Tag: News

Coyote decoys help keep geese out of Royal Athletic Park

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Huge flock of geese in Canadian park

The City of Victoria’s ­ongoing battle with large flocks of ­Canada geese damaging the field at Royal Athletic Park has gone to the dogs. In a bid to protect the playing surface, the city’s parks ­department has for the last few weeks been using a pair of coyote decoys to scare geese from the pitch. So far, it appears to be working. “Initially I’d say it’s been very effective, but time will tell,” said Brooke Stark, Victoria’s ­assistant director of parks and open spaces. “This is a tool that we thought we should give a try.

Royal Athletic Park is a premier sporting facility and we want to make sure the facility is maintained.” Stark said the geese have been a problem at the facility for years, but managing them in a humane way has been a challenge. The Capital Regional District in 2023 approved a Canada geese management strategy to reduce the impact of the birds’ rapidly growing population in the region. It included an egg-addling program — a technique that renders the embryo in an egg non-viable — and culling some birds. It also looked at modifying habitat to deter geese, including planting trees and hedges to prevent easy access to water from land, and using new grass seed mixes that are less palatable to the birds. The problem with large goose populations, according to the CRD, is that they can lead to high amounts of fecal matter in the water and on land, raising levels of fecal coliform and other pathogens, such as avian influenza and salmonella. In a report, the CRD said some playing fields have at times been rendered unusable because of the volume of goose droppings.

Stark said the experiment at Royal Athletic Park started with two stationary coyotes, which staff would move periodically based on the behaviour of the birds on the field. They have since ramped up their game, however, affixing one of the two stationary coyotes onto an autonomous grass mower. “It’s not actually mowing, but the coyote decoy is on top and moves around the field overnight.” Stark said the hope is that the geese will not be able to get used to having the decoys moving. “It’s like owl decoys on the roofs of buildings — sometimes birds get used to those, so here in the field we want to make sure the birds don’t get too used to it, and the mower changes direction, often in an ­unpredictable way.” Stark said the city is monitoring the decoy program and will be reporting back to the CRD on how effective it is, and how long it takes the geese to learn what the coyote mannequins are up to.

“Hopefully by changing up the location and how it moves, it will help extend the time that this is effective,” she said, adding the program could be expanded. “So far, two seems to be working, but again, geese are smart and they’ll figure it out. “It’s just one of a suite of tools and different things that we can do to help minimize their damage to the field.” She said there are no immediate plans to expand to other playing fields in the city, adding Royal Athletic Park is of particular concern, as it is enclosed and the geese feel quite safe there.

“So, we’re trialing at Royal Athletic Park, and being a secure facility, we can put things out like this overnight.” When the CRD adopted its goose management strategy, the region was experiencing ongoing problems with geese damaging farmers’ fields and sensitive ecosystems, as well as accumulations of feces on fields and playgrounds. At the time, the regional district said local goose numbers were doubling every four years. Many of the Canada geese on Vancouver Island today are descendants of those brought to B.C. starting in the 1950s and into the 1980s in part to offer more hunting opportunities.

Prior to that, the Island’s goose population had been relatively modest. Stark said she doesn’t know if the city has been getting calls from residents concerned about prowling coyotes in the North Park neighbourhood, but they have been fielding calls asking if dogs are now allowed in Royal Athletic Park. The answer to that remains no.

Source: Coyote decoys help keep geese out of Royal Athletic Park – Victoria Times Colonist

For those who find me find life and receive favor from the LORD.
Proverbs 8:35

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Monarch butterflies find a vital stopover at Gibbs Gardens during their 3,000-mile migration

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Every fall, one of nature’s most remarkable migrations passes through Georgia, carried on wings so delicate they seem hardly suited for the journey ahead. Generations of Monarch butterflies travel thousands of miles from their summer breeding grounds in Canada and the northern United States to the mountains of central Mexico, where they spend the winter. Along the way, they need somewhere to eat. At Gibbs Gardens in Cherokee County, a sprawling meadow of cosmos, zinnias and other wildflowers has become something of a roadside diner for butterflies on the move.

“The monarchs, they have to refuel every single day,” said Eric Johnson, a horticulturist and host of PBS’s GardenSmart.  “Every day they have to find a nectar source.” And finding those sources has become increasingly difficult.  “If they can’t refuel, those are butterflies that don’t make it,” Johnson said. Gibbs Gardens is the life’s work of landscape designer Jim Gibbs, who began developing his vision for a world-class garden north of Atlanta in the 1970s. Today, the 376-acre estate includes approximately 220 acres of landscaped gardens, many inspired by Gibbs’ travels in Japan.  Its celebrated daffodil festival was named the nation’s top flower festival in USA TODAY’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards.

But among the property’s carefully cultivated landscapes is a meadow with a purpose that extends well beyond its appearance.  Originally planted to support honeybees, the meadow was later adapted to help monarch butterflies. “It was in 2021, when the monarch populations were collapsing, [Gibbs] repurposed this garden significantly to have it focus largely on the monarch population,” Johnson said. The flowers provide nectar, giving migrating butterflies the energy they need to continue their journey south. 

And those stops can make the difference between completing the migration and falling short. The eastern migratory monarch population has declined by an estimated 80% since the mid-1990s, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Habitat loss, pesticide exposure and climate change are among the threats facing the species.  Although monarch populations fluctuate from year to year, their long-term decline has raised concerns about the survival of one of North America’s best-known migrations. For Johnson, the connection between conservation and gardening is direct.  “What we do as gardeners absolutely makes a difference,” he said. The nectar-producing flowers at Gibbs Gardens provide fuel for adult monarchs. But another plant is essential to producing the next generation:  milkweed.

Female monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed plants, and their caterpillars depend on milkweed leaves for food.  Without it, monarchs cannot successfully reproduce.  As native milkweed habitat has disappeared from roadsides, fields and other open spaces, the butterflies have lost critical breeding grounds.  That means even relatively small planting decisions can make a difference. “The most important thing that homeowners could do if you care about the survival of monarchs, even if you just have a little corner of your garden and you can plant some milkweed and then some good nectar-producing flowering plants,” Johnson said. Native milkweed varieties appropriate for Georgia, combined with flowers that bloom throughout the growing season, can help support monarchs and other pollinators.

Monarchs generally pass through north Georgia during their fall migration from late September into mid-October, with the timing and number of butterflies varying from year to year. Gibbs Gardens, in Ball Ground, is open to the public during its seasonal operating schedule.  Visitors can purchase admission to explore the gardens, including the flowering landscapes that attract migrating butterflies. A sighting is never guaranteed.  The butterflies are wild, and their movements depend on weather, migration conditions and the availability of nectar. 

On a recent visit to the gardens by CBS News, monarchs by the hundreds were observed in an almost dancing movement across the tops of the flowers. It is an extraordinary journey unfolding close to Metro Atlanta.  For the monarchs, the trip to Mexico can stretch as far as 3,000 miles.  Whether they complete it may depend, in part, on what is growing in places like Gibbs Gardens — or even in an ordinary Georgia backyard.

Source: Monarch butterflies find a vital stopover at Gibbs Gardens during their 3,000-mile migration – CBS Atlanta

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1 Peter 5:6

Powerful earthquake shakes Panama

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Bus driver removed after stopping to rescue injured kitten

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getting to the bus on time

Some Harford County parents are speaking out after their children’s longtime school bus driver was removed from her route after allegedly allowing a student to get off the bus to rescue an injured kitten. Cynthia Morgan, who drove students in the district for 11 years, told CBS News Baltimore she is devastated by the decision. Parents say they understand the safety concerns but believe removing Morgan from her route was excessive. Video recorded on Heaps School Road shows little traffic on the rural road, a detail parents say is important to understanding what happened.

“We live in North Harford, so it’s very rural out here, off of Heaps School Road, a very low-traffic road,” parent Carolyn Kalambihis said. “She wouldn’t have done it, let a child get off the bus to get a kitten if it was a more high-traffic road.” Morgan was removed from her route this week after she allegedly allowed a student to get off the bus to pick up an injured kitten. Morgan confirmed the account to CBS News Baltimore but declined to speak on camera. Kalambihis acknowledged the potential safety risks but said she believes Morgan understands that allowing a student off the bus was a mistake.

“It’s definitely a concern for safety. There is no question that it was a mistake,” Kalambihis said. “It shouldn’t have happened. I believe she knows that and understands, and looking back, knows she made a mistake and should not have done what she did.”

Parents rally behind longtime bus driver

Kalambihis said Morgan drove her children to North Harford Elementary School for five years and became someone they looked forward to seeing each day. “She is an angel. She is the most caring person,” Kalambihis said. “Every year at the beginning of the school year she buys every child on the bus school supplies. She buys them gifts for Christmas, every holiday, birthdays she gives them birthday cards, all out of her own pocket. She just does it because it makes her feel good.” Harford County Public Schools said Morgan was employed by an independent contractor, not directly by the school district.

However, the district is responsible for certifying drivers who transport students for its schools. In a statement to CBS News Baltimore, the district said, in part, “Certification and decertification are not always based on a single factor but often involve consideration of multiple circumstances and requirements…. Student safety remains our top priority, and all certification decisions are made with that responsibility in mind.” The district declined to comment on Morgan’s specific situation.

Petition calls for her return

Kalambihis and other parents are circulating a petition calling for Morgan to be allowed to return to her route. “We just feel the way that it was handled was not appropriate,” Kalambihis said. “We feel that termination was a little excessive, an overreaction by the Department of Transportation through HCPS. I think it could have been handled in a lot of other ways.” Cleary Inc. employs bus drivers who transport students for Harford County Public Schools. CBS News Baltimore reached out to the company for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Source: Harford County parents rally behind bus driver removed after stopping to rescue injured kitten – CBS Baltimore

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

For God so Loved the World

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Did grizzly bears once roam the Texas South Plains?

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Grizzly bear drinking from a stream in an autumn mountain valley

Did Grizzly Bears once roam the South Plains? Did the largest predator and the most feared animal in North America ever inhabit the Llano Estacado? Historians and biologists have mixed opinions on the subject. No written accounts from the settlement period mention one, no stories describe an encounter with ursus arctos horribilius, which surely would have been remembered. There are Native American tales of encounters with “bears” on the Llano, but they do not distinguish the breed of bear encountered. Bear fossils suggest bears migrated from Asia about 8 million years ago and separated into two white bears that populated polar regions and a smaller black bears that inhabited forested regions.

Grizzlies evolved from white bears about 200,000 years ago and spread far into the Great Plains feeding on the large ungulates that grazed there. Bear names populate place names throughout America; Bear Wallow, Bear Creek, and even Cub Run testifying to the wide-ranging habitat of bears. Undoubtably most bear names are from encounters with Black Bears, but the further one travels west the more likelihood bear place names were named for Grizzlies. To the untrained eye and depending on the season and the climate, distinguishing the difference between the two bears was difficult. The only written account of a Grizzly bear encounter in west Texas occurred in the Davis Mountains in 1890. The encounter did not end well for the bear. During their annual fall hunt, C. O. Finley and John Z. Means shot and killed a large male bear who it was believed wandered into the trans-Pecos of West Texas from either Sonora, Mexico or from the mountains of eastern New Mexico.

It was estimated that the bear weighed 800 pounds. It took four men to lift its hide onto a mule that carried it back to their camp, twenty miles away. An encounter with a Grizzly was truly an encounter you would not easily forget. Adult males could tip the scales at 1,100 pounds; they could reach the height of seven feet but it was their temperament more than their sheer physical size that terrified people. When startled, or threatened, or in the case of a sow, if she felt her cubs were in danger, grizzlies would attack a person in the most terrifying manner. Remarkably fast for their size, they can outrun a man, even in rough mountainous terrain. One’s only hope if caught in this situation was a nearby climbable tree. A human had little chance of surviving a Grizzly mauling.

Early explores of the American West and Great Plains relate that great numbers of Grizzlies which populated the Great Plains. In Lewis and Clark’s famous “journey of discovery” their journals relate several encounters with Grizzlies while they traveled across the Great Plains before they reached the Rockies. Grizzlies probably occurred sparingly on the Caprock up until the early exploration of West Texas. Some historians and biologists believe the Great Plains was a “primary Grizzly range” since the scavenged remains of bison played an important part of their diet. In the early 19th century when you entered buffalo country you entered Grizzly country.

Grizzlies played an important role in the ecology in which they lived, not only were they the “key stone” predator preying upon, bison, deer, elk and a variety of smaller game, but as omnivores they ate a wide variety of plants especially in the spring after their winter hibernation ended. Although Grizzlies in southern climates may not have hibernated. But with the disappearance of the buffalo on the South Plains in the late 1870’s, Grizzly’s natural range shrank and they retreated back into more isolated mountainous areas. Therefore, early ranchers and settlers of the Llano did not record any encounters with Grizzlies. It is surmised that in 1600 at least 56,000 Grizzlies roamed the lower 48 states, with their range extending from the shores of California, where they prospered, all the way east to the 100 meridian.

