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Sunday, December 31, 2017
One year on, Asia has conquered Trump, not vice versa | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post
One year on, Asia has conquered Trump, not vice versa | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post: President Xi Jinping caught on early that lavishing the US president with pomp and praise could easily tame the harsh, anti-Asia rhetoric he put on display before his election
Outlook: Trump’s North Korea Options Are Bad–But Choose He Must! – THE WEICHERT REPORT
Outlook: Trump’s North Korea Options Are Bad–But Choose He Must! – THE WEICHERT REPORT: Trump has no good options on North Korea. But, a preemptive strike on North Korea might save America's strategic position in Asia.
Ahed is only 16, and no father is prouder of his daughter than me - Israel News | Haaretz.com
Ahed is only 16, and no father is prouder of his daughter than me - Israel News | Haaretz.com: Ahed Tamimi's father: I'm proud of my daughter. She is a freedom fighter who, in the coming years, will lead the resistance to Israeli rule
And if Ahed Tamimi were your daughter? - Opinion - Israel News | Haaretz.com
And if Ahed Tamimi were your daughter? - Opinion - Israel News | Haaretz.com: How is it that Israelis are totally indifferent to the plight of the blond girl behind bars who could easily be their child?
Woman with cancer dies after refusing treatment due to pregnancy
Woman with cancer dies after refusing treatment due to pregnancy: A 43-year-old Catholic nurse in India died on Christmas Day from breast cancer, two years after she refused her doctor’s advice to get an abortion, so she could begin chemotherapy.
Mass Migration: Uninvited Guests
by Philip Carl Salzman • December 31, 2017 at 5:00 am
- Refugees and immigrants bring their own cultures, their own assumptions, beliefs, values, fears and hopes from their homelands. One cannot just assume that they wish to integrate or assimilate into the Western culture. Willingness to assimilate might well vary from individual to individual, and from culture to culture.
- A society can only function smoothly if there is a large degree of agreement and commonality regarding to what language people shall speak, what rules they should follow in dealing with one another, and how government is to be established. Where is it written that all cultures are necessarily compatible with one another?
- The success of immigrants in North America is a result of immigrants assimilating to Western culture and society, not due to immigrants clinging to the laws and practices of the lands they have left behind. We welcome them to become Americans and Canadians; we welcome to them to the West.
Immigrants
built Canada and the United States by joining in with others to build a
common culture, a unified government and legal system, and a vibrant
economy. Pictured: Newly naturalized U.S. citizens recite the Pledge of
Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony November 23, 2016, on
Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Benjamin
Gonsier)
In
our desire to insure an inclusive, humane, and tolerant society, we
seem to have constructed a simplistic and inadequate picture of refugees
and illegal immigrants.
Perhaps
the majority of Americans and Canadians do not approach the question of
refugees and immigrants with an open mind, but with a set of
"progressive" assumptions:
- The idea that all cultures are equally good and equally valuable, sometimes known as "cultural relativism." When faced with an uninvited influx of outsiders, we do not worry about what culture the incomers are bringing, because, whatever it is, it supposedly must be fine.
- That multiculturalism, the coexistence of a variety of cultures, is desirable. The more cultures in a multicultural society, the more cultural diversity, the better.Continue Reading Article
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11625/mass-migration-uninvited-guests
The Carpetbaggers of Tech | Julianne Tveten
The Carpetbaggers of Tech | Julianne Tveten: The faces are different, but the schemes are the same. Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Steve Chase, and J.D. Vance launch tech’s takeover of the heartland.
China puts US$15,000 annual personal cap on overseas bank card withdrawals | South China Morning Post
China puts US$15,000 annual personal cap on overseas bank card withdrawals | South China Morning Post: Rules aimed at curbing money laundering, terrorism financing and tax evasion
GOP Tax Bill Creates Deficits To Justify Cuts To Social Programs, Says Former Reagan Aide
GOP Tax Bill Creates Deficits To Justify Cuts To Social Programs, Says Former Reagan Aide: A former Reagan aide says the Republican tax bill creates deficits deliberately — and that Reagan's image as a tax cutter is a "myth."
Trump Could Have Killed Carried Interest Loophole; Now It May Be Too Late
Trump Could Have Killed Carried Interest Loophole; Now It May Be Too Late: Experts argue President Trump could have closed the loophole the same way he has slashed regulations and restricted immigration: through an executive order. But the tax bill he just signed may make it harder to do so in the future.
