018 Advent 3: Feast in Light
Sydney attacks, baby shopping and fonts get DEI scrutiny
“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them.” ~ Psalm 146
See the Problem?
Two men—a father and son—opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. Not the Bee assessed that the attackers should have been neutralized far more quickly, raising serious questions about first responders’ readiness and their apparent unwillingness to run toward the threat. A few brave folks like Syria-born shopkeeper Ahmed al-Ahmed probably saved many lives. al-Ahmed was shot twice while crash-tackling the older gunman and disarming him. While Australia’s prime minister condemned the attack, his liberal government soon reverted to “real gun control has never been tried”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Australian government for ignoring repeated warnings that pro-Hamas extremists would not be placated by Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state. Australia has seen a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks in recent months, including one linked to Iran’s government. While the shooters’ motives have not yet been confirmed, the massacre comes amid news that the French are unable to celebrate New Year’s for fear of offending Muslims, and that some German towns can’t afford security to hold Christmas markets. Former Muslim activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has long warned the West about the dangers of Islam, said none of this was inevitable. The Bondi attack was, she noted, “an atrocity tolerated into being.”
Looking to the Cross: Jesus was never tolerant of lies. Through the ministry of Jeremiah, He excoriated selfish, corrupt, and careless leaders—prophets, priests, and kings alike—who insisted there was “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace, glossing over evil as though it were nothing. Whether it is the men who kill or the men who minimize the lies that drive them, living by comforting fictions leads to death. Evil thrives where it is renamed, excused, or politely ignored, but it withers when it is brought into the light. Advent reminds us that the Light who came into the world still shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never overcome it. We must live like that’s true.
Costco of Babies
The Wall Street Journal has reported an alarming trend: Chinese billionaires paying for large numbers of American-born children through surrogacy. One man was found to have fathered at least 100 children—all sons—who were “awaiting paperwork” before being taken back to China to eventually run his company. Another reportedly sought only infant girls, whom he “hoped would grow up to marry world leaders.” Domestic surrogacy is illegal in China but remains largely unregulated in the United States, where wealthy clients are able to commission multiple surrogacies at once.
On the Radar
Crime and Policing
A shooter remains at large after opening fire on students studying for finals at Brown University, killing two and injuring nine others. One of the victims was Ella Cook, vice president of the Brown College Republicans chapter, though authorities say it is unclear whether the attack was politically motivated. Rhode Island officials drew criticism for delays in locking down the campus, lifting shelter-in-place orders before the killer has been apprehended, and falsely claiming at one point that a suspect was in custody. (BBC, NBC, Free Beacon, The Hill)
Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, one of two National Guardsmen ambushed last month in Washington, D.C., is reportedly breathing and standing on his own—an answer to prayer. (WNG)
The FBI says it thwarted a New Year’s Eve plot to plant improvised explosive devices around Los Angeles, arresting four suspects who allegedly planned to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and vehicles. (WNG)
Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife were found murdered in their home. Their son is in custody, suspected of stabbing them following a dispute with his father. (LA Times)
Keeping contraband out of prisons remains a challenge. Guards at a South Carolina prison intercepted a drone delivery carrying steak, marijuana, crab legs, and cigarettes. (AP)
Politics
President Trump’s pardoning spree has come back to bite him. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who received clemency after facing federal bribery and money laundering charges, has announced he will seek reelection as a Democrat. The President took a shine to Cuellar after he was sidelined by his party over opposition to open-border policies. Trump also recently pardoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted of trafficking cocaine into the U.S.—which is not a great look when we’re bombing Venezuelan drug cartels. (Texas Tribune, Red State, Not the Bee)
The National Trust is suing to halt construction of a ballroom at the White House, arguing the project is unlawful and must undergo environmental and public review processes. (USA Today)
This week in “Everything is Political”, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, recently ordered that all diplomatic correspondence be published in Times New Roman font. Critics said it is another blow against diversity and inclusion. How? The Biden administration had started using Calibri font, which has no serifs and is said to be easier to read for people with visual impairments. However, the Seceratary said the more formal typeface is befitting of the dignity of the U.S.A. (AP)
The Church
High-profile Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress has urged the Trump administration to repeal the Johnson Amendment after his church was threatened with loss of tax-exempt status after holding a patriotic-themed event. Passed in 1954, the amendment restricts political activity by charities, but pastors say the politicization of moral issues increasingly puts churches in legal jeopardy as they try to shepherd Jesus’ people to live faithfully. (WNG)
