when broadcasting the track.

The term, which appears in the song's lyrics, is regarded as a derogatory slur against Asian people.  In the original recording, the 76-year-old rock star sings: "So they put a rifle in my hands, sent me off to a foreign land, to go and kill the yellow man, Born in the USA."

I would defend him over this senseless chunk of stupid, but Lord knows he'd run over me with his Cadillac, so screw 'im.

And now, the end, and I do mean, the end...

CTV News (Canada)- I really could just stop at the headline...

Headline: ‘Stop sending butt plugs to Bahrain’: Toronto sex store receives letters from U.S. Department of War

Toronto's Bonjibon sex-toy store has been fighting the tariff battle over returns from the US they've been getting.  But in examining a couple of returns, they got a surprise:

The letter was sent by the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command fleet logistics centre in Bahrain, an island neighbouring Qatar and Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf.

“During security screening by Bahrain Customs, pornographic materials and or devices were identified in a package addressed to you. This letter is to notify you that your parcel was returned to the sender,” the letter, with the subject line ‘Adult item Identified during X-ray Mail Screening,’ reads in part.

“Please notify the sender that pornographic materials or devices are not allowed into the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

Appartently, according to the owners of the shop, a middleman must have bought them and then shipped them to a US Military base in Bahrain. “We didn’t even know it (the product) was going to Bahrain until it came back to us months later, and it just kind of unraveled this whole … hilarious moment,” according to co-owner Grace Bennett.  CTV reached out to the Pentagon ("...don't have anything to offer on the topic") and to  Bahrain's Ministry of Interior Customers Affairs (crickets) to no avail.  

"They were a hoimecoming gift for... a friend..."

Pictures... and not so pictures

 Not to whine, but both my computer and my work have sucked this week.  Computer, I still have no idea.  Work, because the down season is really down- 26 hours this week.  Which did give us time for three walks- one of which I would have had the neatest pictures IF I had taken my camera.

Start Monday...

Seems to be a nice enough day...

Tried to get the neighbor doggie peeking at us, but he ducked

But there were a lot of doggies about

Found a crashed Chinese Lantern from NYE....

With all the melting and freezing, we have crunchy ankle turners poking up in the leafy areas

"Daddy, can we check out the ice?"

And our first abandoned clothing shot for 2026- pair of panties in the middle of the street...

Our second walk came Wednesday, and I abandoned the camera for a trash bag- trying to pick up some of the trash on our way.  So of course we hit the field behind the Swamp and found an entire herd of deer.  First was a younger buck, kind of keeping the warning eye out for the group, which was 6 strong at the time, and not really interested in doing more than looking us.  When Young Bucky decided to retreat to the herd and nudge them a bit, they sorta ambled towards the edge of the woods- still not concerned at all.  As we drew even with them, I saw something out the corner of my eye, over by the river.  Sure enough, here comes the Big Boss, a buck head higher than the rest (and a head and shoulder taller than Young Bucky), sauntering with an aplomb that said he knew he was the biggest SOB in the valley!  By the time he reached the group, a few had actually at least put their heads into the woods, but the closest two to him- along with Young Bucky- just stood there watching us as if to say, "Just try something."  Probably not so wise a choice had I been armed with other than a packed-full trash bag and a dog who lost interest when they stood still; they headed slowly into the woods as they lost sight of us.

Now today, our weird weather put us up almost to 60F, and this time we did take the camera...

It was bright when we started, though it ended overcast

Ambo at the neighbors- prayers for all involved.  An EMS SUV had just pulled out.

These were two of four or so who were rampaging up and down this tree, enjoying the warm

A little rain last night gives Misty a drink- we're supposed to get more tonight

Discers were enjoying, too

Misty was going so hard, I took this pic just to catch my breath!

Obviously, our trash bag trip didn't come out this way...

The presence of Jack Laurie means the Alumni Center reno has hit the flooring stage

Yesterday, there were deer there...

