Soft splashdown

Test flight #13 took off last Friday evening, a successful flight for Starship and a step closer to the lunar space dream. According to the SpaceX narrator (video below), the landing of the ship is "everybody's favorite" part of these test flights.

It must have been especially true this time . . because something they always hope for finally happened: a soft splashdown. SpaceX Communications Manager Dan Huot called it "Lucky Number 13!" Ship did not break into pieces or explode upon landing (2:23) but came to rest floating in the ocean on its side. 

Cameras kept rolling, and engineers can carefully observe the ship after it landed, a luxury they haven't had before. (Listen to the super excited crowd watching back at Starbase TX where it launched.)

You can see a close-up of the ceramic heat shield tiles on Ship's nose (4:29). It's "a dream scenario" for the team that's trying to refine the heat shield. They now have a "mountain of data" to work with.

Btw, if you wonder where these views are coming from? Starlink.

Bear Grylls

Bear Grylls and The Chosen, an unexpected partnership! They did a show together. 

Members of the cast plus director and creator of The Chosen, Dallas Jenkins, were coaxed into scary experiences. Grylls is known for his adventure/survival shows, and it turns out that he is a true fan of the series about the disciples of Jesus Christ, too. Who knew?

Here's the trailer:

Somali born 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

With knowledge of her background, we can respect her insight as applied to the Somali community in Minnesota. She says they have "clustered tightly and predictably with the same social logic that governs life in Mogadishu, where I was born."

"Social logic" in Mogadishu is clan-based, with total loyalty going to the clan or family. It's a worldview where "resources are scarce, the world is dangerous, and survival depends on extracting maximum benefit for one's own family."

The only social model they trust is "the family, the clan, the inner circle. The state [country and government] becomes a distant entity to be milked, repeatedly and without hesitation." Retribution and violence will follow.

Loyalty to the clan and hostility to the wider community (like the city or state) is not compatible with the values of their American neighbors. "If [they] don't undergo a full cultural and moral reboot--true assimilation--then they will carry those assumptions into the societies that receive them."

"Minnesota now faces problems it can't make sense of, let alone solve." The stakes are high.

from The Free Press

Somali born 1

When it comes to connecting fraud and gang activity to Somali people in the Twin Cities, there's controversy. 

Not even the verifiable facts of the issues are agreed upon, since the Hennepin County Attorney calls statements of the Ramsey County Sheriff and his department "lies" (yesterday's post). 

We can get some clarity about Somalia from Ayaan Hirsi Ali who is a heroic, naturalized American citizen today but grew up in Somalia. She has the authority of personal experience when she talks about the country and religion of her birth. 

Get acquainted with her as she tells her story below. It includes how she came to faith in Jesus. 

(cont'd tomorrow)

Somali fraud

Fraud on a huge scale has been uncovered over the last year in Minnesota. Largely, though not entirely, those involved were Somali. It's a bigger issue than the gangs (yesterday's post). It got the attention of not only the state, but the whole country. 

Social welfare government programs were the target of the fraud. Nick Shirley, not a professional journalist, published a video of his visit last December to multiple childcare facilities run by Somalis. Site after site appeared to be caring for few or no kids. 

Yet they were drawing huge payments from the state of Minnesota. Altogether, the fraud schemes stole hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars from taxpayers.

State government officials, especially the governor and the attorney general, apparently turned a blind eye to evidence of fraud in these programs even though they were alerted to the evidence. The threat of being called "racist" was seemingly enough to get their cooperation.

If you are American, you probably know most of this. If you're not, this is a simple explanation for you of what's going on here. It's all in the courts now, and convictions have started. But the politicians aren't being prosecuted - yet.

The Somali community in Minnesota has earned their notoriety.

from Imprimus

Somali gangs

"A dozen Somali gangs with hundreds of members, mainly teenagers, are wreaking havoc in Minnesota, committing public shootings and murders out in the open, according to local officials." 

One official is the Ramsey County sheriff. He says that up to 300 young Somalis are involved in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul). Gang battles arise from social media and rivalries, not from drug traffic which is more common among criminal gangs. 

"Somali gangs were responsible for at least 14 homicides in the past two years, as well as over 100 shootings" in the metro area according to the sheriff's office. 

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, head of Minnesota's largest public law office, flatly denies the situation described by the sheriff in a political statement a few months ago:

"There are no roving gangs of Somali people harassing, threatening, or doing anything inappropriate to community members. Those are simply lies."

