False Claims about the War in Ukraine

See this Fact Check article regarding false and misleading claims being made about Ukraine.

Below are some of the most common false claims about Ukraine that have been disproven by simple fact checking and are listed on the above website.

• President Zelenskyy's approval rating, according to official surveys is somewhere between 57% and 63%, not the 4% that Elon Musk and President Trump both claimed. He is not hated by his country like rumors like to indicate.
• Watchdog organizations and people in charge of tracking US funds given to Ukraine can prove that pretty much all monetary aid is present and accounted for.
• By Ukrainian law, elections cannot be held while martial law is in place. This law predates Zelenskyy and while martial law is in place, legally, elections cannot be held. Additionally, there is now a diaspora of Ukrainians who should be able to vote in elections but are now displaced globally.
• Ukraine did not start the war. I agree wholeheartedly with Mike Pence on this one.

Anyone who knows me, knows how I voted in this last election. But I voted with serious reservations because of this very concern related to Ukraine. There were other, crucial, reasons, why I voted the way I did, but I knew there was a potential for things to go sideways with Ukraine. And we're starting to see that.

To say that I'm concerned would be an understatement. I expect my government, regardless of the party in charge, to provide factual information and to not perpetuate misinformation or disinformation. And there almost seems a vendetta against Ukraine and President Zelenskyy that I, personally, find distasteful, especially since a quick fact check through a reputable company like FactCheck.Org can easily disprove that misinformation.

I don't talk politics often because I find it an unpleasant topic, but with the 3 year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine just behind us and the pro-Russian sentiment growing in the US, I couldn't just stay silent.

Don't just take information presented as fact at face value. Check it. Be responsible.

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Jane Austen Decor Collection at Michaels!

My dresser of Austen decor, a trunk that's part of the collection, and the Jane Austen book boxes.

Ok, so if I found out about this after the fact, I would be super upset, which is why I'm sharing about the collection while there might still be some in stock at your closest Michaels store and online!

As any self-respecting Jane Austen fan knows, this year is Jane Austen's 250th birthday, and while I cannot be in England this December for all of the amazingly fabulous celebrations that will be taking place, I can actually revere her in other ways, including my decor.

I've loved Austen since my teen years when my father, of all people, introduced me to her work through the Olivier/Garson film adaptation of Pride & Prejudice (read my rave review)! It was the start of an eternal friendship with the great authoress which even includes one random theatrical experience playing Charlotte Lucas in a local musical back in 2012 (crazy to think of it being so long ago!).

But enough of my reminiscing, let me return to the Jane Austen collection at Michaels!

Here, my friends, you can find the English Romance collection of decor options, but really, it is Austen inspired and you'll see why in a second.

Jane Austen Wall Art

This Jane Austen literary wall art piece really is gorgeous and I absolutely purchased one for myself. It's not huge at 12" x 15" and works quite well in my rather miniscule bedroom. The colors are soft and romantic and I love that the book stack includes Northanger Abbey, one of my personal favorites!

Jane Austen Persuasion Book Vase

I am sorely tempted to order this book vase while they still have stock online since it appears to be sold out in stores. Persuasion is my other favorite of Austen's novels and I would love to add this to my collection!

Gold Bird Tabletop Decor

While not strictly Austen, I couldn't resist purchasing one of the smaller size golden birds. I love the pedestal that it's perched on, the gold tone, and just everything about it!

Floral Wall Cubby

Again, not Austen in the strictest sense, but I had to have this fabulous wall cubby! My golden bird is perched on the middle shelf as we speak! It goes perfectly when paired with the book stack literature wall art.

And finally, these are Jane Austen book boxes that are 5.25" long! And the reason I don't have a link for them is because they are in store only! I found all but Pride and Prejudice, no surprise there, and I have them neatly stacked on my bedside table with a peacock ambiance lamp perched on top. It's just the perfect look!

I highly encourage browsing through the collection online and if you live near a Michaels store, head there post haste before everything is sold out!

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Reading Scripture: Mark 6:1-6

I've been reading in The Gospel of St. Mark lately and the topic of familiarity breeding contempt crops up when, in Chapter 6:1-6, Jesus returns to his hometown. The entire time Jesus is "home," everyone is questioning his authority. They "know" him too well according to their own understanding of who Jesus is. He will never be more than Mary's son, other than a carpenter, other than a member of the community who they watched grow up. They do not believe he is capable of miracles or is equipped to teach in the synagogue because there is no way he could be.

Verse 3 says that "they took offense at him" and in verse 4 Jesus says "'Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.'"

