Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
‘The US has crossed all the red lines’: Head of Egypt’s Coptic Church and Palestinian President will shun Mike Pence when he visits the Middle East in response to Trump declaring Jerusalem Israel’s capital ~ Pope Tawadros II seems a bit confused. Coptic Christian churches are generally not being blown up by the Jews…
 
Perhaps this dude could use a brief history lesson ~ Every Time You Wish Someone ‘Happy Hanukkah’ You Acknowledge The Historic Jewish Claim On Jerusalem ~ For those who might try to claim otherwise ~

(W)hatever reasons you have for offering good wishes, Hanukkah itself is a reminder that Jews have a singular, millennia-long historic relationship with Jerusalem. By the time Mattathias rebelled against Hellenistic Syrian king Antiochus, who had not only ordered a statue of Zeus to be erected in the Holy Temple but that swine be sacrificed to him, Jerusalem had likely been a Jewish city for more than 1,000 years. As some readers have suggested, Hanukkah might be the only Jewish holiday that celebrates events confirmed by the historical record […]
 
Nearly every time an archaeologist digs in the city, some incredible cache of evidence of an ancient Jewish presence is found. It’s going to take heavy lifting to untether thousands of years of Jewish history and faith from Israel. But these efforts are also an attempt to deny the spiritual connection Jews have with city.

 
‘My Medicine or My Baby’s Milk’: Venezuela’s Health Crisis Takes Personal Toll ~ The tragic fruits of socialism ~

The health crisis in socialist Venezuela is now reaching apocalyptic proportions as hospitals and pharmacies have just a fraction of the medicine and resources required to give people adequate medical treatment.

 
Congressional Staffer in Charge of Investigating Sexual Harassment Accused of Sexual Harassment ~ Good grief. It’s like a plague ~

Omar Ashmawy is the staff director and chief counsel of the Office of Congressional Ethics, the office that investigates allegations of misconduct in the House of Representatives, including allegations of sexual harassment like those levied against former Democratic Rep. John Conyers (Mich) […]
 
(S)omewhat ironically, Foreign Policy reported Thursday that Ashmawy himself is now facing accusations of “verbally abusing and physically assaulting women.”

 
(Michigan) Township Officials: Cronyism Rife On Lucrative Wind Project Deals ~ Swamp creatures don’t just live in Washington D.C ~

Three of the five (Marion Township’s) planning commissioners who voted on the wind project had signed agreements to lease land to Exelon for wind turbines, as had two members of the five-member township board, who had also voted on wind projects. They would all benefit financially if the project went through.

 
There’s a reason turbine promoters have to pay people off ~ Australian Court Finds Wind Turbine Noise Exposure a ‘Pathway to Disease’: Waubra Foundation Vindicated ~

In a World first, Australia’s Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) has declared that the “noise annoyance” caused by wind turbine generated low-frequency noise and infrasound “is a plausible pathway to disease” based on the “established association between noise annoyance and some diseases, including hypertension and cardiovascular disease, possibly mediated in part by disturbed sleep and/or psychological stress/distress.”

Girls rule(s) ~ Judith Curry, former professor, climate scientist (as a climate “denier,” she herself has been a victim of leftist attacks) provides some valuable perspective on the #metoo – j’accuse movement and sexual harassment in academia.

 
A couple pro-life victories to celebrate ~

Two Companies That Sold Aborted Baby Parts for Planned Parenthood Forced to Close Down ~

The two California-based companies reached a settlement with the Orange County District Attorney’s office of almost $8 million dollars. As a result of the settlement the two companies will close up shop over the next couple of months and will no longer be selling parts from babies killed in abortions for Planned Parenthood or anyone else.

Planned Parenthood under investigation by Justice Department over sale of fetal tissue ~ Better late than never ~

“Over two years ago, citizen journalists at The Center for Medical Progress first caught Planned Parenthood’s top abortion doctors in a series of undercover videos callously and flippantly negotiating the sale of tiny baby hearts, lungs, livers, and brains,” (David) Daleiden said Thursday. “It is time for public officials to finally hold Planned Parenthood and their criminal abortion enterprise accountable under the law.”
 
The federal investigation by the Trump administration will reopen the years-long debate on whether Planned Parenthood and other providers violated the law with the illegal sale of body parts.

 
Big Top Voice ~ Last week Mark Levin spoke with Johnathan Lee Iverson, the “Big Top Voice,” on his radio show. Iverson was the last ringmaster for Ringling Bros/Barnum & Baily Circus before the show closed down; a fascinating guy with an amazing life story. He’s still in the business, dispensing wisdom gleaned from personal experience along the way ~

A proud graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art & Performing Arts and The Hartt School of the University of Hartford, Iverson took his first steps into the pages of history at only 22 years old, when he became the youngest, the first New Yorker, and the first African American Ringmaster in the near 150 year history of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.[1] Iverson’s presence at The Greatest Show On Earth set box office records for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey throughout the United States.

 
Boeing Execs Head to Iran As Congress Cracks Down on Tehran’s Use of Planes For Terror ~ All part of Obama’s Iranian nuke deal. Didn’t this sort of behavior used to be considered treasonous? ~

Boeing executives were in Tehran as recently as May, when they met with a top former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) member who threatened to blow up U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region. That official, Hossein Alaei, is now the CEO of Aseman Airlines, one of the state-controlled airlines Boeing is seeking to ink a deal with.

Obama Administration’s EPA Caught Illegally Using Social Media To Push Agenda ~ In his eight years in office Obama somehow managed to poison every one of our federal agencies. Federal law prohibits agencies from engaging in propaganda – but, oh well ~

Judicial Watch has caught the Obama era EPA red handed breaking federal law. It is illegal for a federal agency to attempt to sway public opinion, but that’s exactly what they did. They used non-governmental groups who supported proposed policies, specifically the Waters of the United States rule and the Clean Power Plan, and gave them a way to use social media to change public opinion.

 
A (Holy) Ghost Story: Seeing Christ in A Christmas Carol ~ No wonder it’s such a timeless tale ~

Indeed, this story reflects deep truths about a God of second chances, a God who commands us to help one another, a God who will do anything to bring His children home. As G.K. Chesterton observed, “The story sings from end to end like a happy man going home.”