#christian advocate and journal

[a-space-for-mimi]

I find it really interesting how Confucius advocated for respect and reverence towards parents and people in positions of authority but you can also voice your disagreements with them. (I just started learning about him.) And it's very consistent with what is taught throughout the Bible. Like, everywhere. Like,

Honor your father and mother is in the Ten Commandments.

Proverbs talking about paying attention to your parents instruction.

Jesus rebuking people for giving money to the temple/ God as a excuse to not take care of their parents.

Instructions in Titus (?) for people to take care of parents in their old age and for church to care for widow if they don't have anyone caring for them

Instructions in Romans 13 to be subject to those in governing authorities (of course, there's the doctrine about civil disobedience but that's not the focus of this post for now)

Anyway, I think these things are more valued in Eastern cultures and more ingrained in their society as a whole because of people like Confucius and I find it interesting. There's another Christian doctrine called Common Grace that talks about how the sun rises on both God's people and the "pagans" and how anyone can observe and study the various truths in the world God has created.

But they can only see some truths and it's mixed with other false teachings. To use an analogy I've heard, it's like trying to put a puzzle together without knowing what it's supposed to be and someone threw pieces from other sets into the pile. You only know how to put it together with a Christian worldview because God's Word is "a lamp unto my path."

Anyway, I still think it's cool how Confucius observed this and strove for virtue, which is similar to the philosophers in the Greco-Roman world I think? Idk I need to learn more lol.

I've also heard a bit about the Chinese concept of the "Dao" and I don't fully understand it (maybe I should ask my friends), but apparently, John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," and in Chinese, "Word" is translated as "dao." And I'm like huhhhh? They're saying Jesus is the embodiment and/ or fulfilment of their concept of dao?? Anyway, I found that super interesting and I want to explore this more at some point lol.

But like... I've heard that the New Testament writers do this too. Like taking concepts from the surrounding culture in order to explain the mysteries about God.

[nesiacha]

Camille Desmoulins and Antoine-François Momoro

Antoine-François Momoro Camille Desmoulins

I couldn't say exactly how, but I have the impression that the printer-bookseller Antoine-François Momoro and the pamphleteer Camille Desmoulins had very opposite paths and were very different despite having similarities, if you know what I mean. Camille Desmoulins was a republican from the start, while Momoro was cautious on the matter and hesitated to publish Desmoulins' pamphlet "La France Libre" in June 1789, only releasing it on July 17, 1789. However, Momoro increasingly engaged in the revolution, eventually becoming one of its key figures and a regular at the Cordeliers Club. He was arrested after the Flight to Varennes, having signed the Champ de Mars petition. Desmoulins, on the other hand, had to go into exile. In this regard, they shared the common ground of being among the harshest critics of the monarchy, although Desmoulins had been vocal much earlier, opposing the property-based suffrage in 1789 and circulating 3,000 copies of his journal "Les Révolutions de France et de Brabant." During the Varennes episode, Momoro ensured that many issues of the Cordeliers Club Journal, which became virulent towards the king due to his escape, were distributed.

Both Camille Desmoulins and Momoro participated in the events of August 10, 1792. While Desmoulins left his mark as a key figure of July 14, 1789, Momoro, alongside Mayor Pache, inscribed the words "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" on public buildings in the summer of 1793. Both played roles in the expulsion of the Girondins. Desmoulins was elected to the Convention, whereas Momoro, though not elected, played a significant role in the Paris Commune, overseeing supplies and soldier morale, among other tasks. He recruited volunteers from various departments and regions and was sent to Vendée alongside Charles Philippe Ronsin. Both men remained actively involved in what was considered a faction until the end, in contrast to their leaders Danton and Hébert, who were less ardent or coherent (although there were no real leaders, if you understand my point).

Their wives played more significant political roles alongside their companions than often portrayed in films. Lucile Desmoulins' journal shows her as a fervent critic of the monarchy, writing dark texts about Marie-Antoinette, approving the King's execution, and defending Camille when the future Marshal Brune asked him to temper his critiques in "Le Vieux Cordelier." Sophie Fournier, Momoro's wife, played a crucial role in her husband's dechristianization campaign, representing the Goddess of Reason armed with a pike at each ceremony (when you consider the struggle of the women of the Revolution to bear arms, in my opinion, it only demonstrates her great determination ). Both Momoro and Desmoulins had only one son from their marriages, and their wives were subject to sexist attacks, similar to Manon Roland, Louise Gély, Marie Françoise Goupil, and even Marie-Antoinette.

However, their paths diverged significantly. Initially cautious, Momoro became increasingly revolutionary, ultimately considered an ultra-revolutionary, while Desmoulins became more moderate. Momoro began to advocate for property rights redistribution, a stance not shared by Desmoulins or many Montagnards, who were moderate on this issue. Momoro supported de-Christianization, while Desmoulins opposed it. Momoro called for harsher measures against counter-revolutionary suspects, whereas Desmoulins, in "Le Vieux Cordelier," called for leniency (except for approve the mock trial of the Hébertists) and advocated for the mass release of counter-revolutionary suspects, many of whom were innocent. During the harsh winter of 1793-1794, Momoro prioritized the suffering of the Parisian masses, a concern Desmoulins did not share.

Despite this, Momoro and many considered Hébertists were sent to the guillotine. It is said that Momoro died bravely, like most of his colleagues except Hébert (his bravery was remarkable given that his wife Sophie was arrested ten days after him, and he knew she could die, yet he refused to show fear in public). Desmoulins, calm when preparing for death, panicked when Lucile was arrested (as unjustly as the arrests of the Hébert and Momoro wives) and expressed his despair all the way to the scaffold. The most horrifying part is that Desmoulins and Momoro learned of their wives' arrests the day before their execution.

My personal reflections: Honestly, I believe there is a golden legend about Camille Desmoulins, which he does not deserve, and a black legend about Momoro's faction, which is also undeserved . As I mentioned in this post https://www.tumblr.com/nesiacha/744960791081631744/the-difference-in-treatment-between-the-indulgents?source=share, in my eyes, Camille Desmoulins is highly overrated. While I do not deny his talents, I do not think he was fit for great responsibilities, unlike men he mocked, like Ronsin, Saint-Just, or Momoro, who worked tirelessly during the revolution's most challenging period. I must say in my eyes that once Desmoulins became a Convention deputy, he seemed to rest more than other revolutionaries. Consider Sonthonax, labeled a Girondin, who accepted a mission to Saint Domingue to better fight against colonizers who denied equal rights between people of color and whites, or Condorcet, who worked with Carnot on women's education with Pastoret and Guilloud, or Charles Philippe Ronsin. Many members of the Committee of Public Safety had grueling schedules in addition to their missions. Other Convention deputies, unlike Desmoulins, were sent on missions, such as Charles Gilbert Romme (and many others). While Desmoulins advocated leniency in "Le Vieux Cordelier," he approves the mock trial that led to the Hébertists' guillotining and said nothing about their wives' arrests (perhaps he planned to call for their release to be fair, but I don't know). Besides being partly responsible for the fall of the Brissotins, he remained silent on the illegal harassment Jacques Roux faced, leading to his suicide, and once said he understood the need to curb liberty for the people's salvation. Nonetheless, Camille Desmoulins should never have been arrested, let alone executed, as he only wrote articles.

In comparison, Momoro, a victim of a black legend, was clearly more honest about following a consistent line. Initially more cautious than Desmoulins in 1789, he ultimately advocated for more social rights. Despite not being elected to the Convention, he played a significant role in the Paris Commune, carrying out various missions during the revolution's most challenging period, from late 1792 to early 1794. During the Convention's invasions, he was among those who demanded vital laws for the revolution, such as the maximum or the revolutionary army's levy. His attempted insurrection was mainly due to the severe suffering of the Parisian masses in the winter of 1793-1794 and the frequent attacks on the Hébertists by the Convention (the arrests of Ronsin and Vincent in 1793), while dubious characters like Danton were free. Momoro was never rehabilitated, unlike Desmoulins, who was falsely accused of sabotaging supplies and destroying his reputation by accumulating 190,000 livres in cash, although he always refused to elevate himself, leaving behind only 26 livres and 400 livres in assignats. As Mathiez Albert, a historian harsh on Robespierre's opponents, said, "One of the main leaders of this Hébertist party, who first tried to translate and represent the popular aspirations against the wealthy bourgeois of the Convention [...] He died poor, as he had lived."