They had contempt for Jesus and diminished him from his proper status as prophet, and yes, God's son, but He wasn't allowing His identity a the Son of God to be publicly proclaimed at this point in His ministry. I actually do get this concept a lot. If I suddenly professed a vocation that nobody suspected before, my friends, family, and colleagues would wonder what in the world was going on and whether I needed psychiatric help. I get it. Change comes as a shock to the people in our lives who are accustomed to a person being one thing.

And verse 5 says "He (Jesus) could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them."

I love how faith plays a role in Jesus working miracles. This verse does not imply that Jesus was limited in terms of ability although some would wrongly interpret it that way, but it does make clear that He will perform miracles only where there is that faith as small as a mustard seed. His neighbors really missed out on a lot by their lack of willingness to believe in Him. There were people in that town who would have benefited from Jesus' healing touch if they had just reached out in faith, but that wasn't happening. Jesus does not force Himself on people who are unwilling to believe. He is a respecter of free will, which is totally a double-edged sword. In free will, people have the freedom to choose, but it also means they have the freedom to choose. And if they don't choose Christ, as He is, He's not going to force the issue.

Imagine those few sick people who were healed though! What broke through to them? Were they new to the community or was it something Jesus said that really shifted their perception from the familiar to the unknown? I don't know, but I love that even here, in a place where so few people believed, there were still some who put their faith in Jesus.

Finally, in verse 6 it says "And He (Jesus) was amazed at their lack of faith."

I don't believe for one minute that God didn't know these people would be lacking in faith, but I also don't pretend to know in what way Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith. Disappointment would imply that He had expectations, which He didn't have. He wasn't surprised either. There is such a lack of understanding of who Jesus is that the lack of faith is amazing, but not in a positive way. I don't know. I think the closest I've come to understanding is simply Jesus' amazement at how hard it is for those who should know Him well to trust and have faith in Him. I read something similar in this article on the Catholic Exchange and it makes the most sense to me, trying to explain something that feels inexplicable.

My personal takeaway is that I don't want to be the community in Nazareth who thought they knew Jesus so well that they couldn't see Him as the Christ. And the only way to avoid that happening is by practicing faith in Jesus.

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Let's Talk Right-Wing Cancel Culture!

 

from Tenor

There's been a bizarre increase of Right-Wing Cancel Culture, and I don't mean cancel culture against the opposing viewpoint, I mean cancel culture against what should technically be our own people.

What I'm talking about is The Daily Wire Brett Cooper/Reagan Conrad controversy for The Comments Section YouTube channel. Brett is no longer with DW, has her own EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL YT channel now, and Reagan is the new host for the DW's channel The Comments Section. Well, turns out, this was an incredibly controversial event. And instead of diehard Brettbros (I believe her fans call themselves that) peacefully transitioning to Brett's new channel, they are now doing the cancel culture thing of literally flooding all of Reagan's videos with bullying comments.

Now, I have nothing against Brett. But I'm 41 and far too old for this type of petty behavior. There is no call for there to be hundreds of comments on each of Reagan's videos literally lambasting her, hating on the DW, chanting for the downfall of the channel, etc. I am there for the content. When Brett was the host I was still there just for the content. I do not care who provides the information to me, I am loyal to the premise of the channel itself.

I do not need Brett's little anti-fan army reminding me on every single of Reagan's videos that Brett has her own channel, that her 1st, 2nd, blah blah episode are up. I KNOW! Do they think I've buried my head in the sand and have no clue what's been going on!? If I wanted to follow Brett and watch her content I would do so.

I also happen to be an extremely stubborn person. The more somebody pushes buttons to manipulate me into doing something or attempts to cause the downfall of someone, the angrier I am going to become and less likely it is I that I will actually do what you want.

from Pinterest

Cancel culture is an ugly thing. I regret participating back with the whole anti-Star Wars rant related to Gina Carano that WENT ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE. It's ugly when you try to silence opposing viewpoints because we should be better than our opponents and not do to them what they have done to us. But it is absolutely reprehensible for people who share the SAME BASIC PRINCIPLES to attempt to cancel someone simply because they didn't like what went down. 

Hopefully I'm wrong and these people are just trolls. But I have an awful feeling that I'm right. I wish Brett well. I hope she has a great amount of success. But I will watch who I want to watch and right now, that person isn't her. Because Reagan and the DW have proven to be the "better person" in this whole situation by simply carrying on and not addressing the bullies. That takes a lot of guts and I applaud them for continuing to push out relevant content and not stooping to the level of the mudslinging Brettbros.

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