Facebook Says It Is Deleting Accounts at the Direction of the U.S. and Israeli Governments
Facebook Says It Is Deleting Accounts at the Direction of the U.S. and Israeli Governments: The Silicon Valley giant says it deleted the accounts of the Chechen Republic’s tyrant — followed by 4 million people — because the U.S. government required it to do so.
Do we need a tech boom for the elderly? | Ars Technica
Do we need a tech boom for the elderly? | Ars Technica: Tech has been for the young, but a new book argues that’s about to change.
Why Ageism Never Gets Old | The New Yorker
Why Ageism Never Gets Old | The New Yorker: The prejudice is an ancient habit, but new forces—in Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and beyond—have restored its youthful vitality.
The world is running out of a resource, and it’s not oil | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post
The world is running out of a resource, and it’s not oil | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post: A looming shortage of sand – a crucial resource once thought endless – could sink infrastructure projects, including those in China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Britain warned Storm Dylan may be 'danger to life' as extreme weather hits across the globe
Britain warned Storm Dylan may be 'danger to life' as extreme weather hits across the globe: EXTREME cold descends of much of the United States as 220million Americans wrap up for coldest New Year in living memory. Transit systems have been crippled and traffic pileups in icy conditions have brought roads to a standstill.
We're volcano scientists – here are six volcanoes we'll be watching out for in 2018
We're volcano scientists – here are six volcanoes we'll be watching out for in 2018: We asked three volcanologists what to look out for in the year ahead.
The Venal Roots of Political Turmoil by Janine R. Wedel - Project Syndicate
The Venal Roots of Political Turmoil by Janine R. Wedel - Project Syndicate: One corruption scandal after another has upended politics and toppled national leaders across a wide range of countries. In our age of populism, corruption is about far more than cash-stuffed envelopes and back-room deals – and the sooner we recognize it for the systemic problem it is, the sooner we’ll understand today’s politics.
Did Russiagate Just Escalate Ukraine's War?
Did Russiagate Just Escalate Ukraine's War?: President Trump has agreed to arm the Ukrainian military in its fight with Russian-backed forces in the Donbass region. Leading Russia scholar Stephen F. Cohen says it's the latest Russiagate-driven escalation of the new Cold War
Saturday, December 30, 2017
United States Sanctions Human Rights Abusers and Corrupt Actors Across the Globe
Press Releases
United States Sanctions Human Rights Abusers and Corrupt Actors Across the Globe
New Executive Order Implements Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act,
Provides for Treasury Sanctions Against Malign Actors Worldwide
Washington – Today, the Trump Administration
launched a new sanctions regime targeting human rights abusers and
corrupt actors around the world. Building on the Global Magnitsky Human
Rights Accountability Act passed by Congress last year, President
Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order (Order) today declaring a
national emergency with respect to serious human rights abuse and
corruption around the world and providing for the imposition of
sanctions on actors engaged in these malign activities. In an Annex to
the Order, the President imposed sanctions on 13 serious human rights
abusers and corrupt actors. In addition, the Treasury Department’s
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), acting on behalf of the
Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State
and the Attorney General, imposed sanctions on an additional 39
affiliated individuals and entities under the newly-issued Order.Provides for Treasury Sanctions Against Malign Actors Worldwide
“Today, the United States is taking a strong stand against human rights abuse and corruption globally by shutting these bad actors out of the U.S. financial system. Treasury is freezing their assets and publicly denouncing the egregious acts they’ve committed, sending a message that there is a steep price to pay for their misdeeds,” said Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin. “At the direction of President Trump, Treasury and our interagency partners will continue to take decisive and impactful actions to hold accountable those who abuse human rights, perpetrate corruption, and undermine American ideals.”
As a result of today’s actions, all of the assets within U.S. jurisdiction of the individuals and entities included in the Annex to the Order or designated by OFAC are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Further details on these designations are included below.
Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Jammeh (Jammeh), the former President of The Gambia who came to power in 1994 and stepped down in 2017, has a long history of engaging in serious human rights abuses and corruption. Jammeh created a terror and assassination squad called the Junglers that answered directly to him. Jammeh used the Junglers to threaten, terrorize, interrogate, and kill individuals whom Jammeh assessed to be threats. During Jammeh’s tenure, he ordered the Junglers to kill a local religious leader, journalists, members of the political opposition, and former members of the government, among others. Jammeh used the Gambia’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA) as a repressive tool of the regime – torturing political opponents and journalists. Throughout his presidency, Jammeh routinely ordered the abuse and murder of those he suspected of undermining his authority.
