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It's true that the mentions of Mary in the Bible are somewhat limited but what's there is jaw dropping. I know Seventh-day Adventists use typology in defense of some of their doctrines and I'm looking forward to sharing some typology about Mary as soon as I can spend the time this topic deserves. I wish all the best wishes and hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
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Here's your (not so) totally useless fact(s) of the day:
phkrause replied to phkrause's topic in Word of the Day (and other daily nuggets)
Spongebob is the only Nicktoon 1990s that has not ended yet. James -
Gun violence, shootings and senseless killings!!
phkrause replied to phkrause's topic in Politics (Mainly US) and other American interest items
Man suspected in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing is found dead, officials say A frantic search for the suspect in last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University ended Thursday at a New Hampshire storage facility where authorities discovered the man dead inside and then revealed he also was suspected of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-shooting-investigation-5b0b254442dd77d9056111bad902de33? -
📸 Pic to go! Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images People fish near Fort Point, on the southern side of the Golden Gate Bridge, during sunset in San Francisco yesterday.
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Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed
phkrause replied to phkrause's topic in Politics (Mainly US) and other American interest items
Band-Aid Solutions View in browser The president took a few moments out of his scattershot address to the nation last night to shield his party from blame over high health-care costs. If federal subsidies for the Affordable Care Act lapse at the end of the year, premiums may rise for more than 20 million Americans, dramatically worsening the affordability issues that are now top of mind for both parties. “It’s the Unaffordable Care Act,” Trump said. And a health-care system in crisis is “the Democrats’ fault.” In fact, Democrats have consistently pushed to extend the subsidies; it was House Speaker Mike Johnson who said on Tuesday that the House would not vote on whether to continue funding the credits before the House’s holiday recess. Yesterday, a few GOP dissenters lent their signatures to a Democrat-led effort to force a vote, but they were outflanked by party members who oppose the credits (mostly on grounds that it costs too much and enables insurance fraud). Even if the House did put it to a vote before current funding for the subsidies expires on December 31, the Senate has already rejected the plan. Barring some drastic intervention, health-care costs will go up. A month ago, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries predicted that either those subsidies would be renewed “or the American people will throw Republicans out of their jobs next year and end the speakership of Donald J. Trump once and for all.” His theory is about to be tested. When funding lapses in the new year, some Americans will see their costs double or triple. The average affected enrollee will see their costs rise by more than $1,000 annually. An education consultant in Chicago told NPR that her plan would increase from $180 a month to $1,200 a month. Many enrollees may no longer be able to pay for coverage at all; nearly 5 million people could become uninsured. An Ohio family said on MS NOW that because their new plan would cost $1,500 monthly with a $15,000 deductible, they are having to forgo coverage altogether. At a moment when the majority of Americans are dissatisfied with Trump’s stewardship of the economy, millions could soon be hit with a huge new expense. That’s when the second part of Jeffries’s prediction starts to kick in. The 2026 midterms are almost a year away, so there’s plenty of time for public opinion to rebound—but as of now, Americans trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle the economy, per PBS, and the cost of living remains the top priority for Republicans and independents ahead of the midterms. Backlash to the Republican stance on the Affordable Care Act contributed to House Democrats’ resurgence in the 2018 midterms. Now GOP lawmakers will have to contend with the possibility that it could happen again. During the recent government shutdown, which was largely caused by disagreements over whether to extend the ACA credits, Marjorie Taylor Greene, the far-right Georgia representative and former Trump ally, broke rank. “When the tax credits expire this year my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,” she wrote in October. Among the four centrist Republicans who defied Johnson yesterday by signing a Democrat-led discharge petition was Michael Lawler, the first Republican to represent his New York district since the early 1980s (he’s up for reelection next year). Also on the list is Brian Fitzpatrick, a representative for a battleground district in Pennsylvania. “I know my people back home care tremendously about this,” he said last week. That sentiment extends well beyond Pennsylvania. Recent polling shows that 57 percent of Americans support the Affordable Care Act, and 74 percent support extending the credits. Responding to broader concerns about health-care costs, Trump recently unveiled TrumpRx, a new initiative to let consumers buy drugs directly from manufacturers at lower prices. But that can only do so much to offset a major insurance-premium spike. Health care involves more than just drugs—decreasing the sticker price for weight-loss and migraine medications won’t do much to cover a trip to the hospital for a broken leg. Another tactic the administration is considering is simply handing out checks, which could help mitigate the impact of those expiring subsidies. In his speech yesterday, Trump announced a onetime bonus of $1,776 for all members of the military, and he has contemplated sending every American a neat sum of $2,000—part of his doubling down on affordability messaging. But these are Band-Aid solutions to long-term problems that have been exacerbated over the past year. Trump’s tariffs have played a large role in raising prices on all kinds of consumer goods. When the health-care cutbacks of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act go into effect next year, millions of Americans could be forced off Medicaid, opening them up to sky-high hospital bills. And even though Trump hasn’t spearheaded the fight against health-care credits, he said last month that he’d “rather not” extend them. If insurance premiums rise, they will do so on Trump’s watch. Although it’s too early to know how that will affect next year’s midterms, come January, the affordability crisis could get even worse—and the GOP will have to confront its choices. Related: The coming Obamacare cliff Obamacare changed the politics of health care. -
Congress: The Senate & The House
phkrause replied to phkrause's topic in Politics (Mainly US) and other American interest items
🔦 Top senators on Google Data: Google Trends; Chart: Axios Visuals — Stef Kight -
🎁 Christmas crunch time Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Time is running out to have your Christmas gifts delivered on time, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports. 🗓️ Package carriers are hitting their last recommended dates to get packages to doorsteps by Dec. 24 — and the longer you wait, the more you'll pay. 🤑 Many ground deadlines have already past, leaving only costlier two-day, overnight and same-day options. But you still have alternatives. 🚗 On-demand services like DoorDash, Uber and Instacart can deliver last-minute gifts. Many retailers, including Walmart, Target and Amazon, offer same-day delivery or curbside pickup. See the deadlines.