But pressures from unrestricted hunting, loss of habitat to cattle ranchers, and loss of the traditional food sources sealed their doom. By 1950, only 750 Grizzly bears remained in the continental United States. But today the outlook for Grizzlies appears to be good as their numbers are on the increase in the states of the inter-mountain west, Alaska, and Yellowstone National Park. With careful management and increased public awareness perhaps one of the most iconic animals in North America, second only to the bison, can once more prosper in its “home range.”

Source: Caprock Chronicles: Did grizzly bears once roamed Texas South Plains?B

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Habakkuk 3:17-18

2 Timothy 3:12 

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John 15:18–20

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Galatians 1:6-10

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Isaiah 45:2

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Iranian operatives used AI to plant fake stories in multiple US media outlets

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Iranian flag displayed behind a computer monitor on a desk

Operatives in Iran used OpenAI models and fake personas to help plant news articles critical of the US war against Iran in multiple US media outlets, OpenAI said on Thursday. About a dozen outlets around the world ran roughly 100 articles by seven fake journalists, OpenAI said in a blog post. The firm said it banned ChatGPT accounts that were prompting the AI tool in Farsi to tweak articles and editorial pitches, and generate social media comments. Some of the AI-assisted articles had provocative titles, including, “Is America’s Iran Policy Being Privatized? The Jared Kushner Question,” and “The Iran War and the Collapse of Western Moral Credibility.”

It’s the latest example of AI agents playing a key role in the propaganda battles that coincide with the US and Israel’s war with Iran. Young Iranians have also used AI to make viral Lego-themed videos mocking US leaders, while President Donald Trump has posted AI-generated videos depicting US strikes on Iran. None of the publications that ran the articles appear to be a major, mainstream news outlet, but some of them have sizable online followings.

One of the outlets, Middle East Monitor, which is based in London, has almost two million followers on Facebook. Getting the anti-war narratives in front of a US audience could count as a successful information operation for whoever was behind it. Who that is, and whether they’re affiliated with the Iranian government, is unclear, OpenAI said. “The overall activity appeared consistent with a commercial actor running a for-hire influence campaign, but we are unable to identify the particular actor involved,” the AI firm wrote in its blog.

The article about Kushner and US foreign policy was published by the LA Progressive, which describes itself as an “independent, justice-driven publication” based in Los Angeles. CNN has requested comment from LA Progressive. Daud Abdullah, Director of the Middle East Monitor, told CNN he will look into the articles OpenAI flagged and “take the appropriate action.” Another representative for the Middle East Monitor later told CNN that the articles had been taken down and that the publication was reviewing its submissions process. After the articles published, the Iranian operatives asked ChatGPT to generate comments they could post on social media purporting to be people reacting to the articles, according to OpenAI.

“The users asked for comments on topics such as missile strikes, ceasefires, and diplomatic maneuvering, specifying outputs that portrayed the US as the aggressor, Israel as an unreliable ally of the US, and Iran as a defiant but resilient victim,” the blog says. “It’s remarkable that the Iranians managed to land their content in real media outlets, expanding the potential reach of their campaign,” said Jessica Brandt, who ran the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s now-shuttered Foreign Malign Influence Center from 2023 to 2025.

“We’re witnessing AI enable foreign adversaries to better hide their hand, building more sophisticated false fronts than they might otherwise be able to in order to launder their content through authentic channels, leveraging those channels for reach,” Brandt told CNN. OpenAI’s findings show how AI is increasingly being used to shape perceptions of war. This spring, a false AI-assisted US intelligence report about a purported Chinese ship transporting nuclear components almost led the US military to board the ship, CNN previously reported.

Source: Iranian operatives used AI to plant fake stories in multiple US media outlets | CNN Politics

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:10

Proverbs 21:23

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. This verse emphasizes that people who carefully watch what they say will protect themselves from serious trouble. “Guarding your…

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Powerful earthquake shakes Panama

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Aerial view of storm-damaged coastal city, roads, harbor, and rough ocean

A major earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 has struck Panama, according to the US Geological Survey. Local media are reporting structural damage in some parts of the country. Some casualties are possible and extensive damage is probable, the USGS said. Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino has called for calm and instructed the minister of government to provide information on the earthquake’s effects. Several aftershocks have been reported near the epicenter.

The US Tsunami Warning System said tsunami waves reaching one to three meters are possible along some coasts of Panama. Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru could also see less intense waves. This is the latest powerful earthquake to have struck Latin America this year. Over the summer, Venezuela was hit by two powerful earthquakes that killed more than 6,400 people, while Colombia suffered a tremor that left around 300 dead.

Source: Powerful earthquake shakes Panama | CNN

Somalians Turn Minnesota Into War Zone

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Police officers investigate a taped-off residential street beneath a city skyline

Peaceful Minnesota has become a terrifying scene for its residents. Minnesota nice has become a deceitful badge of horror. The saftey they once had is gone.

Source: Somalians Turn Minnesota into a Warzone

Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the LORD God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.
Amos 5:14

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Harford County parents rally behind bus driver removed after stopping to rescue injured kitten

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Vintage school bus driver's area with steering wheel, dashboard, and seat

Some Harford County parents are speaking out after their children’s longtime school bus driver was removed from her route after allegedly allowing a student to get off the bus to rescue an injured kitten. Cynthia Morgan, who drove students in the district for 11 years, told CBS News Baltimore she is devastated by the decision. Parents say they understand the safety concerns but believe removing Morgan from her route was excessive. Video recorded on Heaps School Road shows little traffic on the rural road, a detail parents say is important to understanding what happened.

“We live in North Harford, so it’s very rural out here, off of Heaps School Road, a very low-traffic road,” parent Carolyn Kalambihis said. “She wouldn’t have done it, let a child get off the bus to get a kitten if it was a more high-traffic road.” Morgan was removed from her route this week after she allegedly allowed a student to get off the bus to pick up an injured kitten. Morgan confirmed the account to CBS News Baltimore but declined to speak on camera. Kalambihis acknowledged the potential safety risks but said she believes Morgan understands that allowing a student off the bus was a mistake.

“It’s definitely a concern for safety. There is no question that it was a mistake,” Kalambihis said. “It shouldn’t have happened. I believe she knows that and understands, and looking back, knows she made a mistake and should not have done what she did.”

Parents rally behind longtime bus driver

Kalambihis said Morgan drove her children to North Harford Elementary School for five years and became someone they looked forward to seeing each day. “She is an angel. She is the most caring person,” Kalambihis said. “Every year at the beginning of the school year she buys every child on the bus school supplies. She buys them gifts for Christmas, every holiday, birthdays she gives them birthday cards, all out of her own pocket. She just does it because it makes her feel good.” Harford County Public Schools said Morgan was employed by an independent contractor, not directly by the school district.

However, the district is responsible for certifying drivers who transport students for its schools. In a statement to CBS News Baltimore, the district said, in part, “Certification and decertification are not always based on a single factor but often involve consideration of multiple circumstances and requirements…. Student safety remains our top priority, and all certification decisions are made with that responsibility in mind.” The district declined to comment on Morgan’s specific situation.

Petition calls for her return

Kalambihis and other parents are circulating a petition calling for Morgan to be allowed to return to her route. “We just feel the way that it was handled was not appropriate,” Kalambihis said. “We feel that termination was a little excessive, an overreaction by the Department of Transportation through HCPS. I think it could have been handled in a lot of other ways.” Cleary Inc. employs bus drivers who transport students for Harford County Public Schools. CBS News Baltimore reached out to the company for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Source: Harford County parents rally behind bus driver removed after stopping to rescue injured kitten – CBS Baltimore

I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
Genesis 9:13

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French student protesters say they’re just getting started

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Protesters holding blank signs outside a French government building with police present

After a heavy-handed response to the student protests sweeping France, the government has changed tack. It has banned police from using stun grenades after a student’s hand was blown off earlier in the week and there are promises to listen more to protesters’ demands. But with hundreds of schools still facing blockade and calls for more protests, will it be enough? What has the government said? “Empathy” and a little more “pedagogy” is what French President Emmanuel Macron demanded of police forces facing student protesters, said Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, following a massive day of protests on Tuesday.

“The president recalled the necessity to maintain order, intervene each time there’s serious violence, all while asking us to act with the greatest proportionality,” Nunez told radio station RTL Wednesday, after an emergency ministerial meeting. Nunez, a former chief of Paris’ police, said that he had ordered forces to refrain from using the type of stun grenade linked to a teenager losing his hand in protests on Monday. “We don’t deal with a movement of highschoolers like we deal with a movement of adults,” Nunez said. France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu told lawmakers Tuesday that high schools would replace lessons until the end of the week with a “period of internal democracy” to air grievances and discuss solutions. While refuting any suggestion of police repression, Lecornu condemned violence on the margins of protests, which were mostly peaceful Tuesday, despite the dramatic scenes that dominated coverage.

In an address to the nation Wednesday, Lecornu said parliament would debate on November 12 a budget proposal that includes 64 billion euros ($71.6 billion) in funding for education, a slight increase from last year. He also said the government has launched five initiatives to respond to students’ needs, including efforts to renovate school facilities, improve students’ schedules and provide more opportunities to express their concerns. “We have a duty to listen to them. Taking young people seriously means supporting their engagement just as much as sharing the difficulties, but also the constraints, with them,” he said. The proposal for discussion is a tried and tested tactic of Macron, who has historically favored attempts to integrate public debate into policy making. His government tried to calm the Yellow Vests protests with a similar listening campaign in 2019. Meanwhile, 18 investigations into officers’ conduct during the protests have been opened by police internal investigators, Nunez said, adding they would examine the proportionality of police actions.

Police forces “are there to protect the high schoolers,” he said. Are protests getting worse? On Thursday, 224 high schools were closed – a 30% decrease from Wednesday morning, Reuters reported, citing the education ministry. That will leave 94% of high schools fully or partially open, the ministry added. According to the interior ministry, 488 people were detained around the high school protests Tuesday. The student blockade actions on Wednesday were a fraction of the hundreds of thousands who marched with workers’ unions Tuesday in support of students across France. But it’s a sign of the rancor among students that protests are continuing day-to-day. Student unions have called for a day of protests on October 17 and five major teaching unions said they would strike Thursday in solidarity with their students, with little sign that school blockades will halt in the meantime. What do students want? More teachers, smaller class sizes and buildings better adapted to the climate are the most common demands of high school protesters.

Student union leaders, who represent some of the young people protesting, have also called for a 10-billion-euro ($11.2-billion) investment in high school and university-level education. A 10-point list of proposals drawn up by student unions included rethinking student workloads, ending a controversial university admissions system, ending police violence against students and creating more student accommodation. Sabrine Kharbach, spokesperson of the Student Union federation of unionized students, told BFMTV that blockades would continue until their demands were met. Anaïs Ella, spokesperson for Les Lycéens, a student association, told CNN that Lecornu didn’t address the demands laid out by student unions. She said that some of the prime minister’s proposals – including filling teaching posts in exam-year classes – “was the basics of the education system.” She said that money would solve some of their demands but that a deeper reset in relations between the government and students was needed. “We are the ones most directly affected by the national education system, yet we aren’t actually listened to,” she added.

Since the weekend, there have been concerted efforts among students to reject the violence that has marred protests. Student Angelo Via, 19, who protested in the street Tuesday, told CNN there was a feeling of “powerlessness” in the face of violent police actions, despite many students protesting peacefully. He hopes the protests will bring about “radical change,” especially regarding education budgets. What’s next? There will be relief in France at the interior minister’s decision to ban one type of police grenade, as the injuries suffered by some teenage protesters has sparked widespread horror. But the proposal for time for debate has been met with skepticism in some quarters. The main union for school directors, SNPDEN-UNSA, said that the single day set aside for discussions was insufficient to respond to problems in depth.

Nicolas Bonnet, national secretary of the union, told BFMTV that, “something other than a mere consultation period was required to get out of this crisis.” There are whispers in France of these protests transforming into another Yellow Vests movement, which was leaderless, nationwide and unified a broad church of grievances. Mimicking the months-long violent protests – the longest in French history – that rocked Macron’s first term, students and journalists have already begun referring to the next day of protest set for Thursday as “Act IV.”

Source: French student protesters say they’re just getting started | CNN

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
1 John 5:13

Finding Truth and Life in Jesus

In a world filled with competing voices, confusing paths, and endless distractions, Jesus doesn’t simply show us the way He declares, ‘I am the way.’ When everything around…

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Aurora seeks boundary change to address encampment near navigation campus

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A jurisdictional issue along the Aurora-Denver border is throwing an unexpected wrench into efforts to clear a homeless encampment outside Aurora’s Regional Navigation Campus. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman says city leaders recently discovered the encampment sits on a small piece of land that is technically within Denver city limits, even though it is adjacent to the Aurora-owned campus at East 40th Avenue and Chambers Road. The campus was purchased by Aurora to provide shelter, services and support for people experiencing homelessness. 