America’s first pope has been on a tare lately, suggesting Nigerian Christians are being killed primarily for economic reasons and that fears of Islam are exaggerated by opponents of immigration. (Front Page, Crux)
A fresco featuring a picture of Jesus as the Good Shepherd has been found in a tomb in the Turkish town where the Nicene Creed was adopted in AD 325. (EuroNews)
Life
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation legalizing physician-assisted suicide. The starting line for eligibility is where it always is with these laws, accessible only by adults diagnosed with terminal illnesses. As we know, the criteria for who is eligible inevitably expands when dying is offered as a cure for suffering. Meanwhile, up north, nearly one in five deaths in Canada is now attributed to assisted suicide. (The Federalist, CBN)
And some lovely news.. A California mom has a healthy baby after a rare ectopic pregnancy. The baby boy had been hidden behind a tumor, which was set to be removed. The family who say they have long prayed for a second child, gave their son the middle name Jesse, which means “gift from God.” (Cedars-Sinai)
Culture
A new study found that nearly half of children’s content on Netflix includes LGBT messaging. (The Federalist)
In an era when both fasting and gluttony were viewed with suspicion, Shakespeare used food imagery to reveal character and moral standing in his plays. (Atlas Obscura)
Is history a foreign country or a familiar home? While many Americans are content living in the present, a growing number say they would rather live in the past than the future. (Pew)
Science and Tech
Time named its Person of the Year, and it’s not really a person, more people and really, a robot. The “architects of AI” (tech billionaires, mostly) were credited with bringing the “most consequential tool in great-power competition since the advent of nuclear weapons.” More than a few commentators were disappointed that Charile Kirk did not get the gong. (USA Today, The Federalist)
Michigan State University scientists have grown a heart-like “organoid” that they say will help with the study of atrial fibrillation. (MSU Today)
The story of the first handheld digital camera, Kodak’s 1975 “toaster with a lens”. (BBC)
From the archive:
A poem about honoring those who went before us:
Mind and Body
Gluttony vs feasting: “Billions of dollars are invested every month to make you envious, entitled, engorged, and enraged. America needs the holiday feasts now more than ever. So plan a feast, attend or host, make speeches, sing a hymn, drink to the King…Feast in rebellious resistance to gluttonous, entitled, and cynical culture.” (WNG)
A new study found that the number of students at elite universities identifying as disabled has increased as much as fourfold over the past 15 years. Researchers questioned the lack of rigorous standards for accommodations. “You hear ‘students with disabilities,’ and it’s not kids in wheelchairs,” one professor said. “It’s rich kids getting extra time on tests.” (Daily Mail)
How sleep positions affect health. (TED via YouTube)
The benefits of having two nostrils and not just one! (PopSci)
War
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is open to holding elections if voter safety can be guaranteed, including a temporary ceasefire agreed to by Russia. Zelensky has faced criticism for pausing elections during the war. (ZeroHedge)
Two Iowa National Guard soldiers were killed in an ambush in Syria. The White House said ISIS was responsible and noted the Syrian government condemned the attack. The soldiers were deployed in support of ongoing counter-ISIS and counterterrorism operations. (Des Moines Register)
Last week’s Watches
Politicizing the Nativity, more info about DC’s suspected pipe bomber and literary landscapes:
World News
🇨🇱 Chile has rejected a communist candidate and elected a new president promising to curb crime and immigration. José Antonio Kast—whose father was once a member of Chile’s Nazi party—has been branded “far-right” by Western media, citing his admiration for some of Pinochet’s policies, but more likely, it’s because he’s pro life and patriotic. (BBC, Hot Air)
🇪🇺 A not-for-profit climate activist tech company has offered €1 million to kickstart a new Nobel Prize category for “planetary health.” (Euro News)
🇹🇻 So-called “climate refugees” from the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu have arrived in Australia, citing rising sea levels. Some experts dispute the claim, arguing the island is not sinking but shifting as it has historically. (Epoch Times)
🇦🇺 Reddit has filed legal action against Australia’s new teenage social media ban. Unsurprisingly, the ban also included new online identification requirements for adults, to prove they’re not children, I suppose. (EuroNews, Reclaim the Net)
🇪🇺 A group of 10 European banks has announced plans to launch a euro-backed stablecoin. (Coin Desk)
🇮🇳 India’s politicians are using AI to reach constituents in a nation where many languages and dialects are spoken. The AI-powered campaigns are cheaper and faster to build but require discernment as with any politician’s promises. (Rest of the World)
Quickhits
🩻 Artist X-rays everything
🎄 In-n-Out burger has removed the ticket number 67 from their orders
🎄One son hired a quartet of carollers to follow his mom around all day
🌩️ Can never have enough images of rare lightning events
🎂 Is it cake? The Home Alone house gets frosted
🧲 Maker of mad bikes, Colin Furze, used magnets for suspension
🍨 Desperate times call for desperate measures
And..
You’ve heard of momento mori, objects displayed or carried as a reminder that one day you will die? This was in a gift guide I read this week, and it’s kind of like a reminder to repent!
I thought about how the Christian life is one of repentance, as Martin Luther reminds us. The season of waiting for our Savior is a great time to remember that our sin is great (and the fallout may be brutal), but that His mercy is greater!
Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Amen.
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