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Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed
phkrause replied to phkrause's topic in Politics (Mainly US) and other American interest items
🎻 Out: "Kennedy Center." In: "Trump-Kennedy Center" Via X The Kennedy Center board has voted to rename the performing arts venue the "Trump-Kennedy Center," Axios' Avery Lotz reports. 🤳 White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, on X: "Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future!" 🏛️ The building's name is set by law, and legal pushback is likely. 🔇While Leavitt framed the vote as "unanimous," one board member, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), says she "was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move." (Video) Exerting his influence over the iconic institution has been a major part of Trump's effort to recast D.C. in his own image. 🪑Trump — who had a tense relationship with the Kennedy Center during his first term — dismissed members of the board and was unanimously elected chair in February. The current board includes Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and second lady Usha Vance, among other Trump allies. Go deeper. -
Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed
phkrause replied to phkrause's topic in Politics (Mainly US) and other American interest items
Trump Media goes nuclear Illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios Trump Media's surprise nuclear fusion merger expands President Trump's interests into a promising yet unproven space hugely important to the AI world, Axios' Ben Geman, Dan Primack and Katie Fehrenbacher report. 📉 It's a massive pivot for Trump Media — which lost about 70% of its value this year through yesterday. 🏁 And it will provide cash for the nuclear firm it's merging with, TAE Technologies, in the race to develop fusion — a contest that, if won, would mark one of humanity's biggest scientific achievements, cracking open a potentially limitless source of clean energy. Trump Media has arguably fallen short at media, generating less than $3 million in sales for the first nine months of 2025. 📈 The Truth Social parent has branched out into financial products, AI, streaming and more. But none of those changes moved the needle like today's pivot to fusion, which caused its shares to spike nearly 40% as of midafternoon. 💰 The all-stock deal values the merged company at $6 billion. A source familiar says that the combined firm intends to be solely focused on energy, which means that Truth Social and other Trump Media assets could be sold or otherwise separated. TAE CEO Michl Binderbauer didn't confirm or deny that when asked by Axios. 🪑 Donald Trump Jr. will sit on the board of the combined company. ☢️ Fusion generates immense energy by combining atoms, as opposed to the atom-splitting fission technique used in today's reactors. ☀️ Fusion, which powers stars like the Sun, is generally seen as safer and cleaner than fission — but remains theoretical as a human-controlled power source. Money is pouring into fusion in hopes that it might satisfy the AI boom's seemingly endless thirst for electricity. 🔮 What's next: The companies need approval from shareholders and regulators to merge, which they expect to do in mid-2026. Fusion remains future tech, unlikely to be commercialized while Trump is in office. 🔋But the companies say they plan to begin construction next year on "the world's first utility-scale fusion power plant," with hopes of generating power in 2031, Binderbauer tells Axios. Get the latest. -
A photo of Miss Finland sparks accusations of racism and furor across Asia HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — Finland’s government is facing heavy pressure and accusations of racism from several Asian countries after its representative to the 2025 Miss Universe pageant was seen pulling the corners of her eyes in a photo -- and some Finnish politicians posted their own photos repeating the gesture. https://apnews.com/article/miss-finland-sarah-dzafce-miss-universe-fd4337d1e08aae8f6f82e441a811b249?
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Half of $18B in federal funds for Minnesota-run programs may have been defrauded, official says MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Half or more of the roughly $18 billion in federal funds that supported 14 Minnesota-run programs since 2018 may have been stolen, a federal prosecutor said Thursday, describing the massive and multilayered fraud schemes as staggering. https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-fraud-charges-fbad68312012dc02a4060852474f72ee? -
Along the Texas Coast, a new sanctuary aims to protect the endangered and rare whooping crane WOLFBERRY WHOOPING CRANE SANCTUARY, Texas (AP) — Carter Crouch has been fascinated by the whooping crane’s conservation story for as long as he can remember. The white bird, named for its “whooping” call, is one of the rarest in North America and was among the first to be protected by the Endangered Species Act. https://apnews.com/article/whooping-crane-endangered-species-texas-climate-environment-988377544ea9237966af392fb4f460e1?