“When we bought the property, we assumed that 40th was the boundary between the city of Aurora and the city of Denver,” Coffman told CBS Colorado. “And it is except for a small piece, and that piece right now has an encampment on it.” Coffman said some of the people living in the encampment were previously receiving services at the Regional Navigation Campus but were asked to leave after failing to follow program rules. The mayor said Aurora wants to address the camp not only because of its proximity to the campus, but also because of concerns from nearby residents and businesses on both sides of the city line. “We obviously want to be good neighbors not simply to the businesses of Aurora, but the residences and businesses in Denver which are right across the street,” Coffman said. Coffman said the jurisdictional boundary matters because Aurora and Denver have different policies for abatements.

“We have very different guidelines for abating an encampment than Denver does,” he explained. A spokesperson for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s office said the two cities are working together so the property can be managed under a single set of rules. Denver also noted the encampment highlighted by Coffman appears to be largely within Aurora. Coffman said Aurora is pursuing a boundary adjustment that would transfer the property into Aurora’s jurisdiction. “We need to clean it up, but we need to have the authority to do it by virtue of having jurisdiction over this area,” Coffman said. “So we’re going to go forward with this boundary change and working with Denver.” Both Aurora and Denver officials say they expect the matter by the Regional Navigation Campus will be resolved between the two cities in the coming months.  

Coffman said Aurora completed a similar process earlier this year. He explained the city worked with neighboring Centennial on a land transfer involving Regis Jesuit High School, allowing Aurora to annex property connected to the school’s planned expansion. “So we know how to do it; we know there’s a precedent for it,” Coffman said.

Source: Aurora seeks boundary change to address encampment near navigation campus – CBS Colorado

O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.
Psalm 38:9

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Plague in Russia?

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a young man wearing a face mask

Russian authorities have sought to allay global worries over the death of a young woman who worked at a Siberian anti-plague laboratory. But moves to isolate her contacts and introduce new disease-control measures at local hospitals have raised concerns among people who fear they’re not being told the full story. The woman was a lab technician at Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia in Russia’s southeast. Questions have swirled around what illness she contracted and why Russian authorities have rushed to isolate her contacts, while downplaying the suggestion that she died of plague.

CNN has learned that a local maternity hospital is subjecting patients to comprehensive health checks and requiring them to fill out questionnaires about suspicious symptoms related to “plague” and other infectious diseases. The United States has made a formal request to Russia for information and US President Donald Trump said he is expecting to speak to his counterpart Vladimir Putin about the issue. Despite the assurances from Moscow that the risk is “low,” some nations in the region have implemented quarantine controls at border crossings. Here’s what we know:

What’s happening in Irkutsk?

Ulyana Gavryunina, a 29-year-old blogger from Angarsk, a city in the Irkutsk region, told CNN she had to change maternity hospitals at 40 weeks pregnant after newly imposed quarantine restrictions meant her husband could no longer be with her during labor. When she arrived for a scheduled appointment at the Irkutsk City Perinatal Center, her mother, who usually accompanied her during visits, was refused entry. Staff checked her temperature, asked her to show her tongue and instructed her to wear a mask, sanitize her hands and complete two questionnaires. One of them was titled “Checklist for Suspected Highly Dangerous Infectious Disease Plague” and listed symptoms such as high fever and chest pain.

Staff did not mention plague, she said, telling her only that there was an unidentified “new virus” and that extra precautions were needed to protect the babies. Inside the hospital, the atmosphere was calm, Gavryunina said. “Everything was as usual,” she told CNN. “Everyone was wearing masks, that’s all.” Her biggest concern was being told her husband could no longer accompany her during labor, even if he underwent additional medical tests. For other residents, the hospital restrictions have fueled questions about whether authorities are being transparent. “It feels like they’re not telling us the whole story,” one person who self-identified as an Irkutsk resident commented beneath one of Gavryunina’s social media posts. “They’re telling everyone that it wasn’t the plague but pneumonia. Yet hospitals are still under quarantine, and ambulance doctors are driving around in full Covid protective suits.”

Another local resident, who identified herself only as Ekaterina, said life there was continuing as normal. She told CNN that while some of her acquaintances were “slightly panicking,” she had seen little change on the streets. “Everything is as usual, no visible changes,” Ekaterina said. But in local Telegram groups, many expressed skepticism. “Who are you telling these fairy tales to?” one user asked.

What prompted these measures?

A lab worker, identified as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, was hospitalized on September 29, according to independent regional news outlet Lyudi Baikala. She is believed to have died at a hospital in Shelekhov, a town about 12 miles southwest of Irkutsk, at the end of last week. A friend of hers told CNN she died on October 2. The friend didn’t confirm any other details. Unverified reports suggest she fell ill after a potential lab-leak or contracted the illness after traveling to another region. Russia’s health and consumer watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said she died of a pneumonia of “unknown” origin. The agency downplayed suspicions that her illness was related to her work.

So how did the plague scare originate?

The first sign of a potential issue came on October 2, when Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev posted on Telegram that Anna Popova, the head of Rospotrebnadzor, had convened an “extraordinary meeting” about a suspected case of a “particularly dangerous infection” in a resident of the region. Kobzev did not mention plague, but Alexey Tsydenov, the head of neighboring Buryatia, raised that possibility when he said in a statement that the woman “died of plague in the Irkutsk region.” According to Russian media reports, his statement was later edited to say that she had “possibly died from plague.” We don’t know what the lab worker was suffering from, or how she contracted her illness, but the opaque Russian response has fueled speculation.

How have Russian authorities responded?

Russia’s health watchdog has reassured locals that the “epidemiological situation” is stable, but local media reported that 60 workers in the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute were in quarantine and a that number of hospitals were subject to restrictions The Kremlin has urged people to rely on updates from the health watchdog rather than “various rumors and speculation.” When pressed for further information on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov again referred journalists to the health watchdog, noting it “continues its work.” But the watchdog has released limited information.

What has been the international response?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Russia to share more information about the circumstances of the researcher’s death. “I think it’s incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world,” he said. “Maybe it’s bigger than we thought. We don’t know, but I think it would be reckless at this moment, given the limited information we still have, to speculate.” The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was in contact with Russian health authorities to “verify the event, its circumstances, the laboratory tests underway, and their results.” “Based on unofficial information available, the public health risk to the general population appears to be low,” it said.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that Russian health authorities reported that no case of plague had recently been registered in Irkutsk region, in response to WHO’s verification request. He said Russian health authorities told WHO that an epidemiological investigation was conducted, and contacts were identified, tested and put under medical observation. The Russian health authorities did not detect any high-threat pathogens among the contacts, Tedros said. Tedros also added that the WHO is seeking clarification from Russian authorities regarding “media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause”, though he did not say which media reports he was referring to.

Some Western media outlets have reported a second case linked to the episode, citing unspecified Russian media reports. CNN is not aware of any such reports and neither local media nor local officials have confirmed a second infection. The Kremlin on Wednesday said Russia had informed WHO of the plague researcher’s death “in accordance with established practice.”

Border measures

Despite such reassurances, several countries in the region have said they are monitoring and have put safeguard measures in place. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have implemented quarantine controls at state border crossing points. Uzbekistan said it has “increased the readiness” of authorities to deal with highly infectious diseases. But there do not appear to be additional border measures in place in China, which has a history of infectious disease control with Russia.

No flights from Irkutsk to China have been cancelled in recent days, according to data from Flightradar24 reviewed by CNN. Inbound and outbound travel through Heihe Port – a major border crossing connecting China’s northeast Heilongjiang province with the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk – remains normal, a salesperson at Heihe China Travel Agency told CNN on Wednesday. They had not received any notices about border controls. CNN has asked China Customs and its foreign ministry whether Beijing plans to establish any border measures. China is currently observing an national holiday.

Why was the lab studying the plague?

According to its website, the Anti-Plague Institute employs around 95 researchers and is a major public health facility responsible for monitoring and preventing outbreaks of high-risk bacterial and viral infections across Siberia and Russia’s Far East. The institute was established in 1934 to combat plague and continues to study the disease because Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the plague, still circulates naturally in wildlife across parts of Siberia and neighboring regions.

Source: Russian plague scare — what we know so far | CNN

Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
Matthew 24:42

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Isaias becomes first hurricane of 2026 Atlantic season, threatens northern Gulf Coast. See maps, forecast path.

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Hurricane Isaias was intensifying early Thursday and is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday, threatening parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of the Florida Panhandle. It became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season after strengthening from a tropical storm late Wednesday night. A hurricane warning is in effect for the northern Gulf Coast, from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, across Alabama to Florida’s Bay/Gulf County line.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for more than two dozen counties in his state, and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 40 counties.  Maps show hurricane’s path Isaias, pronounced “ees-ah-EE-ahs,” had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph early Thursday and its core was located about 420 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center.  “Additional strengthening is expected through early Friday, and Isaias should remain a strong hurricane as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Friday night,” the center said.

“Preparations to protect life and property from storm surge and damaging winds along the warning area of the Gulf Coast should be rushed to completion today,” the Miami-based center stressed. Along with the hurricane warning, a tropical storm warning was issued from Louisiana’s Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line to west of Ocean Springs, Mississippi and from east of the Bay/Gulf County line to Florida’s Aucilla River. A storm surge warning was issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Steinhatchee River in Florida. The hurricane center forecasts 3 to 7 inches of rain and as much as 10 inches in some places along the coast from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Much of the Southeast, and as far north as the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas, could see heavy rainfall.

The latest for a first hurricane since 1905 Isaias’ progression into a hurricane on Wednesday marked the latest date in 121 years for the Atlantic season’s first hurricane to develop, just missing a record set on Oct. 8, 1905, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.  The season, which has been unusually quiet in the Atlantic this year, runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.   An Atlantic hurricane season typically produces, on average, 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, according to the hurricane center, which used climate data collected between 1991 and 2020 to calculate those figures. A season’s first named storm normally forms in mid- to late-June, while the first hurricane tends to form in early- to mid-August, and the first major hurricane often comes in late August or early September.

Forecasters predicted there would be less Atlantic storm activity than usual this year, but so far it has been even quieter than anticipated. Meteorologists say that’s largely due to to the onset of a strong El Niño over the summer, which typically correlates with cooler water temperatures and greater fluctuations in wind patterns over the Atlantic, conditions that dampen the growth of tropical systems. The Pacific, meanwhile, has seen an unusually active series of hurricanes.

Source: Isaias becomes first hurricane of 2026 Atlantic season, threatens northern Gulf Coast. See maps, forecast path. – CBS News

Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
2 Samuel 7:22

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Woman in Pennsylvania diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome after tick bite

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Historic Lititz street with autumn trees, American flags, shops, church, library, and festival visitors

A Ross Township woman was diagnosed with a tick-borne disease that’s rare in southwestern Pennsylvania, but common in other parts of the country. Now, she wants to urge others to be more careful when outdoors.  Angela Lundy started feeling sick after she ate a bratwurst on Father’s Day. Then a week later, she split a burger with her husband. “I woke up with severe stomach pain like right along where my bra line is, and it lasted about three hours,” Lundy said.  However, her doctor couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and testing for gallstones came back negative. “It wasn’t until my girlfriend half-jokingly said to me, ‘Well, maybe you have alpha-gal,'” Lundy said.

Everything started to click with Lundy, who remembered getting bitten by a tick behind her left knee in early June after working in her backyard garden. “It was the itchiest bite I had ever had,” Lundy said. She learned a tick infected her with alpha-gal syndrome after her doctor properly diagnosed her based on Lundy having both symptoms and positive blood test results. It’s a tick-borne disease that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said is potentially life-threatening and causes an allergy to mammal meats like beef, pork, venison, and could also cause intolerances to dairy and gelatin. “It’s mostly known to come from the lone star tick,” said Emily Struckhoff, program specialist with Penn State Extension.

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health told KDKA that surveillance by the state Department of Environmental Protection now shows lone star ticks with white dots in several parts of the state, including southwestern counties, at low levels. However, the department added that “there is evidence that deer ticks … are also linked to [the syndrome].” “[Lone star ticks are] primarily a southern-associated species, but we have been seeing its range expand further north into southern Pa.,” Struckhoff said. The health department also said, “Recent voluntary reports show that about 300 people test positive for Alpha-Gal each year” in the state.

Now that includes Lundy, who just saw an allergist and is carrying an EpiPen, while taking extra precautions at restaurants and outside. “It’s not fun, but I think there’s like worse things,” Lundy said. This serves as a reminder that ticks are around year-round. Experts said the best steps you can take are wearing long sleeves and pants that you can tuck into your socks, and don’t forget to spray DEET or wash your clothes in permethrin, both of which can repel ticks.

Source: Woman in Pennsylvania diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome after tick bite – CBS Pittsburgh

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.
Proverbs 21:2

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Man eyed Minnesota’s Mall of America for attack, pledging allegiance to ISIS, federal prosecutors say

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Mall of America exterior and interior

An 18-year-old man accused of telling an FBI informant he planned to carry out an attack later this month at Mall of America was arrested at gunpoint Tuesday in Richfield, Minnesota, during an arranged meeting to buy an assault rifle, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Wednesday. Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson discussed the case involving Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, a Twin Cities resident and U.S. citizen, in a news conference Wednesday afternoon, where Rosen praised the FBI for its “diligence” in thwarting the attack.

