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☆ World Cup 2022: What fans can't do in Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —After years of anticipation – and controversy – since Qatar was awarded the World Cup, the tournament finally got underway on Sunday in Doha. DrinkingThe sale and consumption of alcohol has been a highly contentious issue since Qatar was first announced as the World Cup host 12 years ago. FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends a press conference at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) in Doha on November 19, 2022, ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. But it’s not the lowest-scoring country taking part in the World Cup; Saudi Arabia scores a 7 and Iran scores a 14. There is no legal guarantee of press freedom or freedom of expression in Qatar, the US Embassy in Qatar notes.

☆ Candace Cameron Bure Wants to Put Christianity Back in Christmas Movies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | Photography Daniel Dorsa For Wsj. Magazine | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

CLAREMORE, Okla.—Candace Cameron Bure is on a fake-snow-covered set shooting a church scene for her new holiday movie, “A Christmas…Present,” when it comes time for her character to feel the sudden presence of God. A tech guy stands on a ladder, waggling two plates of glass in front of a light to create a shimmering effect on her upturned face. The crew uses black electrical tape to outline the church’s stained-glass cross so it will pop on-screen. Ms. Bure works herself into tears for each take, asking the crew to play an emotional Christmas song again and again so she stays in the mood. Ms. Bure isn’t just selling a made-for-TV moment, but a Christian epiphany for the masses.

☆ Christian monastery possibly pre-dating Islam found in UAE
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

An ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, officials announced Thursday. The monastery on Siniyah Island, part of the sand-dune sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain, sheds new light on the history of early Christianity along the shores of the Persian Gulf. On one, to the island’s northeast, archaeologists discovered the monastery. Viewed from above, the monastery on Siniyah Island’s floor plan suggests early Christian worshippers prayed within a single-aisle church at the monastery. Power said that development spurred the archaeological work that discovered the monastery.

☆ 'Leave them alone': Tennessee mom slams homophobic attacks in viral video
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Tennessee woman's speech defending the LGBTQ community went viral over the weekend, marking the latest flashpoint in America's simmering culture war. But in her speech last week, Graham flipped the script; she said that what's abusive is denying children knowledge and health care. "You don't need a moral compass to recognize that something is wrong when it immediately hurts other people," she said in her viral speech. Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who went viral earlier this year for her own speech defending LGBTQ issues as "straight, white, Christian suburban mom," applauded Graham's speech on Sunday. Graham said she never expected her speech to go viral but hopes it will encourage others to speak out against hate.

☆ Here's what the Day of the Dead means, and why it endures
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Albinson Linares | Noticias Telemundo | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

The "Day of the Dead Parade" in Mexico City on Oct. 29, 2022. Claudio Cruz / AFP - Getty Images"In Mexico, Nov. 1 and 2 are very special days because they celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, respectively," said Diana Martínez, an academic at the Institute of Anthropological Research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM. By the 13th century, the Roman Catholic Church established Nov. 1 as All Saints’ Day. People take part in the "Day of the Dead Parade" in Mexico City on Oct. 29, 2022. He's worked at the cemetery from a very young age and has witnessed many Día de los Muertos celebrations.

☆ Why paganism and witchcraft are making a comeback
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Antonio Pagliarulo | Antonio Pagliarulo Is The Author Of The Forthcoming | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Witchcraft, which includes Wicca, paganism, folk magic and other New Age traditions, is one of the fastest-growing spiritual paths in America. Witchcraft, which includes Wicca, paganism, folk magic and other New Age traditions, is one of the fastest-growing spiritual paths in America. Berger is one of the foremost academic experts on contemporary witchcraft and paganism in America and draws knowledge about its appeal from surveys she’s co-conducted on the pagan community. This blending of faiths has been a seamless process for me and other folk magic practitioners despite what traditional religious authorities might say. Blending of faiths has been a seamless process for me and other folk magic practitioners despite what traditional religious authorities might say.

☆ Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | Photographs Devin Oktar Yalkin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +53 min

Beyond Catastrophe A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View By David Wallace-WellsYou can never really see the future, only imagine it, then try to make sense of the new world when it arrives. (A United Nations report released this week ahead of the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, confirmed that range.) A little lower is possible, with much more concerted action; a little higher, too, with slower action and bad climate luck. There were climate-change skeptics in some very conspicuous positions of global power. New emissions peaks are expected both this year and next, which means that more damage is being done to the future climate of the planet right now than at any previous point in history.

