All posts tagged: destructive

Researchers uncover the truth behind destructive events chronicled in Biblical texts

Researchers uncover the truth behind destructive events chronicled in Biblical texts

Published by skeptic

Archaeologists have long sought to bridge the gap between the narratives of ancient texts and the tangible evidence hidden beneath the earth’s surface. In a groundbreaking study published in the prestigious PLOS ONE scientific journal, archaeologists have harnessed the power of radiocarbon dating to unveil the truth behind events chronicled in Biblical texts, particularly those centered around the enigmatic ancient Levantine city of Gezer. This captivating journey through time takes us back to the heart of Gezer, an archaeological site nestled in the historic landscapes of Israel. For centuries, Gezer has captivated the imagination of scholars and theologians alike, with its mention in Egyptian, Assyrian, and Biblical texts. In this narrative, we explore how radiocarbon dating has shed new light on this ancient city’s tumultuous history, confirming some long-held beliefs while challenging others. Map showing location of the city of Gezer with respect to other important cities and Jerusalem. (CREDIT: holylandphotos.org) Radiocarbon Dating: A Window into the Past To unravel the mysteries of Gezer’s past, a team of dedicated archaeologists embarked on a journey that …

Why I Don’t Get into Mudslinging Battles with Destructive Critics – OpentheWord.org

Why I Don’t Get into Mudslinging Battles with Destructive Critics – OpentheWord.org

Published by skeptic

By Dr. Michael Brown Constructive criticism is life-giving and life-saving, and all of us should have ears to hear truthful words of correction, exhortation, reproof, and rebuke. As the psalmist said, “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it . . . .” (Psalm 141:5) But destructive criticism kills. It tears down without building up. It is loveless and unkind. It uses unequal weights and measures, straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel. It is self-righteous, mean-spirited, and lacks a redemptive heart.  That being said, if a destructive critic has something truthful to say to me, even if it is said in a harmful or hateful way, I want to hear it. But I will not get into a mudslinging battle with destructive critics or spend my time refuting their claims or responding to their challenges. To do so would be to dishonor the Lord and do a disservice to the Body.  We gain further insight on this …

Citizen activists take on ‘destructive’ solar power plants in France’s Provence region

Citizen activists take on ‘destructive’ solar power plants in France’s Provence region

Published by Sam

Citizen activists in southeastern France’s Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence region have been campaigning for two years against the growing number of solar power parks in a protected natural area around the Lure mountain. The local authorities, and the parks’ investors, claim the plants are “essential” projects in the fight against climate change, and in line with the ambitions of the European Green Deal. But the activists claim these projects are “destructive” for biodiversity and the landscape.  A few hundred metres above the commune of Cruis, in the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence region, Sylvie Bitterlin, a 62-year-old actress, stands in front of the security fence of a brand-new solar farm. “Look, they’ve destroyed everything,” she says. On the 17-hectare site, the garrigue or scrubland of Provence has been replaced by several thousand solar panels. In Cruis, the photovoltaic power plant, operated by Boralex, was scheduled to begin operating this summer. © Cyrielle Cabot, FRANCE 24 The project has been under construction for several months and is nearly finished. According to the operator, Boralex, a Canadian renewable energy company, the site will generate …

Apple Says Destructive iPad Ad ‘Missed the Mark’

Apple Says Destructive iPad Ad ‘Missed the Mark’

Published by skeptic

Apple doesn’t make mistakes often and seldom apologizes, but on Thursday, its head of advertising said the company had erred in making a new iPad commercial that showed an industrial compressor flattening tools for art, music and creativity. “Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” said Tor Myhren, the company’s vice president of marketing communications, in a statement provided to the publication AdAge. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.” Mr. Myhren said Apple would no longer run the ad on TV. The company had faced a barrage of criticism from designers, actors and artists who saw the ad as a metaphor for how Big Tech has cashed in on their work by crushing or co-opting the artistic tools that humanity has used for centuries. They found the crushing of a trumpet, piano, paints and …

Guy Garvey: Elbow frontman on destructive relationships from his past and juggling ‘frantic’ family life in his present | Ents & Arts News

Guy Garvey: Elbow frontman on destructive relationships from his past and juggling ‘frantic’ family life in his present | Ents & Arts News

Published by Sam

Guy Garvey says he looked back to his “rock n’ roll years” when writing parts of his new album Audio Vertigo, drawing on “destructive,” “tumultuous,” and “toxic” relationships from his past for inspiration. Elbow’s lead singer tells Sky News: “Nobody wants to hear about how proud of my second hand Toyota RAV4 I am. It’s like I’m going to have to write about some of the more rock n’ roll years”. Image: Pic: PA Suffering for your art is a well-known trope, and having just turned 50 and with two and a half decades in the industry, Garvey knows well that “reflections on mistakes are so much more fun to listen to”. His past pains have clearly done the trick, with their 10th studio LP earning the Mercury, Brit and Ivor Novello award-winning band – made up of Garvey, Pete Turner and Craig and Mark Potter – their fourth official number one album. It also topped the vinyl album chart and was the most-purchased physical LP of the past seven days in independent UK record …

Maui fire survivors struggle to find housing, 6 months after destructive blazes.