However, Momoro also had his faults, and Desmoulins was right on some points. Nothing is entirely black or white, especially among revolutionaries. The dechristianization campaigns often caused problems for the French Revolution. I understand the anger of incorruptible revolutionaries like Momoro, given the religious intolerance of that time, but intolerance cannot be fought with more intolerance. These campaigns also alienated many French people.

Moreover, if Desmoulins had dubious political allies in Danton, Momoro could be worst. He counted as an ally the horrible Nantes drowner, Carrier (Momoro didn't drown people by the way, but still a bad point for him...). Many French Revolution characters made alliances with dubious figures (like Robespierre, who knew the criticisms against Danton were well-founded but largely allied with him until a certain point), but it's still a big no for me for the alliance with Carrier. Not with one of the most hateful characters of the French Revolution. His last insurrection attempt, which led to his guillotining, was understandable, but the Convention was at a critical point and could not afford a new insurrection. Unlike Hanriot and Chaumette, he was not lucid enough on this point. He should have been more lenient with the suspect laws. Plus let's not forget that the faction call hebertist who after denunce the faction call enragés took them petition.

Even if I am harsh on Camille Desmoulins, I must acknowledge his great courage and contributions to the French Revolution, and like Momoro, he never betrayed his principles. Moreover, I fully agree with him on press freedom and often highlight his reasoning on freedom of expression. It's worth noting that Camille Desmoulins' father died shortly after his son's execution, heartbroken by his loss, just as Momoro's mother, a servant in Besançon, died a week or two after her son's death. Regardless of what one might say, both revolutionaries earned the right to be considered important figures in the 1789-1794 period.

I would like to end with two phrases these two revolutionaries reportedly said shortly before their deaths:

Momoro, during his condemnation: "I am accused, I who gave everything for the Revolution!"

Camille Desmoulins in jail : "I had dreamed of a republic that everyone would have adored."

P.S.: I have searched everywhere for a biography of Sophie Fournier, Momoro's wife. I found it in PDF and French, but I don't know its value.

Here is the link : https://www.sh6e.com/images/publications/Lettre_d_information/2023_05_Lettre_info_Sh6.pdf

[eretzyisrael]

by NORMAN J.W. GODA

All of this made perfect sense to French Trotskyists and Maoists. Pro-Palestinian anti-Zionist organizations formed in France after the Six-Day War. They included university students who styled themselves as revolutionaries. Using the language of anti-colonialism still fresh from France’s ill-fated attempt to retain Algeria, these organizations also borrowed the legacy of the French Resistance, neatly turning the Israelis into the Nazis. French keffiyeh-wearing Communists complained of Jewish press control. “Palestine solidarity” events included distribution of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. As Jewish writer Gérard Rosenthal put it in early 1970, “The problem of Israel is becoming a national problem.” Israel’s seasoned ambassador Asher Ben-Natan, who arrived in Paris in 1970, noted that relations with France had hit difficulties because “there exists also in France elements that have suddenly adopted anti-Israel attitudes.”

How did France’s Jews respond? By asserting their Jewishness without sacrificing their claim to France’s promise of universal dignity. “The world,” said Meïr Waintrater, the editor of the Jewish monthly L’Arche, in April 1970, “only likes dead Jews. . . . It is impossible today to open a newspaper without finding an article [that] gives Jews advice — which curiously resembles orders — on how to be Jewish or how to be French.” Later, in 1977, filmmaker Claude Lanzmann asked, “Why must the Jews feel obligated after Auschwitz to speak in [polite] language? To prove that they are really French? This language . . . is from the time of Dreyfus! It is the language [from] before the creation of Israel! If we are to protest, I ask that we do so as Jews!”

The chief vehicle of the French-Jewish campaign was the International League against Racism and Antisemitism (LICRA), formed in 1927 in reaction to the dreadful treatment of Jews in Eastern Europe after World War I. After World War II, LICRA countered racism as well, monitoring everything from apartheid in South Africa to the civil rights movement in the United States to the war in Vietnam to the treatment of Arab workers in France. For French Jews, anti-antisemitism and the fight against racism were both part of the struggle for human dignity. LICRA saw no contradiction between opposing racism and advocating the safety of the State of Israel. If the world was divided, it was not between the oppressors and the oppressed. It was divided into those whose rights to safety were respected and those whose rights were not.

LICRA altered its view on de Gaulle. He was still the man who, on June 18, 1940, had called for resistance to the Germans in the name of the universalism France represented. As LICRA president and former Gaullist intelligence officer Jean Pierre-Bloch put it, “We will never forget.” But Pierre-Bloch also noted publicly that de Gaulle “is betraying the Franco-Israeli friendship, not to [help] the Arab people, but to support the potentates who rule these people to their great detriment.” Understanding that the French policy encouraged Arab extremists to hold out for Israel’s destruction rather than work for peace, LICRA also led demonstrations of Jews and non-Jews in Paris and other cities against what Pierre-Bloch called “the scandalous embargo.” Meanwhile LICRA called for a Palestinian state — but without the PLO, whose terror operations disqualified it from any human-rights struggle.

LICRA’s writers, Jews and non-Jews, also tried to expose the antisemitic nature of anti-Zionism in their newspaper Le Droit de vivre. Didier Aubourg, who worked for Judeo-Christian amity in France, wrote in March 1970, “Of all the forces that threaten Israel, the Arab armies are far from the most fearsome. The most relentless enemy . . . is indeed antisemitism, the old antisemitism that no longer dares to say its name, but which, rebaptized as anti-Zionism, has never lost its murderous virulence.” Former member of the Resistance, writer, and curator Jean Cassou was more direct. Anti-Zionism, he said, was “a wonderful invention,” because it “allows everyone to be an antisemite in good conscience from now on.”

As for the PLO’s mask of humanism and progressivism, philosopher Anne Matalon noted in the spring of 1968 that “one would be justified in thinking” that the PLO “would recognize . . . the Israeli people.” Instead, the PLO resembled “a capricious child or psychopath” who insisted that history could be turned back. Could the PLO really pose as revolutionary? Jacques Givet, whose family was murdered in Auschwitz and who narrowly escaped death by jumping from a deportation train, said no. “Any apology for al-Fatah, however veiled,” he wrote in March 1969, referring to the PLO’s main group, “is by necessity an apology for genocide.” Unlike the anti-colonial terror in Algiers, Givet argued, “Free Palestine” was little more than a slogan wrapped in pseudo-revolutionary imagery to justify Israel’s destruction and the killing of Jews. François Musard, a member of the Jewish Resistance, identified Palestinian terror as “defiance of the most elementary rules of civilization.” It “strikes blindly in theaters, in markets, among innocent populations where their victims are more often women and children. It wants nothing more than ‘to kill a Jew.’”

[officiallordvetinari]

Wikipedia Featured Article Poll, Biographies Edition. Summaries and links below the cut

Margaret Ives Abbott (June 15, 1878 – June 10, 1955) was an American amateur golfer. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic event: the women's golf tournament at the 1900 Summer Olympics.

Lilias Eveline Armstrong (29 September 1882 – 9 December 1937) was an English phonetician. She worked at University College London, where she attained the rank of reader. Armstrong is most known for her work on English intonation as well as the phonetics and tone of Somali and Kikuyu. Her book on English intonation, written with Ida C. Ward, was in print for 50 years. Armstrong also provided some of the first detailed descriptions of tone in Somali and Kikuyu.