☆ We read the Gab founder's how-to guide to Christian nationalism. The book is part of a new trend of conservatives openly embracing the ideology.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

"Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide For Taking Dominion And Discipling Nations" was written by Torba and Andrew Isker, a pastor from Minnesota. Christian nationalism can generally be boiled down to the belief that Christianity should have a privileged position in American society. Torba's book demonstrates this, as his description of Christian nationalism differs in some ways from academic understandings of it. Phelan M. Ebenhack, File/Associated PressThe public embrace of a somewhat taboo conceptScholars of Christian nationalism, and Christian nationalists themselves, are quick to point out these ideas are not new. "We're now definitely well past the 'Christian nationalism doesn't exist' and the 'Christian nationalism is fringe' arguments to full-on 'Christian nationalism is the only way forward.'"

Now, amid the recent controversies surrounding the rapper, this college professor sees value in launching another course on Ye. He taught his first two Ye-inspired courses, titled The Politics of Kanye West: Black Genius and Sonic Aesthetics, at Washington University in St. Louis starting in 2017. But unlike his previous ones, this class will be divided into three parts, “the old Kanye, the new Kanye, and the who Kanye,” and examine Ye’s recent behavior. “The course has never, ever been about Kanye,” McCune said. If the University of Rochester’s college curriculum committee approves the new Ye course, he plans to teach it during the spring or fall semester of 2023.

☆ Gunmen kill 11 at Russian army base in new blow to Moscow's Ukraine campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Russian citizens drafted during the partial mobilization begin their military trainings after a military call-up for the Russia-Ukraine war in Rostov, Russia on October 04, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesGunmen shot dead 11 people at a Russian military training ground, the defense ministry said, in the latest blow to President Vladimir Putin's forces since the invasion of Ukraine. The attack took place a week after a blast damaged a bridge in Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014. The Russian ministry had said the attackers were from a nation in the Commonwealth of Independent States, which groups nine ex-Soviet republics, including Tajikistan. Russian forces have repeatedly tried to seize Bakhmut, which sits on a main road leading to the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

☆ Two volunteer soldiers fire on troops at Russian military firing range, killing 11 and wounding 15 others
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Gunmen shot dead 11 people at a Russian military training ground, the defence ministry said, in the latest blow to President Vladimir Putin’s forces since the invasion of Ukraine. “A terrible event happened on our territory, on the territory of one of the military units,” the governor of Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said early on Sunday. There are no residents of the Belgorod region among the wounded and killed,’ Gladkov said in a video post on the Telegram messaging app. The Russian ministry had said the attackers were from a nation in the Commonwealth of Independent States, which groups nine ex-Soviet republics, including Tajikistan. Russian forces have repeatedly tried to seize Bakhmut, which sits on a main road leading to the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

Oct 16 (Reuters) - Gunmen shot dead 11 people at a Russian military training ground on Saturday, the defence ministry said, in the latest blow to President Vladimir Putin's forces since the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian ministry had said the attackers were from a nation in the Commonwealth of Independent States, which groups nine ex-Soviet republics, including Tajikistan. Ukrainian forces and civilians are relying on Starlink internet service provided by Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket company. RUSSIAN MISSILE, DRONE ATTACKSPutin ordered the mobilization three weeks ago, part of a response to Russian battlefield defeats in Ukraine. Russian forces have repeatedly tried to seize Bakhmut, which sits on a main road leading to the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

☆ Archaeologists unearth eight colonial-era mummies in Peru
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LIMA, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed eight centuries-old mummies at a site in the country's capital, an important find that experts say could point a colonial-era cemetery. Archaeologists on Tuesday were hard at work in Lima's Park of Legends on the coast of central Peru, carefully cleaning the ancient preserved corpses found under the site, including the remains of children. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"This finding backs our hypothesis that this could be cemetery from the colonial period, at the time of conversion to Christianity or Catholicism," she said. Government officials said the site had been occupied by the Lima and Ychsma people before the Incas. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Sarah Morland; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Covid leads to long Covid, in governments as well as people
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Brian Michael Jenkins | Brian Michael Jenkins Is An Army Combat Veteran Who Currently Serves As Senior Adviser To The President Of The Nonprofit | Nonpartisan Rand Corporation. His Latest Book Is | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Unlike previous pandemics, however, Covid didn’t see the same offsets in unifying sentiment. There were many explanations for this, including underreporting of Covid deaths in many countries, but the optics were not good. Democratic governments imposed controls that intruded into ordinarily personal space, while authoritarian governments exploited the pandemic to tighten their control. The decline in Covid numbers, if it holds, will not reverse these developments after the November elections. Just as we may talk about societal comorbidity, societies may suffer from long Covid — an impaired functioning of democracy that may persist long after the contagion survives.