Well, somebody is definitely lying.

from Washington Examiner

Fly test fail fix

Starship was scheduled to launch yesterday on test flight #13. But it didn't. It's a disappointment for all concerned, and that no doubt includes those who invested their own money in the success of SpaceX last month by purchasing the spaceflight company's stock.

"The stock is on a five-day losing streak." 

Some engines failed to ignite "triggering an automatic launch abort," as Elon reported on X. Two of them will be replaced by new engines and then the test flight can proceed next week. 

It's just as Jim Bridenstine (former NASA administrator) described SpaceX five years ago. They "fly, test, fail, fix - repeatedly." Yes, that's SpaceX, and that's life, too.

from CNBC

Nuclear & NASA 3

By the end of 2028, we will have launched our mission to Mars on the "first-ever nuclear reactor-powered interplanetary spacecraft" -- if Administrator Isaacman's ambitious goals come to pass.

Called the SR-1, it will begin a new era in space flight. “After decades of study," he said, "and billions spent on concepts that have never left Earth, America will finally get underway on nuclear power in space.” 

Chemical propulsion (hydrogen and oxygen) is being used to power rockets now and will continue to enable escaping Earth's atmosphere. But nuclear will power movement in space. It's far more efficient. So, with the same volume of fuel, space craft will be able to go further and faster.

from MIT Technology Review

NASA changes

Every incoming executive probably has plans to change something in his new role. New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has a plan for America's space program which he says will take us back to basics.

We need more launches, he says first, "on a yearly cadence." Can our Artemis-designated space vehicle, Boeing's SLS, keep up with that aggressive push in light of its history of missing both budgets and target dates? His response: "It's 100% achievable." With regard to past SLS failures, NASA will take responsibility to "make better decisions." I hope so.

An additional launch was added to the original Artemis plan. Artemis 3 will launch next year, 2027, because it's "imperative," he says, to practice the docking of the SLS with the lunar lander (made by either SpaceX or Blue Origin). No human feet will stand on the Moon's surface til Artemis 4 which is scheduled for 2028.

Voter cleanup

How frustrating it is to learn of illegal or corrupt practices happening in real time while also knowing that nothing is done about it. Many of us believe that some of our elections have been corrupted, but we don't have the power to stop it.

Judicial Watch does have the ability to get things accomplished in the legal arena. Using various actions, they've worked on cleaning up voter rolls in several states. Their lawsuits in Oregon and Colorado led to the elimination of 1.1 million ineligible names recently, people who had died or moved away or were otherwise ineligible to vote.

Added to other initiatives, they have managed to get a total of over six million voter names across the country off the voter rolls--names which should not receive a mail-in ballot for the above reasons. 

It's good to know that somebody in a position to make a difference is getting things done.

from Judicial Watch

Somaliland

Migrants from the African country of Somalia, known in America for fraud and crime, seem to have earned a bad reputation. So, the people of Somaliland, located next to it on the African continent, would like to have it understood that they are a different country.

Though each country speaks the Somali language, Somaliland has a different system and a different currency. Their one and only terror incident in 35 years, according to the official below, was perpetrated by a terrorist from the United States who was radicalized in Minnesota. A proud and stable democracy, Somalilanders refused an offer from China.

As the official says, they live in a tough neighborhood.

Welcome, world!

So much energy, so much passion is happening during the World Cup hosted in the US this summer! It's been thrilling to see global visitors have fun here, and to hear many say they felt a warm, friendly welcome. Somebody produced an awesome song about it.

Scots celebrated their Scottish-ness, Norwegians their Viking-ness; as the song below says, "Flags from every nation waving proud and on display!" We loved it. Only a small minority of us stick up their noses (meaning) at people who love their own country. Do I love America, too? I sure do. 

Our visitors liked things I wouldn't have expected, like Walmart and Costco and Buc-ee's, things in our day-to-day ordinary life and . . American food, another surprise. Media portrayal of America did not lead them to expect overall abundance in our way of life. I'm glad they came.

Enjoy 😄

Quiet

A few readers of this blog went back to something from 2013. It got my attention, so I went back and read this 13-year-old post again. It's still good! Hope you enjoy:

Introvert

When I reserved Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking at the library, there were 500 people ahead of me.  It took about six months to finally get the book. The author did a TED talk which is a favorite of Bill Gates.