Maui fire survivors struggle to find housing, 6 months after destructive blazes.

Published by skeptic

Arica Lynn Souza and her children Ayla, 3, left, and Silas, 4, on the porch of the family home where they are staying temporarily after losing their Lahaina townhome in the wildfires. Deanne Fitzmaurice for NPR hide caption toggle caption Deanne Fitzmaurice for NPR Arica Lynn Souza and her children Ayla, 3, left, and Silas, 4, on the porch of the family home where they are staying temporarily after losing their Lahaina townhome in the wildfires. Deanne Fitzmaurice for NPR On a sunny weekend afternoon on Maui, the Souza family has given up on getting their kids to nap. Parents Arica and Matthew have their hands full as Silas, 4, and Ayla, 3, greet us at the door excitedly. Ayla is fussing to put on her shiny pink party shoes. Silas is running around looking for his iPad. The Souzas are living temporarily in Kihei, about a 45-minute drive from Lahaina, where they lost their townhome in the August 8th wildfires. This house belongs to Matthew’s grandmother, who is in a hospice facility. Relatives offered …

Survivor warns against war’s destructive nature on Holocaust Memorial Day | World | News

Survivor warns against war’s destructive nature on Holocaust Memorial Day | World | News

Published by skeptic

Survivor warns against war’s destructive nature on Holocaust Memorial Day (Image: Getty) Hannah Lewis and her father Adam were the only members of her family to survive the genocide of the Second World War. Now 86, Mrs Lewis has warned future generations to stay vigilant because “human nature is the same”. Mrs Lewis, who grew up in Poland, was rounded up with her family and forcibly marched to a labour camp in 1943. Towards the end of the war, her mother was lined up with other people and shot dead by German police. Speaking at her home in north London ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on Saturday, she said humans have a self-destructive nature. “By the end of the war, only my father and I survived, everyone else had been murdered,” she said. Asked about the importance of remembering the Holocaust today, she told the PA news agency: “Look what’s happening in the world. We don’t learn.” “Climates may change, places may change, but human nature is the same.” “We’re sort of self-destructive almost.” Mrs …

Hundreds of People Torch an Effigy of Destructive Bug in South Dakota Town

Hundreds of People Torch an Effigy of Destructive Bug in South Dakota Town

Published by skeptic

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — In what’s become an annual winter tradition, hundreds of people carrying torches set fire to a giant wooden beetle effigy in Custer, South Dakota, to raise awareness of the destructive impact of the mountain pine beetle on forest land in the Black Hills. Custer firefighters prepared and lighted the torches for residents to carry in a march to the pyre Saturday night in the 11th Burning Beetle fest, the Rapid City Journal reported. People set the tall beetle effigy on fire amid drum beats and chants of “Burn, beetle, burn.” Firefighters kept watch, warning participants not to throw the torches, even as some people launched the burning sticks into pine trees piled at the base of the beetle. Fireworks dazzled overhead. The event, which includes a talent show and “bug crawl,” supports the local arts. The U.S. Forest Service calls the mountain pine beetle “the most aggressive, persistent, and destructive bark beetle in the western United States and Canada.” The Black Hills have experienced several outbreaks of the beetle since …

How liberal conspiracy theories can be just as destructive as their extremist counterparts

How liberal conspiracy theories can be just as destructive as their extremist counterparts

Published by skeptic

Liberal commentators frequently condemn conspiracy theories that threaten public safety. The US mainstream media exploded in 2016 when an armed man harassed diners in a Washington DC pizzeria, allegedly because he subscribed to the QAnon online conspiracy theory claiming that a Hillary Clinton-connected paedophile ring was operating from the restaurant. British media reacted similarly in 2020 to a man who destroyed a 5G mast for fear it was spreading COVID-19. Yet criminal as these actions were, their negative impacts were limited. But what if liberal conspiracy theories can be even more wrong-headed and damaging than their fringe counterparts? Our recent research explores this question in detail. Conspiracy theories, right and left Liberal observers often present conspiracism as the preserve of right or left-wingers. Journalist David Aaronovitch and philosopher Quassim Cassam, for example, attribute fallacious conspiracy theorising to the political “extremes”. This preoccupation with the conspiracist fringes has some validity. Rightist conspiracy theories are numerous, ranging from “great replacement” paranoia about the presumed elimination of white populations in the west, to the supposed machinations of ‘bogeymen’ …

Taiwan urges China to stop ‘destructive’ military activities as fighter jets cross median line | Taiwan

Published by Sam

Taiwan’s defence ministry has urged China to stop “destructive, unilateral action” after reporting a sharp rise in Chinese military activities near the island, warning such behaviour could lead to an increase in tensions. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has in recent years regularly carried out military drills around the island as it seeks to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei. Taiwan’s defence ministry said that since Sunday it had spotted 103 Chinese military aircraft over the sea, a number it called a “recent high”. Its map of Chinese activities over the past 24 hours showed fighter jets crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which had served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides until China began regularly crossing it a year ago. Other aircraft flew south of Taiwan through the Bashi Channel, which separates the island from the Philippines. China’s activities over the past day have caused “serious challenges” to security in the strait and regionally, the ministry said in an accompanying statement. Peace and stability …