Fuel dilemma 1

Here's the dilemma. Germany put economic sanctions on Russia to punish them for brutally invading the sovereign country of Ukraine. But at the same time they heavily depend on imports of Russian natural gas and petroleum for which they pay a huge sum. So, while punishing Putin for the war, they are at the same time giving him the income he needs to continue it.

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It's difficult because stopping the huge payments to Russia (which they strongly feel they should do) would also - without question - leave the German people painfully short of fuel.

So the debate in Germany right now can be summed up like this: "Europe's largest economy is trying to figure out just how badly it would fare without Russian gas." They could stop paying Putin altogether, but how much economic suffering are they willing to endure for it? 

Dependence on Russia for its energy needs has been an awkward fact for years. Now it's acute.

from Foreign Policy

(cont'd tomorrow)

War zone 1

Life is different when your home turns into a war zone. While about 3.9 million people have fled the danger, that's less than 10% of Ukraine's population. Most still live there, coping with tough circumstances. You've seen media photos of apartment buildings and shopping centers flattened and  destroyed by Russian bombs. Where do those people live now, and where do they shop? Somewhere else.

Almost five thousand miles of highway is damaged or destroyed. That means truck lines which carry food products and other merchandise are disrupted. That means that businesses and stores can't always supply what their customers need, with more jobs and incomes lost.

Since they're a major exporter of agricultural products (called the "breadbasket" of Europe), Ukraine's war zone effect will be felt way beyond their border. 

About  70% of their imported petrol and diesel is from Russia or its ally, Belarus. That's a problem since only one in five of their large agri-businesses now has enough fuel to do this spring's planting. One more big factor: there's a large number of men missing from the work force because they're fighting a war.

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Staying behind

Yes, millions of Ukrainian citizens are fleeing from the war. But beyond the massive numbers escaping, there are some choosing to stay right in the path of Russian destruction.

Unidentifiable from the sky, ordinary unmarked vans driven by brave men and women bring supplies to desperate people who have not fled the country, who have survived so far but whose resources are devastated.

A large underground non-governmental network of Christian groups with "long-established family connections" is based on loyalty and trust, and is not very visible to the invading aggressor.

A woman and three others volunteers who stayed in the war zone and paid the ultimate price - here.

This author praises the manliness (non-toxic) of men taking emotional farewells of their families, then resolutely heading back to the fight.

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from Spectator

Unintended 6

Follow-up to this thread

As we get more distance from the pandemic, research can reveal side effects of the actions we took. It's important to look back and ask whether we're satisfied with the results of government policies during that time 2020-2021. What exactly happened?

One such study was just published this month by the American Medical Association. Alcohol-related deaths increased in 2020 compared to 2019 by 25%, a rate much higher than the previous year's increase of about 2%.

Common sense might have expected something like this: more drinking to cope with job losses and lockdowns, even to the point that many died.

Another unintended consequence. Something to remember next time lockdowns are suggested for our health.

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Help Darwin 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Despite the lack of much evidence from the fossil record, some scientists wanted to find a way to make sense of Darwin's theory of macro-evolution (that all species of life developed by way of natural selection working on random variations, not by the work of a Designer). 

Charles Darwin himself had a suggestion. When he published the book (1859), he knew that most of earth's fossil record had not been investigated yet. So he suggested that future fossil research would reveal those slowly evolving animal forms in between species. They had to be there.

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But another 163 years of paleontological progress since Darwin's time has found that . . they are not there. Species do evolve in the sense of minor changes over time. (That's micro-evolution and it's been observed. It is not disputed.) But innumerable intermediates forming a gradual trail of animals turning into other species since life began? No.

For more attempts to get around the fossil problem that worried Charles Darwin, view yesterday's video or go here.

Help Darwin

(cont'd from this post)

Charles Darwin was worried about the fossil record because it didn't show innumerable intermediate forms proving super gradual change into today's living animals. He still wanted his theory to be true, in spite of the evidence of twenty new types of animal bodies in the Cambrian era which show up in the fossil record suddenly with no forms leading up to them.

Some scientists went to work to help find a way that the theory could still be true in spite of evidence from the Cambrian Explosion fossils.

Field hospital 2

Follow-up to this post

Lviv in western Ukraine is flooded with thousands of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives. Most refugees head for the border with Poland, just another 43 miles. They're exhausted in every way, far from home, worried about their future, taking care of children.