Somehow this self-identified introvert woman has really made headlines, and it cannot have happened by accident.   So, she put herself out there in uncomfortable situations by speaking in public and promoting and doing whatever she had to do, all to affirm that it's really ok to be an introvert who likes to do none of this 😄 

Author Susan Cain says on her website, "I’m actually not sure if I went to the cafés to write or wrote so I could sit around in cafés, which is my favorite activity."

Here's her TED Talk, which has been viewed by 4.7 million people. She says that introverts should be allowed to do what they do best (see my post "Strengthen Your Strengths"), and that is to think and create in solitude.  

Space debris 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

America's Space Force has a program in place to mitigate collision risk. Its 18th Space Defense Squadron monitors and tracks "all artificial objects in Earth’s orbit to ensure the safety of our satellites, astronauts, and space exploration endeavors.”

Satellite operators use "AI-powered maneuver planning systems [to] analyze conjunction data and suggest safe trajectory adjustments in real-time."

Clearly, blowing up a satellite (yesterday's video) would turn one dangerous object into many and is decidedly not the right thing to do.

Taking responsibility for what you send into space is the right thing to do. So, Starlink (as the largest launcher by far) has a plan. They monitor their satellites and de-orbit the ones that fail in a controlled, safe way. In the 6 months ending May 31, 2026, they "successfully executed controlled atmospheric deorbit" on 216 satellites. As they descended, eventually there was "total thermal destructive burn-up." 

Watch the video to see how Starlink actually works to deliver internet access:

Space debris 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

All told, there's more than a million pieces of space debris greater than one centimeter. 

Each functioning satellite in orbit represents a significant financial investment for the country or company that launched it, and continuing investment in operators who maintain it to keep the data flowing. Collision is a growing threat which they take seriously.

Yes, they have already happened (video below). One satellite stopped working and was out of control when it crashed with an American satellite. Another was intentionally blown up by its country. Both resulted in thousands of fragments:

America's Space Force and the European Space Agency both have projects in place to mitigate the risk.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Space debris

Space looks mostly empty, and it is. But there's a bit of concern about the number of things humanity is putting into orbit.

Satellites of all kinds number 14,500 this year with 90 countries having at least one. They function for science, weather, military, communication, spy purposes. Starlink, providing internet connectivity, has 9900 up there (as of March 2026) with plans for a total of 42,000.

But there's more. Over 3000 defunct satellites are still orbiting though they no longer function. Rocket upper stages and fragments of old rockets or satellites also float through space.

Tens of thousands of pieces of "debris" (including functioning satellites) are being tracked. 

from "How Many Satellites Are in Orbit?"

(cont'd tomorrow)

Faith & freedom 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Human rights, responsibilities and liberty were granted by our Creator (see the Declaration). American founders and the people believed the government must support these things. So, they fought a war to separate themselves from a tyrannical king and to set up a self-governing system--not an easy task.  

After the Revolution, Founder John Adams had this to say about the government they instituted: 

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”

Os Guinness, the interviewee in Wednesday's video, has explained the American system well. Freedom requires virtue, virtue requires faith, and true faith must be uncoerced--it requires freedom (image).

Happy Independence Day, Americans! Respect your heritage and enjoy your holiday.

Faith & freedom 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post) 

Liberty was, in one sense, the goal of all the revolutions: liberty from the ruling regime. 

Les Francais (the French) wanted release from their monarchy. But they murdered their king outright, then moved on to aristocracy in a "nightmare bloodbath of terror." Faith in God was present among the people, but it wasn't the foundation of the revolution. Priests and nuns were also targeted in the bloodbath. 

Russia's Tsar and his family were killed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918 to make way for communist rule. Both in Russia and after the revolution in mid-century China, millions of their own people were killed to make way for regime change. Neither revolution resulted in the people gaining the freedom to govern themselves.

But America's revolution did bring that about. Faith in the God of the Bible had grown deep in its people, largely descendants of the strong people of conscience, faith and courage who had dared come to this land. The Great Awakening increased that faith's presence. They knew God was their ultimate Sovereign, not the government.

from NY Post

(cont'd tomorrow)

Faith & freedom

"Many educated people have no idea about this," says Eric Metaxas in the video below. In writing his book, Revolution, he found out that our founders were motivated by a strong desire for freedom inspired by their Christian faith - and schools tend to neglect that faith connection.

