Friday, April 12, 2019
Good morning – it’s Friday!
We’re on the verge of Palm Sunday weekend and the last week of Lent.
“No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.” (William Penn)
Here are some headlines we’re following this AM:
- Ohio Governor Signs ‘Heartbeat’ Bill Into Law
In a win for the unborn, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed one of the country’s most stringent pro-life laws in the country, Thursday. More from The Hill:
The bill bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which doctors say can be as early as five or six weeks into pregnancy.
“The government’s role should be protect life from the beginning to the end … the signing of this bill today is consistent with that respect for life,” DeWine said at the signing ceremony.
DeWine’s approval breaks with his predecessor Gov. John Kasich (R), who vetoed similar bills twice while in office.
Doctors who perform abortions after a fetal heartbeat has been detected could be subject to a $20,000 fine from the State Medical Board of Ohio and could have their medical licenses suspended or revoked.
- Daily Wire’s Knowles Sprayed With Bleach-Like Substance At University Of Missouri
The new tolerance was on display last night, as reported by the Daily Wire:
Speaking at the University of Missouri on Thursday night, The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles was attacked by a masked protester who used a super soaker to fire liquid at him that appeared to be glitter-colored bleach; police later said that the liquid merely smelled like bleach. Knowles’ speech was titled simply “Men Are Not Women.”
Hecklers consistently interrupted Knowles and yelled at him, prompting Knowles to respond, “I know, you’re so oppressed, my dears. I know, life is so hard for you. You have to live in the richest, most equitable, most just country in the history of the world. You have to get a college education; you have to voluntarily go to lectures; it’s so awful. I can’t imagine.”
- VP Pence Responds to Attack on His Christian Faith
From an interview on CNBC:
“He said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally. And he knows better. He knows me,” Pence said in a teaser clip of the interview released Wednesday. “But I get it. You know, it’s—look, again, 19 people running for president on that side in a party that’s sliding off to the left. And they’re all competing with one another for how much more liberal they can be.”
“I hold Mayor Buttigieg in the highest personal regard. I see him as a dedicated public servant and a patriot,” Pence said.
- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Calls Out Roots of Sexual Abuse in Catholic Church
Though the now retired Benedict is no longer at the head of the Cathloic Church, he has some strong thoughts on how the organization should be dealing with the issue of sexual abuse.
From The Daily Wire:
Pope Benedict XVI has caused a major uproar in the Catholic Church, publishing a 6,600-word document outlining what he believes to be the root causes of the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal, and giving advice to his successor, Pope Francis, on how to completely reform the Church to cut down on abuse allegations.
In the letter, Pope Emeritus Benedict blames the Church’s troubles on liberalism and the relaxing of sexual ethics that took place in the 1960s, both in the Church and in the world. Benedict claims that proponents of sexual liberation flooded seminaries after the publication of the Vatican II Church reformation document and used Vatican II’s charge of being more “wordly” to heart in the wrong way.
Benedict’s letter, of course, drew fierce criticism from more liberal Catholics, and particularly leftist clergy, who have long denied that the practice of homosexuality in some seminaries is the root of the Church’s sexual abuse, both of minors and of young priests and seminarians. High-profile Catholic leaders like McCarrick took advantage of their position to prey on young men who trusted them in their spiritual formation.
- Google Glass is Back, and It’s Helping Kids with Autism Recognize Emotions
Google Glass was a pretty huge failure. What looked years ago like an ubiquitous item of the future proved to be clumsy, dorky-looking and tricky to integrate with everyday life. But now, years after it tanked, Google Glass is being redeemed: It’s helping kids with autism recognize emotions.
People with autism often face social challenges because they have difficulty recognizing and responding to emotional cues. Superpower Glass, a machine learning based software designed to integrate with Google Glass, uses emoji and audio to help kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder learn how to read social interactions. It helps the kids learn when someone is happy, sad, angry, disgusted or surprised, among other emotions. The software translates someone’s expression into an emoji the kids can interpret more easily. (h/t Fast Company)
A study from Stanford showed that kids using Superpower Glass at regular intervals, in addition to their typical therapy programs, were able to better socialize than other kids with ASD who only went to their usual therapy sessions.
- Did the Mainstream Media Intentionally Ignore “Unplanned”?
Surely they tried. But The Washington Post says that’s not the case:
Have you heard of “Unplanned?”
The movie, about a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who quit after a change of heart about abortion, came out on March 29, to scant but mostly unfavorable reviews. The Washington Post included “Unplanned” in our column for family filmgoers, comprising reviews from the media and technology site Common Sense Media.
To many observers, the fact that “Unplanned” didn’t receive a review from a staff critic was an outright snub, another example of a liberally inclined media overlooking or marginalizing views they don’t agree with. “A healthy democracy does indeed ‘die in darkness,’ ” one reader emailed.
- Suspect Arrested in Church Arsons
While the victims prayed for the soul of the arsonist who burned down their houses of worship, investigators rushed to assemble clues, worried the assailant would strike again.
The detectives had noticed the same pickup truck in surveillance video footage near each of the three predominantly black churches that had been set ablaze and destroyed. They found the charred remains of a particular brand of gas can sold at a local Walmart.
Then the pieces came together, and the authorities announced the arrest of a 21-year-old white man who is the son of a local sheriff’s deputy and an aficionado of a subgenre of heavy metal, called black metal, whose most extreme practitioners in Norway have engaged in church burning, vandalism and killing.
- Coffee Drinkers May Want to Put Switzerland on a No-Travel List
Switzerland on Wednesday announced plans to abolish the nation’s emergency stockpile of coffee, in place for decades, after declaring the beans not vital for human survival, though opposition to the proposal is brewing.
Nestle, the maker of instant coffee Nescafe and other importers, roasters and retailers are required by Swiss law to store bags of raw coffee. The country stockpiles other staples, too, such as sugar, rice, edible oils and animal feed.
This system of emergency reserves was established between World War I and World War II as Switzerland prepared for any potential shortages in case of war, natural disaster or epidemics.
According to the plan released for public comment, coffee stockpiling obligations would expire by the end of 2022, with companies free to draw down what they store in their warehouses.
Hope you have a great weekend!