“They were able to detect a threat and disrupt it before the defendant carried out his intention to kill, in his words, maybe 30 to 60 people,” Rosen said. In the complaint, authorities say a “confidential human source” exchanged “hundreds of bi-directional messages through multiple social media and encrypted messaging applications” with Mohamud from December 2024 until Tuesday. In those exchanges, Mohamud allegedly “expressed his desire to travel to Somalia” to join al-Shabaab and “fight on its behalf and/or commit a mass casualty attack” in Minnesota. “The messages this defendant allegedly sent to others were chilling. They document the idolization of ideologically motivated violence, a callous disregard to the sanctity of human life, a blind hatred of people of other faiths and a cold commitment to carrying out his vision of violence in our community,” Dotson said.

“Mohamud allegedly sought martyrdom in carrying out his plans to murder innocent civilians.” The complaint says the FBI contacted Mohamud’s parents in May 2025, but they weren’t cooperative. “The FBI attempted to speak with his parents having seen that this young man was becoming radicalized, and those attempts were rebuffed by the parents,” Rosen said. “I just would say to parents all over Minnesota and, for that matter all over America, if you get the indication, especially if you hear from federal law enforcement, that your son or daughter is being radicalized to the point where federal law enforcement wants to come and give you that warning, heed those warnings.” In July, Mohamud told an informant he didn’t have enough money to go to Somalia, according to the complaint.

He allegedly said he would attack in the United States instead, and that if he did, he wasn’t doing it “for any worldly matter” but “for the sake of Allah only.”  Mohamud allegedly went on to say in a direct message to the source that he considered carrying out an attack at Mall of America in Bloomington or Valleyfair amusement park in Shakopee. An FBI affidavit says he wrote that he might buy two pistols online first. The complaint says Mohamud said he wanted to attack the mall “because it’s owned by Jewish.” He said he was inspired in part by last year’s deadly antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Last month, Mohamud told the source he wanted to carry out an attack at the mall during the Hmong Arts Celebration on Oct. 24, saying “it will be a lot of people,” according to court documents.

In another message last month, the affidavit says Mohamud wrote that he had been watching video of the 2016 attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and thought he could do the same. “I just walk in and shoot,” Mohamud wrote, according to the complaint. Court documents also note Mohamud sent the source a video on Discord in which he allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS. On Tuesday, Mohamud was arrested during an arranged meeting with the source in the parking lot of a Richfield park, according to Rosen. The affidavit says he had left an undercover employee’s vehicle with the rifle, four magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition when he was arrested. The filing describes the weapon as a Norinco AK-47 assault rifle, model Mac-90 Sporter, and the ammunition as about 200 live rounds of 7.62×39-caliber.

“They became aware that this was a radicalized young man who needed to be watched, and in fact, in this young man’s case, that radicalization progressed to the point where he planned in the most serious of ways to carry out a mass casualty attack,” Rosen said. Authorities allege Mohamud “knowingly received a firearm and ammunition” knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe, they would be used to commit a felony and a federal crime of terrorism, including providing or conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Source: Man eyed Minnesota’s Mall of America for attack, pledging allegiance to ISIS, federal prosecutors say – CBS Minnesota

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
2 Corinthians 6:14

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US Bases Get New Shield: Pentagon Picks 4 Directed-Energy Weapons For Anti-Drone Pilot

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The US military is moving directed-energy weapons from demonstrations towards operational testing at American bases, selecting four systems for a new homeland counter-drone pilot. The Pentagon said the weapons chosen are AeroVironment’s Palletized High-Energy Laser, Epirus’ Leonidas high-powered microwave, Kord’s Firefly high-energy laser and Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System.

The programme is being run by Joint Interagency Task Force 401, or JIATF-401, the Army-led organisation responsible for coordinating counter-drone efforts across the military and other federal agencies. Army Brig Gen Matt Ross, the task force director, said the pilot would test how high-energy lasers and high-powered microwaves could be integrated into a layered defence system. The Pentagon plans to collect real-time data on the weapons’ performance, operating costs and maintenance requirements. Five bases will put the systems to the test The pilot will run for a year, with service members operating and maintaining the weapons at the selected installations.

The five sites are Fort Huachuca in Arizona, Fort Bliss in Texas, Naval Base Kitsap in Washington, Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The Pentagon has not said which weapon will be deployed at which base, how many systems will be fielded or what the overall pilot will cost. The reason for testing different technologies is straightforward: lasers and microwaves attack the drone problem in fundamentally different ways. A high-energy laser concentrates its energy on a target and remains focused on it until the drone is disabled.

A high-powered microwave, meanwhile, can affect the electronics of multiple drones at once, making it particularly suited to countering swarms. Four weapons, two different approaches AeroVironment’s system is a palletised version of its LOCUST laser, designed to be transported and deployed where required. The company has previously demonstrated the system against drones, including during a live-fire event aboard the USS George H.W. Bush. Kord’s Firefly is another mobile laser system, with an output that can be scaled from 5 to 40 kilowatts. Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System is a smaller, lower-power laser designed around mobility and precision engagement.

Leonidas is different. Developed by Epirus, it uses high-powered microwaves rather than a laser and is intended to disrupt groups of drones by overwhelming their electronic systems. The company has previously reported tests in which Leonidas defeated large drone swarms. That distinction could become important as drone attacks evolve from individual aircraft into coordinated attacks involving dozens of systems. Can directed energy beat the cost problem? One of the biggest attractions of directed-energy weapons is cost. A laser or microwave engagement can potentially cost a fraction of a conventional interceptor missile, while also avoiding unexploded ammunition on the ground.

But the Pentagon is not relying solely on the headline figure for a single shot. Ross has previously warned that the real calculation must include the cost of buying, operating and maintaining the weapon. A system that is cheap to fire but expensive to keep deployed may not provide the savings expected. The pilot will therefore test the entire equation — from battlefield effectiveness to sustainment. There is also a safety challenge. Earlier this year, the FAA briefly closed airspace around El Paso after a counter-drone laser was used near Fort Bliss without the required coordination. Subsequent Pentagon-FAA testing examined the risks to aircraft, with the FAA later saying that the tested laser systems did not pose an undue risk to passenger aircraft when appropriate safety controls were in place.

The Pentagon plans another directed-energy shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah in December. For the US military, the bigger question is no longer whether lasers and microwaves can destroy drones in controlled demonstrations. It is whether they can become a reliable, affordable and safely operated layer of defence around American bases.

Source: US Bases Get New Shield: Pentagon Picks 4 Directed-Energy Weapons For Anti-Drone Pilot | Times Now

He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good.
Proverbs 19:8

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Social media captures Southern California squirrels “splooting” in midst of sweltering heat wave

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Prairie dog resting in dry grass beside a winding rural road

With sweltering heat still lingering over Southern California, many social media users have started capturing an adorable phenomenon sweeping across the region’s squirrel population — splooting.  Splooting, also called pancaking, is when a squirrel or animal lies flat on its stomach and spreads its legs to cool down.  “They’re just trying to keep cool in this heat like everyone else is,” said one Los Angeles park-goer, who couldn’t help but laugh at the silliness of the tactic. According to wildlife experts, there’s a more scientific reason behind it. 

“So, often animals do something called behavioral thermoregulation,” said UC Davis biologist Dr. Daniel Karp. “Which is a super fancy way of saying they’re just gonna go into the shade, or into their burrow, or some place to seek shelter from that heat.” A Reddit thread chronicled the “Squirrel Splooting Spell,” with one user capturing three different squirrels keeping cool on the same roof.  Sam Ramirez, a wildlife technician who owns Humane Pest Control, said that squirrel splooting is very common when the weather gets hot.  “Unfortunately, they don’t have AC available to them, so they’re using their natural resources,” Ramirez said.

“It’s the animals, it’s us, it’s everybody.” He said it’s very important that resources available to squirrels and other wildlife remain natural, even when it’s especially tempting to put out water.  “We don’t want to take care of them. Wildlife can take care of themselves,” Ramirez said. “Wildlife are supposed to remain wild, and it’s our natural instinct to want to help out. … Let wildlife be; they know what they’re doing.” He said that by leaving out food or water, it can cause animals to become dependent on people and less likely to survive in the wild. Ramirez and other experts say that humans can help by giving them plenty of space to sploot, and create shady areas for them to rest in times of high heat. 

Source: Social media captures Southern California squirrels “splooting” in midst of sweltering heat wave – CBS Los Angeles

Let my mouth be filled with Your praise And with Your glory all the day.
Psalm 71:8

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Israel marks three years since October 7 attack with memorials and protests

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Lit candle, white flower bouquet, and Israeli flag on a stone ledge

Three years to the minute after the start of the deadliest single day in Israel’s history, the country marked the somber occasion with a series of ceremonies, memorials and protests at more than 400 locations. At 6:29 in the morning on October 7, 2023, Hamas-led gunmen stormed Israeli communities along the border with Gaza, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to the enclave. Those slain included children, women, elderly people and complete families.

The commemoration began with a national moment of silence at the time the attack started. At noon, bereaved families and civil grassroot protest groups will hold a national minute of reflection, joined by various public hospitals, local municipalities, universities and private businesses. Memorial events will also take place at the Nova festival site in the Re’im Forest, where over 370 people were murdered and 44 were abducted. Additional protest convoys and displays are expected throughout the country all day. Shir Mathias, whose parents Shachar and Shlomi Mathias were killed during the attack on Kibbutz Holit on the Gaza border, called Tuesday for a change in the country’s leadership.

“Just before we enter October 7, I have one message,” she wrote on X. “Everyone who had their hand on the wheel, those in uniforms and suits alike — must go home. I call on all citizens of Israel, change your profile picture to the most self-evident message: ‘Everyone must go home.’” On Wednesday evening, a national memorial ceremony will be held in Tel Aviv, and tens of thousands are expected to attend. The event is organized by the “Kumu” movement (“Rise Up” in Hebrew), which represents October 7 survivors and victims’ families, and will be hosted by former hostage Eli Sharabi and actress Shani Cohen. Israel held its official state memorials on Monday.

“Even three years after the outbreak of the war — when the State of Israel is stronger than ever — the terrible hours of the Simchat Torah attack remain seared within us,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, referencing the Jewish holiday on which the attack happened. At a cabinet meeting one day later, Netanyahu foreshadowed more war ahead, despite a stalled US-brokered ceasefire agreement one year ago. He said Israel has killed “4,000 out of 6,000” militants who infiltrated Israel on October 7, 2023. “We will reach all of them,” he said, amid near daily Israeli strikes in Gaza. Since the start of the war, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

In contrast to the official ceremonies, most of Wednesday’s commemoration events are grassroots efforts, organized by survivors and victims of the October 7 attack, including the October Council and the Kumu movement. A recurring demand by both groups is to establish a state commission of inquiry, the most powerful investigative mechanism in Israeli law empowered to examine national-level disasters and decisions. Netanyahu has consistently resisted such calls for three years and has not appointed any other special inquiry to investigate the failures that day. Einav Zangauker, mother of freed hostage Matan Zangauker and one of the most vocal critics of the government, wrote Tuesday on X: “Three years since the day that changed my life and our lives as a people.

Three years of loss and pain. Three years of a basic demand for accountability. For those we lost, for those who returned and whose lives were changed forever, and for a country that deserves hope and repair.” The anniversary falls less than three weeks from the October 27 election in which accountability has become a central campaign issue. Netanyahu’s rivals have stepped up their criticism and have turned the anniversary into to a focal point of their campaign, especially after a string of media reports alleging that Israel received preliminary warnings from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt ahead of the attack. “This is a very deep failure,” said Gadi Eisenkot, currently polling as Netanyahu’s main challenger in the elections.

He accused the prime minister of dodging a state commission of inquiry. “Netanyahu knows better than anyone why he is running from the truth, why he wants to bury the truth,” he said at a recent conference. Eisenkot, whose son was killed in Gaza during the war, will spend the day visiting Israeli communities along the Gaza border, as will former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, another Netanyahu rival.

Source: Israel marks three years since October 7 attack with memorials and protests | CNN

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:29-31

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Russian plague scare — what we know so far

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Two researchers working with equipment inside a glass-enclosed laboratory

Russian authorities have sought to allay global worries over the death of a young woman who worked at a Siberian anti-plague laboratory. But moves to isolate her contacts and introduce new disease-control measures at local hospitals have raised concerns among people who fear they’re not being told the full story. The woman was a lab technician at Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia in Russia’s southeast. Questions have swirled around what illness she contracted and why Russian authorities have rushed to isolate her contacts, while downplaying the suggestion that she died of plague.

CNN has learned that a local maternity hospital is subjecting patients to comprehensive health checks and requiring them to fill out questionnaires about suspicious symptoms related to “plague” and other infectious diseases. The United States has made a formal request to Russia for information and US President Donald Trump said he is expecting to speak to his counterpart Vladimir Putin about the issue. Despite the assurances from Moscow that the risk is “low,” some nations in the region have implemented quarantine controls at border crossings. Here’s what we know:

What’s happening in Irkutsk?