Other revolutionary wars happened in other countries, but usually they didn't end well. The French revolution (which happened soon after ours) produced mass executions, less freedom, and eventually a new dictator (Napoleon). 

Our own revolution produced peace, more freedom, and a form of government where the people were free to govern themselves. Metaxas's book documents the faith in God that led to a different sort of revolution resulting in good outcomes. It led to "covenant" power of the sort in the Bible, not to "hierarchy" power like the sort in the Roman Empire.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Intervention

Last week you heard on this blog that the leader of our war for independence, General George Washington, lost more battles than he won. You know that England was the most militarily powerful nation on earth at the time, while our military was far from professional.

How did America win that war against tremendous odds? Factor in the character of the General, the conviction of American patriots, the help of the French. There's still another factor: all throughout our history, Americans - including George Washington - believed they had the help of God Almighty.

Watch below to answer this question, "where did He intervene in a special way during the Revolutionary War?"

We should know the legendary stories around the founding of America.

Eyes opened

None of us average Americans (who have homes, jobs, families, neighborhoods, etc.) think America is perfect. But the horrid picture ("dangerous, racist, broken, failing") that legacy media paints for the world is not accurate. It's a delight to see global visitors for the World Cup get an experience of our wonderful country the way it really is.

So many have posted stories of their eyes being opened to the good things (which we average Americans take for granted) over here. Our current president's picture is featured on these videos, but may I suggest that you just ignore it if you don't like him . . and watch them anyway. They're not about politics 😊 (Woops, there is some political talk at the end of the first video)

Rights are real

Human rights exist independently of governments' decisions, regardless of whether or not government leaders ever write them into civil law. They come from "nature and nature's God" - so says our Declaration of Independence.

Our first president told Americans that "religion and morality" are essential supports of political prosperity and happiness. 

Faith and virtue supported the founding of this country. As Washington said: if you undermine them, you are no patriot.

Scots in Miami

World Cup soccer is big in the US right now. Last night, Scotland and Brazil (the biggest World Cup winner in history) met each other in Miami, Florida, and it was party time. 

About eight thousand fans from Scotland descended on the city, calling themselves the Tartan Army, singing "Country Roads," bringing their bagpipes and kilts and bursting with energy.

They enjoyed meeting "everyday" American people, watching them "being themselves, kind, welcoming, and, yeah, a little confused at our food choices. These are the real people, the people who are the fabric of the country." In Providence NJ they donated $30k to a local hospital.

A Miami sportswriter reports that they were friendly and they mingled with the locals. Miller Lite brought a barge loaded with beer to town, just in case the bars ran out (which has happened once or twice).

Fans from the world came to America, and they had a great time. I love it.

Nashville gains

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Seattle, Washington, has been losing ground. Seven more US states are ranked with Washington as "worst for business": California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey and my own state, Minnesota.

Ranked as "best" are the states of Texas, Florida and Tennessee. Dallas TX and Nashville TN attract businesses with advantages that make it worth the effort of a big move.

Local lifestyle factors in both cities are attractive to employees. With a lower cost of living, families may spend less but get more of what they want. Dallas has seen big growth in its technology and aerospace industries. 

You know Nashville as a huge music center ("Music City") but there's more. Amazon took a million square feet of office space. Health care is the biggest industry economically, and there's a young, well-educated labor force. Real estate here is the fifth hottest in the country. Oracle is moving in.

Nashville is booming. 

Seattle losses

Seattle's newly elected mayor advised its citizens not to buy the product of one of its iconic businesses last November: Starbucks coffee. She walked back her comment later, but it could symbolize an unfriendly trend toward financial supports of the city.

Starbucks originated and is still headquartered there. They made no response to the mayor but they're still planning a partial move to Nashville TN to open a second business hub. They will invest ~$100 million in the new hub and employ about 2,000 by 2031.

The coffee company is not alone in withdrawing some of their presence. Office vacancies around the country average about 17%, but downtown Seattle has vacancies of 36%. The city has lost the confidence of some of the business community. 

Since 2018, 465 company headquarters have moved elsewhere, mostly tech and manufacturing. The massive Boeing left the city back in 2001. Amazon has vacated a million square feet of office space since 2020.

Where do they go?

(cont'd tomorrow)

Disclosure

"Disclosure Day" came out this month. Its opening was well-timed, since the government has been releasing classified material about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (formerly called UFO's).