During his tenure, Jammeh used a number of corrupt schemes to plunder The Gambia’s state coffers or otherwise siphon off state funds for his personal gain. Ongoing investigations continue to reveal Jammeh’s large-scale theft from state coffers prior to his departure. According to The Gambia’s Justice Ministry, Jammeh personally, or through others acting under his instructions, directed the unlawful withdrawal of at least $50 million of state funds. The Gambian Government has since taken action to freeze Jammeh’s assets within The Gambia.
In a related action, OFAC designated Africada Airways, Kanilai Group International, Kanilai Worni Family Farms Ltd, Royal Africa Capital Holding Ltd, Africada Financial Service & Bureau de Change Ltd, Africada Micro-Finance Ltd, Africada Insurance Company, Kora Media Corporation Ltd, Atlantic Pelican Company Ltd, Palm Grove Africa Dev’t Corp. Ltd, Patriot Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd, and Royal Africa Securities Brokerage Co Ltd.
Roberto Jose Rivas Reyes
As President of Nicaragua’s Supreme Electoral Council, drawing a reported government salary of $60,000 per year, Roberto Jose Rivas Reyes (Rivas) has been accused in the press of amassing sizeable personal wealth, including multiple properties, private jets, luxury vehicles, and a yacht. Rivas has been described by a Nicaraguan Comptroller General as “above the law,” with investigations into his corruption having been blocked by Nicaraguan government officials. He has also perpetrated electoral fraud undermining Nicaragua’s electoral institutions.
Dan Gertler
Dan Gertler (Gertler) is an international businessman and billionaire who has amassed his fortune through hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Gertler has used his close friendship with DRC President Joseph Kabila to act as a middleman for mining asset sales in the DRC, requiring some multinational companies to go through Gertler to do business with the Congolese state. As a result, between 2010 and 2012 alone, the DRC reportedly lost over $1.36 billion in revenues from the underpricing of mining assets that were sold to offshore companies linked to Gertler. The failure of the DRC to publish the full details of one of the sales prompted the International Monetary Fund to halt loans to the DRC totaling $225 million. In 2013, Gertler sold to the DRC government for $150 million the rights to an oil block that Gertler purchased from the government for just $500,000, a loss of $149.5 million in potential revenue. Gertler has acted for or on behalf of Kabila, helping Kabila organize offshore leasing companies.
In a related action, OFAC designated Pieter Albert Deboutte, Fleurette Properties Limited, Fleurette Holdings Netherlands B.V., Gertler Family Foundation, Oil of DR Congo SPRL, Jarvis Congo SARL, International Diamond Industries, D.G.D. Investments Ltd., D.G.I. Israel Ltd, Proglan Capital Ltd, Emaxon Finance International Inc., Africa Horizons Investment Limited, Caprikat Limited, Foxwhelp Limited, Caprikat and Foxwhelp SARL, Lora Enterprises Limited, Zuppa Holdings Limited, Orama Properties Ltd, DGI Mining Ltd, and Rozaro Development Limited.
Slobodan Tesic
Slobodan Tesic (Tesic) is among the biggest dealers of arms and munitions in the Balkans; he spent nearly a decade on the United Nations (UN) Travel Ban List for violating UN sanctions against arms exports to Liberia. In order to secure arms contracts with various countries, Tesic would directly or indirectly provide bribes and financial assistance to officials. Tesic also took potential clients on high-value vacations, paid for their children’s education at western schools or universities, and used large bribes to secure contracts. Tesic owns or controls two Serbian companies, Partizan Tech and Technoglobal Systems DOO Beograd, and two Cyprus-based companies, Grawit Limited and Charso Limited. Tesic negotiates the sale of weapons via Charso Limited and used Grawit Limited as a mechanism to fund politicians.
In a related action, OFAC designated Preduzece Za Trgovinu Na Veliko I Malo Partizan Tech DOO Beograd-Savski Venac (“Partizan Tech”), Charso Limited, Grawit Limited, and Technoglobal Systems DOO Beograd.
Maung Maung Soe
In his former role as chief of the Burmese Army’s Western command, Maung Maung Soe oversaw the military operation in Burma’s Rakhine State responsible for widespread human rights abuse against Rohingya civilians in response to attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. The Secretary of State determined on November 22 that the situation in northern Rakhine state in Burma constituted ethnic cleansing. The United States Government examined credible evidence of Maung Maung Soe’s activities, including allegations against Burmese security forces of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and arbitrary arrest as well as the widespread burning of villages. Security operations have led to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing across Burma’s border with Bangladesh. In August 2017, witnesses reportedly described mass killings and arson attacks by the Burmese Army and Burmese Border Guard Police, both then under Maung Maung Soe’s command in northern Rakhine State. In August 2017, soldiers described as being from the Western Command allegedly entered a village and reportedly separated the inhabitants by gender. According to witnesses, soldiers opened fire on the men and older boys and committed multiple acts of rape. Many of the women and younger children were reportedly also shot. Other witnesses described soldiers setting huts on fire with villagers inside.