I'm ready for a sit down

Somebody lost a Carhart glove- that gets a bit expensive

Misty was barking to go- this was my first attempt to catch her in mid-bark (fail)

Strike two

Ah, there's the Money Shot

Here's Misty mad at me b/c I won't let her go down to the river

Even madder

A few seconds earlier, ducks were both under water for a good 5-10 seconds

Being a good Daddy, I let her get a sip at the Swamp

In case you thought my garbage excuse was garbage, that's the bag we collected

Those three Bluebirds of happiness were playing just like the squirrels.  This female was the only one to hold still for me

The Wisdom truck I

 

Welcome to this year's project, a term that came to my mind in prayer- The Wisdom Truck! What I want to do is follow the trail of wisdom from one end of the Bible to the other.  The first thing I learned is there are three Hebrew words involved (I haven't looked into the New Testament's Greek yet).  Two of them are used for God's idea of wisdom, the other for a more man-based wisdom.  We kind of saw that in our tour of Solomon- how he used his God-given wisdom to look into man's wisdom- which even he admitted was closely tied to folly.  What my plan is, is to take the words as they come up in the Bible, and look at each case to see what we can apply to us.

Our opening verse is a familiar one...

Gen 3:6  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 

One thing I had pointed out to me recently is that the author meant no disrespect in calling Eve "the woman"- it was only AFTER the fall that Adam named her, because it was only AFTER the fall that they had the concept of reproduction explained to them.  Eve means, "Mother of all living", and it was only after God said the word, "childbirth", that they realized that was to be her function.  And that gift- and the attached curse of labor- was proof that even after the fall, God loved them.

But the word wise in this one is man's wisdom, and very much connected to folly.  Let's look at her reasoning process. Another topic we've hit before was that Adam as the head of the family, received instruction from God- and somehow Eve was getting some kind of disconnect.  Remember, God told Adam, do not eat from the tree, but Eve added, "Or even touch it".  Adam (whose failure is another issue), might not have fallen for the serpent's lies and half truths; but Eve, somehow was not as connected to God's word and was vulnerable.

At this point, Eve really needed the advice on Satan's tricks that we have in 1 John:

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

She didn't have it, though, and her disconnect let her fall for all three.

First, the lust of the flesh- she saw that the tree was good for food.  The garden was FULL of any kind of food she could want- and probably some that tasted better.  Now, we don't know that- and neither did she! It could have tasted like broccoli, for all we know.  She just never asked herself why she wanted it.

Second, the lust of the eyes- and that it was a delight to the eyes- let's think about this.  Do you buy a fruit because of how it looks?  Only if you already know how it TASTES.  Man's wisdom takes in appearances, but never works from KNOWLEDGE.

Third, and most pertinent here, the pride of life- it was desirable to make one wise- the biggest mistake of all. She had contact with GOD- and thought she would gain more from something that, as Jesus said,

Mat 15:17  Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 

Here you see how tightly human wisdom binds with folly.  Solomon up there in the truck, he figured it out at length- and his trying to do it his way ripped a rich, prosperous nation in two.  Eve did it, and it tore man and God in two.

Rant: the world outside your door

 So I thought there were a few things in the world you all who occasionally read these posts ought to know about what is happening outside your door.  I know not everybody follows the news, because it can really depress you.  BUT... you NEED to know what is happening right under your noses.  If for no other reason, that you know who to pray for.

In Venezuela, people are celebrating the removal of a corrupt narco-dictator, who annulled the results of an election he LOST, by US forces yesterday.  Key word here- CELEBRATING.

In the meantime, known communist agents in the US and elsewhere, the same ones who have funded Antifa, BLM, and No Kings protests, are pushing PROTESTS against our removing this animal.  And most of the US Congress is following in lockstep, either because they're being paid to, they are Democrats who would ban blue skies if they supprted Trump, or others who are whiny about Trump taking an action they SHOULD have.  And of course, all the Hollywood leftists are following obediently along.

While in Australia, a man who dared to chant USA, USA at another one of these communist-sponsored rallies in favor of the butcher of Venezuela, was arrested, held for over an hour and then released, "When they couldn't come up with a charge to bring against me."  You know, Australia, God love you, but how many had to die on Bondi Beach because anti-gun laws take guns away from everyone BUT those who don't believe in law?

In Iran, the people who have been beggarred to support a nuclear program and half the world's terrorists are rising up against the Islamic regime.  And, they are being shot down by ringers from ISIS, Hezbollah, and Hamas, that Iran's mullahs called in because they can't depend on their own troops to save them. Do you care?

In Germany, thousands are without power because of sabaotage to a power trunk line.  No word on who did it... can we take a good guess?  And while they celebrate, and the government turns a blind eye because, 'diversity', old people without other choices are freezing in their homes.

In Sweden, the city of Malmo has been declared, "more dangerous than Baghdad", because the Muslims have increased the rates of rapes and bombings astronomically, and again the government turns a blind eye, legally persecuting journalists that try to get the truth out to the world.

