266 Lent 2: When Idols Fail
“How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?” ~ Psalm 4
On the Radar
A Test Case
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University activist and student, has dominated headlines over the past week. The 30-year-old was taken from his home by immigration agents for allegedly violating the conditions of his visa. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US has grounds for Khalil’s deportation. Born in Syria to Palestinian parents, Khalil is a citizen of Algeria and originally came to the US in 2022 on a student visa during President Biden’s term. Since then, he has married a US citizen and obtained a green card. Libertarians and free speech advocates argue that Khalil’s deportation would set a dangerous precedent against free expression, saying he has the right to voice his opinions on Israel. However, the Trump administration has emphasized Khalil’s alleged pro-Hamas activism, asserting that support for a terrorist organization violates the conditions of his green card, making him a “deportable alien.” Mounting evidence suggests Khalil’s ties to Hamas may be more than tangential, raising concerns that he harbors hostility toward America and Western civilization. Commentator Megyn Kelly agrees, portraying Khalil as holding Columbia hostage, inciting student riots to pressure the university into severing ties with Israel. Kelly warns that Islamist activism often exploits Western tolerance to advance its goals.
My Other Tesla is a Rocket Ship
Sales of Tesla vehicles have taken a hit globally, in an apparent “pushback” by customers against CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration. Dealerships and actual vehicles are also taking literal hits with Tesla owners finding their cars scratched or graffitied with swastikas. Dealerships were firebombed and shot at. One report gleefully reported that activist drivers were disguising their cars as a form of “resistance” but maybe it was just to stop them getting keyed. One X user pointed out the strangeness of the situation since Tesla was once the progressive left’s favorite car and destined to combat climate change: “They started off virtue signaling by driving electric cars and now they virtue signal by destroying them.”
A thought: It’s not really a story about cars. This is about what people do when their idols fail – whether it’s faith in Elon Musk to solve humanity’s problems, devotion to an ideology, or the belief that one’s own moral actions, like “saving the planet,” make them righteous. When illusions are shattered, the human heart often turns nasty. This is a disturbing tale, but it’s also a reminder of where true hope must be placed. We need to pray for changed hearts in our nation—that people would give proper honor to the God of Gods. Join the Psalmist’s prayer:
"Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
The Blitz
Life
Birth, Death and Marriage
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear Chiles v. Salazar, a case involving a Colorado therapist who says bans on “conversion therapy” place restrictions on her free speech rights and especially on her freely exercising her faith. Kaley Chiles says even when clients come to her wanting help to fight homosexual desire or transgender inclinations, she is not allowed to assist them in that battle. (WNG) Read how conversion therapy threatens religious liberty here.
Metropolis
Politics and the State
Secretary Rubio says DOGE’s audit of USAID is complete with 5200 contracts axed, around 83% of its total commitment. The remaining contracts will be fulfilled by the State Department. (ABC News) A leaked internal email from USAID head requested that staff participate in an “all-day disposal event” to shred documents, apparently to sabotage further investigation. “Government agencies do occasionally destroy paper records of classified materials and other documents, but strict procedures govern the process.” (ZeroHedge, BBC) | A California district judge has ruled that the Trump administration must immediately reinstate all workers fired from federal agencies and departments. Judge William Alsup said the administration was free to downsize its staff, but must do so following federal statutes and the Constitution. (Government Executive)
A “global alliance and network of civil society groups” has added the US to a human rights watch list over “declining civil liberties”. The progressive website say the “civic space” has “narrowed” in the US due to “gross abuses of executive power” against “undocumented” and “gender non-conforming” people. (Time) The Watchlist includes Pakistan and the DR of Congo.
The Heritage Foundation's Oversight Projects claims that almost every document signed by President Biden used an autopen device. Though presidents have used mechanical means to sign bills for decades, the fact of President Biden’s cognitive decline has raised questions about whether he was aware of what was being signed in his name. (PJ Media)
Treasure
Money, Markets and Jobs
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has backed a GOP funding bill in order to avoid a government shutdown. Senator Schumer drew criticism from his own party for siding with Republicans, but he reasoned that “a shutdown would play too much into the hands of Trump and Elon Musk”. An approved continuing resolution will keep the government funded at its current level to give lawmakers more time to hash out details for a budget. In theory. (Semafor)
Inflation in the US dropped ever so slightly in February. (CNBC)
Southwest Airlines will begin charging for checked luggage. Supporters of the change say it gives passengers the option to only pay for the services they need, but some customers said they like the simplicity of an all-in-one price. (AP, USA Today)
Hedge funds are hiring meteorologists to help predict how “weather events drive volatility in commodities markets”. (Hedge Week)
Reality Bytes
Digital Technology
Facebook has denied claims by a whistleblowing former executive that it was in the tank for the Chinese government. Sarah Wynn-Williams says the social media company was willing to censor user posts in exchange for being able to operate in China. Meta said it is “no secret” it was “once interested” in the prospect but decided against it. The company’s response added that Ms. Wynn-Williams was fired for “poor performance.” (BBC)
Spanish researchers have discovered undocumented commands in a Chinese-made chip that could serve as a "backdoor," allowing remote access to the devices it powers. In response, the developer claimed the commands were intended for debugging during testing and promised to remove them from future models. The ESP32 microchip is reportedly used in one billion devices worldwide. (Bleeping Computer)