Benjamin Bol Mel
Benjamin Bol Mel (Bol Mel) is the President of ABMC Thai-South Sudan Construction Company Limited (ABMC), and has served as the Chairman of the South Sudan Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture. Bol Mel has also served as South Sudanese President Salva Kiir’s principal financial advisor, has been Kiir’s private secretary, and was perceived within the government as being close to Kiir and the local business community. Several officials were linked to ABMC in spite of a constitutional prohibition on top government officials transacting commercial business or earning income from outside the government.
Bol Mel oversees ABMC, which has been awarded contracts worth tens of millions of dollars by the Government of South Sudan. ABMC allegedly received preferential treatment from high-level officials, and the Government of South Sudan did not hold a competitive process for selecting ABMC to do roadwork on several roads in Juba and throughout South Sudan. Although this roadwork had been completed only a few years before, the government budgeted tens of millions of dollars more for maintenance of the same roads.
In a related action, OFAC designated ABMC Thai-South Sudan Construction Company Limited and Home and Away LTD.
Mukhtar Hamid Shah
Shah is a Pakistani surgeon specializing in kidney transplants who Pakistani police believe to be involved in kidnapping, wrongful confinement, and the removal of and trafficking in human organs. As an owner of the Kidney Centre in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Shah was involved in the kidnapping and detention of, and removal of kidneys from, Pakistani laborers. Shah was arrested by Pakistani authorities in connection with an October 2016 incident in which 24 individuals from Punjab were found to be held against their will. Impoverished and illiterate Pakistanis from the countryside were reportedly lured to Rawalpindi with the promise of a job, and imprisoned for weeks. Doctors from the Kidney Centre were allegedly planning to steal their kidneys in order to sell them for a large profit. Police state that one of the accused arrested in connection with the events estimated that more than 400 people were imprisoned in the apartment at various times.
Gulnara Karimova
Gulnara Karimova (Karimova), daughter of former Uzbekistan leader Islam Karimov, headed a powerful organized crime syndicate that leveraged state actors to expropriate businesses, monopolize markets, solicit bribes, and administer extortion rackets. In July 2017, the Uzbek Prosecutor General’s Office charged Karimova with directly abetting the criminal activities of an organized crime group whose assets were worth over $1.3 billion. Karimova was also charged with hiding foreign currency through various means, including the receipt of payoffs in the accounts of offshore companies controlled by an organized criminal group, the illegal sale of radio frequencies and land parcels, siphoning off state funds through fraudulent dividend payments and stock sales, the illegal removal of cash, the non-collection of currency earnings, and the import of goods at inflated prices. Karimova was also found guilty of embezzlement of state funds, theft, tax evasion, and concealment of documents. Karimova laundered the proceeds of corruption back to her own accounts through a complex network of subsidiary companies and segregated portfolio funds. Karimova’s targeting of successful businesses to maximize her gains and enrich herself in some cases destroyed Uzbek competitors. Due in part to Karimova’s corrupt activities in the telecom sector alone, Uzbeks paid some of the highest rates in the world for cellular service.
Angel Rondon Rijo
Angel Rondon Rijo (Rondon) is a politically connected businessman and lobbyist in the Dominican Republic who funneled money from Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction company, to Dominican officials, who in turn awarded Odebrecht projects to build highways, dams, and other projects. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Odebrecht is a Brazil-based global construction conglomerate that has pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and agreed to a criminal fine of $4.5 billion. In 2017, Rondon was arrested by Dominican authorities and charged with corruption for the bribes paid by Odebrecht.
Artem Chayka
Artem Chayka (Chayka) is the son of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation and has leveraged his father’s position and ability to award his subordinates to unfairly win state-owned assets and contracts and put pressure on business competitors. In 2014, reconstruction of a highway began, and Chayka’s competitor for supplying materials to the project suddenly fell under prosecutorial scrutiny. An anonymous complaint letter with a fake name initiated a government investigation against the competitor. Government inspectors did not produce any documents confirming the legality of the inspections, and did not inform subjects of the investigation of their rights. Traffic police were deployed along the route to the competitor, weight control stations were suddenly dispatched, and trees were dug up and left to block entrances. The competitor was forced to shut down, leaving Chayka in a position to non-competitively work on the highway project. Also in 2014, Chayka bid on a state-owned stone and gravel company, and was awarded the contract. His competitor contested the results and filed a lawsuit. Prosecutors thereafter raided his home. After Chayka’s competitor withdrew the lawsuit, prosecutors dropped all charges.