Ulyana Gavryunina, a 29-year-old blogger from Angarsk, a city in the Irkutsk region, told CNN she had to change maternity hospitals at 40 weeks pregnant after newly imposed quarantine restrictions meant her husband could no longer be with her during labor. When she arrived for a scheduled appointment at the Irkutsk City Perinatal Center, her mother, who usually accompanied her during visits, was refused entry. Staff checked her temperature, asked her to show her tongue and instructed her to wear a mask, sanitize her hands and complete two questionnaires. One of them was titled “Checklist for Suspected Highly Dangerous Infectious Disease Plague” and listed symptoms such as high fever and chest pain.

Staff did not mention plague, she said, telling her only that there was an unidentified “new virus” and that extra precautions were needed to protect the babies. Inside the hospital, the atmosphere was calm, Gavryunina said. “Everything was as usual,” she told CNN. “Everyone was wearing masks, that’s all.” Her biggest concern was being told her husband could no longer accompany her during labor, even if he underwent additional medical tests. For other residents, the hospital restrictions have fueled questions about whether authorities are being transparent. “It feels like they’re not telling us the whole story,” one person who self-identified as an Irkutsk resident commented beneath one of Gavryunina’s social media posts. “They’re telling everyone that it wasn’t the plague but pneumonia. Yet hospitals are still under quarantine, and ambulance doctors are driving around in full Covid protective suits.”

Another local resident, who identified herself only as Ekaterina, said life there was continuing as normal. She told CNN that while some of her acquaintances were “slightly panicking,” she had seen little change on the streets. “Everything is as usual, no visible changes,” Ekaterina said. But in local Telegram groups, many expressed skepticism. “Who are you telling these fairy tales to?” one user asked.

What prompted these measures?

A lab worker, identified as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, was hospitalized on September 29, according to independent regional news outlet Lyudi Baikala. She is believed to have died at a hospital in Shelekhov, a town about 12 miles southwest of Irkutsk, at the end of last week. A friend of hers told CNN she died on October 2. The friend didn’t confirm any other details. Unverified reports suggest she fell ill after a potential lab-leak or contracted the illness after traveling to another region. Russia’s health and consumer watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said she died of a pneumonia of “unknown” origin. The agency downplayed suspicions that her illness was related to her work.

So how did the plague scare originate?

The first sign of a potential issue came on October 2, when Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev posted on Telegram that Anna Popova, the head of Rospotrebnadzor, had convened an “extraordinary meeting” about a suspected case of a “particularly dangerous infection” in a resident of the region. Kobzev did not mention plague, but Alexey Tsydenov, the head of neighboring Buryatia, raised that possibility when he said in a statement that the woman “died of plague in the Irkutsk region.” According to Russian media reports, his statement was later edited to say that she had “possibly died from plague.” We don’t know what the lab worker was suffering from, or how she contracted her illness, but the opaque Russian response has fueled speculation.

How have Russian authorities responded?

Russia’s health watchdog has reassured locals that the “epidemiological situation” is stable, but local media reported that 60 workers in the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute were in quarantine and a that number of hospitals were subject to restrictions The Kremlin has urged people to rely on updates from the health watchdog rather than “various rumors and speculation.” When pressed for further information on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov again referred journalists to the health watchdog, noting it “continues its work.” But the watchdog has released limited information.

What has been the international response?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Russia to share more information about the circumstances of the researcher’s death. “I think it’s incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world,” he said. “Maybe it’s bigger than we thought. We don’t know, but I think it would be reckless at this moment, given the limited information we still have, to speculate.” The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was in contact with Russian health authorities to “verify the event, its circumstances, the laboratory tests underway, and their results.” “Based on unofficial information available, the public health risk to the general population appears to be low,” it said.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that Russian health authorities reported that no case of plague had recently been registered in Irkutsk region, in response to WHO’s verification request. He said Russian health authorities told WHO that an epidemiological investigation was conducted, and contacts were identified, tested and put under medical observation. The Russian health authorities did not detect any high-threat pathogens among the contacts, Tedros said. Tedros also added that the WHO is seeking clarification from Russian authorities regarding “media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause”, though he did not say which media reports he was referring to.

Some Western media outlets have reported a second case linked to the episode, citing unspecified Russian media reports. CNN is not aware of any such reports and neither local media nor local officials have confirmed a second infection. The Kremlin on Wednesday said Russia had informed WHO of the plague researcher’s death “in accordance with established practice.”

Border measures

Despite such reassurances, several countries in the region have said they are monitoring and have put safeguard measures in place. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have implemented quarantine controls at state border crossing points. Uzbekistan said it has “increased the readiness” of authorities to deal with highly infectious diseases. But there do not appear to be additional border measures in place in China, which has a history of infectious disease control with Russia.

No flights from Irkutsk to China have been cancelled in recent days, according to data from Flightradar24 reviewed by CNN. Inbound and outbound travel through Heihe Port – a major border crossing connecting China’s northeast Heilongjiang province with the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk – remains normal, a salesperson at Heihe China Travel Agency told CNN on Wednesday. They had not received any notices about border controls. CNN has asked China Customs and its foreign ministry whether Beijing plans to establish any border measures. China is currently observing an national holiday.

Why was the lab studying the plague?

According to its website, the Anti-Plague Institute employs around 95 researchers and is a major public health facility responsible for monitoring and preventing outbreaks of high-risk bacterial and viral infections across Siberia and Russia’s Far East. The institute was established in 1934 to combat plague and continues to study the disease because Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the plague, still circulates naturally in wildlife across parts of Siberia and neighboring regions.

Source: Russian plague scare — what we know so far | CNN

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:13-14

Prayer for Boldness; Acts 4:24-31

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Kemp expands fuel relief for Georgia farmers and truckers

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Trucks traveling on a divided highway through golden farmland

Georgia is giving truckers and farmers more time and flexibility as high fuel costs continue to strain their budgets. Gov. Brian Kemp has extended the state’s motor fuel tax suspension through Nov. 5 and temporarily waived state penalties for using off-road “dyed” diesel in vehicles traveling on public roads. The changes are part of an amended state of emergency for disruptions to petroleum supplies. The order took effect Tuesday and will expire at 11:59 p.m. Nov. 5 unless it is renewed or ended early. 

Dyed diesel is generally used in off-road equipment, including agricultural and forestry machinery. Under the temporary order, Georgia will not impose state penalties for selling, delivering or using that fuel for highway travel. The state revenue commissioner was directed to issue guidance on how the waiver will be implemented. “With our farmers and truckers under heavy pressure, we’re leaving no stone unturned when it comes to giving them relief, along with the hardworking Georgians who rely on the goods they produce and deliver,” Kemp said in a statement. The amended order continues other measures that began Sept. 29, including the suspension of Georgia’s motor fuel tax and certain weight restrictions on commercial vehicles.

Those measures were originally set to expire Oct. 29. Before the suspension, Georgia collected 33.3 cents per gallon of gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon of diesel.  AAA data from Tuesday showed Georgia’s average price for regular gas had fallen by about 33 cents in one week, from roughly $4.18 to $3.85 per gallon. The average diesel price dropped by about 43 cents, from roughly $6.23 to $5.80 per gallon. Georgia’s regular gas average was about 52 cents below the national average.  The order says the temporary changes are intended to support Georgia’s agricultural and timber industries during the fall harvest season and address ongoing disruptions to global petroleum supplies.

Source: Kemp expands fuel relief for Georgia farmers and truckers – CBS Atlanta

And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1 John 4:21

Robin Williams as the American Flag

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Twin baby girls separated in NICUs at 2 Boston hospitals. Parents pleading to get them back together.

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Two newborns sleeping in hospital incubators with medical monitors

Premature twin baby girls are separated, hospitalized in two different neonatal intensive care units in Boston. The parents, from Canton, Massachusetts, say they know the babies are getting the vital care they need, but it’s nearly impossible to support both girls equally when they’re apart. “It’s difficult. They’re in a glass enclosure with feeding tubes and breathing tubes. As a parent it’s the worst feeling in the world, to not be able to help them.

So, all you can do is sit there, look at them and pray,” said dad Mike Kennedy.  Any parent who’s had to leave their baby in a NICU knows this father’s pain and has whispered those same prayers. Mike and Kelsey Kennedy’s twin girls came early, born at just 24 weeks. Juliette went upstairs to the Brigham and Women’s NICU. Kendall, born with spina bifida, was rushed into surgery at Boston Children’s. That was five weeks ago. “The doctors and the nurses have all been in our corner. They’ve been trying to get them together. There are studies that show twins together, it helps them heal,” Kennedy said. 

The couple raves about the care their girls have received at both hospitals. But the parents aren’t just pulled between two NICUs, they also have two other young kids at home in Canton. Then, adding to their stress, a letter informing them of the scheduled Brigham nurses’ strike.  “Now with the strike that comfort and that reliability that we had with the team we knew is gone,” he added.  Juliette was even just taken to Children’s for heart surgery. Still, she was transported back to the Brigham to recover. WBZ asked the hospital about the parents’ wish to transfer to be treated together. The hospital wrote in a statement:  “Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit works closely with partner institutions to ensure babies receive the specialized care that best meets their individual needs.

Decisions regarding transfers are based on multiple factors, including a baby’s medical condition and stability, clinical needs, parental wishes, and bed availability at each location. We cannot comment on any specific patient due to patient privacy, but our teams work closely with families and partner institutions to coordinate care based on each baby’s individual needs and circumstances.” Boston Children’s Hospital did not respond.  When so much feels out of their control, the Kennedys say the rest of the year in just one NICU would feel like such a win.  “We take every little thing as a win. An ounce here, an ounce there, that’s a win to us. A good day is a win. Every single day we’ve had with these babies, the good and the bad has been a win,” the dad said. 

Source: Twin baby girls separated in NICUs at 2 Boston hospitals. Parents pleading to get them back together. – CBS Boston

Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
Luke 6:30

George Washington on Freedom of Speech

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FBI arrests alleged Chinese agent at LAX after she allegedly surveilled son of Taiwanese president

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The FBI arrested a suspected Chinese agent at Los Angeles International Airport after she allegedly surveilled the Taiwanese president’s U.S.-based son, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Wanying “Heather” Zhang, an Irvine, California, realtor, was cuffed by federal law enforcement on Sunday before she boarded a flight to Shanghai, China, from LAX, on a charge of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Zhang’s husband Edric Ding, a realtor at the same firm, told CBS News when reached by phone Sunday: “I don’t know anything yet,” and declined to comment further.

It was not immediately clear if Zhang has an attorney.   Wanying “Heather” Zhang. FBI A criminal complaint, filed in federal court by a member of the FBI’s counterintelligence squad in L.A., accused Zhang and an accomplice of traveling to Seattle, Washington, in September 2025 and taking pictures at the suburban home of a top Taiwanese official’s family. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the target was Ting-Yu Lai, the son of Taiwanese President Ching-Te Lai. Ting-Yu, an engineer in his 30s, attended college in America and has a young U.S.-born son with his wife, Hsiao Chen, according to Taiwanese media reports. He now works for the Dutch multinational electronics firm Philips. “If the PRC [People’s Republic of China] wish to obtain leverage over the President of Taiwan during any potential conflict, the location and pictures of the close relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official, including pictures of their homes and cars, could be useful to the PRC,” wrote FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt in the Oct. 3, 2026, criminal complaint.

Taiwan has been the focus of high geopolitical tensions for decades. It asserts its independence, while the Chinese government claims it is part of China. The island is in a key position astride major shipping lanes, and is where many of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips are manufactured. CBS News reached out to the Taiwanese consulate for comment. The complaint said Zhang, 34, and a man named only as “Individual 1” flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on Sept. 1, 2025, rented a black Nissan Rogue and drove to their target’s home. Images from a neighbor’s security camera included in the complaint allegedly show the two “appearing to film” Ting-Yu, his wife and their child as they arrived home that evening.

CBS News matched the images to an address near Seattle owned by Ting-Yu. Zhang allegedly texted her Chinese government handler: “Saw him. Young male. It’s that young one,” and “I am videorecording,” followed by two license plate numbers, according to the complaint. The FBI agent wrote that the texts from the Chinese messaging app WeChat were obtained from a search warrant on Zhang’s iCloud account. “Zhang was in contact with at least two people whom she appeared to acknowledge worked for the PRC government,” the agent wrote. FBI agents arrested Wanying “Heather” Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 4, 2026. U.S. Department of Justice The complaint claims  Zhang was introduced in June 2025 to one of the Chinese government officials by a classmate from her alma mater, Beijing’s University of International Relations, which Holt said has close ties to the Ministry of State Security.

Holt’s affidavit claims  Zhang booked a private room in Changsha, China, during a June 2025 trip, where she allegedly met the government official and received her surveillance mission. She later texted the official, “I can take care of this thing,” according to the complaint. On Aug. 26, 2025, Zhang wrote: “I will be busy with work in L.A. this week. I will probably go to Seattle next week,” and the official replied: “Ok. Thank you for your hard work,” the complaint said. Zhang is a licensed California realtor with JC Pacific Capital Inc. Her Zillow profile says she has 130 sales and listings around Los Angeles and neighboring counties.  Ting-Yu received his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2012; a master’s in Bioengineering Innovation and Design from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the following year; then a PhD from the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, according to a profile from one of his academic publications.