☆ Miami Herald editorial says Gov. DeSantis' is 'flirting' with Christian nationalism and warns of white supremacy link
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis' "Christian nationalist shtick." The publication warned that Christian nationalism, growing in popularity in the GOP, has links to white supremacy. The editorial concluded that Democrats must do more to counter Christian nationalist rhetoric. Ron DeSantis' "flirting with Christian nationalism," warning that it overlaps with white supremacy. But, the newspaper's editorial board warns that Christian nationalism can have dangerous appeal beyond just religion.

☆ The American right’s future involves waging a 'religious battle' against the left, leaders say at a conservative conference
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Allan Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

MIAMI — In a luxury Miami resort earlier this month, leading conservative politicians, influencers and academics gathered to formulate a grand path forward for the American right. Meanwhile, the broader American left was repeatedly denounced as the “enemy” and a “regime” with “evil” ideas. The conference was backed by substantial donations from conservative advocacy groups and think tanks that included the Common Sense Society, The Heritage Foundation and the Conservative Partnership Institute. One panel featured a presentation titled “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Christian Nationalism,” though some attendees saw a more clear distinction between the two nationalist ideologies. “Sometimes people get swept up in the ideas of Christian nationalism,” Jordan Esrig, a senior at Vanderbilt University who attended the conference, said.

She likened the climate contributing to the couple's decision to leave Texas to "death by a thousand paper cuts." The business risks to recruiting is especially high for oil companies, already unpopular with graduates of engineering programs, said Jonas Kron, chief advocacy officer at Trillium Asset Management. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has acknowledged the state is losing workers, but does not regret the departures. Oil companies contribute to politicians who advocate for free trade, tax and energy policies through political action committees (PACs). Dawn Seiffert, 52, and her husband, an oil company employee, returned to Texas in 2012 and planned to stay.

And rather than worship the divine, the crowd was there to herald the malign: Donald Trump and his brand of hateful, intentionally divisive politics. Similar to a creed, Trump shared his litany of election-denial lies that have come to constitute the Republican Party platform. The intentional coupling of MAGA politics with religious imagery isn’t merely a rhetorical act, either. Trump’s Ohio rally is hardly the only recent example of a politician appropriating religious symbols to seize power. Here, too, Christians are speaking out against his hijacking of the church for right-wing politics.

☆ Rep. Lauren Boebert said humanity is in its 'last days' and Christians should 'rise up,' invoking Christian nationalist imagery that's linked to violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Boebert echoed Christian nationalist talking points and invoked the end times in a recent speech. Christian nationalism experts say such rhetoric has been linked to violence. But by invoking the end times, Boebert is tapping into a side of Christian nationalism that has been associated with violence. Though Boebert's comments aren't new among proponents of Christian nationalism, such rhetoric has rarely, if ever, been deployed by a member of Congress. Christian nationalist ideals were also espoused by the suspects in the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the 2019 New Zealand mosque shootings.

☆ Google AI may not be sentient but it is really powerful. Here's how it might actually revolutionize the way we use technology.
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-04 | by ( Alex Kantrowitz | Big Technology | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

When I sat down with Blake Lemoine last week, I was more interested in the chatbot technology he called sentient — LaMDA — than the sentience issue itself. As our conversation began, Lemoine revealed Google had just fired him (you can listen in full on Big Technology Podcast). But now, one week later, I can't stop thinking about how LaMDA — conscious or not — might change the way we relate to technology. As LaMDA-like technology hits the market, it may change the way we interact with computers — and not just for customer service. LaMDA technology is a big leap forward.

☆ Jerrod Carmichael Was Scared of Coming Out. He Still Is.
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-11 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times Talk Jerrod Carmichael Was Scared of Coming Out. Anything other than “I’m gay” was me dodging. Everything was actually “I’m gay.” But it’s still dodged. The working title of “Rothaniel” was “I’m Gay.” There are certain phrases that have no substitute. Like “I’m gay” or telling someone “I’m sorry.” But people can live in cognitive dissonance.

