In the news, Saturday, November 30, 2019

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NOV 29      INDEX      DEC 01

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from Daily Wire

RIGHT BIAS, MIXED, American news and opinion website

‘Unprecedented’: Iran Kills Hundreds Of Unarmed Protesters, Quran Expert Warns It May Kill Thousands In Crackdown
A brutal crackdown by the Iranian government has left at least 180 demonstrators dead after they participated in protests that were initially sparked by an unexpected increase in fuel prices. “Altogether, from 180 to 450 people, and possibly more, were killed in four days of intense violence after the gasoline price increase was announced on Nov. 15, with at least 2,000 wounded and 7,000 detained, according to international rights organizations, opposition groups and local journalists,” The New York Times reported.

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from HumanProgress.org  Education Website

Heroes of Progress, Pt. 32: Benjamin Rubin
This week our hero is Benjamin Rubin, the American microbiologist who invented the bifurcated needle. Rubin’s bifurcated needle was instrumental in the World Health Organization’s 1980 campaign that led to the full eradication of smallpox, the only infectious disease to achieve that distinction. In the mid-1970s, Rubin’s bifurcated needle administered more than 200 million vaccinations annually. It is estimated to have saved more than one hundred million lives and prevented hundreds of millions more people from contracting smallpox.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

Sue Lani Madsen: Expansion of shopping holidays clutters the calendar
Did you celebrate Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day this year? Both holidays are informally scheduled on the Friday after Thanksgiving on the expanding seasonal calendar of named days.

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In the news, Friday, November 29, 2019

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NOV 28      INDEX      NOV 30

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from BBC News (UK)

Elizabeth I revealed as secret scribe of historic manuscript
A manuscript written by Queen Elizabeth I has been discovered after lying unnoticed for more than a century. A literary historian from the University of East Anglia made the startling find in Lambeth Palace Library in London.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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In the news, Thursday, November 28, 2019

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NOV 27      INDEX      NOV 29

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from DW News (Deutsche Welle)

Broadcasting & Media Production Company in Bonn, Germany

European Space Agency approves record budget

The ESA is to invest €14.4 billion ($15.8 billion) in space exploration including a moon mission up to 2022. Germany is now the largest contributor to the agency's biggest ever budget.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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In the news, Wednesday, November 27, 2019

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NOV 26      INDEX      NOV 28

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from The Archive

Visiting Pripyat, Chernobyl's Frozen Ghost Town
Then and now, Pripyat's eerie charms call out to visitors from around the world.
In April of 1986 the number 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant malfunctioned, leading to one of the worst man-made disasters in history. What you may not know is that the town of Pripyat, which was within the “Exclusion Zone” that was evacuated immediately following the disaster, still stands today—and you can actually go see it! Prior to the disaster, the city of Pripyat had grown to a population of around 49,400. Built as a closed city (a settling with residency restrictions) to serve the nuclear plant, Pripyat was only 16 years old when the disaster struck, though it was only officially declared a city in 1979—just seven years before it would become a ghost town.

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from Los Angeles Times

Far-right Washington state lawmaker faces backlash against white nationalism
So it’s perhaps not surprising that Spokane Valley is at the heart of a district where voters keep reelecting Matt Shea, a state lawmaker who distributed a document last year telling Christians to “kill all males” if gay people and abortion advocates don’t yield to fundamentalist religious law after the U.S. government collapses. The six-term Republican, who counts the unrepentant mayor and the doomsday pastor as close allies, wants eastern Washington to secede and form a 51st state called Liberty embodying his style of Christian values.

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from Psephizo  (blog)

Should we want to be ‘left behind’ in Matt 24?
The comparison with the ‘days of Noah’ contains a simple logical structure which, because of assumptions we make about the passage, it is easy to miss. In the days of Noah, most people were unaware of the coming judgement, and were pre-occupied with the mundane realities of life, as if these were all that mattered. When the flood came, they were taken away, whilst Noah and has family, having taken notice of God and made ready, remained behind in the ark and stayed to repopulate the earth. In the same way, people will be pre-occupied with the mundane realities of life, as if these were all that mattered, but when Jesus returns they will be swept away in judgement. Those who follow the teaching of Jesus and have made ready will be left behind to receive and live in the coming kingdom, the New Jerusalem which will come from heaven to earth (Rev 21).

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from The Spokesman-Review

Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from Time  Media/News Company

'They're Trying to Wipe Us Off the Map.' Small American Farmers Are Nearing Extinction
A perfect storm of factors has led to the recent crisis in the farm industry. After boom years in the beginning of the 21st century, prices for commodities like corn, soybeans, milk, and meat started falling in 2013. The reason for these lowered prices are the twin forces upending much of the American economy: technology and globalization.