Taiwan TV news station SETN reported that he met his Taiwanese wife while studying for his doctorate. They married in 2018 and had a child in the U.S. in 2020, according to CNA, Taiwan’s national news agency. Chinese government agents have previously been caught spying on and harassing Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy activists in the U.S. Federal prosecutors said Shujun Wang, 75, infiltrated and informed on a Chinese pro-democracy group in Queens, New York, for the Chinese Ministry of State Security for 17 years. He was convicted in 2024 of acting as a foreign agent. Two people were arrested in April 2023 for their involvement in an unofficial Chinese police station in Manhattan set up to monitor Chinese dissidents. The Justice Department has warned of a plan by the Chinese security services called Operation Fox Hunt aimed at repatriating wanted Chinese nationals around the world, which targets enemies of the regime.

New York-based Quanzhong An, who prosecutors say is a leader of the U.S. wing of Operation Fox Hunt, was sentenced in March 2025 after harassing a Chinese dissident in an attempt to bring them back to China. In California, former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang was charged with acting as a Chinese agent in May. She admitted to being paid to spread pro-Chinese government propaganda in the U.S., including an essay on her blog denying “forced labor” in China.

Source: FBI arrests alleged Chinese agent at LAX after she allegedly surveilled son of Taiwanese president – CBS News

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
John 13:20

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Skateboarder ends 1,200-mile journey

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Skyler King has completed his 1,200-mile journey from Oxford to New York City on a skateboard. He left Oxford on Aug. 1 and arrived in NYC on Sept. 12. King made the trip to honor his late brother while raising awareness and support for suicide prevention and mental health. The trip, called “Push for Prevention,” raised almost $11K. King plans to donate the funds to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Ben Raemers Foundation. (Contributed)

Source: Skateboarder ends 1,200-mile journey | The Oxford Eagle

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip.
Psalm 18:35-36

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Baby rhino and baby zebra raised together after losing their moms

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Since 1977, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has led one of the biggest rescue and rehabilitation wildlife operations in East Africa. Although they specialize in elephant care, their sanctuaries are home to a variety of animals that arrive orphaned or injured, including giraffes, zebras, and rhinos.  “Rhinos are special animals,” Edwin, a keeper at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, said in a video update posted on September 22.

“Although the population in our country is steadily increasing. At the moment, Kenya has got more than 2,000 rhinos, which is really good. And we are happy for that.” To date, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has rescued and successfully rehabilitated 20 rhinos. One black rhino currently under their care is Tytan, who was orphaned at an early age.  “[His] mother died after falling down a cliff, and at eight months, he could not have survived,” Edwin explained in the video. “That’s why we had to bring him into the nursery. If he would not have been identified at eight months, the hyenas [and] the lions would have been excited to find him out in the wild.” One week after Tytan was rescued, a tiny orphaned zebra was found and transported to the same nursery in Nairobi.

“Her mother had succumbed to the same fate, falling off a cliff,” the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust explained on its website. “Tytan and Notty, as we named her, became best buddies and have been inseparable ever since.” Every day, Tytan, Notty, and the rest of the “herd” are released into the nearby park to explore and graze. Every night, Tytan returns to the nursery to drink milk, snack on alfalfa, and sleep on a bed of hay as a keeper watches over him.  Eventually, when Tytan reaches five years of age, his keepers will begin leaving his stockade open, so he can have the option to stay out in the park overnight. 

Over time, he will return less and less as he naturally becomes more solitary and carves out a territory for himself in the wilds of Nairobi. “He’s only one and a half years old, and he’s lucky to be with us now — lucky to be alive,” Edwin said. “And expected to go back into the wild after some time.”  But, for right now, Tytan spends his days “grazing happily in the forest.” “Despite his physical prowess, Tytan remains an immature rhino who enjoys regular naps on the forest floor with Notty and his keepers on sentry duty.” On September 22, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust shared a video of Edwin checking in on Tytan and another black rhino, Maxwell, as Notty dutifully followed his friend around the sanctuary.

“Maxwell, who is permanently blind and has a forever home with us, is our beloved nursery patriarch,” the nonprofit explained in the Instagram caption. “Tytan, who was only rescued last year, is just beginning his journey with us and will one day return to the wild.”  In the comments section, one Instagram user asked: “Do any of the other animal orphans ever make their way back to you guys the way ex-orphan elephants sometimes do?” “Yes,” the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust responded. “Many ex-orphans of all species continue to visit us throughout their wild lives!” 

Source: Baby rhino and baby zebra raised together after losing their moms

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Flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar Recovers, Neighbour Highlights Family’s Strength

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Passenger airplane climbing through dark clouds beneath golden sunlight

‘She Was Calm’: Neighbour Shares How flydubai Pilot’s Wife Reacted To CrisisWhile Captain Smit Machchhar recovers from the attack, his wife’s calm response to neighbours’ messages has highlighted the strength of families who wait, worry and pray for their loved ones to return home. When we salute a hero, we often see only the courage displayed in the moment of crisis. Behind that courage is a family waiting for a phone call, praying for good news and hoping their loved one makes it home safely. flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar’s story reminds us that the salute belongs not just to the person who faces danger, but also to the family that endures fear and uncertainty alongside them.

This thought has resonated through a social media post by Dr Arti Sharma, an obstetrician-gynaecologist, who lives in the same residential society as Captain Machchhar and his family. Recalling how the captain’s wife responded when neighbours reached out to check on her and offer help, Sharma highlighted the quiet strength and grace with which the family was navigating an extraordinarily difficult time. According to Sharma, neighbours contacted the captain’s wife after learning about the incident, asking whether she was doing alright and if the family needed any assistance. Sharma shared that her response was calm and reassuring. She thanked them for their prayers and conveyed that her husband was doing okay. This interaction prompted Sharma to reflect on the families who stand behind people celebrated for their bravery, carrying their own fears while hoping and praying for their safe return.

“Whenever we celebrate the courage of a person in the spotlight, there’s always a family standing behind that person, hoping, waiting, praying for their person to come back home,” Sharma said. Her words shift the focus beyond the cockpit and the headlines to the people whose strength often remains unseen. While Captain Machchhar’s courage has drawn admiration, his family’s composure in the face of the situation deserves recognition, too.

Captain Smit Machchhar’s Recovery After Cockpit Attack

Smit Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot, an Omani national, with an axe inside the cockpit of the plane. During the fight, the aircraft plummeted. Realising that if he and his passengers were to survive, he would have to act fast, Captain Machchhar opened the cockpit and alerted the crew and passengers about the attack despite his serious injuries. Other passengers overpowered the attacker, and off-duty pilots safely landed the plane. The hero pilot, who saved 174 flydubai passengers, is recovering in a hospital in Abu Dhabi.

Source: flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar Recovers, Neighbour Highlights Family’s Strength

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Matthew 19:30

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Christian Persecution September 25-October 2 2026

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Security personnel stand outside a historic stone church

Recent reporting (roughly September 25–October 2, 2026) on Christian persecution centers on continued lethal violence in Nigeria, house-church detentions in China, and related pressures elsewhere.

Nigeria

Attacks attributed to Fulani militants continued in Plateau State’s Barkin Ladi area and nearby communities. Around September 19–20, gunmen killed a Baptist pastor (Samuel Nandi) and others while they were traveling to church; at least nine people died in related incidents that weekend, according to local reports and Christian monitoring groups. Further killings followed through late September, including ambushes of travelers, night attacks on villages, and shootings near a Christian academy and mining sites. Local accounts and advocacy outlets put the September death toll in Plateau alone above 50 in some summaries, with mass burials reported.

A mid-to-late September report from the U.S.-based group Equipping the Persecuted (drawing on field reports through September 8) counted 4,216 Christians killed in Nigeria from January 1 to September 8, 2026—an average of about 16.8 per day, or one roughly every 86 minutes—along with more than 5 million displaced and over 600 Christian communities destroyed or emptied. The group has urged the UN to treat the pattern as genocide and said a weekend terror alert via its Truth Nigeria network helped limit casualties in one recent assault that still left dozens dead. An earlier independent tally by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) reported thousands of Christians killed and abducted in the first eight months of 2026, concentrated in the Middle Belt. The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs was reported to have affirmed accounts of the recent Plateau attacks and restated concern for affected communities.

Separately, Nigeria’s Senate advanced legislation that would expand oversight of organizations receiving foreign funding, which monitors say could hinder churches and groups documenting the violence.

Nigeria (Southern Kaduna, separate from Plateau)

Truth Nigeria reported that between September 13 and 21, Fulani militias abducted at least 34 Christians in Chikun and Kajuru areas (including a mass seizure of 26 in one forest incident), killed at least one man, and imposed “harvest taxes” of roughly ₦1–2 million per village before Christian farmers could enter their own fields.

China

On September 29, police in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, detained preacher An Yankui of the unregistered Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church on suspicion of “organizing illegal religious activities.” ChinaAid and Chinese rights reports said he was taken from his home; subsequent accounts indicated a 15-day administrative detention. The church operates outside the state-sanctioned Three-Self system and has faced prior raids and detentions.

Coverage also continued around Pastor Ezra Jin (of Beijing’s Zion Church), released after roughly 266 days in custody. He has publicly called for the release of remaining detained church leaders and described ongoing pressure on unregistered congregations alongside expectations of growth under restriction.

Beijing Jiaquan Church: Pastor Zhou Zixun (also known as Cui Xianfeng) and seven coworkers remain in criminal detention on suspicion of “fraud,” according to a September 29 account from his wife relayed by ChinaAid. Police disrupted preparations for the church’s 20th anniversary on September 4; about 50 members were processed and most released, while eight people stayed in detention. The congregation is an unregistered urban house-church network.

Guangzhou: After three Christians from Guangfu Church distributed fans printed with Gospel messages near a school on September 16, police questioned them, accused them of illegal proselytizing, and the church was forced out of its rented meeting space (reported September 30 by ChinaAid).

Anhui (mid-September, still circulating): Officials raided a house-church site in Jinzhai County, confiscated phones, and ordered young believers not to sing hymns containing “Jesus,” “God,” or “Lord,” directing them toward songs praising the Communist Party.

India and other locations

In Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district, more than 40 churches announced that worship would be restricted to Christians only, citing security concerns after sustained local pressures (reported around September 28 by International Christian Concern).

Other items in the same window include worsening conditions reported for a small Christian subset of the Rohingya (roughly 1,500 people), circulating accounts of a Baptist pastor killed by Myanmar military personnel in Chin State, and a September church raid in Azerbaijan in which police detained dozens of members of a Protestant congregation. On the policy side, World Relief criticized the U.S. FY2027 refugee ceiling for continuing to limit admissions of people fleeing religious persecution, noting that FY2026 saw no resettlements of persecuted Christians from the countries of highest concern tracked by Open Doors.

Figures on killings and displacement come primarily from Christian advocacy and local monitoring networks rather than official government tallies; Nigerian authorities have often framed Middle Belt violence in terms of farmer-herder conflict, banditry, or criminality, while the groups cited above emphasize religious targeting alongside ethnic and land factors.

Myanmar

Reverend Dal Thawn Tuang, 49, assistant pastor of Lamzang Baptist Church in Chin State (22 years of service), was shot three times and killed on September 14 while returning from ministry in a neighboring village. Barnabas Aid, the Burma Research Institute, and local Baptist sources attribute the shooting to the military (Tatmadaw). His funeral was held September 16. Advocates note it follows the June killing of another Chin State Baptist pastor, Reverend William, and a fellow Christian after detention without trial. A resistance group claimed the shooters may have been escaped military prisoners; other accounts treat the wounds as deliberate.

Algeria

Special police raided a Christian gathering at a humanitarian shelter on September 4 and arrested 12 believers for an unauthorized non-Muslim religious service; Bibles were seized. The case drew fresh coverage in the September 19–21 window.

Pakistan

Two Christian men arrested in August on blasphemy allegations—Amir Masih (Gujranwala area) and Samuel Arif, 26 (Lahore)—remained in detention as of mid-to-late September reports. One charge can carry the death penalty. A separate September case involved the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old Christian woman in Rawalpindi by a Muslim neighbor.

Sri Lanka

Courts sentenced 15 men to more than 200 years each for roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed at least 267 people at churches and hotels (sentencing reported around September 29).

Iran

UN experts publicly demanded an explanation for the confiscation of the country’s oldest Protestant church and the eviction of its congregation (coverage mid-to-late September).