Gao Yan
Gao Yan (Gao) was the Beijing Public Security Bureau Chaoyang Branch director. During Gao’s tenure, human rights activist Cao Shunli was detained at Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Chaoyang Branch where, in March 2014, Cao fell into a coma and died from organ failure, her body showing signs of emaciation and neglect. Cao had been arrested after attempting to board a flight to attend human rights training in Geneva, Switzerland. She was refused visitation by her lawyer, and was refused medical treatment while she suffered from tuberculosis.
Sergey Kusiuk
Sergey Kusiuk (Kusiuk) was commander of an elite Ukrainian police unit, the Berkut. Ukraine’s Special Investigations Department investigating crimes against activists identified Kusiuk as a leader of an attack on peaceful protesters on November 30, 2013, while in charge of 290 Berkut officers, many of whom took part in the beating of activists. Kusiuk has been named by the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office as an individual who took part in the killings of activists on Kyiv’s Independence Square in February 2014. Kusiuk ordered the destruction of documentation related to the events, and has fled Ukraine and is now in hiding in Moscow, Russia, where he was identified dispersing protesters as part of a Russian riot police unit in June 2017.
Julio Antonio Juarez Ramirez
Julio Antonio Juarez Ramirez (Juarez) is a Guatemalan Congressman accused of ordering an attack in which two journalists were killed and another injured. Guatemalan prosecutors and a UN-sponsored commission investigating corruption in Guatemala allege that Juarez hired hit men to kill Prensa Libre correspondent Danilo Efrain Zapan Lopez, whose reporting had hurt Juarez’s plan to run for reelection. Fellow journalist Federico Benjamin Salazar of Radio Nuevo Mundo was also killed in the attack and is considered a collateral victim. Another journalist was wounded in the attack.
Yankuba Badjie
Yankuba Badjie (Badjie) was appointed as the Director General of The Gambia’s NIA in December 2013 and is alleged to have presided over abuses throughout his tenure. During Badjie’s tenure as Director General, abuses were prevalent and routine within the NIA, consisting of physical trauma and other mistreatment. In April 2016, Badjie oversaw the detention and murder of Solo Sandeng, a member of the political opposition. In February 2017, Badjie was charged along with eight subordinates with Sandeng’s murder. Prior to becoming Director General, Badjie served as the NIA Deputy Director General for Operations. Prior to becoming a member of the NIA’s senior leadership, Badjie led a paramilitary group known as the Junglers to the NIA’s headquarters to beat a prisoner for approximately three hours, leaving the prisoner unconscious and with broken hands. The following day, Badjie and the Junglers returned to beat the prisoner again, leaving him on the verge of death.
For identifying information on the individuals and entities designated today, click here.
The Top 8 Energy Stories For 2018: Are Cities, States And Companies More Consequential Than Trump?
The Top 8 Energy Stories For 2018: Are Cities, States And Companies More Consequential Than Trump?: Donald Trump is hellbent on rolling back the environmental strides made during the previous administration. And while those efforts will assuredly brand his presidency, they will more than likely be outshined by the movement now afoot among cities and states, and corporate America.
Why Trump lashed out at Saudi Arabia about its role in Yemen’s war - The Washington Post
Why Trump lashed out at Saudi Arabia about its role in Yemen’s war - The Washington Post: Officials say the president’s “spontaneous” decision to release a statement resulted in the lifting of the blockade of a Yemeni port.
America’s Overreliance on Military Intervention | RealClearDefense
America’s Overreliance on Military Intervention | RealClearDefense: A couple of months ago, conflict erupted over whether or not President Trump was sympathetic enough when making a call to the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in action during a...
William Lind explains when the world will end
William Lind explains when the world will end: Summary: As a New Year looms ahead, fears of doom or even an apocalypse fill the minds of Americans. William Lind asks a question on many minds, and gives a provocative answer. It provides a context for our fears -- and hopes. When Will the World End? By William Lind from TraditionalRIGHT. With the commemoration…
Friday, December 29, 2017
What Are We Going to Do About Tyler?’
What Are We Going to Do About Tyler?’