Ninantic has sold PokeMon GO to Scopely, a company owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Fans of the game are bunkering down, as Scopely is known for “extremely aggressive monetization” of its games. (Polygon)
Heritage
Arts, History and Sport
Lego is setting up its own dedicated gaming department. (Engadget)
OpenAI says it’s made a bot that is “really good” at creative writing. (TechCrunch)
A fragment of the Bayeux Tapestry, stolen by Nazis decades ago, was discovered in the archives of a German town. It will be returned to France. (Artnet)
Health
Medicine and Food
It has been five years since the covid pandemic was declared in the US. The response revealed a fissure deep in the heart of America; “Once the double standard was exposed, it became visible everywhere.” (The Federalist)
An Australian man was able to live for 100 days with an artificial heart, while he was waiting for a transplant. Its engineers say that the “implantable rotary blood pump.. can act as a complete replacement for a human heart”. The titanium device uses “magnetic levitation technology to replicate the natural blood flow of a healthy heart.” Kind of Tony Stark. (The Guardian)
Stanford researchers have identified a naturally-occurring molecule that works like semaglutide. Scientists at the Stanford’s med school believe the molecules could be used as a less harmful alternative to obesity drug, Ozempic. (New Atlas)
The American Heart Association is facing scrutiny for opposing a Texas bill that would prohibit the use of food stamps to purchase candy and soda. (Straight Arrow News)
Billionaire longevity enthusiast and walking lab experiment, Bryan Johnson, wants to create a database showing toxins in as many foods as possible. “It’s just very, very hard to buy clean food,” he said. (TechCrunch)
More on Bryan Johnson from our archive:
Hearts and Minds
Philosophy, Hacks and Human Connection
Um, uh and huh-type interjections may actually be important for keeping conversation flowing. (Knowable)
Toxic preconditions - where the perfect becomes the enemy of the good enough. (The Imperfectionist)
Eyes on the street: One LA resident’s account of how a simple taco stand improved morale and safety in her neighbourhood. (Vanessa Guerrero via X)
The Elements
The Natural World
Aww, Jackie and Shadow, the famous Big Bear bald eagles have hatched their third eaglet and the internet is gushing. (NBC Los Angeles)
Learning
Homeschooling, Education and Classrooms
The US Department of Education has cut its staff by 50% as part of a new commitment to efficiency and a renewed focus on supporting schools, teachers, and students. The largest reductions reportedly come from “regional divisions of [the DoE] office for civic rights” in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. (The Federalist, Education Week)
Knowledge
Science and Data
MIT scientists have been able to change skin cells into neurons, bypassing the stem cell stage. (MIT News)
SpaceX has successfully used its Mechazilla tower to catch one of its Superheavy rockets. The upper stage, however, experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”, disintegrating over The Bahamas. (Teslarati)
Berkley scientists are excited to have discovered “berkelocene”, an organometallic compound made containing berkelium and carbon. Berkelium is highly radioactive and heavier than uranium, but researchers say the compound did not act the way they predicted. Understanding actinide chemistry better may help solve problems related to disposing nuclear waste. (Berkley Lab)
War and Rumors of War
Conflict and Weaponry
The US has begun sharing intelligence and aid with Ukraine once again after Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire proposal. However, Putin is having none of it, saying Russia will not agree to anything unless its demands are met(including disarming Ukraine and keeping annexed territories). (The Hill, International Intrigue, National Review) | Russia is reportedly close to reclaiming its territory in the Kursk region with Ukrainian troops surrounded. President Trump says he has spoken on the phone with Putin and asked that they be spared. (The Guardian, ZeroHedge)
France has said it will begin using interest from frozen Russian assets to send munitions to Ukraine. (Politico)
Lockheed Martin is testing a new low-cost cruise missile designed to be made at scale. (Air and Space Forces)
Stories From Far Away
World News
🇸🇾 Christians in Syria are being massacred by jihadis. (ZeroHedge) | Syria’s new authorities have signed a deal with Kurdish-lead forces, bringing most of the country under the control of the central government. (France 24)
🇬🇱 The result of elections in Greenland has signaled that Greenlanders want independence from Denmark, but they also “don’t want to be Americans”. (The Blaze)
🇧🇷 A highway is being built through the Brazilian jungle for the next climate conference, which Brazil’s government are touting as "a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon". Locals say the walled road will make their lives worse, providing no benefit. (BBC)
🏴 A container ship has collided with an anchored oil tanker off the coast of England, causing significant damage and triggering fires on both vessels. Both crews abandoned ship, and one sailor is feared dead. British police are questioning the Russian captain of the Portuguese-flagged container ship. (ABC News)
🇩🇰 Denmark’s 400 year-old postal service will soon stop delivering letters, citing the vast drop in volume of letters sent in the last century. (BBC)
🇮🇳 An Indian pharmaceutical company is exporting cheap opioids to western African nations, fueling an opioid crisis. (BBC)
Quickhits For The Eyebuds
👓 What humans did before eyeglasses?
✨ Artist gives common birds a glamour makeover
🕳️ When the you really need that pothole fixed
📽️ The actor who inspired Homer Simpson’s “D’Oh!”
🎸 There’s a Spinal Tap sequel on the way
🪞 How two-way mirrors work
🍳 Oven to air fryer temperature convertor
🐩 Six year-old Freddie becomes youngest Crufts competitor ever
🔭 What did the Hubble telescope see on your birthday?
🍯 Why honey never spoils
Good Word: Starfall 2029
Rev Fisk has set up a new base for his Starfall musings over on TikTok. We will still post to other channels but consider YouTube a home mostly for sermons. For last week’s subscriber update, you can find that on YouTube or Rumble, or listen here.
Sweetness YouMay Have Missed:
This Week Preached:
Podcast Release:
Let us pray. O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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Very informative, good work 👍. God's peace to you.