Morris Berg (March 2, 1902 – May 29, 1972) was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball, who later served as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Although he played 15 seasons in the major leagues, almost entirely for four American League teams, Berg was never more than an average player and was better known for being "the brainiest guy in baseball." Casey Stengel once described Berg as "the strangest man ever to play baseball".

Edward Dando (c. 1803 – 28 August 1832) was a thief who came to public notice in Britain because of his unusual habit of overeating at food stalls and inns, and then revealing that he had no money to pay. Although the fare he consumed was varied, he was particularly fond of oysters, having once eaten 25 dozen of them with a loaf and a half of bread with butter.

Harold Francis Davidson (14 July 1875 – 30 July 1937), generally known as the Rector of Stiffkey, was a Church of England priest who in 1932, after a public scandal, was convicted of immorality by a church court and defrocked. Davidson strongly protested his innocence and to raise funds for his reinstatement campaign he exhibited himself in a barrel on the Blackpool seafront. He performed in other sideshows of a similar nature, and died after being attacked by a lion in whose cage he was appearing in a seaside spectacular.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas (April 7, 1890 – May 14, 1998) was an American journalist, author, women's suffrage advocate, and conservationist known for her staunch defense of the Everglades against efforts to drain it and reclaim land for development. Moving to Miami as a young woman to work for The Miami Herald, she became a freelance writer, producing over one hundred short stories that were published in popular magazines. Her most influential work was the book The Everglades: River of Grass (1947), which redefined the popular conception of the Everglades as a treasured river instead of a worthless swamp. Its impact has been compared to that of Rachel Carson's influential book Silent Spring (1962). Her books, stories, and journalism career brought her influence in Miami, enabling her to advance her causes.

George Went Hensley (May 2, 1881 – July 25, 1955) was an American Pentecostal minister best known for popularizing the practice of snake handling. A native of rural Appalachia, Hensley experienced a religious conversion around 1910: on the basis of his interpretation of scripture, he came to believe that the New Testament commanded all Christians to handle venomous snakes.

Margaret Alice Murray FSA Scot FRAI (13 July 1863 – 13 November 1963) was a British-Indian Egyptologist, archaeologist, anthropologist, historian, and folklorist who was born in India. The first woman to be appointed as a lecturer in archaeology in the United Kingdom, she worked at University College London (UCL) from 1898 to 1935. She served as president of the Folklore Society from 1953 to 1955, and published widely over the course of her career.

Dom Pedro Afonso (19 July 1848 – 10 January 1850) was the Prince Imperial and heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Brazil. Born at the Palace of São Cristóvão in Rio de Janeiro, he was the second son and youngest child of Emperor Dom Pedro II and Dona Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. Pedro Afonso was seen as vital to the future viability of the monarchy, which had been put in jeopardy by the death of his older brother Dom Afonso almost three years earlier.

Elias Abraham Rosenberg (Hebrew: אליאס אברהם רוזנברג; Hawaiian: Eliaka Apelahama Loselabeka; c. 1810 – July 10, 1887) was a Jewish immigrant to the United States who, despite a questionable past, became a trusted friend and adviser of King Kalākaua of Hawaii. Regarded as eccentric, he lived in San Francisco in the 1880s and worked as a peddler selling illegal lottery tickets. In 1886, he traveled to Hawaii and performed as a fortune-teller. He came to Kalākaua's attention, and endeared himself to the king with favorable predictions about the future of Hawaii. Rosenberg received royal appointments to several positions: kahuna-kilokilo (royal soothsayer), customs appraiser, and guard. He was given lavish gifts by the king, but was mistrusted by other royal advisers and satirized in the Hawaiian press.

[beardedmrbean]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A media organization is due in court Monday after publishing details from leaked documents about the shooter who killed six people at a Nashville elementary school in March 2023, while the outlet sues for those records and others to be released to the public.

The hearing, ordered by Nashville Chancellor I’Ashea Myles, has led to outcry not only from Star News Digital Media and Editor-in-Chief Michael Leahy, but also from open government advocates and Tennessee lawmakers.

Leahy's attorney argued the court proceeding would violate his due process rights and infringe on First Amendment protections after his outlet, The Tennessee Star, reported on records leaked to them about the shooter at The Covenant School.

Initially, the judge ordered Leahy and attorneys to explain in court why the recent work involving leaked documents has not violated court protection of records that could subject them to contempt proceedings and sanctions. The judge later denied a request by Leahy to cancel the hearing but said no witnesses would testify.

The public records lawsuit by the conservative Star News and other plaintiffs remains tied up in court after more than a year. A group of Covenant School parents have joined the lawsuit, arguing none of the documents should ever be released because they could inspire copycats and retraumatize their children.

Though the investigative file remains officially closed to the public's view, two prominent rounds of evidence about the shooter's writings have leaked to media outlets.

Police have said they could not determine who was responsible for the first leak. While they look into the second, a lieutenant has drawn a connection to a former colleague without directly accusing him of the leak.

In a court declaration Friday, Nashville Police Lt. Alfredo Arevalo said his office led an investigation of the first leak. A former lieutenant, Garet Davidson, was given a copy of the criminal investigative file that was stored in a safe in his office and only Davidson had the key and safe combination, Arevalo said.

Davidson has left the force. Separately, he filed a well-publicized complaint alleging the police department actively lobbied to gut the city’s community oversight board, as well as a number of other misconduct claims.

In his declaration, Arevalo noted Davidson has spoken about details from the Covenant investigative file on Leahy's radio show and another program.

Arevalo wrote that he is “appalled” by the leak and "saddened by the impact that this leak must have on the victims and families of the Covenant school shooting.”

The Associated Press left messages for phone numbers believed to be associated with Davidson.

The shooter who killed three 9-year-old children and three adults at Covenant, a private Christian school, left behind at least 20 journals, a suicide note and an unpublished memoir, according to court filings.

The city of Nashville has argued it doesn’t have to release the documents during an active police investigation. The plaintiffs have countered there is no meaningful criminal investigation underway since the shooter, Audrey Hale, was killed by police.

A few pages of one journal were leaked to a conservative commentator who posted them online in November. Police say the shooter may have been a transgender man, which has been a point of focus for conservative media personalities.

The judge in the public records case previously showed concern about possible leaks. In February filings, Myles ordered the parties not to directly quote or reproduce any leaked documents during case proceedings, threatening sanctions such as contempt of court for any “efforts to usurp” court orders by the parties, attorneys or involved third parties.

Leahy's attorney for Monday's hearing, Daniel Horwitz, wrote that the Star's stories don't violate any previous court orders and the purpose of the hearing is so vague that Leahy shouldn't risk testifying. He said any attempts to restrict publishing about legally obtained documents, or to compel the disclosure of anonymous sources, would violate legal protections for reporting.

The judge responded that she wants to “ascertain the status and veracity of any alleged leak” and clarified there would be no witness testimony. If any violations of court orders are found, she plans to appoint an attorney to investigate and help with the contempt process.

In the public records lawsuit, the plaintiffs include news outlets, a gun rights group, a law enforcement nonprofit and state Sen. Todd Gardenhire. Star News Digital Media also is suing the FBI in federal court for the documents' release.

[fatehbaz]

Occupying an interstitial position between different continents [...], [t]his position as a space-between-spaces makes the Maghrib a hub [...]. [I]nvestigate the location of the Maghrib beyond the dominant binary of Arab vs. Francophone, the much-critiqued idea of the Sahara as a barrier, or the assumption of the Maghrib as an insular space. [...] [T]he Maghrib was a revolutionary concept [...]. [T]he idea of the Maghrib was rooted in anticolonial thought, one which the machinations of colonial power and exigencies of postcolonial state building and border disagreements have stalled ever since. [...]

Tamazgha -- as indigenous Amazigh activists have chosen to call North Africa since the 1990s -- was populated by Amazigh populations of Christian and Jewish faiths. [...] These dynamics, however, neither eliminated Amazigh language and culture nor drove out the sizable Jewish populations that shared this Judeo-Islamic space. Rather, it was nineteenth- and twentieth-century European colonialism [...]. Governments have either entirely silenced Amazigh language and culture, as was the case in Libya and Tunisia, or actively repressed them, as was the case in Algeria and Morocco.