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In the news, Tuesday, November 26, 2019

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NOV 25      INDEX      NOV 27

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from The Guardian (UK)

Stairways to heaven: England's top 10 cathedrals
England’s cathedrals are booming, even as parish churches are in decline. Attendance at Church of England cathedral services is up 14% in a decade and that does not include tourist visits. No one quite knows why. It appears to be a combination of music – especially evensong – fine art, architecture and coffee. In the language of the age, the cathedral offers an experience without a commitment. So which are the finest?

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from HumanProgress.org

Education Website

Thanksgiving Dinner Costs Less and Other Good News

Watching the news or discussing it with your family at Thanksgiving dinner, it is not hard to fall into the trap of thinking that the world is moving in a negative direction. It may be a challenge to find reasons for optimism, let alone thankfulness. But as the Thanksgiving holiday draws near, know that the data clearly show that a great many things are improving. But please don’t take my word for it. To see the evidence for yourself, just spend some time poking around the data on HumanProgress.org. Our database documents progress in areas as diverse as air travel safety (welcome news for those traveling for the holiday) and declining rates of hunger and poverty.

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from Journal of the Civil War Era

‘DISGRACE, RIDICULE, HATRED, CONTEMPT AND REPROACH’: THE IMPEACHMENTS OF ANDREW JOHNSON AND DONALD TRUMP
“There has been no President in the history of our Country who has been treated so badly as I have,” complained President Donald Trump as the House of Representatives began its impeachment inquiry in September 2019.[1] Only three other Presidents have faced impeachment inquiries, and they certainly felt the weight of the world had fallen upon them too. But as commentators have turned to the Nixon and Clinton cases for guidance on how an impeachment process should unfold, it might make better sense to turn to the case of Andrew Johnson, especially as it was the first Presidential impeachment trial.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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In the news, Monday, November 25, 2019

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NOV 24      INDEX      NOV 26

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from Anglican Journal

Resisting racism’s evil, infectious spread
People of the dominant culture sure don’t like hearing anything that hints they might be even a little racist. Folks quickly protest, “I am not a racist.” Others angrily ask, “Are you saying that I am a racist?!” This appears to be based on a misunderstanding of what racism is: a systemic problem more dangerous than any individual’s bad attitudes or prejudice. Part of the real danger of racism is the way it hides out in commonly held assumptions and polite agreement across a whole culture. It infects and deforms all of us.

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from DW News (Deutsche Welle)

Broadcasting & Media Production Company in Bonn, Germany

China Cables: Germany under pressure to respond to Beijing's Uighur internment

Leaked Chinese papers have revealed the largest internment of minorities since World War II. In view of the many German business ties with China, Berlin is under pressure to answer for its most important trading partner.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)

RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

Why the Pilgrims Abandoned Common Ownership for Private Property
The first few years of Plymouth colony were fraught with hardship and hunger. Economics had a lot to do with it. The “common property” approach killed off about half the settlers. Governor Bradford recorded in his diary that everybody was happy to claim their equal share of production, but production only shrank. Slackers showed up late for work in the fields, and the hard workers resented it. It’s called “human nature.” The disincentives of the socialist scheme bred impoverishment and conflict until, facing starvation and extinction, Bradford altered the system. He divided common property into private plots, and the new owners could produce what they wanted and then keep or trade it freely. Communal socialist failure was transformed into private property/capitalist success, something that’s happened so often historically it’s almost monotonous. The “people over profits” mentality produced fewer people until profit—earned as a result of one’s care for his own property and his desire for improvement—saved the people.

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from Forbes

Why Apocalyptic Claims About Climate Change Are Wrong
Environmental journalists and advocates have in recent weeks made a number of apocalyptic predictions about the impact of climate change. Journalists and activists alike have an obligation to describe environmental problems honestly and accurately, even if they fear doing so will reduce their news value or salience with the public. There is good evidence that the catastrophist framing of climate change is self-defeating because it alienates and polarizes many people. And exaggerating climate change risks distracting us from other important issues including ones we might have more near-term control over. “You’ve got to come up with some kind of middle ground where you do reasonable things to mitigate the risk and try at the same time to lift people out of poverty and make them more resilient,” said Emanuel. “We shouldn’t be forced to choose between lifting people out of poverty and doing something for the climate.” Happily, there is a plenty of middle ground between climate apocalypse and climate denial.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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In the news, Sunday, November 24, 2019

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NOV 23      INDEX      NOV 25

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from Breitbart

RIGHT BIAS, MIXED, American conservative news and opinion website

Far-Left Guardian, Julia Wong Deliberately Omit Key Facts in Piece Smearing Breitbart
In a breach of journalistic ethics, Julia Wong from the far-left British newspaper Guardian deliberately omitted key facts in a recently published smear job of Breitbart News and is refusing to come clean about the article, including the decision to allow the discredited Southern Poverty Law Center to make disparaging claims while leaving out Breitbart’s responses.