Tyler Haire was locked up at 16. A Mississippi judge ordered that he undergo a mental exam. What happened next is a statewide scandal.
https://features.propublica.org/tyler-haire-mississippi/tyler-haire-mississippi-mental-health-evaluations-criminal-justice/?src=longreads&utm_source=Weekly+Longreads+Email&utm_campaign=5417ccf455-Longreads_Top_5_December_29_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bd2ad42066-5417ccf455-239031537&mc_cid=5417ccf455&mc_eid=9528811089
The Photographer
The Photographer
The story of how Anthony Carbajal became a voice of hope for a disease famous for its hopelessness.
https://psmag.com/magazine/the-photographer
Maria’s Bodies
Maria’s Bodies
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/12/hurricane-maria-man-made-disaster.html?src=longreads&utm_source=Weekly+Longreads+Email&utm_campaign=5417ccf455-Longreads_Top_5_December_29_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bd2ad42066-5417ccf455-239031537&mc_cid=5417ccf455&mc_eid=9528811089
Seven of 2017’s freshest perspectives on nuclear weapons, biological threats, and more | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Seven of 2017’s freshest perspectives on nuclear weapons, biological threats, and more | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: The Bulletin welcomed two dozen emerging scholars to our “Voices of Tomorrow” section this year, ranging from an Iowa eighth grader to postdoctoral research fellows around the globe. Their essays offer cogent policy arguments and heartfelt personal reflections on important issues of the day.Below is a sampling of our year’s best “Voices of Tomorrow” pieces.
Five noteworthy climate stories from 2017 | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Five noteworthy climate stories from 2017 | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: December is a good time to look back at the stories on climate change that the Bulletin has done over the past year, to try to decide which ones are our favorites. It’s always hard: Go with the one that covered an area that was under-reported, or the one that came from a wholly unexpected quarter—such as the story about the group of Republican elder statesmen who called on the Trump administration for a tax on carbon emissions, in an “only Nixon could go to China” moment?
The nuclear threat in 2017 | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The nuclear threat in 2017 | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: It was a year stained by the epithets “little rocket man” and “dotard” and full of all-too-many nuclear threats.
More Californians living in cars? A ‘wheel estate’ boom is coming. - The San Diego Union-Tribune
More Californians living in cars? A ‘wheel estate’ boom is coming. - The San Diego Union-Tribune: A souped-up SUV with a big TV, satellite dish and a monthly payment less than half of sky-high rent is going to appeal to a lot of people scraping by paycheck to paycheck.
America needs a massive infrastructure bill. But we won't get one.
America needs a massive infrastructure bill. But we won't get one.: Official site of The Week Magazine, offering commentary and analysis of the day's breaking news and current events as well as arts, entertainment, people and gossip, and political cartoons.
Russiagate Is Devolving Into an Effort to Stigmatize Dissent | The Nation
Russiagate Is Devolving Into an Effort to Stigmatize Dissent | The Nation: An amicus brief to a lawsuit filed against Roger Stone and the Trump campaign raises troubling questions over the right to political speech.
Why China's Consumers Are Hottest Global Economic Force - Bloomberg
Why China's Consumers Are Hottest Global Economic Force - Bloomberg: It's no longer the "world's factory" as Singles' Day blows away Black Friday.
Exclusive: Apple and Amazon in talks to set up in Saudi Arabia - sources
Exclusive: Apple and Amazon in talks to set up in Saudi Arabia - sources: Apple and Amazon are in licensing discussions with Riyadh on investing in Saudi Arabia, two sources told Reuters, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's push to give the conservative kingdom a high-tech look.
The Water Will Come: A Must-Read Book on Sea Level Rise by Dr. Jeff Masters | Category 6 | Weather Underground
The Water Will Come: A Must-Read Book on Sea Level Rise by Dr. Jeff Masters | Category 6 | Weather Underground: The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World is Jeff Goodell’s new must-read book on sea level rise.
VIDEO: UN envoy Nikki Haley gets prank called by Russian comedians - Al Arabiya English
VIDEO: UN envoy Nikki Haley gets prank called by Russian comedians - Al Arabiya English: President Trump has transformed the world’s view of the United States from an anchor of the international order into something more inward-looking and unpredictable.
Trump, the Insurgent, Breaks With 70 Years of American Foreign Policy - The New York Times
Trump, the Insurgent, Breaks With 70 Years of American Foreign Policy - The New York Times: President Trump has transformed the world’s view of the United States from an anchor of the international order into something more inward-looking and unpredictable.