Some left medications behind, all of them left stable health care behind. Some have injuries from their travel or the attacks they're running from. One woman had endured a broken arm for nine days.

Vulnerable people receive care and medicines at the field hospital erected by Samaritan's Purse. The woman with the broken arm was in tears to finally get relief from her pain.

Straw bale 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Plants won't grow in an ordinary pile of straw. But if you follow Joel's instructions to condition a straw bale, the straw breaks down and degrades into a fertile growing medium. I did that in my own yard because of my inferior soil, and it worked.

If you live in the northern hemisphere, it's spring so you could try this soon. Set up your bales, then water and condition them with fertilizer for twelve days according to the directions in his book or on his website here or here. After that, you're ready to plant.

 Here's what it looks like to plant veggies or flowers in conditioned straw bales:

Straw bale

This man quietly started a gardening innovation that began in his own region but is spreading globally. The method enables wannabe gardeners for success where appropriate soil is lacking  because it's not a garden that you grow in the ground, nor do you have to find appropriate soil to put into a container. 

You can grow produce in a straw bale or facsimile, provided you follow the easy steps and create a growing medium in it. The bale works on a parking lot or patio, on a driveway or rooftop. 

 He modified the steps to work in conditions of flooding and drought for farmers in Asia.

 

(cont'd tomorrow)

Darwin doubted 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

"Did you know that Charles Darwin knew about the key issue in his theory that doesn't add up? Did you know that he was troubled that an entire field of scientific study opposes the key tenets of evolution?"

So starts the video in yesterday's post. This man of faith's purpose, he says, is to challenge skeptics, strengthen believers, and create a space for awesome discussions about God. He's making the case for intelligent design. 

Today, conventional science and culture are dominated by a naturalistic paradigm which says that there is no divine designer or Creator God, and that all life forms developed according to Darwin's theory of (macro) evolution. So it's assumed that all opposition to this version of evolution must come from religious dogma or superstition.

But it's not so today, and it was not so in 1859. Leading paleontologists in Darwin's day would not adopt his theory because the whole field of paleontology painted a picture opposite to that which would have supported his theory. There should have been "innumerable" examples of animals in slow, gradual transition throughout the fossil record. But, on the contrary, new and complete body structures appear in the fossil record suddenly - without evolutionary precursors. (It's all in yesterday's 12-minute video.)

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Darwin doubted 1

Charles Darwin published a game-changing book, The Origin of Species, in 1859 to explain his theory about how all species of life originated. It challenged the era's conventional wisdom which said that the Creator God specially designed each type of creature. 

Darwin claimed that all life of every type descended from one unknown original life form, changing gradually through its generations. When a change (variation) helped a life form to survive and reproduce, there were eventually more of this variety of plant or animal life. This happened countless times, slowly and gradually changing generations of life forms over enormous time spans, resulting in all the species of earth's history. 

Certainly species change (micro-evolution) over time by a process (natural selection working on variations) which is undisputed today. But could this process have produced all the different species of life on earth (macro-evolution)? That is far from proven, and it is disputed.

Darwin was not cocky about his theory. He had doubts, and was humble enough to admit them.

(cont'd tomorrow)

CRT myths 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Critical race theory and its principles are definitely being taught in school rooms, says Dr. Deborah DeSouza Owens, CEO of Coalition of Americans for Action and Principle. If you or your friends are confused about this, it's not surprising at all. Myths and mis-direction abound.

Myth #1 - CRT simply gives some attention to the experiences of minority races in America. But -- no, CRT goes much further to claim that American government, institutions, and economy are all "rigged" to favor whiteness and therefore must all be deconstructed and re-invented.

Myth #2 - CRT is right and just to judge all white people as inherently racist. But -- no, shaming a whole race of people based on their race is itself racism. People are responsible for their own conduct and motives, not that of everyone of their color.

Myth #3 - CRT is not in schools. But -- no, it is often an unspoken/unlabeled assumption that underlies curriculum and classroom discussion.

Parents of every race are giving schools and government a message: "don't do this to my kids."

from Stream

CRT myths 1

So parents are rising up in pretty big numbers to fight CRT in the schools of their children. (Yesterday's Bion Bartning is one of them.) With all the new attention on it, some alarmed state legislatures have banned it from schools.

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But a reaction among teachers and administrators argues against the parents' movement. They counter that it's not true that they are teaching critical race theory. 

