246 Pentecost 21: Buy Integrity

“Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us” ~ Psalm 90

Buy Integrity

The narrative you hear is the narrative you believe.

Ground yourself in the truth. Buy integrity and do not sell it. Hold your shares of charity and do not forget who you are.

Fleeting cultural stories, myths of the modern age, demand our attention, require our allegiance, claim our sense of duty for their own.

But the author of all storms knows what they do not, He gathers them like sheaves unto His threshing floor.

Rise and thresh, O Zion’s Daughter! He makes a way. His yoke is light: repent, trust, and walk tall. It’s free. It’s faith.

It’s True.

Immerse your hands in God’s story. Find true power in the knowledge of who God really is. Seed peace in your heart and all around with the unshakeable garment of Righteousness by Jubilee.

The prophets of the world cry, “Doom! War!” and “Mammon!” But history is written by the scarred hands of Jesus Christ.

Those who fear Him lack no good thing.

Till angel cry and trumpet sound,

R.J.M.F

---

Births, Deaths and Marriages

Wyoming’s governor, Mark Gordon (R) has removed a physician from the committee that “oversees the licensing and regulations of the medical profession” in his state. Radiologist Eric Cubin has appealed to the state Supreme Court to overturn his dismissal which was given for supporting a bill protecting children from chemical and surgical gender “transitions”. (The Federalist)

Scientists whose studies on the dangers of abortion pills were retracted are suing the academic journal responsible, saying the action was “politically motivated” and damaging to their reputations. (Daily Wire)

Conjoined twins, Amari and Javar Ruffin will be able to sleep in separate beds after successful surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The boys, who are now a year old, shared part of their sternum, diaphragm, abdominal wall and a liver. Surgeons were able to build missing organs “using layers of mesh and plastic surgery techniques to stabilize each one.” (The Independent)

We have to share this powerful testimony to life. A young mother, whose baby did not live long after birth says she couldn’t bear the thought of killing her child. “Why would I shorten a life that’s already so short? Why would I take her away from where God has placed her..where she’s warm and safe and only knows love?”

Money, Markets and Jobs

Vice President Harris was asked by reporters last week how she intends to pay for her proposed economic policies. Harris says the money will come from taxing the very rich – a strategy which has been bandied about before. The Vice President claimed that wealthy Americans only pay 8% in tax, but Politfact said that number is derived from calculating net worth (which includes assets) not individual’s actual income. But that is consistent with the Vice President’s stated goal to follow President Biden’s 2025 budget plan which involves taxing unrealised gains (i.e. if an asset appreciates in value, you owe the government tax on that “income”, even if you haven’t sold it). “Harris’s proposal to tax unrealized gains may appear to target only the wealthiest Americans, but it sets a dangerous precedent that would pave the way for even more aggressive and economically damaging tax increases.” As many have pointed out over the years, taking every cent of income from wealthy Americans would still only fund the government for a few months. While both V.P. Harris and Donald Trump appear to be keen on tariffs and spending, neither seem to be thinking about saving or frugality, even as interest repayments on the national debt passed $1 trillion earlier this year. (PolitiFact, PolitFact, Cato, Cato, Cato, Visual Capitalist)

The U.S. consumer price index and inflation numbers for September were both higher than hoped for, with annual inflation rate now at 2.4%. One expert said trends were more important than weekly fluctuations: “The overall trend over 12, 18 months is clearly that inflation has come down a lot, and the job market has cooled to a level which is around where we think full employment is.” (CNBC)

Boeing plans to lay off about 10% of its workers, according to media reports, including executives and managers. The aviation giant does not seem to be aiming to resolve the situation with striking engineers, but Jazz Shaw wonders if cost cutting measures are just part of Boeing'‘s waiting game – it knows that there are no near rivals and that customers will have to come back, eventually. (Hot Air)

Most of failed crypto company FTX’s creditors will get their investment back with some interest. Sam Bankman-Fried is reportedly has a new cell mate at his New York prison: Diddy. (CNBC, Crypto Potato)

Fur babies: Walmart is closing more of its health clinics for humans and opening more vet and grooming centres for pets. (CNBC)

Home Depot will require corporate employees to spend some time on the shop floor each quarter. (MSN)

SPY kids: why a 1% chunk of the U.S. stock market is tied to the lives of 11 random individuals. (Half As Interesting via YouTube)

Abu Dhabi has staked its claim as the “capital of capital” saying it has more assets under management than any other city. (Semafor)

Zillow, the real estate website will now include a property “climate risk…highlighting key risks like floods, wildfires, wind, heat and air quality.” (Forbes)