Nevertheless, a vibrant Amazigh Cultural Movement (ACM) has struggled to re-Amazighize the Maghrib by inventing traditions and refiguring toponymies.

---

Tamazgha, which this ACM defines as extending from the Siwa Oasis in Egypt to the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, has replaced both “North Africa” and “the Maghrib” in activist nomenclature.

Activists have thus reinscribed this consciousness of “al-dath al-amazighiyya” (the Amazigh self/subjectivity) in public spaces as well as in the markers of Maghribi geographies.

Gone are the days when Amazigh people could be simply erased from the cartography of their native lands. Tamazight has acquired a constitutional status in Morocco and an official one in Algeria. Its speakers are working to have it recognized in Libya and Tunisia. [...]

The ubiquity of the Tifinagh alphabet (the Tamazight script) and the proliferation of Tamazight literary and audiovisual production has created a new cultural reality. Across short stories, novels, film, and music, Amazigh creators are reinventing the Maghrib and reconciling it with its indigenous past. [...]

---

The rise of taskla Tamazight (Amazigh literature) and cultural production is the single most transformative literary development in the last thirty years of the Tamazghan intellectual movement. [...] Amazigh cultural producers are not just rehabilitating their mother tongue. They also rehabilitate an erased geography, a sense of indigeneity, and the relation-ship between space and people.

Shamal Iiriqiyya (North Africa in Arabic), Afrique du Nord (North Africa in French), or the Maghrib, are geographical and political appellations superimposed on the region [...]. Alternatively, Tamazgha is a politically conscious name that is from the same root as Tamazight.

Tamazgha means the land of the indigenous Imazighen, which reconfigures space, revisits history, and questions accepted toponymies. [...]

---

The plurality of the Maghrib and its multilingualism will undoubtably acquire a different meaning when we read them from the perspective of indigenous authors in Amazigh languages. Immersion in the discourses of the ACM reveals [...] foundational ideas like le Maghrib pluriel (the plural Maghrib) [...]. These organizations seeded and then advocated the idea of “al-wahda fi al-tannawwu‘” (unity in diversity). [...]

Whether it is Algerian Kabyle musician Idir, the Moroccan band Izenzaren (Sun Rays), or Malian Tuareg band Tinariwin (Deserts), Amazigh melodies and poetry travel, cross boundaries, and reconnect Imazighen across the globe.

This “traveling Tamazgha” complicates the Maghrib’s location and invites a constant mapping and remapping of the space and its aesthetics.

---

Text by: Brahim El Guabli. ”Where is the Maghreb? Theorizing a Liminal Space.” Arab Studies Journal Vol. XXIX, No. 2. Fall 2021. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[haitilegends]

ANDRÉ PIERRE ROMAIN | OBITUARY by Regine Romain

Sunday, January 28, 1940 – Sunday, June 9, 2024

By Régine Roumain (daughter)

André Pierre Romain was born on Sunday, January 28, 1940, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to the late Fannie Privert and Turenne Romain. He has one surviving brother– Camile Romain. He is preceded in death by siblings: Renée, Marthe, Solanges, Emmanuel, Viviane and Junique.

André spent his youth in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and emigrated to the United States as a young man in his twenties. He was a brilliant artist who in his lifetime made groundbreaking Kompa jazz music with "Ibo Combo" in Haiti and abroad. He was a vocalist, guitarist, pianist, conga player, and dedicated band member. From his extensive 8 track tapes, albums, cassettes, CDs, and video collection, anyone who knew him would get to know his love of music and would invariably be introduced to new sounds of talented artists from around the world. André’s interests and talent in the arts also led him to learn photography and wood sculpting. André’s home became his art studio and his family was gifted with learning the importance of regular practice as an important tool in striving for excellence.

Affectionately known as “Papi,” André was a man in a constant state of evolution and growth. He clearly understood his human limitations and still strived toward greatness each day. He was kind, loving, intellectually curious, and simultaneously a prolific student and sage teacher. He was a self-taught man and positively influenced so many with his wisdom, ingenuity, and humor.

He was a man who smiled often and devotedly uplifted the tenets of his Christian faith as a Jehovah’s Witness. He believed above all things, that we should have "intense love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). Brother Romain will be greatly missed by members of the Laurel and Bryans Road congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

André was a man greatly in love with his wife Gladys and remained devoted to her for 55 years until his untimely passing. Together they were entrepreneurs and supported themselves and their family through independent and creative means.

In the later years of his life, André became a strong advocate for healthy lifestyles and would promote daily walking and grounding as restorative healing to everyone that he met. At the time of his passing at 84 years of age, he was walking over 17,000 steps (7.7 miles) regularly. His commitment to well-being, and holistic healing through plant-based, whole foods was an inspiration to all who knew and loved him.

André is survived by his children - Dudchen Romain, Patrick Edouard, Iman Shabazz (née Ingrid Regis), Régine Romain, and Natacha Romain. He was blessed to have 10 grandchildren: Stephanie, Yekini, Rachide, Tanika, Tiffani, Julien, Prince Aziz, Rahman, Aishah and Ngozi. He was further blessed to have 3 great-grandchildren: Alexa, Anika and Yonathan. He also had a sweet connection with Maximus, his canine “grandpup.”

André is loved and will be greatly missed by members of the Naar, Pierre, Bruno, Dumorné, Critchlow, Anderson, Paul, Pratt, and Wedderburn families, his daughter-in-law Ketzia Edouard and lifetime friends Alix Pascal and Antoine Bruno.

The voice of André Romain is immortalized through his music, which is still played in Haiti today. He leaves his family a tremendous legacy of his goodwill, artistry and faith.

THANK YOU – **The Family of André Romain**

We wish to express genuine, heartfelt gratitude for the many kind and beautiful expressions of sympathy, support and love during our time of bereavement. We sincerely appreciate each act of kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity shared during this time.

***A special thank you to Milton Leblanc ML Leblanc and family of haitiprogres.com for publishing my father's obituary in Kreyòl. Mesi anpil to Vikings Merceron and Atibon Legba for the translation.***

__________

🎥 "Andre Romain _Fleur D'amour" on YouTube

🎥 Andre Romain_ Baisers pour Haiti" on YouTube

🎥 Ibo Combo - La vie musicien (Haïti)"

________

Dear Régine and Family,

On behalf of Haiti Legends, I extend our heartfelt condolences on the passing of André Pierre Romain. His contributions to Haitian music and the arts have profoundly impacted our culture. We hope you find solace in your cherished memories and the legacy he leaves behind. Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time. 🕊🙏🏾🕊

Sincerely,

Sandra Gabriel Lmt

#HaitiLegends

________

#AndréPierreRomain

#IboCombo

#HaitilegendsIcons

#COMPASDIRECT #HaitianMusic

#HaitianJazz

#Bolero

#HaitilegendsRestinPeace

[lboogie1906]

Naomi Bowman Talbert Anderson (March 1, 1843 – June 9, 1899) was a suffragist, temperance leader, civil rights activist, and writer who advocated for equal rights for all genders and races in the 1870s. She wrote poetry and gave speeches highlighting the experience of African American women who were still enslaved by their inability to vote, receiving considerable praise from other suffragists for her contributions to the movement.

She married William Talbert, a barber from Valparaiso, Indiana.

In 1868 she moved with her husband, son, and father to Chicago, where she began her activism. She moved with her family to Dayton. She lived in Cincinnati and after her husband’s health failed, learned the hair-dressing trade and moved with her family to Portsmouth, Ohio. She worked to support her family and organized a children’s home. She managed the home for four months but left the work due to low pay and family responsibilities. She passed the board of examiners and was employed as a teacher.

She moved in 1879 to Columbus, Ohio, and built up her hairdressing business. She married Lewis Anderson (1881) and they retired to a farm near Columbus. She moved to Wichita in 1884, where her husband was a successful banker.