Persons: Mamadi Doumbouya, Jerrod Carmichael, ”, “ I’m, Carmichael, Seth Meyers ”, Howard Stern, “, ” Carmichael, —, I’ve, You’ve, it’s, I’m, ‘, ’ ’, Dave, Chapelle, ” It’s, Hitler, Martin Luther King, Michael Jackson, ” —, Jay Z, Mozart, Rothko, Jay, It’s, Norm Macdonald, Malcolm X, shouldn’t, Jessica Chastain’s, Bo, Burnham, can’t, Something’s, Seth Meyers ’ ’, Lloyd Bishop, Lizzo, that’s, That’s, She’s, — that’s, Rothaniel, Wesley Morris, Eddie Murphy, you’ve, Eddie, he’s, I’d, You’d, D’Angelo’s, Spalding, Eric Butterworth, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Christian, Read Eric Butterworth, David Marchese, Neal Stephenson, Laurie Santos, Christopher Walken Organizations: The New York Times, York’s Whitney Museum of American, HBO, Twitter, NBC, NBCU, Bank, Getty

Evan Edwards told the officers they were headed to a conference in Texas, but he could not provide any specifics, according to the complaint. The scam and its unraveling stunned their neighbors as well as members of Evan Edwards’ extended family. “We knew we wanted to preach the gospel where it was not preached,” Evan Edwards said in a 2008 radio interview. Joy Edwards, Evan and Mary Jane Edwards, and Josh Edwards. The family moved back to Canada about 10 years ago, and Evan Edwards continued to preach, his cousin said.

☆ Dramatic photos cast Europe’s ancient castles in a new light
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-07 | by ( Allyssia Alleyne | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But in his latest book, “Stone Age: Ancient Castles of Europe,” writer and photographer Frédéric Chaubin set out to disrupt the familiar stereotypes, using prose and photography to link the medieval with the Modernist. Frédéric Chaubin/Courtesy of TASCHENWhen castles first emerged in the 10th century as an alternative to wooden structures, they were envisaged as fortified dwellings for the ruling class. Frédéric Chaubin/Courtesy of TASCHENWhen making his final selection, Chaubin prioritized the impressiveness of a castle’s location and its architectural simplicity – in keeping with his overarching theme – rather than its historical significance. Dividing the castles by location seemed equally futile, given that Europe’s borders were in constant flux during the centuries covered in the book. “The very large typology of those castles made the subject more difficult to deal with, but at the same time, more interesting.”“Stone Age: Ancient Castles of Europe,” published by Taschen, is available now.

Persons: Frédéric Chaubin, Adolf Loos, Le, ”, Chaubin, “, TASCHEN, Quéribus Organizations: CNN, Templars, Taschen Locations: Europe, Almourol, Portugal, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Baltics, Scotland, Avila, Wales, England

☆ Why is Friday the 13th unlucky? The cultural origins of an enduring superstition
▼ + stars: | 2021-08-13 | by ( Christobel Hastings | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

There’s even a name to describe the irrational dread of the date: paraskevidekatriaphobia — a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a fear of the number 13. What we do know, though, is that both Friday and the number 13 have been regarded as unlucky in certain cultures throughout history. Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" popularized the erroneous theory this is the original of the Friday the 13th superstition. If we dig deeper, though, we also find evidence that both Fridays and the number 13 have long been regarded as a harbinger of good fortune. “Every time I’ve won an award I’ve been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section or row M, which is the 13th letter.

Persons: Judas Iscariot, Jesus, Roberto Serra, ” Charles Panati, Loki, Hodr, Balder, Panati, Jesus Christ, Knights Templar, Dan Brown's, Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Solomon, Steve Roud, “, Thomas W, Jason Voorhees, Alamy, Dan Brown’s, you’d, ”, Frigg, Norse, Frigga, ” Panati, Taylor Swift, Larry Busacca, I’ve, it’s Organizations: CNN, Iguana Press, Knights, Hulton, Fertility, MTV Locations: Greece, Italy, Valhalla, Scandinavia, Europe, Britain, Ireland, “

☆ I charge up to $80,000 to decorate celebrity homes for Christmas. We've had requests for carousels and live penguins — and if you can imagine it, we can do it.
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-24 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ged Comerford is the operational director of The Christmas Decorators, a UK-based company. I came on board at The Christmas Decorators in 2009 and now I'm one of the owners of the company. Customers flooded The Christmas Decorators' head office between September and December with 10,400 inquiries. Everything we do isn't just time-sensitive — it's time critical"When it comes to decorating, we've had requests for carousels in peoples' gardens and live penguins," Comerford said. When it comes to decorating, we've had requests for carousels in peoples' gardens and live penguins.

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