Crime and Punishment

The Supreme Court of the U.S.A. has returned after its summer recess and is considering a firearms case involving “ghost guns”. In 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives clarified that background checks and serial numbering also applies to kits which can be assembled into firearms. Justice Alito wondered whether “I put out on a counter some eggs, some chopped-up ham, some chopped-up pepper and onions. Is that a western omelet?" But the Biden administration’s legal team argued that unlike those ingredients, which have multiple uses, “weapon parts kits are designed and intended to be used” as guns. Ghost guns are less traceable than those purchased through firearm stores and are favored by criminals. (Washington Examiner, Reuters)

The SCOTUS has also taken on the case of a man who has been on death row for thirty years, convicted of contracting to have his boss murdered. Newer reports cast doubt on whether Richard Glossip actually had a fair trial and he is appealing to the Court for relief and to have his conviction thrown out. The Justices have been arguing at length about whether they can review a state court’s decision. (ScotusBlog)

Coming to America

An Afghan man who came to America on a special visa after the chaotic U.S withdrawal from Kabul has been charged with conspiring to commit a terrorist attack on election day. (WNG)

A pro-immigration think tank says Donald Trump’s promise to deport illegal immigrants will cost almost $1 trillion over a decade and impact the economy significantly. That does sound insane but we couldn’t find out anyone to factcheck at the moment. At least they might stop complaining about a few billion for a border wall.. (Reason, Pirate Wires)

Thunderdome 2024

Evangelical leaders are urging Christians to get out and vote after a Barna poll claimed that millions of Christians are projected to abstain from voting in the U.S.’ November election. Barna’s report says people are underwhelmed with both candidates and that there is a “widespread expectation” that the results will be manipulated. You could say, people are demoralized. Yet, Barna writes that many church-going Christians say they would get to the ballot box if their pastor suggested it: “The 32 million Christians sitting in the pews each week who refuse to vote are a gamechanger. It’s low hanging fruit for pastors as they try to motivate those congregants to carry out their civic duty and honor God through their influence for things that matter in our culture.” (Not the Bee, Cultural Research Center)

How astronauts vote from space. (NASA)

And.. a history of “October surprises”. (History)

Politics

The head of the Federal Trades Commission Lina Khan is causing friction within the Democrat party. Khan who has gained notoriety for blocking corporate mergers and pursuing anti-trust cases has fallen out of favor with megadonors who say she needs to go. (Semafor)

You see the problem? A new study across years and many social media posts have concluded that there is no bias in online censorship – it’s just that conservatives happen to share more “misinformation” from “low-quality” news sources. (Nature)

Former First Lady Melania Trump has said son, Barron, was turned down by a bank when he tried to open an account. (Reclaim the Net)

The Digital Age

A California judge has ruled that Google must give “Android users more options to download apps and to pay for transactions within them” on its mobile devices. U.S. District Judge James Donato told Google’s lawyers that “You’re going to end up paying something to make the world right after having been found to be a monopolist.” Google denied that it is a monopoly and said the order would cost consumers and be bad for privacy. Judge Donato has given the company eight months to come up with a model for how they will implement his orders. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is considering sanctions against Google aimed at forcing it to sell off parts of its business in order to “remedy” its “illegal behavior”. In August, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had breached antitrust laws by abusing its dominance as the world’s most used search engine. The final outcome of these trials will likely be years away. (Reuters, The Verge, Axios)

Will there ever be a successful competitor to YouTube? Turns out, it’s almost impossible to make video platforms profitable. (Infinite Scroll)

Wordpress, which runs about half of the world’s internet pages, is in a bit of a pickle. (The Verge)

Since the death of iPod, there’s not really been anything to fill the gap in the market for folks who just want a device that plays music. (The Hustle)

                            Me and the boys going have words with Monday

Religion and the Church

We thank Jesus for another victory for Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who has seen 12 years of prosecution on account of his Christian witness. The current case against him (over his refusal to bake a cake displaying a transgender message) has been dismissed on procedural grounds. During an interview on World Radio, Phillips’ lawyer said he believes the case cannot be appealed any further. (The Federalist, WNG)

If you’ve been wondering when the E.C.L.A would abandon any pretence of believing the Word of God, wonder no more. A trans-identified woman pastrix in Hollywood says the Bible was not written for today. Yes, it says God created male and female but we just can’t know that he didn’t also create other genders too. (The Blaze)

Could Britain’s extensive colonization and taking Christianity global end up being its saving grace? In advising naysayers to hold off ringing a death nell for Christianity in the United Kingdom, Ann Farmer mentions that 50% of immigrants to the country are Christians. It is hard to imagine the West, including our own nation regaining a Christian majority, but borrowing Farmer’s quote from Chesterton: “Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.” (Mercator)

A bit about the Babylonians. (Biblical Archaeology)

Arts, History and Sport

Cultural snobbery: Josephine Bartosch takes on the progressive idea that no culture is better than another. “Cultural relativism is an odious conceit that can only be indulged in by a sanctimonious few who benefit from life in industrialised, liberal democracies.” (The Critic)