Source: (2) Grok / X

By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Proverbs 22:4

1 Peter 1:6–7

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold…

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1 Timothy 1:13-15

Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith…

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Psalm 1:1–3

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;  but his delight is in the law…

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James 1:14–15

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is…

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Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. This reminds us that our choices have consequences. God is not…

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Proverbs 13:20

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. This reminds us that the people we spend time with have a…

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1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals. We can see here that Paul gives a powerful warning: the people and influences we allow into our lives…

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Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to…

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Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. This verse reminds us that our words carry…

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Proverbs 23:7

For he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. This verse reminds us that…

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Matthew 6:22

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, In this verse Jesus teaches…

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Luke 6:45

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance…

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California bans child marriage, a practice still legal in 32 US states

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California has officially banned child marriage, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing legislation to end the practice that is still legal in 32 US states. The new law, which will come into effect on 1 January, states people must be 18 to get married in the Golden State. Newsom called it a “long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors”. He signed the bill into law with Courtney Stodden, whose parents allowed her to marry a 50-year-old Hollywood actor when she was just 16.

Stodden, who has been advocating to end the practice, called the change a “victory” and said survivors of child marriage should “never have been expected to carry this burden”. Gov Gavin Newsom called the law “overdue” Stodden said she would “keep fighting until children are protected from marriage in all 50 states”. She was married to actor Doug Hutchison – known for roles in The Green Mile, A Time to Kill and I Am Sam – in 2011, spurring headlines internationally over the controversy and appearances on several reality programmes in the US, including the VH1 series Couples Therapy. Other survivors of child marriage also applauded the new law.

“California has sent a clear message to the world today,” Brittany Bee, a former child bride, told the BBC. “A message of hope for all children that they may be free from systemic violence. That they may choose their own path.” Bee told the BBC she was wed at the age of 17 to escape an abusive home – only to then be allegedly abused by her adult husband. “I was just going from one prison to another,” she explained. “People have the audacity to tell me that I made a choice – kids, they can’t consent.” Bee and other child marriage survivors have been working for years to have child marriages banned in California and across the United States. About a decade ago, the practice was still allowed across all US state but more and more states have been altering laws.

California is the 18th to ban it since 2018. In the state, there had been no legal age to wed, allowing children to get married as long as their parents consent and a judge signs off on the nuptials. There was also no mechanism for people under 18 to get divorced and many girls say they were trapped in abusive and predatory relationships. Unchained At Last, an advocacy group fighting to end child marriage across the US, said about 9,000 girls were wed each year in California and that almost all child marriages involved girls to adult men. Advocates say that many in the US don’t even know that child marriage is legal in so many US states, nor that is has led to allegations of abuse.

Sara Tasneem, who says she was forced to marry a man nearly twice her age when she was 15 years old, told the BBC that it felt “surreal” to finally have the state recognise that child marriage should be banned. She says she started lobbying for this herself in 2017. She was introduced to her husband the morning of their arranged marriage. “I was forced to be his wife and that day, my entire life changed,” she told the BBC. She became a mother the following year, at the age of 16, and dropped out of school. “To have seen the arc of this bill come to fruition has been a marathon,” Tasneem said. “I’m just grateful that kids cannot get married after January 1, 2027 in California.”

Source: California bans child marriage, a practice still legal in 32 US states

For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
Philippians 1:23-24

God Sees Your Unseen Efforts

God has not overlooked a single act of your faithfulness, not one prayer, not one quiet sacrifice. Even when no one else sees, He remembers, and your labor…

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DPS arrests man for threatening ‘violent attack’ on Texas Capitol

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Texas Highway Patrol officers inspect a roadside vehicle beside a patrol SUV at dusk

The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested a Bexar County man Wednesday in connection with the threat of a “violent attack” on the Texas Capitol. He has since been charged federally with possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Keep Watching 4 DPS special agents worked alongside the FBI and local law enforcement to arrest 40-year-old Benny Caldera Jr. around 3 a.m. at his home in Converse. 

Caldera was charged with felony terroristic threat against a public servant. Federal prosecutors said Thursday that Caldera allegedly told another person he planned to go to the Capitol and “shoot it up,” while expressing anger toward the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Caldera allegedly said of AIPAC, “These people have to be exterminated,” according to a federal criminal complaint. Prosecutors said he also stated during a recorded conversation that he had made up his mind and had said goodbye to his parents. According to a statement from DPS, the agency received “credible information” about the threat — planned for Oct. 1 — on Tuesday and “worked through the night” to arrest Caldera. 

Federal prosecutors said DPS obtained an arrest warrant and a search warrant for Caldera’s home after receiving the report. The FBI conducted surveillance before DPS agents arrested him inside the residence Wednesday. During a search of the home, DPS agents found a .357 revolver loaded with six rounds and a 12-gauge shotgun in Caldera’s bedroom closet, along with six 9mm rounds, according to the complaint. Investigators said the serial number on the revolver had been obliterated and appeared to have been filed off.

Caldera was charged in federal court with possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number and was scheduled to make his initial appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney. The federal charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison if he is convicted. AThe FBI is investigating the federal case with assistance from DPS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lathrop is prosecuting the case.

Source: DPS arrests man for threatening ‘violent attack’ on Texas Capitol

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:10

A House Divided

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SpaceX launches Starship on giant rocket’s first flight to orbit

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SpaceX launched the company’s Super Heavy-Starship on its first flight to orbit Monday — an abbreviated three-hour mission that marked a major step toward perfecting the world’s most powerful rocket for commercial flights and NASA moon missions. One of the Starship upper stage’s six Raptor engines shut down early during the climb to an initially suborbital trajectory. After assessing telemetry, Elon Musk’s flight control team decided the spacecraft was otherwise healthy and a second engine firing using a single Raptor engine completed the climb to orbit.

Right after that, the Starship upper stage deployed 26 third-generation Starlink internet satellites that will join the company’s ever-growing constellation in the first use of the new rocket to launch operational satellites in low-Earth orbit. After the satellites were away, SpaceX controllers opted to bring the Starship back to Earth well ahead of schedule, ending the mission three hours after launch with a Pacific Ocean splashdown north of Hawaii just before noon EDT. For NASA, getting the Starship into orbit and back are critical steps on the road to perfecting the system in time to support a planned Artemis moon landing, using a variant of the Starship, in 2028. A future moon mission will require multiple Super Heavy-Starship tanker flights to fuel the lander for its flight to the moon before docking with a NASA Orion crew capsule in lunar orbit, picking up two astronauts and carrying them down to the surface and back.

“Congrats @SpaceX!,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a post on the social media platform X. “Gorgeous launch, getting Ship to orbit and managing every step in a safe, responsible, and especially inspirational way. @NASA, along with the rest of the interested public, is excited to help where we can and for Starship missions to become routine!” Few doubt SpaceX will eventually get the Super Heavy-Starship flying reliably, but it’s not yet known whether the company will be able to meet NASA’s ambitious 2028 target date for the Artemis IV moon landing.

SpaceX Starship mission plan

Monday’s mission got off to a spectacular start. The Super Heavy booster’s 33 methane-burning Raptor engines ignited with a rush of flame at 8:49 a.m. EDT, quickly propelling the 400-foot-tall rocket away from SpaceX’s Starbase launch site on the Texas Gulf Coast. The Super Heavy first stage booster, generating some 16 million pounds of thrust — twice the power of NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket — rapidly accelerated as it consumed propellant and lost weight, climbing out of the thick lower atmosphere along a southeasterly trajectory. One of the engines shut down early, but the Super Heavy was designed to reach space despite the loss of one or two engines.

Two minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff, the rest of the first stage engines began shutting down while the six Raptors powering the Starship upper stage began firing up in a “hot staging” maneuver seconds before the booster separated and fell away. While the Starship continued toward space, the Super Heavy booster flipped around, restarted its engines to reverse course and then flew itself back to the Texas Gulf Coast. A second engine apparently shut down early during the so-called boost-back burn, but the huge rocket was able to execute a seemingly normal vertical splashdown a few miles off shore. During the most recent previous test flight, three engines suffered problems that prevented a full-duration boost-back burn and only eight of 13 engines fired for the landing burn. The result was a “hard” splashdown.

SpaceX implemented multiple upgrades and software changes to ensure a successful return this time around. The first stage is designed to be captured by giant mechanical arms on its launch gantry, a feat SpaceX has accomplished four times to date. But until upgrades and improvements have been tested, SpaceX has opted to stick with ocean splashdowns as a safety precaution. The Starship upper stage also is designed to be captured back at the pad after a trip to space and back, but that milestone has not yet been attempted. The Starship upper stage launched Monday climbed into a 180-mile-high orbit with two engine firings. The first, ending a minute after the booster’s splashdown, was intended to put the Starship onto a sub-orbital trajectory similar to past flights that would result in a safe splashdown even if SpaceX lost control of the rocket.

Despite the premature shutdown of one engine, the Starship was cleared to proceed with the orbit-insertion burn and eight-and-a-half minutes after that, a Pez-like dispenser in the rocket’s nose began launching 26 third-generation Starlink internet satellites, each with 10 times the capacity of the previous generation. The mission was initially expected to last six orbits, leading to a splashdown off the coast of Chile around 6:40 p.m. But with the Starlink satellites safely on their way, mission managers opted to bring the ship down early with a Pacific Ocean splashdown north of Hawaii. As with earlier test flights, the Starship fell back into the discernible atmosphere belly-first, rapidly slowing in a fireball of electrically charged plasma before using its fins and flaps to control its orientation during the descent.

As the ship neared the ocean, three Raptor’s re-ignited, the spacecraft flipped up to vertical and settled to a controlled, tail first splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 11:57 a.m. EDT.  As is usually the case with ocean splashdowns, the rocket tipped over, fell onto its side and exploded as residual propellants ignited.

Future role in Artemis moon program

SpaceX currently has two Super Heavy-Starship pads at its Starbase facility in Texas and three more under construction in Florida, including one at historic pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center and the others at the adjacent Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX plans its initial launch from Florida late this year or early next. And multiple pads will be needed. SpaceX is building a variant of the Starship to serve as a lander for Artemis astronauts. For moon missions, the company will need to launch up to 15 or so Super Heavy-Starship tankers to refuel the company’s lunar lander before it can head for the moon to await the arrival of astronauts in a Lockheed Martin-built Orion capsule. From there, the 165-foot-tall lander will carry two crew members down to the surface, landing vertically near the moon’s south pole.

The astronauts then will ride an external elevator down to the surface and back up again when their exploration is complete. With the first such landing targeted for 2028, SpaceX must ramp up its Super Heavy-Starship test schedule to get the vehicle certified for human spaceflight and to demonstrate the reliability required to safely launch more than a dozen tankers within days of the lander’s launch. Many observers with past experience at NASA and elsewhere in the aerospace industry doubt SpaceX can deliver a tested “human landing system” Starship variant by 2028.

NASA is hedging its bets, funding development of an alternative lander designed by Blue Origin. During a test flight in low Earth orbit next year — Artemis III — NASA plans to launch four astronauts in an Orion capsule who will attempt to rendezvous and dock with prototype landers launched separately by SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Source: SpaceX launches Starship on giant rocket’s first flight to orbit – CBS News

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10

Hosea 4:6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten…

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The News Part 2

Dear Heavenly Father, as I enter this day please give me the words that I need to share who you are and help me present your love to all that…

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Roman Space Telescope, NASA’s next “great observatory,” launches into space

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Using a donated Hubble-class mirror originally built for a spy satellite, NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launched Sunday on a $4.3 billion mission to open a new window on the universe, taking wide-angle, ultra-sharp images that would require a half million 4K TVs to show in full. Put another way, officials say a single full-resolution image from Roman’s 300-megapixel wide-field camera would cover 45 city blocks or the entirety of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. And it will collect that data faster than any previous NASA spacecraft. The Hubble Space Telescope has beamed back about 172 terabytes of data over 30 years while Roman will downlink a staggering 2,500 terabytes over its five-year primary mission.

Put yet another way, Roman’s sensitive wide-field camera and advanced detectors will scan broad swaths of the cosmos 1,000 times faster than Hubble, collecting as much data in one month as its older cousin could manage in a century. A “sheer powerhouse” of a telescope The flood of data is expected to shed new light on the nature of “dark matter, dark energy and the structure of the universe itself and accelerate the … discovery of potentially habitable planets outside our solar system,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Roman will give the Earth a new atlas of the universe,” he added. NASA science chief Niki Fox described the telescope as “a sheer powerhouse” and “literally a speed machine.” “The speed at which we’ll be scanning the sky, delivering vast amounts of data and returning results will be at an unprecedented rate, never done before,” Fox added.

The 42-foot-long, 18,000-pound telescope is named for the late Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, who championed the value of space telescopes throughout her career and was instrumental in the development of the Hubble Space Telescope. As such, she is often referred to as “the mother of Hubble.” The new telescope launched atop a triple-core SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at the Kennedy Space Center at 7:26 a.m. EDT. It is bound for Lagrange Point No. 2 (L2), a gravitational eddy of sorts about a million miles on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, where it will remain in place with minimal use of fuel. The James Webb Space Telescope is stationed in the same region for the same reason.

From the vantage point of L2, Roman will study the effects of dark matter, the mysterious substance that pervades the universe, holds galaxies together and accounts for most of the mass in the cosmos, acting as a brake on the expansion of space itself, which is carrying galaxies farther and farther apart. At the same time, Roman will work to gain statistically significant insights into the nature of the equally mysterious dark energy, a repulsive force presumably present since the Big Bang that became dominant about 5 billion years ago as the universe expanded and thinned out. Ever since, the expansion of the cosmos has been speeding up. A new understanding of the universe Roman may help resolve a conflict between the strength of dark energy in the very early universe, as measured by probes studying the remnant 3-degree glow of the Big Bang’s immediate aftermath, compared to Hubble observations of a specific type of supernova that indicate a slightly different value.