She volunteered with the International Organization of Grand Templars in Chicago and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union to promote temperance. She began speaking about women’s suffrage, beginning at the first Woman’s Rights Convention. She made a lecturing tour through southern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. She wrote articles on women, Christianity, and temperance for newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and the Dayton Journal. She wrote a poem for the Centennial in 1876.

She lived in San Francisco in the 1890s, she worked alongside white suffragists to campaign for one of the nation’s first state woman suffrage referendums. Activists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton both praised her contributions to the movement. Her rhetoric spoke to enslaved men and asked them to acknowledge that African American women would continue to be enslaved until they received the right to vote. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenhistorymonth

[thebibi]

ok ik you like it so it's not a question but im sucker for symbolism etc jon/mina/vh

Ok so like. I had a half baked idea about VH/Mina/Jonathan sometime in November that I didn't really know how to articulate. I was thinking, "it's like Lady Gaga's song 'Judas' but theres no love triangle.

And then I was thinking, its kind of like the inverse of Original Sin. If Dracula is Evil God, the anti-Jesus figure, then Van Helsing is the benevolent Serpent/Satan, telling Adam and Eve (the Harkers) to leave their ignorance and become aware of all things good and bad. Does this make sense? (disclaimer I am not an expert in Christian theology, other people can chime in).

The Harkers are like, Adam and Eve.  They are very new to the world as a married couple.  I think its interesting how they are presented to us already as a couple. Jonathan is inherently transformed by being under Dracula's control, he is born anew. He is like the first point of contact with him, just like how Adam has a special relationship with God. Jonathan and Mina get married while he is recovering in bed. Its like how Adam is always depicted lying down or asleep when Eve is created, and she is already waiting for him. Their marriage vows are marked by Jonathan asking for Mina's ignorance about his journal. The journal is like the forbidden fruit of the garden. But it takes Van Helsing meeting the Harkers for them to truly understand what the journal represents.

When Mina and Van Helsing meet, there is a literal reference to Original Sin, which we all thought was a bit odd, but in hindsight it makes perfect sense. Before giving the professor her diary, Mina thinks: “I could not resist the temptation of mystifying him a bit—I suppose it is some of the taste of the original apple that remains still in our mouths”  But nonetheless, it alludes to how important this meeting is. Van Helsing and Mina's relationship directly impact how successful the group is at defeating Dracula.

How is Van Helsing like Satan, persuading Eve to disobey the world order and gain new found knowledge?  Well, maybe someone better researched in Christian theology could find comparisons between classical Satan and Van Helsing (besides them both having red hair apparently). But what I mean is that, both the professor and Dracula are opposing powers fighting for the souls of mankind, like God and Satan. And just like how Satan befriends Eve in order for her betray God, there is a conspiratory nature of Van Helsing and Mina's relationship. The professor insists to meet with Mina alone, and together they learn that Lucy's death and Jonathan's brain fever are connected. They quickly become friends before Jonathan even hears about it.

Jonathan, just like Adam, follows his wife. In Adam's case he eats the fruit knowing Eve has sinned, and in Jonathan's case he follows Mina twice: first he believes Mina did the right thing reading the diary and introducing Van Helsing to him, and the second he swears to become a vampire for Mina's sake. In Paradise Lost, Adam frets at the idea that Eve is replacable, because she is now with sin, because he still loves her. Its interesting that both men decide to follow their wives into the unknown, now tainted and no longer pure, rather let them be separated.

The relationship of the three of them is ultimately a positive spin on the Original Sin. Satan corrupts Eve and Adam follows, but in Dracula, Van Helsing mentors Mina and uplifts her faith while Jonathan skirts eternal damnation just to follow her. It reminds me of this quote: "If the account given in Genesis is really true, ought we not, after all, to thank this serpent? He was the first schoolmaster, the first advocate of learning, the first enemy of ignorance, the first to whisper in human ears the sacred word liberty." I think its quite interesting.

[nolwally]

Multimedia Journal #3, Shina Nova

Shina Nova (Novalinga) is a Canadian Inuk throat singer who teaches people about her Inuk culture as well as advocates about problems faced by Native Americans through her Instagram account @shinanova. In 2020, Shina Nova began posting on her Instagram videos of her and her mother throat singing, a traditional part of her culture, but she has also spoken out about a variety of issues including mental health. She quickly gained a large following on Instagram and TikTok and is most well known for her throat singing videos where she shares a part of her culture that has been oppressed and disappearing. In her videos, she often wears beaded and feathered jewelry as well as other handmade fur and patterned items of clothing, and she proudly embraces her family's culture and history. Shina Nova and her mother can be seen throat singing in the image below.

Inuit throat singing among women in Inuit groups in Canada was banned in the early 20th century by Christian missionaries because they thought that the music sounded "satanic." Now, the practice is greatly at risk and Shina Nova and her mother are trying to revive this tradition in the younger generation of Inuit people. Shina Nova has said, "I'm bringing back what was shamed upon." More about Inuit throat singing can be read in the article below.

In class, we read about what happened at Wounded Knee in Ronald Takaki's "A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America." In the mid to late 1800's, Ghost Dancing became popular on Sioux reservations as the Native Americans danced to their great spirit in order to revive the plentiful game of the land and to protect them from the "whites" (Takaki 214-215). Afraid of Native American resistance and this misunderstood ritual, the Indian bureau of Washington arrested two Sioux chiefs which would start a chain of events that would ultimately lead to the massacre of hundreds of Native Americans at Wounded Knee. Here, a cultural practice of the Sioux people, dancing to talk to their sprits, was misunderstood as dangerous by the white people and not only prevented the Sioux people from the practice but led to tragedy. The way that a Native American practice was misunderstood and banned is a very similar story to how throat singing was banned, because it sounded "satanic," and how lots of Native American culture has been covered up and lost. In order to attempt to assimilate the Native Americans into white culture, they were also forced into harsh education and discipline on the reservations (Takaki 220). Children were forced into boarding schools and had to give up their native language and customs and faced brutality and horrible conditions, further causing a loss of many Native American traditions (link below with more information).

The issues at boarding schools is another thing that Shina Nova brings into discussion on her social media. Shina Nova's account both teaches people about her Inuk culture and the history of her people, but she also works to continue the conversation about what can happen moving forwards and also tackles current issues.

Citations:

Balsam, Joel, and Stephanie Foden. “A Revival of Indigenous Throat Singing.” BBC Travel, 15 Apr. 2021, www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210414-a-revival-of-indigenous-throat-singing.

Cooper, Anderson. “Canada’s Unmarked Graves: How Residential Schools Carried out ‘Cultural Genocide’ against Indigenous Children.” CBS News, 6 Feb. 2022, www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-residential-schools-unmarked-graves-indigenous-children-60-minutes-2022-02-06/.

“Shina Nova and Her Mother Throat Singing on TikTok.” CTV News, 24 Jan. 2021, https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/this-inuk-throat-singer-and-her-mom-are-keeping-their-culture-alive-on-tiktok-1.5280181?cache=.

“Shina Nova/Facebook.” Canculture, 7 Mar. 2022, https://www.canculturemag.com/arts/2022/3/7/these-5-women-advocates-are-championing-for-change.

Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Back Bay Books, 2008. 

[scotianostra]

October 7th 1782 saw the birth of Charles McLaren, one of the founders of the Scotsman newspaper.

He was born at Ormiston, Haddingtonshire, the son of John McLaren, a farmer, and his wife, Christian Muckle.Charles received his education at Fala and Colinton, but was also partly self-taught.

Around 1797 he moved to Edinburgh, where he served as clerk and book-keeper to several firms, he joined the Philomathic Debating Society, where he made the acquaintance of John Ritchie and William Ritchie. On January 26, 1817, he established the Scotsman with William Ritchie and John M'Diarmid, and was joint editor of the first few numbers. When he obtained a position as a clerk in the custom house, he yielded the editorial chair to John Ramsay M'Culloch. In 1820, Maclaren resumed the editorship and held it till 1846, when he resigned it to Alexander Russel. 

