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When we read the beginning of Luke in the Bible, it can be easy to skim over the parts with John the Baptist’s parents. However, his mother, Elizabeth, is a really remarkable person. First off, when we’re introduced to Elizabeth and her husband, the Bible says, “They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years” (Luke 1:6-7, ESV). Elizabeth had almost certainly dealt with a lot of judgment from the community over the fact she had no...

"I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed" (Dan. 9:4). Confession brings forgiveness and guards God’s character. Confessing your sins means you agree with God that you have offended His holy character, are worthy of punishment, and in need of forgiveness. That's exactly what we see Daniel doing in verses 5-16. Verse 20 summarizes his prayer: "I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God." Unlike some who suffer God's chastening, Daniel didn't shift the blame for Israel's calamity. Instead he admitted that...

Iran has jailed for six and a half years on national security charges an Irish-French citizen held since October, his family said, adding that health problems meant his life was in danger. Bernard Phelan, a Paris-based travel consultant, was arrested in October in the northeastern city of Mashhad and has been held ever since. He is one of some two dozen foreigners jailed in Iran who campaigners see as hostages held to extract concessions from the West.

Among the worst disasters for progressivism in recent decades has been the work of Aaron Sorkin, whose impossibly articulate ratatat dialogue made it way too easy to imagine sexy technocrats saving the world. It’s great entertainment, but normalized unreasonable expectations of the flawed human beings who happen to have high IQs and impeccable credentials. As a child of the New Left, I never missed The West Wing: it was irresistible catnip for my adolescent hopes and dreams, and so much more satisfying than whatever was on the news—except for the eloquent public intellectuals on the Bill Moyers show on PBS....

Mortgage applications increased 6.9 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 3, 2023. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 6.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 9 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 9 percent from the previous week and was 76 percent lower than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 7 percent from one week earlier....

Richmond papers of March 5 furnish us important intelligence. We also hove advices of much interest from other points in the Rebel States: THE ATTACK ON FORT MCALLISTER. SAVANNAH, Tuesday, March 3 -- 10 P.M. The enemy are attacking Fort McAllister. The attack commenced at 8 1/2 o'clock this morning. Three Iron-clads and two mortar-boats are playing on the Fort. Our 8-inch columbiad has been dismounted; two men slightly wounded. The firing continues very heavy. SAVANNAH, Tuesday, March 3 -- 5:30 P.M. A dispatch from Fort McAllister, dated 3:46, says that one of the iron-clads has withdrawn. Two iron-clads and...

Slippin’ into darkness! The US Treasury 10Y-2Y yield curve, that is. At the same time that the 10Y-2Y yield curve inverts to -108 basis points, Bankrate’s 30-year mortgage rate has risen to 7.11%. Now that The Federal Reserve is no longer low riding interest rates, I expect to see a cooling of the US economy.

8 March 2023Wednesday of the 2nd week of Lent (optional commemoration of Saint John of God, Religious) Basilica of San Juan de Dios, Granada Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(I).First readingJeremiah 18:18-20 ©My enemies are digging a pit for me‘Come on,’ they said, ‘let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah; the priest will not run short of instruction without him, nor the sage of advice, nor the prophet of the word. Come on, let us hit at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word he says.’Listen to me, O Lord,hear what my adversaries are...

Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said Thursday on MSNBC’s “Deadline” that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is a “demonic sycophant.” Discussing Carlson, anchor Nicolle Wallace said, “He described Trump as a demonic force, a destroyer.” Steele said, “Demonic force, that means Tucker must be possessed, or Tucker is one of those demonic creatures that enable that force. I tend to go for the latter.”

On its “Inclusive Language” website, UNC-Chapel Hill reminds readers that words have consequences: “To fully represent the diversity of our students, faculty, staff and everyone in our community,” UNC states, “it is important to use language that supports [our] values.” Such prose is standard fare on equivalent sites across higher education. Yet a discerning reader might be a little surprised by one sentence on the UNC site, specifically: “Carolina is committed to creating an inclusive and equitable learning environment for every Tar Heel.” As the previously mentioned reader already knows, “Tar Heel” is a term with a messy history. Though...

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Kidnapped Ukrainian children are being sent to Russian “re-education” camps — where they are kept in prison-like conditions, forced to watch Russian propaganda, beaten and subjected to sexual violence, according to parents and activists. Inessa Vertash, 43, hasn’t seen her 15-year-old son, Vitaliy, in five months — ever since he left on what was supposed to be a two-week trip to a camp at the urging of his school teacher. It was billed as a retreat to escape the fighting. “I told her I wanted to think about it but she said there’s nothing to think about, they were leaving...

On February 22, 2023, the South Carolina House passed a Constitutional Carry bill with 75% of the votes, 90 to 30. Constitutional or “permitless” Carry is when a state does not require a permit to carry loaded handguns, openly or concealed, for most adults in most public places, a close approximation of the state of the law when the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791. From abcnews.com (AP): The Republican-controlled South Carolina House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to allow lawful firearm owners to carry handguns openly or concealed without a state permit.The 90-30 vote brings the conservative state one step closer...

Russia is welding ageing naval turrets onto old armoured vehicles to make crude tanks as Vladimir Putin’s forces face worsening arms shortages. The crudely engineered vehicles are being deployed in a likely attempt to shoot down Ukrainian drones as the armed forces grapple with crippling shortages of fighting machines and ammunition. (snip) New footage from an undisclosed location appears to show a 25mm 2M-3 twin-barrelled naval anti-aircraft turret fitted to a Soviet-era MT-LB amphibious fighting vehicle to form a new hybrid weapon. The amalgamation, which was constructed with parts manufactured as early as 1945, could be seen being transported by...

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Vice President Kamala Harris is returning to South Florida and this time it is to discuss the ongoing climate crisis. On Wednesday, Harris will join more than 300 speakers for Aspen Ideas: Climate at the New World Center in Miami Beach. The vice president will join a panel, moderated by acclaimed singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan, to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s actions to combat climate change...

A mural created in Fort Lauderdale to celebrate South Florida’s LGBTQ community has been vandalized just weeks after its unveiling... Fort Lauderdale police said tire marks covering the length of the 18-by-75-foot flag is no accident and in fact, a deliberate crime. Officers say the marks were caused by burnouts from at least two men in a pick-up truck and multiple other people likely on motorcycles. Security cameras captured the incident, with the driver of the truck backing

Tucker Carlson sat down with a former Capitol Police officer who was ignored by the House Jan. 6 Select Committee despite the pivotal role he had that day. Tarik Johnson, a 22-year veteran on the Capitol Hill force, was tasked with securing the certification of the 2020 presidential election. "My voice is one of the first ones you hear on the audio transmission, so I did expect to get an interview sometime, but it didn't happen." Johnson told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" about the House Select Committee in an interview aired Tuesday. "I guess the focus was on Donald Trump." Despite...

"abortion isn’t just about abortion. It’s part of a constellation of seemingly unrelated issues – including gay rights, “transgenderism” and the place of marriage and the family in our society. All are part of a clash of cultures – Judeo-Christian on one hand, neo-pagan on the other."

Ritter says to use Putin's recent state-of-the-nation speech as a guide to what to expect Russians to do in the near term