There are at least two different things going on here:

• One is that, yes, there is usually no course called "Critical Race Theory" that is being taught in most schools. But it's not an actual course that parents object to anyway. It is the ideas that make up CRT which are being taught in various courses and policies. 
• A second factor is that there may be intentional misleading of public opinion.

Confusion about definitions can take the air out of any debate and collapse the movement, so pro-CRT parties sow as much confusion as possible. It's sophistry. And of course there are always unaware people who simply don't understand.

Is it being taught or not? We want to know the truth.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Racial divide

Bion Bartning's new Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR) just started in 2020, but it's grown to almost 40,000 followers who wish to stand for pro-human fairness and against the teaching of critical race theory in schools. 

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Why do they object to the philosophy of CRT? It's this: 

"Instead of teaching our children that they are unique individuals united by our shared humanity, it insists that they identify as members of racialized identity groups locked in a zero sum battle for power."

They wish to stand for gratitude instead of grievance . . to inspire optimism instead of learned helplessness . . to encourage forgiveness instead of the poison of resentment. 

Bartning is part of the movement of parents who feel a need to push back against the CRT direction being pushed in schools. He describes what alarmed him at his own kids' school in an article published in Wall Street Journal last year.

From FAIR

(cont'd tomorrow)

Shipping cost 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Container ships along the West Coast still back up at our big seaports, and the turmoil is still related to the pandemic. About 800 dock workers in Los Angeles and Long Beach CA couldn't work in January for Covid-related reasons. 

On New Year's Day there were a record 106 vessels waiting to unload. Compare that to the typical pre-pandemic number waiting: one. This is the heart of the supply chain crisis you've heard about. The system got way behind because of lockdowns and sick workers, all coming at the same time as a big increase in imported goods.

Maybe the whole complicated system (raw materials/manufacturing/distribution) will have to be tweaked to reduce vulnerability to the shipping sector. Some factories could be placed nearer either the source of raw materials or the distribution end points. But moving factories is neither cheap nor easy. Our system must run efficiently again as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, ships divert to East Coast ports to avoid that West Coast gridlock - resulting in eastern gridlock.

y

from WSJ

Shipping cost 1

Follow-up to this post

One consequence of the pandemic still in force today is shipping industry turmoil. It's big in the news because it affects prices that we all pay (the cost of shipping a product from its overseas factory must be covered by the retail price that your store charges you for the product).

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Here's how much retailers paid in overseas shipping cost to get these eight common products for you, an increase factor of about ten:

• Couch - $50 in 2020, $516 in 2022
• Fridge - $58 in 2020, $596 in 2022
• Air fryer - $0.48 in 2020, $5 in 2022
• 49" TV - $4 in 2020, $45 in 2022
• 8x10 rug - $5 in 2020, $56 in 2022
• Coffee maker - $0.50 in 2020, $5 in 2022
• Wooden desk - $2 in 2020, $21 in 2022
• Crib - $5 in 2020, $60 in 2022

from Forbes, February-March 2022, p. 94

(cont'd tomorrow)

Field hospital

Hospitals are vulnerable to bombing and medical care is disrupted, like everything else in Ukraine. So Samaritan's Purse is there. Thanks to their donors, SP has the ability to rush a field hospital to a crisis in as little as 36 hours.

From their website: "UPDATE (March 6): The DC-8 landed safely in Poland and materials for the Emergency Field Hospital have been transported to Ukraine. The Samaritan’s Purse team is now in the process of setting up the facility on the outskirts of Lviv."

Beyond humanitarian, their inspiration is to love their neighbors as Christ said. They treat everyone and don't deny anyone or "pass by any broken person in a ditch regardless of who they are," per the story of the good Samaritan. Including ICU and operating rooms, they will be able to treat up to 100 patients per day at the field hospital.

Ukraine food

World Central Kitchen and local chef partners in Lviv, Ukraine, are providing hot soup for refugees fleeing their homes. It's cold outside there, and many of these people must try to figure out what to do and where to go next. 

Putin's hideous bombing of civilians, infrastructure and military targets is mostly in central and eastern Ukraine, so it's not life-threatening (so far) to do this kind of thing here in western Ukraine.

Are these chefs motivated only by a selfish drive to get some personal payout from doing this, like a cynical materialist might assume? I don't think so. The Bible has an explanation. It says that the essential requirements of God's moral law are "written on their hearts."

We know the essentials of right and wrong, and sometimes we choose right. These chefs are choosing to employ body and brain in the service of their neighbors, according to their God-given conscience.