And don't get me started on the UK.  But maybe Canadians can ask themselves about why it is that Alberta has been looking into independence from Ottawa, why Christians are being arrested while Muslims worship in the streets and truckers are being threatened with de-banking and other things for peaceful protests.

Is the USA immune? Not at all.  The Muslim city council of Dearborn Michigan HAS threatened Christians, and now I hear they are complaining about Sunday Church bells being rang as "offensive" while loudspeaker calls to Muslim worship are just fine.

And how do I hear all this?  By not being blind to the world around me.  But speaking out? Last night I saw on the "bastion of free speech," X, the Muslim mayor of NYC attacking Trump over, once again, the butcher of Venezuela.  So I replied:

For which I was LOCKED OUT of my account for "Violent speech".

And THAT is the world outside your door, friends.

The 2025 top ten

 

So I love to pack as many songs as I can on these lists, but I got looking.  72 songs made my M10 this year- with this week, there are 966 total songs since late August 2015.  And while I've enjoyed the freedom of not doing the weekly posts anymore, I do want to share some... so here is this year's top 10 songs on the Martin list.  Enjoy!

#10-

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#9

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#8 

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#7

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#6

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#5

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#4

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#3 

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#2

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And my #1 tune for the year...

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Hope you enjoyed, happy music year!

New year will be no smarter...

 So this morning, a friend on X told me (and others) a item that claimed, " absurd leftist assertion that time was invented by imperialists-colonists as a tool to enslave brown people." After a good hard laugh at that one, I asked grok to give me a top ten of stupid liberal/far left/woke claims.  Grok's list:

1- Math is racist: Because equations and correct answers enforce a "white supremacist" standard of objectivity, ignoring cultural ways of counting or estimating.

Math is supposed to be objective, people; whether you use a supercomputer or your buddy's toes, 2+2 will give you a simple, non-racial 4.

2- Trees are colonial oppressors: Planting non-native species is an act of environmental imperialism, displacing indigenous flora and perpetuating botanical hegemony.

Now see, the big ridiculousness is in how this is phrased; the tree planted isn't the oppressor, the planter is. But since you are talking about people on the level of the 74 women in Bristol, UK, who married trees in 2021, maybe they do blame the tree.

3- Gravity is ableist: It discriminates against those who can't jump high or climb stairs easily, reinforcing societal norms that favor the physically privileged.

Okay, I officially give up on the tree thing, because once you start accusing a fundamental force of nature of prejudicial behavior, the screw has well and truly come out, and the marbles are ready to jump...

This is the one who started this rumor...

4- Water is patriarchal: Rivers "flow" in a linear, goal-oriented manner, mirroring male-dominated narratives instead of embracing fluid, non-binary cycles.

So in a fair universe, we would not have rivers, brooks and streams.  But puddles, a LOT of puddles.

5- Sleep is a capitalist plot: The 8-hour sleep schedule was invented by factory owners to maximize worker productivity, enslaving us to the clock's tyranny.

Considering how generous eight hours for sleep would be to workers at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and how hard unions had to fight to GIVE you 8 hours sleep, I have got to think Karl Marx  took a twirl in his grave over this one.  On the other hand, it just might explain a lot about him...

6- Oxygen privilege: People in high-altitude areas are oppressed by thinner air, while sea-level dwellers hoard breathable resources without checking their atmospheric entitlement.

I do have another X person that is going through this "oppression" having just moved to Colorado.  But, it's like Sam Kinison said about deserts- you don't like it, move where the air is!

"You live on the edge of space!  There's NO AIR there! OH! OH!"

7- Punctuation is elitist: Periods and commas enforce rigid structure on language, marginalizing free-form expression from marginalized communities.

My first thought was, there are plenty of ancient languages that did not use punctuation; learn one of them.  Second thought:  I wonder if this explains Kamala Harris's speeches...

8- Photosynthesis is speciesist: Plants converting sunlight discriminates against nocturnal beings, prioritizing daytime ecosystems over the underrepresented night shift.

I honestly am stumped on this one.

9- Colors are culturally appropriated: Rainbows steal from indigenous prism lore, and using "black" or "white" in descriptions perpetuates chromatic colonialism.

I have to ask the LGBTQ flag designers how they feel about this one...

10- Logic itself is a tool of the patriarchy: Deductive reasoning suppresses intuitive, emotional truths, silencing femme ways of knowing in favor of rigid male paradigms.

Which is in essence saying, men are always right, women are always wrong.  These things are so stupid, they trip right into the jokes.