The paper rapidly became the leading political journal of Scotland; its tone was throughout decidedly whiggish,  who are known nowadays a as Liberal democrats,  in church matters the newspaper advocated much freedom of opinion.

In 1822 Maclaren was the first person to successfully identify the correct position of the lost city of Troy.  Maclaren was also the editor of the 6th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannic He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1837. His proposer was Sir Thomas Dick Lauder. In 1846 he was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of London (FGS), and he was President of the Edinburgh Geological Society from 1864 to his death. Charles McLaren died on September 10th 1866, at Moreland Cottage on Grange Loan, Edinburgh.

[happyprintingclub123]

History of Printing in India , how to print digitally

India, a land of diverse cultures, languages, and traditions, has a rich history intertwined with the evolution of printing. From ancient manuscripts painstakingly inscribed on palm leaves to the modern digital printing technologies, the journey of printing in India is a fascinating narrative of innovation, adaptation, and cultural exchange.

Ancient Roots: The origins of printing in India can be traced back to ancient times when scribes meticulously transcribed religious texts and epics onto palm leaves using stylus or sharp tools. This tradition of manuscript writing flourished in monasteries and scriptoria, where scholars dedicated their lives to preserving knowledge.

The Arrival of the Printing Press: The dawn of the 16th century brought a significant transformation with the arrival of the printing press in India. Portuguese missionaries are credited with introducing the printing press to the subcontinent in the coastal regions of Goa. Their primary motive was to disseminate Christian literature and propagate their faith among the local populace.

However, it was the British East India Company that played a pivotal role in popularizing printing in India during the colonial era. The establishment of the first printing press in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) in 1674 marked the beginning of a new era in Indian printing history.

The Impact of Colonial Rule: Under British rule, printing in India expanded rapidly, fueled by the demand for administrative documents, newspapers, and educational materials. Calcutta (now Kolkata), Madras (now Chennai), and Bombay emerged as prominent printing centers, fostering a vibrant publishing industry.

The proliferation of newspapers and journals played a crucial role in shaping public opinion and fostering nationalist sentiments, eventually contributing to India's struggle for independence. Notable figures like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Mahatma Gandhi utilized the power of the press to advocate social reforms and political emancipation.

Post-Independence Developments: Following India's independence in 1947, the printing industry witnessed further growth and diversification. The adoption of modern printing technologies and the advent of offset printing revolutionized the sector, enabling mass production of books, magazines, and other printed materials.

Today, India boasts a robust printing industry, encompassing a wide array of printing techniques ranging from traditional letterpress and offset printing to digital printing and 3D printing. With advancements in technology and globalization, the Indian printing sector continues to evolve, catering to diverse sectors such as publishing, packaging, advertising, and textiles.

Challenges and Opportunities: While the Indian printing industry has made significant strides, it faces several challenges such as rising input costs, competition from digital media, and environmental concerns related to paper consumption and waste management. However, these challenges also present opportunities for innovation and sustainable practices.

Moreover, initiatives such as the Digital India campaign and Make in India initiative are driving the adoption of digital printing technologies and promoting indigenous manufacturing, thereby bolstering the growth prospects of the printing industry.

[biblenewsprophecy]

‘2024: The Last Year of America?’ ‘If I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath’

COGwriter

A reader sent me a link to the following:

Welcome to 2024: The Last Year of America?

The next eight months of your life should be devoted to preparing for a black swan event

March 16, 2024

The brutal truth is that many people are still mentally living in that vanished country where the rule of law exists — where your vote actually counts — where the FBI doesn’t create a false flag operation on January 6th to stop investigations of election fraud in swing states — and where major cities don’t release violent criminals onto the streets without bail.

They still don’t fully grasp the truth: they’re now actually residents of the Banana Republic of Biden.

These people are fully convinced that the 2020 election was stolen from President Trump — which is true — and so they plan to remedy this disaster by voting once again for President Trump in 2024.

Do you see the flaw in their plan?  …

America is headed for chaos. …

What is your back-up plan if you find yourself permanently exiled from the old America?

The next eight months of your life should be devoted to buying yourself insurance for a black swan event — such as the end of the republic. … your elected representatives in Congress (like Anna Paulina Luna) publicly admit on social media that America’s secret police now consider ordinary GOP voters to be “violent extremists” and “terrorists” …

You do realize that you’re in the middle of a global conspiracy to end the democratic West, right? You’ve heard about The Great Reset haven’t you? You don’t want to believe it’s true — of course. That’s why you keep ignoring the obvious signs.

That’s called: magical thinking. https://www.emerald.tv/p/welcome-to-2024-the-last-year-of

The above article advocated:

I’m telling you to get prepared. What does that really mean? It means you should get a satellite phone. You should buy more guns and ammo. You should stockpile medicine and water and food. Hold cash. Hold gold and silver. Have an emergency plan with your friends and family. https://www.emerald.tv/p/welcome-to-2024-the-last-year-of

Guns and ammo are not the answer. Medicine stock piling is not the answer. Food, water, gold, and silver can have a role (see also Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians), but will not be enough of a physical answer once the USA is conquered, which Daniel 11:39 shows will happen.

As far as the real USA goes, the old USA is no longer here.

The mainstream news media, which while always biased, has more and more turned into advocacy organizations that have lost the semblance of real journalism.

The media used to consider itself the unofficial ‘fourth branch’ of government in the USA in order to keep tabs on the other three official branches (executive, legislative, and judicial).

But that is no more.

The media and the government used to promote and defend the right to freedom of speech. Now, instead, many want that suppressed.

The media and the government used to believe in freedom of religion. Now, it is mainly freedom from religion  and the promotion of an atheistic religion that if one does not abide by, one is considered an extremist threat.

America was always flawed, but with its advocating abortion and LGBTQ+ perversity around the globe, and it appetite for debt the past decade or so, these are clear departures of where it once was. Also, last century, there used to be some respect for the word of God–now it seems that most political and academic leaders despise it.

God had the prophet Isaiah write the following:

12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:

“Because you despise this word, And trust in oppression and perversity, And rely on them, 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. 14 And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, Which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments A shard to take fire from the hearth, Or to take water from the cistern.”  (Isaiah 30:12-14)

The USA is on its way out. It is trusting in oppression and perversion. By the way this is NOT an endorsement of Donald Trump as both he and Joe Biden are evil as pointed out again in a recent post (see Trump, Biden, and the end of the USA by the end of 2028).

Related to Donald Trump, notice something he said yesterday:

March 17, 2024

Former President Trump denounced some undocumented immigrants as “not people” and warned of a “bloodbath” if he is not reelected at a chaotic rally in Ohio on Saturday night. …

“If I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country,” Trump said while discussing his proposal for steep tariffs on vehicle imports.

The Biden campaign denounced the comments as part of Trump’s “threats of political violence.” https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4537369-trump-says-some-undocumented-immigrants-are-not-people-warns-us-will-see-bloodbath-if-not-re-elected/

Yes, the USA is facing the risk of violent civil unrest (see also Could civil unrest, riots, and other violence hit the USA after the November election? Are some hoping for that or even a civil war?). And let me add that while Joe Biden has not directly called for it, various of his supporters basically have.

The USA as many of us once knew it no longer exists.

Notice also something from Donald Trump:

March 17, 2024

Amidst the gusts of an outdoor event, Trump starkly forewarned, “If we don’t win this election, I don’t think you’re going to have another election in this country,” highlighting the existential threat he perceives to democratic processes in the U.S. should his campaign not prevail on November 5. https://yournews.com/2024/03/17/2756579/trump-warns-of-democracys-end-if-he-loses-2024-election/

If we end up with a confirmation of the deal of Daniel 9:27 in 2024 (see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27), then whether he does or does not win in 2024, this could be the last presidential election for the USA–see also Might the U.S.A. Be Gone in 2028?

As far as the globalist plans and a “Great Reset,” go, the United Nations, WEF, Freemasons, the Vatican, and others are basically on record as pushing for that.