Since it's produced by Steven Spielberg, I hoped for a movie something like "Close Encounters" in quality. Having now seen it, it's just not inspiring.

Oddly, there has been some public controversy about whether faith in God was attacked in the plot. "Odd" I say, because I don't see it, though I would be sensitive to that vibe as a believing Christian.

Was that controversy cooked up to get people into the theatre? That's the opinion of this reviewer.

Indispensable

He was called the "father of his country," not just by historians many years later, but by his fellow citizens living in his lifetime. Some have called him "the indispensable man," i.e. the founding of America couldn't have happened without him.

Other leaders wrote the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution and the Federalist Papers. But Washington led his country through the War for Independence and through two terms as its first president. He shot down the idea of becoming their king.

Thomas Jefferson commented that the "moderation and virtue of a single character probably prevented this revolution from being closed, as most others have been, by a subversion of that liberty it was intended to establish."

In his farewell address to the new US after the second term, he advised them to "Uphold the Constitution, be vigilant in protecting the liberty of all, guard the nation's independence, and above all . .  maintain the civic and moral character necessary for self-government."

French hero

America's fight to separate itself from Britain did not take place in the dark. The world was watching. The founders knew they would be.

Writers of the Declaration of Independence addressed this in the very first sentence: "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they [we Americans] should declare the causes which impel them [us] to the separation."

A young, well-connected noble in France was indeed watching. The Marquis de Lafayette was just 19 years old when he left his country and his family to go to America, hoping to help us win our cause. That he did.

Come to the Light

Faith in God is not irrational, though some have claimed that. There is strong evidence to support belief in God, and I bring that to you sometimes. Atheists have their points to make as well. But neither view is actually proved.  

A big part of your own decision to believe - or not - goes way beyond evidence and proof, though. Do you want there to be a God? Some decidedly don't. You can choose cynicism. You can choose to say Beauty and Goodness and Truth and Meaning are just illusions. Is that what you want?

The great Dr. John Lennox clarifies the two belief options:

from X post

Morning 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Sure, ugliness can be found in today's world, whether it's created by people or naturally occurring. Dirty streets full of trash and cardboard shelters, or the charred landscape of a wildfire, both are undesirable and no one would call them beautiful.

But beauty is all around us too. A daffodil (like yesterday's picture) is beautiful, and so are the green of the trees and the blue sky that surround the garden, making the overall picture. As human beings, we do our part to try to create order and beauty around us in lots of ways.

Materialists may say beauty is just a point of view, not real. But our love for it is deep in our hearts as human beings. It's beyond material and more than the sum of its parts. It's transcendent.

"Morning Has Broken" is beautiful. It likens a fresh, early morning to God's work of Creation on Earth in the beginning. We all sense the beauty. We were made to. 

from "The Transcendental Treasury of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness"

Morning

A couple nights ago, we had rain where we live. Early the next day I walked through my gardens. "Morning had broken," flowers and leaves were sparkling in the sunlight. 

Whenever I see the "sweetness of the wet garden," it reminds me of a very old song as sung in the 1970's by Cat Stevens:

"Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning, born of the one light Eden saw play. Praise with elation, praise every morning, God's recreation of the new day."

(cont'd tomorrow)

Lasting things

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

President of Hillsdale, Dr. Larry Arnn, had a few remarks to share at the Celebration. He asks whether such a celebration is appropriate today . . because we are different than the people of 250 years ago.

Most of us don't heat our homes by burning wood and none of us wear powdered wigs. Dr. Arnn drives a cybertruck to work, it talks to him, and it could keep him constantly in touch with social media (he won't let it😉).

But, he says, the Declaration of Independence is still relevant to us because it refers to some lasting things that don't change no matter how long ago they were said:

All men are created equal - they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights - and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Dr. Arnn goes on to say, "Hillsdale College exists that we may learn in a shifting world to grasp and follow the laws of nature and of nature’s God [the wording in the Declaration]. In that effort, we find and we deserve our freedom."

Hillsdale's 250th

This is the year America celebrates its 250th anniversary which is officially on July 4. As Yale professor Akhil Amar says, we need to know our nation's stories. So, we're observing the anniversary all year long with stories and celebrations.  

Hillsdale College started early, back in April, with their All-American Hometown Celebration, complete with displays, speeches, music--and the "Freedom Truck."