When the Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990, estimates for the age of the universe, from its Big Bang birth to the present, ranged from about 10 billion years to 20 billion years. Hubble was able to determine the speed of that expansion — the Hubble Constant — and thus the time that has passed since the Big Bang to an accuracy within 1%: 13.8 billion years. But detailed studies by researchers using spacecraft studying the afterglow of the bang — the 3-degree cosmic background radiation — came up with a different number. The mismatch — known as “the Hubble Tension” — suggests some critical element is missing in the current understanding of the universe and the forces driving its evolution. “We’re seeing evidence that the Hubble constant, as inferred from very early times, is not consistent with the Hubble constant that we measure closer to now, which is telling us that the model that connects those two things might not be quite right,” said project scientist Julie McEnery.

“We have a slight tension in our expectations for how structure should grow and evolve.” That “slight tension” indicates a potentially serious flaw in the standard model of cosmology, the current understanding of how the universe, and everything in it, has evolved. It might even indicate dark energy is not the constant force it is thought to be, but might somehow change over time. “We’re probably not going to confirm the standard model of how the universe works,” McEnery said. “We’re very likely to demonstrate that our standard model is wrong, and to set ourselves on a path to figuring out how does our universe really work. It’s hard to get [a better question than] the fundamental nature of your universe!” Roman’s wide-field camera is one of two instruments aboard the spacecraft. The other is an advanced coronagraph equipped with deformable mirrors that can block out the glare of a star to detect the vastly dimmer light reflected from the atmosphere of an orbiting planet.

Roman’s coronagraph is expected to detect Jupiter-size planets orbiting Earth-like stars. By analyzing that reflected light, researchers may be able to tease out the elemental composition of those atmospheres. “We think that we will be capable of detecting exoplanets that are about 100 million times fainter than their stars, and with that capability, we are hoping to see … a Jupiter twin around a nearby star using visible light reflected from its cloud tops for the first time,” said Vanessa Bailey, the Roman coronagraph instrument scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Then, we can use that light to study the composition of its atmosphere.” About 6,200 exoplanets have been discovered to date using smaller instruments like NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. Roman is expected to discover more than 100,000 exoplanets over 18 months of observations. It will take three to four months to “commission” the spacecraft, calibrating its instruments and testing its myriad subsystems before science operations can begin in earnest.

The solar-powered Roman is built around a 7.9-foot-wide, 410-pound primary mirror — one of two donated to NASA by the National Reconnaissance Office, the secretive agency that manages many of the nation’s high-end spy satellites. The mirrors, the same size as Hubble’s, were built for a classified project that later was canceled. But both were ground to near-perfect prescriptions, allowing them to look down and focus on Earth, not out into deep space. NASA has no plans or funding to utilize the second mirror, focusing instead on building a single “flagship” observatory. The donated mirror’s curvature, smoothness and polish had to be modified to ensure the desired astronomical prescription, and the telescope’s trusses and other components had to be altered to enable them to withstand the ultra-low temperatures at Lagrange Point 2. “I think our engineering team thinks of it as we received a set of well-tested parts that included highly calibrated optical systems,” said project manager Jackie Townsend.

“But we really had to sort of start over and make it our own to work at our operating temperatures.” In the end, the project came in ahead of schedule and under budget. But even with an effectively “free” primary mirror, the telescope will still cost taxpayers some $4.3 billion to build, launch and operate for its five-year primary mission.

A wide view of the sky

Three “core” surveys are planned over the course of Roman’s planned five-year mission. The High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey will focus on a huge swath of the sky looking out of the plane of the Milky Way — 12% of the entire sky — avoiding obscuring star clouds and dust marking the galactic disk. The goal is to catalog the distribution of a billion or more galaxies. Those data, collected over 520 days, will help researchers better understand how dark matter and energy have combined over cosmic time to drive the evolution of structure in the universe. The High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey will require 180 days of observations over two years.

The telescope will repeatedly image the same regions in an area of 90 full moons to make movies capturing short-duration events ranging from supernova blasts to the radiation emitted when stars fall into black holes. McEnery described such transient events as “things that go bump in the night.” The Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey will focus on the core of the Milky Way, the central bulge of stars, gas and dust where a supermassive black hole affects the trajectories of nearby stars. Imaging across an area spanning 8.5 full moons, Roman is expected to find tens of thousands of exoplanets by watching hundreds of millions of stars and looking for signs of “microlensing,” a phenomenon in which the light of a background star is enhanced, or magnified, by the gravity of an intervening object. Mission managers have also left room for “general astrophysics” topics not covered in Roman’s three core surveys.

The first such program, known as the Galactic Plane Survey, will monitor the disk of the Milky Way from one side to the other, covering an area of 3,455 full moons. Some 20 billion stars will be mapped along the way, providing the most complete portrait of the galaxy and its structure ever captured. “What makes me most excited about Roman is the discovery potential,” McEnery said. “With 2 billion galaxies, we’ll have 2,000 objects that are one in a million. We’ll be exploring patches of sky as a function of time with exquisite sensitivity. We’ll find new things that go bump in the night. “I very much hope, and in fact expect, that the most exciting science from Roman will be a surprise, something we couldn’t predict. And that will set the stage for the next deeper set of questions for future missions to address.”

Source: Roman Space Telescope, NASA’s next “great observatory,” launches into space – CBS News

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

Daily Bread; Psalm 91:4

Daily Verse He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4 ESV Refuge: shelter or…

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Christians Came Together to Help Defeat UK’s Assisted Dying Bill

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Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames

When Alicia Edmund heard the Parliament vote count for the UK’s assisted dying bill last week—286 noes to 270 ayes—her immediate reaction was shock. The bill had been defeated.   As head of policy for the Evangelical Alliance in the UK, Edmund had spent countless hours in the past two years briefing evangelicals on how to share their concerns with their members of Parliament (MPs) and coordinating campaign efforts with other Christian groups to defeat the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

While sitting in the public gallery of the Palace of Westminster as the House of Commons gathered last Friday, she had already prepared herself for defeat and the need to “go again” at fighting the legislation, she said. Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again. “When the deputy speaker said 286 against, I thought, That’s not high enough. And when she said 270 for … I was silent,” Edmund recalled. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Normally a lot of our work is making the case for delay and disruption, whereas this one we won outright and it felt quite weird,” she said. “It felt different. It was a momentary celebration of ‘Lord, you can do all things.’” The vote followed nearly two years of passionate debate over assisted dying in England. Kim Leadbeater, a Labour Party MP from the North of England, first introduced the bill in October 2024.

The bill would have allowed adults to request assistance from doctors to end their own lives, provided they had mental capacity, were terminally ill, and were in their final six months of life. The bill passed narrowly in the publicly elected House of Commons by just 23 votes last year. But it stalled in the appointed House of Lords, where members submitted more than 1,200 amendments and time ran out, prompting supporters to complain that the bill had been “undemocratically filibustered by a small number of peers.” The legislation returned to the House of Commons in June, presented by another Labour MP, Lauren Edwards, who described it as “one of the most important, compassionate, and empowering changes to healthcare we’ve seen in a generation.”

The legislation generated intense debate not only in Parliament but also among the public as people debated what dignity, choice, and compassion mean when it comes to dying. More than a decade ago, supporters of assisted suicide presented a similar bill to MPs, and it was easily defeated.

The Group

Members of the Evangelical Alliance, which represents 30,000 individual members and 3,000 member churches, let the organization’s leadership know early in the bill’s journey that they were concerned, Edmund said. It was not difficult to mobilize them to campaign against its passage. “Of all of our public policy areas, death is probably the most common experience: People have experienced a loved one who has died, they themselves have a view on that, and faith engages very directly to the heart of that,” she said. Not every Evangelical Alliance member opposed the bill.

Edmund recalled attending one local church meeting in 2025 where some congregants spoke out in favor of the legislation. For instance, George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury who held evangelical beliefs, announced in 2014 that he had changed his mind on euthanasia after witnessing the suffering of Tony Nicklinson, a man paralyzed by locked-in syndrome. Nicklinson died shortly after losing a High Court battle to gain assistance to end his own life. But among the Evangelical Alliance’s base, Edmund found overwhelming opposition to the change. Part of her team’s work entailed educating evangelicals about what was at stake and “myth busting,” she said.

Some in the church needed to be “reawakened” to Christianity’s distinctive theological framing: from Genesis’s description of humanity as made in God’s image to the tension of waiting for the new heaven and earth.

Behind the Scenes

The Evangelical Alliance was also working behind the scenes as part of a coalition of Christian advocacy organizations and disability groups while seeking members who could speak from their own experience and expertise. This included medical professionals working in palliative care as well as those particularly vulnerable should the bill pass, including elderly people, ethnic minorities who have less access to palliative care, and those living with disabilities. Prayer was also pivotal, Edmund said: “Where some people were not confident to meet their MP on the specifics or share their story and provide case studies, they could be holding weekly prayer meetings around their local MP’s decision-making.”

As a heated national conversation developed, some criticized those holding religious beliefs. When the bill initially passed in the House of Commons last summer, conservative MP Nigel Huddleston regretted MPs’ “somewhat dismissive attitude expressed towards those with religious beliefs.” It is “perfectly legitimate for religious beliefs to influence one’s views on assisted dying,” he argued. He said religious people should be “respected, not sneered at.” Rather than dialing down theological content, the Evangelical Alliance was always “unapologetic” about its standpoint, Edmund said. “We are not removing [our faith] from the table.” It’s a perspective that resonates with Richard Bastable, a Church of England vicar in West London who penned a public letter opposing the legislation. “If we try to evacuate our point of view, our opinions, our ethical beliefs, our Christian principles, then we end up saying something that doesn’t really need listening to,” Bastable said.

The letter, which was published in The Daily Telegraph in November 2024, described the assisted dying bill as “a dangerous threat to our society.” The Christian faith offers a defence of the dignity of life and a call to improve the quality of life for all those living—including those who are dying,” it said. It continued,

To reduce the value of human life to physical and mental capacity and wellbeing has sinister implications for how we as a society view those who experience severe physical or mental issues, and risks that those undergoing such suffering come to see their life as of less value than others.

While Bastable initially sent the letter only to a handful of friends to add their signatures, more than 1,000 members of the clergy, including 15 leading Church of England bishops, ended up signing the letter. But what he found even more remarkable than the number of signatories was the “cross-factionalism consensus” reached: Every wing of the Church of England was represented. “It’s not always the case that the traditions within the [Church of England] can find common cause over something, especially something that has that edge of controversy about it,” he said.

“There was a sense that this was relieving people’s frustration and powerlessness in the face of something they were opposed to, but alone they wouldn’t have known how to voice that opposition.” Before MPs first debated the bill, Sarah Mullally, then bishop of London, signed an open letter from faith leaders, including the most senior leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the UK, the chief rabbi of Britain, and representatives of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh communities. Last year, more than 100 women of different faiths signed another open letter warning that the bill “could create a new tool to harm vulnerable women,” including those in abusive or coercive relationships.

Edmund, who was among the signatories, said unanimity on life issues is not unusual among church leaders: She works regularly with Catholic leadership and the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church. But when it came to assisted dying, she said, the Church of England spoke out “in a way they probably wouldn’t speak out in the way that Catholics and evangelicals do on the beginning of life.” The Church of England holds the belief that life begins at conception but allows for limited conditions—such as threat to the mother’s life or health—where it believes abortion is morally preferable.

Mullally, current Archbishop of Canterbury, has spoken out in the House of Lords (where she is one of 26 bishops who serve as legislators) about how her faith and her experience as a chief nurse led her to reject the bill. “Moving from nursing into ordained ministry means much of my life has been spent at bedsides alongside people as they cope with suffering and death,” she wrote in The Daily Telegraph shortly before the vote. Christians “have lived experience with those nearing death or on the margins of society, and, above all, we carry a belief that it is hope, not fear, that should guide us.” On Friday, the hopes of those opposing assisted dying were fulfilled in a narrow vote that saw the legislation fall—at least for now. Opponents composed a diverse coalition. Evangelicals stood with disability advocates, medical professionals, Christians of many different traditions, and philosophers—some of faith and some of none.

For Edmund, it was both a “victory” and a “miracle,” but she is already scanning the horizon: What comes next is not only the return of similar legislation but also a call on the church to continue the conversation about care for those at the end of life. She noted that it was a Christian woman, Dame Cicely Saunders, who pioneered the hospice movement in the country. “We as a church need to embody that in 2026,” Edmund said. “What is the vision for end-of-life care that we can provide locally, that we are prepared to invest in, to finance, to build institutions around and then create laws that facilitate?”

Source: Christians Came Together to Help Defeat UK’s Assisted Dying Bill – Christianity Today

Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
2 Samuel 7:22

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