Germany’s orthographic rule makers have approved the use of something German literary buffs have dubbed Deppen-Apostroph (“idiot’s apostrophe”). Apostrophes to show possession will be grammatically correct in written German from next year. Some critics lamented a creeping anglicisation of German, while others pointed out that the Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung has not ruled on the more weighty issues around gender-neutral language. Perhaps this is a first step in that direction? (LinkedIn)

“Big Boy”, one of eight massive locomotives remaining from 1941 is on tour about the ‘States. (KHOU11)

The Cortes Bank: A big wave surfer’s dream.. in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. (Nice News)

The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) says that almost 10% of tennis courts across America have been repurposed for pickleball. (The Dink)

American Girl is selling Halloween costumes.. for women. (The Every Mom)

Last week in history:

1871 The Great Fire of Chicago claims around 300 lives. (History)

1998 Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten and died from his injuries. A “robust narrative” that he was killed because he was homosexual quickly formed after the attack, leading to the expansion of hate-crime legislation. Later investigations revealed that the murder was “almost certainly” over drugs and money. (Reason)

Health, Medicine and Food

A study from late August warns that too much fluoride may lower children’s I.Q. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) determined “‘with moderate confidence’ that there is a correlation between higher fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children — specifically, IQs 2 to 5 points lower.” (Vox)

Scientists have recorded neural pathways clearing trash out of the brain for the first time. The study gives weight to the importance of good sleep in warding off dementia. (OSHU)

Online food influencers are driving a demand for food coloring. The marketing company which conducted research for these findings noted that “color is a vital tool for manufacturers as visually appealing products attract ever more consumers. Similarly, vibrant and colorful foods also excite children and promote eating.”(Food Dive)

Would you like macarons with that? McDonalds went global but now countries add their own local dishes to the menu. (The Dial)

According to new data, the U.S. has passed “peak obesity”, with the adult obesity rate dropping by 2% in the last 3 years. (The Independent)

18 things that kill you. (Domo Futu)

The effects of sleep and exercise can linger in your brain for two weeks according to a new study. (Good News Network)

---

From the Mad☧Tank

If you like reading news that matters with a Mad quirk, then please show your support for Mad☧Mondays! Get early access to Mad☧Tank articles by signing up through Substack. Or support Frisby’s efforts with any amount here.

Great stuff from our archive:

Getting Ready for Round 2

Live forever or die trying

Have you got something to say? Then send it to us! If you would like to submit your writing to be published in our Tank, please reply to this email. We would love to hear from you.

---

Hearts and Minds

Men can be strange about their birthdays, according to a new article in men’s magazine, GQ. Revealing a bit about men but also about how our society views men: “It’s not necessarily about putting the work onto one’s wife or girlfriend—it’s about the fear of asking to be honored,” one man says. (GQ, Leorningcnihtes boc)

The fastest way to sort out your books alphabetically. (TED via YouTube)

Is it scarier to think someone can change their personality? Or to think that you can’t? (The Conversation)

The 3-3-3 approach to structuring a productive day. (LifeHacker)

God’s Green Earth

Hurricane Milton thankfully did not hit as hard as had been predicted; in fact some carefree individuals were throwing a Hurricane Party. But at least 17 people are dead and 2 million homes and businesses are still without power. The IRS has said it will fast track $10 billion in delayed covid relief to small businesses affected by the storm. Florida also put an emergency order in place before Milton hit which will prevent insurance fraud and hopefully deliver speedy rebuilding. President Biden visited the state to survey the damage. (NBC, USA Today, Yahoo) Videos and pictures from the storm can be found here.

Ride or die? A man the internet dubbed “Lieutenant Dan” has successfully weathered Hurricane Milton in his boat. When newscasts started running the story of Joseph Malinowski who refused to leave the danger zone, a hero was born – the most Florida Man thing ever! The internet was taking bets on whether he would survive and an influencer said he would buy him a new boat after it was all said and done. The internet has the ability to make and break you, it would seem and Malinowski’s life was bound to be broadcast. That he has been arrested multiple times and his criminal record was soon posted for the world to see. New rumours suggest he even went purposefully to Florida to draw attention to himself during the hurricane. Well, he did survive the storm (both literal one and the figurative one) and the promise of a new boat still stands: “We are gonna make sure he gets the boat – Everyone has a…past.” (The Independent, Not the Bee, Not the Bee)

Starlink has breen approved to bring temporary direct-to-cell satellite service in areas of North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene. (The Verge)

Tadpoles in northern England are putting off growing up into frogs on account of unfavorable weather. Apparently, it is not entirely unusual for clusters of tadpoles to wait for good weather. (BBC)

An advantage of not having any bones: comb jellies can fuse together when one is injured. (LiveScience)