Six of these Freedom Trucks are making their way around the country. Go here to see if you can find one near you.

Unmanned 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

But despite their efficacy in many types of missions, we still need human pilots. Why?  Maverick's words in the movie show that humans go beyond textbook ability:

"He holds up a thick book that describes the operation of the fighter aircraft and says he assumes his students know the contents of the book. Then he tosses the book into the trash and says, “so does your enemy.”

"Maverick is right. Humans have the ability to respond effectively to unexpected contingencies not written in a book. AI can only respond to what it has been programmed to respond to. This is why autonomous AI will never replace commanders on the field of battle."

Creative human intelligence goes beyond what narrow AI can do. 

from Mind Matters

Unmanned

You probably saw the 2022 movie "Top Gun: Maverick." Here's the trailer, in case the years have dulled your memory of its entertainment value. Great as that was, this technology expert says that the movie's action is already outdated.

Its theme is a dangerous aviation mission requiring singular, dazzling flying skill. The question is, do we today need manned aircraft to accomplish that kind of mission? The answer is, No. Unmanned military drones can do the job.

Consider their abilities. They are unaffected by high G forces, which can cause a human pilot to black out if high enough. AI does not black out. Drones can also carry a map stored in its computer, thus not needing any GPS signals. 

Better than any of these advantages is the fact that no pilot has to risk his or her life on this mission.

from Mind Matters

(cont'd tomorrow)

Helion 2026

Lots of startup companies don't make it. Their creators are inspired by what they think is a great idea, but turning that idea into a successful business is like driving down a road that's mined with explosives: so many problems to overcome.

Helion Energy's great idea was to build a business that provides power using nuclear fusion. Researchers have been trying to find a way to do that for decades, so far without success. But it's progressed enough that Helion (photo) believes they can get it done--and they have convinced people with money that they can get it done.

Just a year and a half ago, the company was valued at about $5 billion. Now investment in Helion has tripled to over $15 billion. That's a lot of money being bet on optimism. Helion even has a legal contract to supply power to Microsoft by 2028. Many experts in the field think that goal is far too optimistic.

Fusion-sourced power would be a dream come true for the world because of its benefits. The sooner the better. Some business will be the first to make it happen.

from Scientific American, which details the difficulty of producing fusion power

Declaration

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Yes, that document formally approved on July 4 and eventually signed by 56 delegates representing the colonies was the famous Declaration of Independence.

It begins by saying, in effect, that the world deserves an explanation of why they wanted to separate themselves from Britain. Then comes a long list of the offenses of King George III, including his failure to apply to the colonists the rights that were guaranteed to Britons. 

Most famous of the Declaration's words are these: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by God with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. To secure these rights, Governments are instituted among people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

It's the foundational principle behind the creating of the United States of America. It's entirely true, even if many citizens today don't agree that God Almighty is the source of these values.

Along with the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the original Declaration of Independence is displayed in the rotunda of the National Archives Museum in Washington D.C.

Over the years, this blog has given some attention to the history-making Declaration. Find those posts here.

USA at 250 - 2

Follow up to this post and part of a series by The Free Press (image)

It was tough decision for all thirteen colonies to defy Britain, at that time the most powerful country in the world. Even though British offenses had multiplied for decades, they were not united around independence easily or suddenly.

Military clashes started in spring of 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence. By May of 1776, the Continental Congress approved a statement written by John Adams which called for "total suppression" of the authority of the British king, a strong statement but not official independence.

In June of 1776, a Virginia delegate, Richard Henry Lee, forced the issue by proposing a resolution to Congress: "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown . . ." (Sound familiar?) That's pretty clear, but not all of them were there yet.

So they debated the heavy decision and delayed it until July 1. Meanwhile, a committee of five (including Thomas Jefferson) put together an official statement, which actually passed Congress on July 2.

from The Free Press

(cont'd tomorrow)

HVAC at 23

Must everyone go to college after high school? It's becoming more and more clear that the answer is "No." You probably already know about famous examples of success without a degree, like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.

A young 23-year-old woman went into HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) instead of college and she sounds pretty happy about it. It's far from an office job. She's a service technician and her work is different every day. 

Trade school lasted only nine months at a cost of only $15,000--so much easier than paying tens of thousands of dollars yearly at a university. She recommends networking as a way to "get a foot in the door" toward practical experience.