Sexual harassment by Congress at Taxpayers expense
Sexual harassment by Congress at Taxpayers expense: We have reached the point where Republicans and Democrats are secretly protecting their colleagues guilty of sexual harassment. Using taxpayer dollars to bribe victims into silence.
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Holy Innocents: Why does God allow so many babies to die? By Dr. Taylor Marshall
Holy Innocents: Why does God allow so many babies to die?
By Dr. Taylor Marshall
How
do Christians account for child martyrdom, child death, original sin
and the fact that the majority of Homo sapiens have died before birth?
The
feast of the Holy Innocents marks the martyrdom of an unnumbered group
of boys aged 2 and under during the reign of King Herod and fulfills the
prophecy of St Jeremias:
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.’ (Jer 31:15)
How can children become martyrs if they cannot speak or affirm faith?
These holy innocents are martyrs because they were murdered in odium fidei
(in hatred of the Faith). If someone kills a child on accident or even
through malice, that child is not a martyr. However, if the murderer
kills the child out of hatred for Christ or the Christian faith, then
the child is a martyr. Same goes for adults. If a robber shoots a father
in his home, he is not a martyr. If an Islamic State terrorists shoots
because a man because he won’t renounce Christ, then that victim is a
martyr.
Children
can become martyrs for the same reason that children are baptized.
Other persons can effect persecution (or sacramental grace) upon them.
Babies have personal relationships. My babies had “personal
relationships” with their mother at the breast immediately (and even
before birth). It’s a unique non-verbal relationship. And if that
“personal relationship” between mother and baby exists, then a “personal
relationship” can exist between a baby and our Triune God.
Parents
usher their babies into the eternal life and energy of the Holy Trinity
at the baptismal font and so also did Herod’s soldiers baptize the Holy
Innocents with their own blood.
Our
family asks for the intercession of the boy Holy Innocents every
evening and their presence in Scripture and the Catholic Calendar remind
us that children die. But why?
Why do children die?
Saint
Irenaeus of Lyons (d. 202) explained how the sin of Adam and Eve passed
down to all generations and deprived even infants of the supernatural
blessing of Eden.
The
Eastern Fathers such as Saint Gregory Nazianzus noted the theological
problem of children dying. Children are not guilty of personal sins. Why
would God allow them to die. And when they die, where do they go?
Heaven? Hell? Perhaps a special place reserved for them?
Saint
Gregory and others noted that children die not through their own fault,
but on account of being born outside Eden – that is being born under
the sin of Adam and Eve. The Eastern Churched calls this προπατορικὸν
ἁμάρτημα (propatorikon harmatema) or “ancestral sin.”
The Western Church calls it peccatum originale
or “original sin.” Without getting into Eastern vs. Western
distinctions, all Christians agree that the penalty of death has spread
to all human persons, even children. And we all agree (even the
Jansenist or Calvinist) that children die not on account of their own
personal misdeeds.
Why
do they die? We don’t know, but we trust that their eternal life is
better than any life they had here. Whether it is postulated as natural
paradise, limbo, or a hope for supernatural Heaven itself, their life is
one of peace, rest, happiness, and beatitude.
Do most humans die in infancy?
It’s
patently obvious that more than 51+% of members of the race of homo
sapiens died before the age of 7. We might even dare to say that 51+% of
every homo sapiens died before being born. This is a starting fact to consider from a theological perspective. Most humans in God’s image died prior breathing.
Why is this?
There are a few optional explanations:
- Predestination Option: God predestines most humans to die in utero
or in infancy because he likes the idea of Heaven (or limbo) being
populated with people who have never committed a personal sin against
him or another – despite them having been conceived without habitual
grace. This theory would posit that every human child receives habitual
or sacramental grace prior to death to Heaven OR that they don’t receive
habitual grace and so end up in perfect natural (but not supernatural)
paradise. And this natural paradise is often known off the cuff as
limbo. (Pun intended. The Latin limbus means “cuff”.)
[NOTE: I should add here that the heretic John Calvin used this argument above (that all deceased babies go to Heaven) in favor of unconditional election. He noted that so many babies die before and after birth (including his own dead children), and so this confirms the fact that God chooses them for Heaven without any faith or merit.]
- Pre-Existence Option: The Church Father (but not saint) Origen
posited that every human pre-existed in a celestial realm prior to
conception in a mother’s womb. Each of these minds erred or sinned in
this celestial realm and thus were consigned to a carnal life on earth
suiting the measure of their rebellion. So a pre-existent mind that
rebelled greatly against the Trinity would be given a very tedious life
on earth so that they could merit salvation through Christ. However, a
pre-existent mind that only slightly rebelled against the Trinity would
be given a very brief life on earth by which they would turn back to
God. And these, then, are the little children that die before and after
birth. They are the ones who sinned in a lesser degree before being
conceived on earth.
