014 Pentecost 22: Lose the Illusion
Open government, open knowledge, open ocean
“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13
Noise Decoder
Lose the Illusion
Elon Musk has been busy building an alternative to Wikipedia. Grokipedia—a product of xAI’s Grok—adapted Wikipedia entries to deliver what Musk calls a “massive improvement” and a more accurate data source for training AI. Left-wing media have called the project anti-science (because it challenges the idea of dangerous, man-made global warming), racist (because it lists George Floyd’s rap sheet before noting that he died while being restrained by a white officer), and transphobic (for “misgendering” Chelsea Manning, the man who leaked government secrets in the WikiLeaks scandal). 404 Media predicted it will fail because it is organized and written by bots, not humans. Conservatives, meanwhile, have welcomed the inclusion of omitted context around the January 6th Capitol riot and the willingness for the site to state “far-right talking points” such as the link between pornography and moral decay, or that transgenderism is a social contagion. National Review notes that while the project still has a way to go, it shows strong potential to counter Wikipedia’s leftward tilt: “Grokipedia utilizes Christian and conservative sources that Wikipedia’s perennial sources page would consider unreliable and out of bounds.” The left side of the political aisle has increasingly fashioned itself as the “party of science” and guardians of truth, while disparaging conservatives as yokels or conspiracists. But The New Atlantis observed the claim rings hollow in light of history: “Seventy years of growing entanglement between science and politics show that the truths that matter most in democratic decision-making emerge from the political arena, not the laboratory.”
Looking to the cross: Truth doesn’t depend on the size of the platform or the power behind it. It simply is. We can’t trust the world to tell it straight, but we can train our ears to know when something rings false. Read widely. Think slowly. Test everything. God’s truth holds when all the noise fades. As St Paul wrote, “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The noise will keep growing—but so will the clarity of those who keep their hearts anchored in what endures.
Out of Style
Teen Vogue has disbanded its wokest department with the remaining roles being folded into its parent publication. Conde Naste employees bailed up their boss standing in solidarity with their fellow employees who were cast aside. (Several were promptly fired). Since 2016, the magazine ramped up its progressive messaging, which according to fired writers included “polyamory and queerness”.
It is a bit disturbing (not entirely surprising) to think that Teen Vogue was treated by Wikipedia as a trustworthy source, but thank Jesus for small bursts of sanity. (Hollywood Reporter, Red State, Claire Lehmann via X)
On the Radar
Politics
Apparently, the US government is open. [Update: I was confused. Democrat Senators sided with GOP to agree to a vote that will start the reopening process…] The U.S. Senate hashed out a deal to reopen after a record shutdown. The plan reportedly left out Democrats’ desired extension of COVID-era Obamacare benefits but allows a vote on them next month. Senator Ted Cruz had predicted Democrats would wait until after off-year elections to negotiate — and it seems he was right. (Washington Examiner, Red State)
Cornell University has agreed to meet Trump administration requirements to restart federal funding, paying $30 million to the government and another $30 million toward agricultural tech research. AP reports that Cornell will comply with the “government’s interpretation of civil rights laws concerning antisemitism, racial discrimination, and transgender issues”, and will provide admissions data to the administration. (AP)
The Church
A French think tank has published a grim chronicle of deaths at the hands of Islam, tallying over 200,000 killed in the last 11 years. (Front Page)
A spokesman for Nigeria’s president said the nation welcomes U.S. assistance in preventing the genocide of Christians, as long as it doesn’t infringe on national sovereignty, rejecting claims that Nigeria is religiously intolerant and citing “sincere efforts” toward reform. Rapper, Nicki Minaj, took a break from her day job to call on her followers to pray for Nigerian Christians. (Not the Bee, ZeroHedge)
Great stuff from the archive:
Crime and Policing
A handwritten note found in a burn bag at FBI headquarters casts doubt on former leader James Comey’s claim that he knew nothing about the Russia-collusion hoax being manufactured by Hillary Clinton’s campaign. (The Federalist)
A former teacher shot by her six-year-old student has been awarded a $10 million-dollar settlement. The jury found that multiple staff members knew about the child’s gun and his previous aggression toward another teacher but did nothing. (WTOP)
Business, Markets and Work
Members of the Starbucks Workers United have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike on the year’s busiest day. Starbucks “self-induced migraine” comes after its promise of pay hikes and LGBTQ employees realising that insurance coverage for transgender procedures was being walked back. (Daily Caller, AP)
One welder scratches a creative itch with his “truck desk”. “I’d built the desk so it slid into the bottom of the steering wheel and sat across the armrests. I used to hang back at the job and sneak in some creative work while the rest of the crew went to break. (Paris Review)
Last week’s Watches:
Mind and Body
The results of a study that have been presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association have found a link between heart failure and long term use of melatonin. (Epoch Times)
Light pollution is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. “Even modest increases in night-time light were linked with higher brain and artery stress.” (Daily Mail)
Grace and mercy: While our morally nebulous and relativistic culture could do with a dose of modesty and humility, calls to feel our flaws in a “heavy” way are not enough. “Shame may…be an acknowledgment of the disease, but it is not the medicine.” (Seen and Unseen)
Science and Tech
“The math of even the simplest ocean waves is notoriously uncooperative.” (Quanta)
Who shut in the ocean with stone doors?
Marked the reach of tides on those new shores
Hung the day the waves rose and first broke forth?
–From Ghost Ship’s song based on Job 38
World News
🇲🇱 Islamist group JNIM has the nation’s military junta over a barrel, blockading fuel tankers and bringing the country to a standstill. West Africa has been rocked by Muslim terrorists, who target Christians and Muslims from other tribes. Terrorists fund their operations through smuggling, human trafficking and arms trading. (Africa News, Genocide Watch)
🇬🇧 Two BBC executives have resigned amid allegations the broadcaster edited President Trump’s January 6th speech to make it appear he incited the crowd. An internal memo, published by The Telegraph also raises concerns that the public-funded station’s Arabic reporting on Gaza “apparently gives extensive space to the views of Hamas”. Further, a group of “rogue LGBT+ reporters” had been censoring the narrative about transgenderism while the BBC’s own fact-checking arm had produced woke reports that were “thoroughly wrong”. (Just the News, The Telegraph)
🇧🇷 Authorities are cracking down on illegal gold mining, destroying hundreds of dredges used by gangs to pull gold from riverbeds — a practice that’s been polluting waterways. (AP)
🇫🇷 Lawmakers have added the condition of consent to the legal definition of sexual assault and rape after the horror case of Gisèle Pelicot, whose husband drugged her and allowed other men to rape her. Consent must now be “free and informed, specific, prior and revocable.” (BBC)
🇩🇰 Denmark and Brazil have paused or scaled back various “green” climate targets due to cost. (The Briefing)
🇦🇱 The government says its first digital minister, “Diella,” is “pregnant” with 83 little digital assistants — one for each lawmaker. Might be stretching the metaphor a bit. (Futurism)
Quickhits
🏴 Scottish artist’s miniature pubs
🐕🐕Tom Brady’s dog is a clone
➿ Watching robots making springs
🪩 Fan makes LEGO Daft Punk set
🚰 The Delaware Aqueduct is the longest tunnel in the world
🍄🟫 Mushroom meets midi controller and makes some beats
🖋️ The lost English letter, “yogh”
Friend of the Sentinel, Flicker, has been working on some lovely Psalms cards. You can check them out here.
Let us pray. Living God, Your almighty power is made known chiefly in showing mercy and pity. Grant us the fullness of Your grace to lay hold of Your promises and live forever in Your presence; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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