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from Coeur d'Alene Press

J.C. WHITE HOUSE MOVE UNEARTHS BURIED TREASURES
As a Nov. 16 crowd of local lookie-loos watched a semi truck haul the J.C. White House to its new home near the base of Tubbs Hill, a team of local historians swapped their curiosity caps with their Indiana Jones fedoras. The archaeologists spent the day living every history buff’s dream: Exploring a freshly-excavated discovery from an ancient ruin. “We recovered some beautiful pieces,” said Jocelyn Babcock, development director for the Museum of North Idaho. “We were really excited about their condition.” Babcock said once the White House left its Sherman Avenue address — the iconic home’s familiar perch for the past 116 years — explorers found a local treasure trove of artifacts. The remains of the White House lore do more than provide curios for pawn shops: Museum officials say the artifacts will help better understand the early days of Coeur d’Alene’s boom. “One of the coolest things we found was the mortar ball,” John Swallow, CEO of New Jersey Mining and one of the men responsible for physically moving the White House to its newest locations, told The Press. The mortar ball was found beneath the White House porch after the move, buried in shallow dirt.

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from Crux: Covering all things Catholic

Poland’s communist-era primate recalled for sanctity, statesmanship
When plans were announced in October for the beatification of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, fresh tributes poured in for the man who steered Poland’s Catholic Church through dark years of communist rule. The former primate will be declared blessed - a step on the way to sainthood - June 7 at an open-air Mass in Warsaw. While supporters are recalling his personal strength in defending the church against relentless opponents, they also are stressing his sanctity as a figure of prayer and devotion.

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from The Guardian (UK)

It's time to retire metrics like GDP. They don't measure everything that matters
The world is facing three existential crises: a climate crisis, an inequality crisis and a crisis in democracy. Will we be able to prosper within our planetary boundaries? Can a modern economy deliver shared prosperity? And can democracies thrive if our economies fail to deliver shared prosperity? These are critical questions, yet the accepted ways by which we measure economic performance give absolutely no hint that we might be facing a problem. Each of these crises has reinforced the fact that we need better tools to assess economic performance and social progress.

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from LifeSiteNews.com
Nonprofit Organization

Pelosi Using Impeachment as ‘Political Weapon,’ Charges Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Sunday slammed the House’s impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump for chasing after a “red herring” when trying to determine whether the president tied foreign aid to Ukraine to an investigation into his political rivals, and he attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for making impeachment proceedings a “political weapon.”

Schumer Shares Confusing ‘Whistleblower’ Tweet Referencing Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman
During last week’s public impeachment (sham) hearings on Capitol Hill, the desperate Democrats trotted out Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. Vindman, of the National Security Council, appeared before the House Intelligence Committee and offered nothing in the way of “evidence,” in my view, to prove that President Donald Trump did anything wrong during his July 25 phone call — of which we all read the transcript — with Ukraine President Volodymr Zelensky.

Elise Stefanik on Adam Schiff’s Push for Impeachment: Americans ‘Could See How Partisan’ It’s Been
“You took on Adam Schiff. “What was that like?” asked Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.” Stefanik is the young GOP lawmaker who distinguished herself over these past two weeks during the televised House Intelligence Committee impeachment inquiry hearings because of her direct, bold and no-nonsense questions of the witnesses called before the committee. Stefanik responded, “The American people could see firsthand how partisan this process has been from the start.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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In the news, Saturday, November 23, 2019

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NOV 22      INDEX      NOV 24

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from BBC News (UK)

The good fortune behind Cutty Sark's 150 years
The world's only remaining tea clipper is celebrating its 150th birthday this weekend, but the fact the famous ship has survived for so long has much to do with luck. Cutty Sark first set sail from Dumbarton, Scotland, in November 1869. While at sea, it set records for travelling between Australia and England, but new technology and a devastating fire almost led to its end.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

Sue Lani Madsen: How to make housing unaffordable
It’s déjà vu all over again as the Spokane City Council takes up the Tenants Bill of Rights agenda that was first floated in December of last year. It started with a series of four housing forums on new landlord-tenant rules at the beginning of the year. Or more accurately, new landlord rules. Tenant accountability isn’t the focus. Neither is expanding the supply of affordable housing.

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