[NOTE: This opinion of Origen is not held by many today – except in a corrupted form by Mormons.]
- We don’t really know. I think this is the theological position of most Christians. There is no easily packaged explanation for a pair of parents standing over their child’s tiny grave. There is no easy answer for a woman after miscarriage. It’s never been the position of Christians to dogmatically describe the afterlife for children other than saying: “they do not suffer and they are at peace.” We don’t know much because the Bible says nothing about it. We can only rest on the conviction that God desires all men to be saved and that He is fully aware that 51+% die before attaining the age of reason or before professing faith.
PS:
If you’re interested in reading more of my posts on the topic of infant
death, limbo, St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas etc., check out this
series of posts: Unbaptized babies that die: 5 Theories.
The post Holy Innocents: Why does God allow so many babies to die? appeared first on Taylor Marshall.
Pearl Harbor history is reminder of importance of our foreign service | TheHill
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Silicon Valley’s 2017 Report Card
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Sirach, chapter 3 Responsibilities to Parents
Sirach, chapter 3
Responsibilities to Parents
1Children, listen to me, your father;
act accordingly, that you may be safe.
2For the Lord sets a father in honor over his children
and confirms a mother’s authority over her sons.
3Those who honor their father atone for sins;
4they store up riches who respect their mother.
5Those who honor their father will have joy in their own children,
and when they pray they are heard.
6Those who respect their father will live a long life;
those who obey the Lord honor their mother.
7Those who fear the Lord honor their father,
and serve their parents as masters.
8In word and deed honor your father,
that all blessings may come to you.a
9A father’s blessing gives a person firm roots,
but a mother’s curse uproots the growing plant.b
10Do not glory in your father’s disgrace,
for that is no glory to you!
11A father’s glory is glory also for oneself;
they multiply sin who demean their mother.c
12My son, be steadfast in honoring your father;
do not grieve him as long as he lives.d
13Even if his mind fails, be considerate of him;
do not revile him because you are in your prime.
14Kindness to a father will not be forgotten;
it will serve as a sin offering—it will take lasting root.
15In time of trouble it will be recalled to your advantage,
like warmth upon frost it will melt away your sins.
16Those who neglect their father are like blasphemers;
those who provoke their mother are accursed by their Creator.e
Humility*
17My son, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
18Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
20For great is the power of the Lord;
by the humble he is glorified.
21What is too sublime for you, do not seek;
do not reach into things that are hidden from you.g
22What is committed to you, pay heed to;
what is hidden is not your concern.
23In matters that are beyond you do not meddle,
when you have been shown more than you can understand.
24Indeed, many are the conceits of human beings;
evil imaginations lead them astray.
Docility*
25Without the pupil of the eye, light is missing;
without knowledge, wisdom is missing.
26A stubborn heart will fare badly in the end;
those who love danger will perish in it.
27A stubborn heart will have many a hurt;
adding sin to sin is madness.
28When the proud are afflicted, there is no cure;
for they are offshoots of an evil plant.h
29The mind of the wise appreciates proverbs,
and the ear that listens to wisdom rejoices.
Alms for the Poor
30As water quenches a flaming fire,
so almsgiving atones for sins.i
31The kindness people have done crosses their paths later on;
should they stumble, they will find support.
* [3:1–16]
Besides the virtues that must characterize our conduct toward God,
special duties are enjoined, such as honor and respect toward parents,
with corresponding blessings (vv. 1–9). By showing such respect especially to old and infirm parents (vv. 10–13), the sins of children are pardoned (vv. 14–15). Failure to honor father and mother is blasphemy and merits a curse from God (v. 16). Cf. Ex 20:12; Eph 6:2–3.
* [3:17–24] Humility gives you a true estimate of yourself (vv. 17–20; cf. 10:28), so that you will do what should be done, and avoid what is beyond your understanding and strength (vv. 21–23). Intellectual pride, however, leads you astray (v. 24). Ben Sira is perhaps warning his students against the perils of Greek philosophy.
† [3:18] Other ancient texts read as v. 19:
Many are lofty and famous,
but to the humble he reveals his plan.
PA rejects US, seeks new sponsors for peace talks
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Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Russia Is Overtaking the U.S. As the Dominant Middle East Force Thanks to Trump, Analysts Say
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