We will see a totalitarian government put in place in Europe under one the Bible refers to as “the beast” (cf. Revelation 13:1-10).

It does not matter who is elected President of the United States this November.

America ended before 2024. While the shell still exists, it will become in a sense, more and more hollow, before it is conquered.

Are YOU paying attention? Things are changing and will not remain as they have.

As far as what you should do goes, all should repent, accept Jesus as saviour, and be properly baptized per Acts 2:38.

THAT SHOULD BE PLAN A FOR EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE PER ACTS 17:30!

Beyond that, all should strive to live as truly faithful Christians and support the work that Jesus wants done at this time.

From a physical perspective, understand that the Great Tribulation is coming, and the only group of Christians promised protection from it in the 3rd chapter of the Book of Revelation was the Philadelphians (cf. Revelation 3:7-13).

Whether you live in the USA or not, do not be a Laodicean Christian (Revelation 3:14-18) and settle for less, as Jesus said He may, “vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

Related Items:

Might the U.S.A. Be Gone in 2028? Could the USA be gone by the end of 2028? There is a tradition attributed to the Hebrew prophet Elijah that humanity had 6,000 years to live before being replaced by God’s Kingdom. There are scriptures, writings in the Talmud, early Christian teachings that support this. Also, even certain Hindu writings support it. Here is a link to a related video: Is the USA prophesied to be destroyed by 2028? In Spanish: Seran los Estados Unidos Destruidos en el 2028?

Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote? Another video is Biden, Trump, and the Bible. Philadelphian Christian Great Tribulation Protection What will the Great Tribulation be like? Does Jesus promise physical protection to some or all Christians? Where might the place of protection be? What about fleeing to the mountains? What did Ezekiel warn? Here is a link to a related sermon: Great Tribulation Protection.

There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety,’ Zephaniah 2 to ‘gather together,’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on fleeing to a place–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. Two sermon-length videos of related interest are available Physical Protection During the Great Tribulation and Might Petra be the Place of Safety?  Here are two related items in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra? and Existe un Lugar de Seguridad.

Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New Who were the Samaritans? Do the represent true Christianity or something else? Here is a link to a related sermon: USA in Prophecy: Samaria.

Herbert W. Armstrong, the Philadelphia Church, & the Mantle Herbert Armstrong claims God had him raise the Philadelphia up. Are there reasons to believe that the Philadelphia mantle in now within the CCOG? Here is a link to a related sermon: Herbert W. Armstrong and the Philadelphia Mantle.

Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.

The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What About Silver? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold and silver? Two videos of related interest may be: Germany, Gold, and the US Dollar and Silver, Science, and Scripture.

The Seven Laws of Success by Herbert W. Armstrong and Bob Thiel: What Does the Bible Teach? Herbert W. Armstrong had seven laws that he felt could help people become successful.Do scriptures support them? Here are links to three related sermons: Three Scriptural Laws of Success, Jesus and Guaranteed Success, and Rely on God for Real Success.

When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2024, 2025, or 2026? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? A related video is: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? A shorter video is: Can the Great Tribulation start in 2022 or 2023? Notice also: Can Jesus return in 2023 or 2024? Here is a video in the Spanish language: Es El 2021 el año  de La Gran Tribulación o el Grande Reseteo Financiero.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. It is available in hundreds of languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-related sermons:  The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?

Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North. United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? Two related videos include UN’s ‘New Universal Agenda’ is a False Gospel! and United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.

Freemasonry and the Destruction of Rome? What is Freemasonry? What about ties to the Illuminati? Could Freemasons be involved in the fulfillment of prophecy? Here is a link to a related sermon: Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome.

Is a Great Reset Coming? Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum has proposed a societal change that has been basically endorsed by the Vatican and many world leaders. Does the Bible prophesy a major reset? Here is a link to a related video: Will there be a “Great Reset”?

Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Will Philadelphian Christians instruct many in the end times? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work. Here is a link to another: Preparing to Instruct Many.

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[eretzyisrael]

Blood libels began with the 1840 Damascus Affair

Blood libels are again being levelled at Jews in the current climate of antisemitism, resurgent from the Israel-Hamas war.  Charging Jews with the false accusation that they used the blood of Christian children for their religious rituals has a long history in the Christian world. But the first blood libel to penetrate the Muslim world – also spread by Christians –  occurred in 1840, and was to lead to dozens more in the Ottoman empire, and also the first  international Jewish attempt to fight it. Rabbi Menachem Levine writes for Aish (with thanks: Edna):

Jewish prisoner preparing his defence

The Damascus Affair of 1840 was an infamous blood libel that became international news and led to one of the first instances in which Jewish communities around the world worked together to demand justice for another Jewish community. The Damascus blood libel is recognized as one of the turning points of modern Jewish history when world Jewry realized the importance of uniting to advocate for each other.

On February 5, 1840, Father Thomas, an Italian Friar of the Capuchin Order who lived in Damascus, disappeared with his Muslim servant Ibrahim Amara. They were assumed murdered, possibly by businessmen with whom Thomas had had shady dealings or by a Muslim who was infuriated by an insult to Islam that Father Thomas had uttered.

But the Jews were to bear the blame as the Capuchin friars began spreading rumors that the Jews had murdered the two men to use their blood for Passover. This led to one of history’s most famous blood libels, the Damascus Blood Libel, better known as the Damascus Affair of 1840.

Read article in full

In his article for Dorot journal (Summer 2021) Alain Farhi has more detail on the malign role played by the French consul in Beirut, Ulysse Ratti-Menton,  and the  Jewish families accused of the murder: 

Ratti-Menton convinced Sherif Pasha that the Jews were responsible for the alleged ritual murders and, as a result, was given full investigative powers. RattiMenton, based on an extracted confession from a barber (Salomon Negrin) of complicity but not participation, rounded up eight Jewish men including Salomon Hayek; Murad el-Fattal; Jacob Antebi, the chief rabbi of Damascus; Aaron Harari; Aaron Stambouli; Joseph Lañado; Moses Abulafia; Moses Salonicli and Aslan Farhi (son of Raphael), Joseph and Murad Farhi. They were arrested and harshly interrogated by Jean-Baptiste Beaudin, a French diplomat seeking more confessions.

Rabbi Antebi and Lañado died under torture while Abulafia converted to Islam to avoid death. On February 14, Raphael El Mouallem Farhi, banker and head of the Farhi families of Damascus, was placed under house arrest with his servants in a government house for 90 days. On March 23, 1840, Mayer Farhi (my direct ancestor) was arrested and imprisoned. He was 55 years old and had an estimated 500,000 piasters net worth. The ghurush or piaster is the Arabic spelling of the kuruş which was the currency of the Ottoman Empire. A bribe of 24,400 piasters (£244) was offered by his wife Deborah to spare him 1,000 lashes of flagellation in prison.

Ratti-Menton published in European newspapers the alleged confessions. In the meantime, the Muslim population raided the Jobar synagogue, destroyed sefarim and attacked properties in the Jewish Quarter. Finally, the Ottoman police intervened to stop the Muslim attacks on Jewish residents.

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The US stories everyone was talking about in 2023

From Damar Hamlin to the Gilgo Beach arrest.

ByEmily Shapiro

December 31, 2023, 6:15 AM

8:12

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2023 Year in Review — Biggest news stories of the year 

ABC News recaps the biggest headlines and...Show More

This year was full of first-of-its-kind stories that got Americans talking.

From Damar Hamlin's remarkable recovery to the captivating search for the missing Titanic submersible to the shocking arrest in the Gilgo Beach murders, here's a look back at the most talked about stories of 2023.

Damar Hamlin

Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills stands for the national anthem before the game against the Dallas...Show more

Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images

On Jan. 2, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed during a televised "Monday Night Football" game in Cincinnati.

The 24-year-old was quickly surrounded by medical personnel who performed CPR and restarted his heart on the field.

MORE: Damar Hamlin opens up about his 'remarkable' recovery in new interview

The NFL player was put on a ventilator and spent nine days in the hospital.