This 18-year-old is a pipe fitter apprentice. He believes he's on track to make six figures in about 5 years. 

It may be best for young people to defy the prestige of college or university. There's opportunity in the trades. Celebrity Mike Rowe has been beating this drum for years.

from MSN

Regretted majors

Now that they have their degrees, are this year's college graduates happy that they spent so much effort and money on them? The answer is mixed. Many think they majored in the wrong subjects, and many more are anxious about finding work.

Almost half (46.3%) of those in political science areas wish they had chosen differently. Right behind them in second place (39.2%) on the most-regretted list is a major in "communication, media studies, or public relations."

Finding a job is as stressful as it's ever been, with more competition and fewer entry-level opportunities (AI may be responsible for this). Grads are submitting more applications and receiving fewer offers than just a year ago. 

Nursing leads the way in nearly every positive metric, including highest median pay ($70k). About a third of nursing grads have their job secured before graduation.

Job tips for students still in college: 

"Working during college more than doubles grads' odds of landing a job."
"Internships and apprenticeships are some of the clearest on-ramps into the workforce."

from Zip Recruiter

• 
  

Class pres

So far, we've had a published professor and a movie star speaking on commencement stage. With hope that you can tolerate another graduation speech, I now give you a student. 

Ty Ruddy was senior class president when he spoke at Hillsdale's (photo) commencement this month. President of the college, Larry Arnn, posted the speech on X. Ty acknowledged that learning is a lifelong project which doesn't stop with college.

Here are some quotes:

"Some of us were presumptuous and arrogant when we came on campus. I know I was. I cringe at some of the conversations I found myself tangled up in."

"As much as Hillsdale has been an education in the classics, it has been an education in humility."

"It doesn't have to be philosophy and politics all the time. It is ok to stand at your fence and talk with your neighbors about the tomatoes." (quoting a professor) 

"Remember what it was like as freshmen, confident for all the wrong reasons. We were just padawans to Dr. Arnn's Yoda."

Rededicate

On Sunday, May 17, something like 15,000 people showed up in Washington D.C. to rededicate the United States of America to God on our 250th anniversary.

Millions of Americans (like me) joined that 15k in thanking God for His blessing on us in the past. Eric Metaxas, who is first in the video, recounts two occasions in our history where God took an active part in preserving us.

Francis Scott Keye, composer of our national anthem, calls America "our Heaven-rescued land." The fourth verse declares "In God is our trust." That faith was foundational to the birth of this country, and millions of us still hope and work to continue that trust now.

Actor speech

When it comes to taking the stage in front of thousands of people and giving a performance, who would be a natural to do that? Actors have a talent for it and do it for a living. But we don't expect profundity from actors.

Now and then we can be surprised in the best way. Movie star Matthew McConaughey's commencement address back in 2015 is a commencement speech worth watching. Enjoy:

Pay attention

If anybody understands that young people are often overwhelmed (see yesterday's post) and led 0ff-track by technology, it must be Jonathan Haidt. He wrote the influential book about it (The Anxious Generation).

This month he gave the commencement address at New York University, where he teaches. There was some opposition to his being chosen, maybe because he's known to have said that students come to college "emotionally fragile, never want to be challenged to grow, and therefore enter the rest of their lives set up to fail." Yes, some are sure to take offense at that.

But his message to these graduates was different. He told them to treasure their attention: to value it so highly that they intentionally direct their focus toward the highest value, the best outcomes--and don't squander their attention on distractions. In other words, make a good "choice of what to think about."

"Flourishing" is the title of his favorite class to teach, techniques we all can use to be smarter, emotionally stronger, and more sociable. Why does he teach these things? To "increase the odds of one's success in love and work," which is the path to flourishing. There's some wisdom here.

from After Babel

Boooo!

If we thought artificial intelligence was universally loved by Gen Z, we'll have to think again. Some speakers who mentioned the rising importance of AI at graduation ceremonies this spring were booed instead of cheered.

But, we might think, don't they all use it gladly to cheat on homework? Yes, some do. 

But aren't they all enthusiastically learning how to use it so that they won't be left behind in the job market? Yes, some are. But about one-third in a recent survey said that "the tech makes them feel angry." Almost half say that "the risks of AI in the work force outweigh the benefits."