Fresh Manna

A former pastor at our church started a blog ("Fresh Manna") of Bible devotionals 22 years ago that grew quickly. Amazingly, it's now read by people in 224 (out of 229) countries and regions of the world! 

You don't need to log in with a password, and it's free to read. Its purpose is to encourage your faith and glorify God, and a lot of people find that it does that. Here's a sample from his latest post:

"Oh the challenges of the Christian parent that has to watch their adult child go through the stage of figuring out what they believe. You no longer have the right or say in their life that you did when they were younger . . .They are adults and you have to develop a real friendship with them . . .That’s the only way they will listen to you . . . If you preach at or yell at or condemn them, they will shut you out. Yet you can’t stand to see them make wrong choices or decisions. Welcome to God’s world. He feels the same way about us, yet He doesn’t interfere or manipulate us. (If you’ve been told He does, you’ve been told wrong.)"

SpaceX update 2

(cont'd from Tuesday's post)

Note: all of this is from the video

To build "Starship" has always been the goal of SpaceX, to create a safe and reusable system for human travel in space.

Stage one is the Super Heavy booster which will launch stage two, the space ship itself. The booster will spend two minutes in ascent and four minutes returning safely to earth ("excitement guaranteed"). They will build many more Starships (stage two) than boosters because that booster, according to plan, will be reusable and available for a new mission in just one hour.

If you're interested in its payload capacity, its new Raptor engine (half the cost and twice the thrust), how much it can carry to Mars in one mission, or how it compares to Saturn V, it's all in minutes 5-34 of the video below.

Why do all this? Elon's mission for SpaceX hasn't changed since it started: making life multi-planetary starting with Mars. It's the first time, he says, in earth's 4.5-billion-year history that this has been possible. 

"We need to seize the opportunity and do it as soon as possible to secure the future of life . . . I must be frank, civilization is feeling a little fragile these days." When the fully reusable Starship is complete and routine, it will be an "utterly profound breakthrough" with possibilities we can't even imagine now.

Ukraine prayer

Many of you are praying for Ukraine. I join you, and I'm also praying for my nephew who is now in a bomb shelter, looking for a way to get out of the country.

Here is a hand-written diagram of prayer for Ukraine that was created by a Ukrainian believer just a few days ago. Its inspiration is from Psalm 3:3 (the Lord is a shield for me) and Psalm 34:18 (the Lord is close to the brokenhearted).

Listen to this New York choir singing a hymn for the safety of Ukraine:

Lyrics of the first verse (more lyrics here):

Lord, oh the Great and Almighty,
Protect our beloved Ukraine,
Bless her with freedom and light
Of your holy rays. 

Russia pays

Note: the SpaceX update will continue after a post or two regarding Ukraine's crisis

Pres. Putin of Russia sent troops to invade and attack the nation of Ukraine to steal it from its people on February 24. The Ukrainians are bravely fighting back.

There's a price to pay for this brutality, maybe a higher price than Putin expected. 

Sanctions were placed on 26 Russian billionaire individuals by the European Union this week, in addition to sanctions on hundreds last week. New this week is a $29 billion man who owns a majority stake in a Russian steel company. The sanctions include an asset freeze and a travel ban. The EU is going after heavy-weight influencers.

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Shell Oil company, based in the United Kingdom, earned about $700 million in its investments in Russian energy projects last year, but they're going to leave the country. UK oil company BP is also pulling out, a decision which will cost the company billions.

Shell's CEO says, "We are shocked by the loss of life in Ukraine, which we deplore, resulting from a senseless act of military aggression which threatens European security . . . We cannot - and we will not - stand by."

from Forbes and CNN

SpaceX update

Hubris, "exaggerated pride or self-confidence," is a turn-off. That's the problem for many people who don't like Elon Musk. He has huge ambition and makes huge claims that are far beyond average, sometimes well beyond what can be believed, that seem inauthentic or even ridiculous.

But . . he has an enormous following all over the world because, incredibly, he has made some of his ridiculous claims a reality. His two biggest successes turned two global industries on their heads, the car industry and the space industry. So millions of people listen up when he talks about his plans and that includes investors. Because it's not hubris if you can make it happen.

He recently gave a talk from Starbase, the site of SpaceX in Texas, to sum up progress being made on the Starship project. SpaceX in its history since its startup in 2002 has completed 144 successful rocket launches and 106 successful landings. 

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(cont'd tomorrow)