Rescue rats are trained to find people in disaster areas and rubble. (Nice News)

Cutting out the middle man: Starbucks is buying coffee farms. (Quartz)

Science

An unmanned NASA spacecraft has been launched on a mission to save earth. Hera will spend months collecting data on the asteroid NASA deliberately crashed into in 2022. Hera will check whether it NASA’s efforts inflicted any damage or threw the rock off its course. The idea is to increase earth’s asteroid-deflecting abilities.. Starfall, indeed. (Astronomy)

A very large study has found that almost half of researchers quit science within a decade of publishing their first paper. (Nature)

Scientists have built an artificial plant which converts CO₂ to oxygen and also generates a little bit of electricity. (Interesting Engineering)

War and Rumors of War

A man has set his arm alight in an apparent protest against Israel as the anniversary of Hamas’ attack was marked on the 7th. Bystanders were able to extinguish the flames before they spread too far. (Hot Air) A Brief History of Power covered the nature of protest by self-immolation last year. (MadPxM)

Israel says it killed Hezbollah’s Syrian commander in a strike early last week and warned Iran it had plans for a surprise attack. Yesterday, Hezbollah launched a drone attack into Israel, targeting a military site. Reports say the attack killed four soldiers and injured 61. “The attack followed news that the US is sending a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) missile defence battery to Israel, reportedly along with about 100 US troops” to help man it. (WNG, The Guardian)

Lebanon reports that 22 people have been killed and over 117 injured in an Israeli strike on sites in central Beirut. (BBC)

South Korea’s defense minister said it is likely North Korea is sending soldiers to fight for Russia in Ukraine. (Politico)

Vladimir Putin is recalling Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. and seems to be in no hurry to replace him. (Moscow Times)

Stories from Far Away

🇪🇺 The European Court of Justice has ruled that all member nations must recognize gender and name changes obtained anywhere else in the bloc. The ruling comes after a Romanian court refused to issue a new birth certificate for a woman who now thinks she is a man. (Le Monde)

🇧🇷 X will be returning to Brazil after agreeing to comply with government requests to censor a handful of accounts and paying a fine. (Reclaim the Net)

🇵🇰 Baloch separatists are claiming responsibility for a blast which killed two Chinese nationals in Pakistan. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has targeted workers on Chinese-owned projects, which it says is in protest of continued foreign investment in the region: “China or any other country investing in Balochistan is directly involved in the Baloch genocide. The enforced disappearances and forced displacements in the Makran coastal belt are huge. They are looting our resources with no gain to local Baloch." A separate attack in the same region claimed 21 lives when gunmen opened fire on miners yesterday. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. (Die Welt, AP)

🇨🇦 The Canadian Liberal government will roll out free contraception and diabetes drugs – 100% coverage for “those who do not have drug plan coverage, and out-of-pocket costs for those who do.” Critics say the program is vaguely laid out and say the Trudeau government has chosen a “costly” model. (BBC)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 When a tractor trailer ducks down a narrow Cornish alley, it will not end well! (BBC)

🐦‍⬛ There can never be enough funny wildlife photos

⌚ When your very expensive timepiece is mistaken for a kids watch

🦉 What a too-doo! The world’s longest-running treasure hunt has ended after 31 years

🍍 American food traditions that started as marketing ploys

🕷️ Wild and leggy wooden furniture

🏗️ The amazing engineering behind Mt. Rushmore

🧀 Italian mac and cheese. Like yours but quattro!

🍱 A London gallery set to display of shokuhin sanpuru – realistic models of dishes popular in Japan’s restaurant windows

🥷 Don’t leave your pizza lying around..

🪦 What’s the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard?

🎃 A giant Beetlejuice tribute in pumpkins

Jonathan and Meridith meandered pleasantly through another evening of conversation on Starfall2029, discussing living in troubled times and understanding the power of Jesus’ name! Watch on YouTube or Rumble, or listen here. Show links:

• Meridith spoke about what she learned reading the harrowing tale, Ordeal by Hunger by George R. Stewart

• Psalm 37

If you missed it, Meridith put out a call for anyone who would like to make a quilt for men who stay at the Hebron Collegium. If that is something you would be interested in helping out with, please reply to this email or send a message through madpxm.com/contact.

Our disclaimer: These are some resources the Fisks have found edifying, but when dealing with human-authored texts, apply discernment liberally!

This Week Preached:

On Twelve Thrones - Matt 19

Agag, Amelech and the Desire of God - 1 Sam 15

Podcast Release:

Strangers Here: Evangelization of Non-Lutherans – Part 2

On Pagans, on Parents, and on Being Problematic

Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, whose grace always precedes and follows us, help us to forsake all trust in earthly gain and to find in You our heavenly treasure; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

You can also make a one-off or recurring donation of any amount here. Thank you!