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The incident appeared to significantly raise awareness of lifesaving CPR. In the four days after Hamlin’s collapse, the American Heart Association said it saw a 620% increase in pageviews to its Hands-Only CPR content pages.

MORE: 'The Damar Effect' -- the nationwide backorder on a lifesaving machine and the 620% increase in CPR

And as Hamlin recovered, he became an advocate for bystander CPR training. At the end of January he partnered with the American Heart Association for the "Damar Hamlin 3 for Heart Challenge," to teach people how to perform hands-only CPR.

Nashville school shooting

Girls embrace in front of a makeshift memorial for victims by the Covenant School building at the Cov...Show more

A woman looks on at the memorial for the Covenant School shooting victims at the Covenant Schoo, on...Show more

Johnnie Izquierdo for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Three children -- all 9 years old -- and three adults were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School, a small, private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27.

The suspect, 28-year-old Audrey Hale -- armed with two assault-style rifles, a handgun and "significant ammunition” -- allegedly shot through a locked door on the side of the school to gain entry, according to police.

MORE: Nashville school shooting: What to know about the 6 victims

Hale was shot dead by authorities about 14 minutes after the initial 911 call came in, according to police.

Hale was a former student at The Covenant School. Journals and maps were found in Hale's vehicle and home revealed the attack was planned over a period of months and that "Hale considered the actions of other mass murderers,” police said, but a motive was never released.

Bud Light boycott

A sign disparaging Bud Light beer is seen along a country road, on April 21, 2023, in Arco, Idaho.

Natalie Behring/Getty Images, FILE

A Bud Light product endorsement from Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, sparked backlash among many conservatives in April, inciting a boycott against Bud Light that hammered sales.

The consumer protest grew even larger after the initial response from the company was perceived as conciliatory by some LGBTQ advocates, prompting a wave of frustration on the left.

Enduring for months, the boycott imposed steep losses for the company’s U.S.-based business and triggered hundreds of layoffs.

Ultimately, Bud Light lost its spot as the nation’s most popular beer. Angry ex-customers helped propel the ascent of a rival: Modelo Especial.

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Wildfire smoke engulfs major cities

The Statue of Liberty is covered in haze and smoke caused by Canadian wildfires, in New York, June 6, 2023.

Amr Alfiky/Reuters

Fumes from wildfires in Canada engulfed the skies over much of the East Coast in June, turning the air a hazy orange and prompting serious air quality alerts in over a dozen states.

On June 7, New York City recorded the worst air quality rating of any major city in the world, with the air quality index climbing over 400. AQI ranges from 0 to 500, and levels under 100 are generally considered safe.

The dangerous smoke delayed flights, closed schools and postponed MLB games.

The missing Titanic submersible

In this undated file photo, the Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions to explore the wr...Show more

EyePress News via Shutterstock

A submersible carrying five people vanished while on a tour of the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, sparking a desperate, dayslong search that captivated the nation.

The 21-foot deep-sea vessel Titan, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes after submerging on June 18 with a 96-hour oxygen supply. Among the five people onboard was OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.

MORE: A timeline of the missing Titanic tourist submersible

On June 22, officials said they determined that the deep-sea vessel had imploded underwater, killing all five people on board.

The Coast Guard determined the Titan suffered a "catastrophic implosion." The Titan was found in pieces by a remotely operated vehicle on a smooth section of ocean floor more than 2 miles beneath the surface.

Gilgo Beach arrest

Police use cadaver dogs to search the thick brush near Gilgo Beach and Oak Beach, in New York, on April 5, 2011.

Andrew Gombert/EPA via Shutterstock

On July 13, a 59-year-old New York City architect who lived with his wife and children on Long Island was arrested in the mysterious Gilgo Beach murders that had haunted New York for over a decade.

Rex Heuermann was charged with the murders of three sex workers, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, whose bodies were found on Long Island in 2010. He has pleaded not guilty.

MORE: Gilgo Beach murders: A timeline of the investigation

Heuermann’s DNA allegedly linked him to the crimes, prosecutors said.

Heuermann allegedly used a burner phone "to conduct thousands of searches related to sex workers, sadistic, torture-related pornography and child pornography," court records said.

Other searches were "related to active and known serial killers," and the disappearances of the Gilgo Beach victims. One search, according to court records, was, "Why hasn't the Long Island serial killer been caught."

Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who vanished in 2007, though he has not been charged in that case.

Maui wildfires

In an aerial view, burned structures and cars are seen nearly two months after a devastating wildfire, on...Show more

Mario Tama/Getty Images

A large portion of West Maui, Hawaii, was obliterated when wildfires ignited on Aug. 8, killing nearly 100 people.

Factors such as high winds, a landscape parched by drought and fire hydrants that ran dry exacerbated the quick spread of the wildfires and the inability of firefighters to put them out.

MORE: The emotional toll of clearing debris from the Maui wildfires 2 months later

Lahaina, the island’s historic district and the location of the former Kingdom of Hawaii, was at the center of the destruction. The town's historic banyan tree was singed in the blaze.

Displaced West Maui residents are still living in hotels elsewhere on the island -- in many instances adjacent to paying guests.

MORE: Environmental impacts of Maui wildfires will last for years to come, experts say

The environmental cleanup and rebuilding process on Maui will take years, experts told ABC News.

A battle over water rights is also brewing as Native Hawaiians fight to protect their ancestral lands.

Convicted murderer escapes from Pennsylvania prison

Danelo Cavalcante is taken into custody, on Sept. 13, 2023.

Chief Patrol Agent Tim Sullivan

On Aug. 31, convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante escaped from a Pennsylvania prison, leading authorities on a massive two-week manhunt until he was captured.

Cavalcante broke out of the Chester County Prison just days after being sentenced to life without parole in the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend.

MORE: Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante nabbed, and how a dog named Yoda helped collar him

Cavalcante escaped by first scaling a wall in an exercise yard to gain access to the roof, according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News. He then pushed his way through razor wire, ran across the prison roof, scaled more razor wire and jumped down to a less secure area to make his getaway, officials said.

Hundreds of officers joined the manhunt, during which Cavalcante was spotted multiple times.

Cavalcante allegedly stole a gun from a home while he was on the run.

MORE: Danelo Cavalcante, murderer who escaped Pennsylvania prison for weeks, facing a dozen new charges

On Sept. 13, Cavalcante was captured in South Coventry Township, about 30 miles from Chester County Prison.

Cavalcante is facing new charges in connection with the escape.

Maine mass shooting 

Police respond to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 25, 2023.

Robert F. Bukaty/AP

Eighteen people were killed and 13 others were injured in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 25. The shootings unfolded in two locations: a bowling alley where a children's league was taking place and a local bar.

In the wake of the massacre, grieving and shocked residents of Lewiston and neighboring towns were forced to shelter inside as authorities launched a massive manhunt for the suspect, Robert Card.

Card evaded capture for two days before he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Oct. 27.

MORE: Alleged Maine gunman threatened he might 'snap' 6 days before shootings: Police records

Card, a 40-year-old Army Reservist who had no combat deployments, had a well-documented series of warning signs that his psychological state was on a sharp decline in the months leading up to the shootings.

His immediate family members raised concerns to police in May that Card had begun to exhibit paranoid delusions and claimed people were saying "derogatory" things about him while out in public and that he was growing increasingly "angry and paranoid" through the spring.

MORE: Alleged Maine mass shooter's brain being studied for CTE linked to military service

Card was institutionalized for two weeks in July for psychological treatment and evaluation during a stay at West Point in New York, after it became clear to his fellow soldiers that his mental state was deteriorating. He was released after 14 days. The Army said it then directed Card’s commander that he "should not have a weapon, handle ammunition, and not participate in live fire activity."

In mid-September, Card's training supervisor wrote a worried letter to local law enforcement requesting a welfare check on Card, who he refers to as one of his senior firearms instructors, noting that Card had been "hearing voices" and it had "only gotten worse."

ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik, Julia Jacobo and Max Zahn contributed to this report.