Now to its credit, grok tells me some of these are varying levels of satire, but usually based on something actual.

Wednesday Bible Study: Psalm 119 deconstructed Part 7

 

At last we are at the end of our journey through the longest Psalm- and longest chapter in the Bible!  But wouldn't you know it, God has one more twist for us.  Our concept word this time, is WORD.  But... there are 2 different Hebrew words being translated (in most versions) as "word".  I am hopeful that we can knock this out in one shot, because I am excited about the upcoming next chapter of our ongoing Bible studies.

The first word is Dabar- and indicates an "impact word", the source I consulted tells me.  Straightforward, means what it says.  Most of the verses I found- and believe me, I found more with "word" than any other, and about half of them were the first verse of a stanza- treated "word" as a command, or a 'matter' as the definition puts it. It starts with taking heed (v9) and observing (v17), which respectively relate to cleaning up your act, and gaining the favor of God.  The next 2 verses (25 and 28), deal with a soul who is struggling; cleaving to the dust, melting in sorrow- and the Word is the solution for both.  In vv 42-43, the word is an action- a defense against reproaches, and a prayer that it might not be taken away.  Then, in vv49 and 57, there is a two-part promise: The Lord's, to keep the word in which we hope, and ours, that in return for this promise, we will keep the word.

So many of these are based around our hope in His word.  Now if you remember, Biblical hope is not, "I hope this happens," but instead, "I know this will happen because the Word of the Lord has said so."  Things such as salvation, and being a part of God's family, are included here.  But it is more; being God's word, it is permanent:

Psa 119:89  Lamedh Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. 

In the New Testament, John wrote in his Gospel that Jesus was the very Word of God; he connected God with light in his first letter.  So it is no surprise that here, too, God's Word is connected with light:

Psa 119:105  Nun Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 

Psa 119:130  The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.   

And yet another concept in this word is the defense from prsecution...

Psa 119:161  Shin Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words. 

Paying heed, rescue from sorrow, God's promises and our return effort, the sure hope that we have in His permanent words, direction for our way, and our protection.  If I tried, I could probably glean even more- especially the whole concept of God's light, which would be a whole other series (hmm...).  But for now, let's move on.

The second word translated thus is Imrah- and this is more of a 'poetic' use, the source told me. It doesn't really read poetic as we think of poetic.  And, many of the Bible versions on my e-Sword tanslate it as "promise"- which is closer, but not the whole picture as I saw it.  The word/Imrah divided itself for me into three categories of verses:

First, like I said, used it as a PROMISE.  One example here:

Psa 119:82  Mine eyes failed in waiting for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me? 

The writer establishes that God has promised a comfort.  Another:

Psa 119:123  Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, And for thy righteous word. 

So it would seem that promise is for both this life and the next!  The fact that both start with, "Mine eyes fail" tells us these promises require patience!  After all... 

2Pe 3:8  But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 

Second, it is used as a REQUEST.  For example:

Psa 119:133  Establish my footsteps in thy word; And let not any iniquity have dominion over me. 

All of these verses, you'll see that unspoken "please" in it, making requests based on the Word.

Psa 119:154  Plead thou my cause, and redeem me: Quicken me according to thy word. 

Psa 119:76  Let, I pray thee, thy lovingkindness be for my comfort, According to thy word unto thy servant. 

Psa 119:38  Make Your Word sure to Your servant, who is devoted to Your fear. 

Psa 119:116  Uphold me according to Your Word, that I may live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope. 

But what is a request, made in sure hope, if it is not confirmed?  So the last aspect of Imrah is that of a GIFT:

Psa 119:41  VAU: Let Your mercies come to me, O Jehovah, even according to Your salvation, according to Your Word. 

Psa 119:50  This is my comfort in my affliction; for Your Word has given me life. 

A Promise.  A Request, made on the basis of that Promise.  And the Gift of the Promise fulfilled.  This is the nature of Imrah.  What we learn then in this chapter is the solid ground of the now, of God's word; and the just as solid ground of the future promise.

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Now, I would like to introduce you to the concept I am going to be working on, God willing, for much of this year. 

I call "The Wisdom Truck".  I learned that for "wisdom" and "wise", there are 3 different words, and my plan is to work through them in order from one end of the Bible to another- with a mini-version on Facebook and an expanded one here.  Hopefully we will learn a few things we didn't see before- but with Solomon there driving, we're gonna have to be careful he stays on the right road!