It might be that students are tired of the pressure placed on their lives by technology in general, hoping to find a simpler, more satisfying life centered on personal relationships.

from Mind Matters

Test flight #12

Starship is still being improved. The latest, brand new iteration (V3) of SpaceX's space transport vehicle took off on its virgin flight last Friday evening, a mostly successful trial.

Ship itself (upper stage) is bigger, and the launch pad (Pad 2) is safer and more durable. The Raptor engine is completely redesigned--with less mass but more thrust, a beautiful re-engineering (on the right in the photo). Find the details of these improvements and many more here.

All of this is to enable human travel in our solar system and beyond. Soon, Starship will have to achieve the ability to re-fuel while in orbit, and then achieve rapid reusability.

As one engineer put it, "A lot of people worked really hard to make it look easy." Of course, passing the test was actually anything but easy. You saw engineers talking about that a couple of weeks ago.

Here is the live launch and flight narrated by SpaceX engineers. Actual launch takes place at about 28 minutes into the video.

Aliens--what if?

Life originating somewhere other than Earth is back in the public conversation again because the federal government is releasing information that they kept secret up until now. Maybe we will get evidence, it is thought, that aliens (image) have come to our planet.

If it turns out that aliens really do exist, will Christians have to change their faith? Here's an answer from one scientist and Christian who says, "I don’t know if ET life exists, but as a Christian, it wouldn’t bother me."

Why is that? Life in all its forms requires a transcendent, intelligent Creator. It is enormously unlikely, probably impossible, to happen by random accident and natural causes. God could have created different life forms on different worlds. The Bible doesn't specifically say He didn't.

A simple answer, and I agree.

from Townhall

Note: we will get back to Starship's launch 

COO G. Shotwell

Starship test flight #12 is due to take off tonight about 6:30 pm CST, barring delays. Here's a little reminder about who calls the shots (pun intended) at SpaceX. 

She built a "multi-billion-dollar relationship with NASA." She headed up the development of Falcon 9, SpaceX's first reusable rocket. She predicted that Starlink, which was only an idea at this point, would change the world with satellite-based internet access.

Watch Gwynne's TED talk (interview) from eight years ago:

Note: the launch is re-scheduled for tomorrow

China vs God 4

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Many others besides Eza Jin are in prison because, wanting to be authentic Christ-followers, they are tripped up by these laws designed to catch them. 

Jin has something on his side which they don't all have: the determined, effective help of adult daughter Grace (photo) in the US. She too was affected by the suppression. As a small child in school, she was made to stand aside from her class every morning because, said her teacher, her faith was incompatible with the CCP. "If you just say you're no longer a Christian, then you can join in." A law forbad her parents taking her to church.

"She has testified before congress twice, penned op-eds in the WSJ and The Free Press, and traveled the world . . . to advocate for her father's freedom."

Says Grace, "I always feel like I'm not doing enough."

from "China vs. God"

China vs God 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Ezra Jin was at Tiananmen Square in 1989 protesting against the government, but he escaped disaster because he was not there on the day that ~10,000 students were killed. Later he visited a church for a funeral, and unexpectedly it touched his sad heart. 

He saw the contrast between his life and that of the Christians. They felt at home with their God, who offered acceptance and love, contrary to his sense of being lost and homeless. He kept going back and then made his decision.

As a pastor years later, he was able to run his church openly. But in 2018 a wave of new regulations cracked down on religious freedom: it became illegal to sell Bibles on the internet, churches had to fly propaganda banners, and hymns must follow the national anthem. 

Eventually they demanded that Jin put facial-recognition cameras into the church. When he refused, they shut the church down. Last September, a new law made it illegal to disseminate unapproved religious teaching online. Jin was arrested for breaking that law in October.

from "China vs. God"

China vs God 2

(cont'd from last Friday's post)

In Washington D.C., Bill and Grace D. keep a baseball bat next to the front door. They keep a camera on their son's toy in the front yard. 

They've experienced computer hackings and someone slashed the tires on Grace's mom's car in the garage. They think it's the Chinese government because Grace's dad, Ezra Jin, was that pastor in yesterday's post. She says, "[T]hey want to show you that there is no safe place for you anywhere in the world . . ."

Bill says, "They can't tolerate any sense of meaning, of spiritual authority, or moral authority outside of what the party wants."

It's not a new government thrust. I've posted a number of examples in the past which you can read here.

from "China vs. God"

(cont'd tomorrow)