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Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed
phkrause replied to phkrause's topic in Politics (Mainly US) and other American interest items
Trump’s handpicked board votes to rename Washington performing arts center the Trump Kennedy Center WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s handpicked board voted Thursday to rename Washington’s leading performing arts center as the Trump Kennedy Center, the White House said, in a move that made Democrats fume, saying the board had overstepped its legal authority. https://apnews.com/article/trump-kennedy-center-performing-arts-8b7159067174f3a0070b877c149ff0a7? Trump signs executive order that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug and open new avenues for medical research, a major shift in federal drug policy that inches closer to what many states have done. https://apnews.com/article/trump-marijuana-executive-order-bc1e3e5376105fdc6240982b10f74f6f? Trump suspends green card lottery program that let Brown University, MIT shootings suspect into US President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery program on Thursday that allowed the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings to come to the United States. https://apnews.com/article/brown-mit-shooting-suspect-green-card-1d6c1d83bc1237a21d0ca65d39981fa8? -
Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed
phkrause replied to phkrause's topic in Politics (Mainly US) and other American interest items
CNN Data Guru Reminds Trump His Economic Approval Rating Is ‘Flat Out Awful’ Harry Enten discusses Trump’s dire numbers on the night of his address to the nation. CNN’s data guru Harry Enten reminded Donald Trump that he is recording “flat out awful” approval ratings on the economy as the president tries to insist he is doing a fine job. Enten, the network’s chief data analyst, noted on the night of Trump’s frantic speech attempting to convince voters that the economy is working that a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Americans are rapidly turning against the president on the crucial issue. “Donald Trump’s economic net approval rating—it is just flat out awful, and it has declined precipitously since the beginning of his second term in office,” Enten told The Source’s Kaitlan Collins. “In January, he was in positive territory at plus 6 percent, [but] way down he goes now. According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, he is 25 points underwater,” Enten added. “Donald Trump was elected to fix the economy. It was a strength for him during his first term, but at this point it is an anchor on him. That’s why we’re seeing poll after poll after poll showing him with a net negative approval rating—and in some polls, the worst approval rating he has had in his entire second term.” The Reuters/Ipsos poll cited by Enten, released Tuesday, shows that just 33 percent of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, the lowest figure of his second term. The damning survey is just one of several showing Trump with record-low approval ratings and plunging confidence in his ability to deal with the flailing economy. Rather than address the financial struggles facing tens of millions of Americans, Trump has brushed aside affordability concerns, calling them a “con job” and a “hoax” orchestrated by Democrats. The optics grew so dire that Trump was forced to deliver a primetime address Wednesday night, during which he gave a frantic and misleading speech largely aimed at blaming former President Joe Biden for the current state of the economy. Soon after the 18-minute address, Enten said Americans are clearly not buying Trump’s insistence that the economy is strong, or that it will rapidly improve. “How do Americans actually feel about it? All I can say is they feel awfully about it,” Enten said. “The percentage who say we’re on the right track when it comes to inflation—just 20 percent of Americans. The vast majority think we’re on the wrong track.” “What about jobs? Just 27 percent of Americans think we’re on the right track when it comes to jobs in this country,” he added. “So we’re talking about under 30 percent on two key economic metrics.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/cnn-data-guru-harry-enten-reminds-trump-his-economic-approval-rating-is-flat-out-awful/? -
Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed
phkrause replied to phkrause's topic in Politics (Mainly US) and other American interest items
Trump admin said it rescued more than 62K children from sex trafficking and abuse. Here are the facts A November 2025 initiative by ICE is focused on the sponsors migrant children have been placed with. https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/12/17/trump-admin-children-sex-trafficking-abuse/? Tucker Carlson Humiliated as Big Trump Prediction Flops The former Fox News host made a brave claim about the president’s speech from the White House on Wednesday. Tucker Carlson is under fire for hyping President Donald Trump’s primetime speech to the nation as an announcement of war only for the president to rattle off stale talking points and whine for 18 minutes. The former Fox News host turned podcaster, known for peddling conspiracy theories, appeared on Judge Andrew Napolitano’s Judging Freedom podcast ahead of Trump’s speech on Wednesday, where he claimed that trusted sources had tipped him off to an explosive announcement coming in the speech. “Here’s what I know so far, which is that members of Congress were briefed yesterday that a war is coming, and it’ll be announced in the address to the nation tonight at nine o’clock by the president,” Carlson said. “Who knows, by the way, if that will actually happen—I don’t know, and I never want to overstate what I know, which is pretty limited in general—but a member of Congress told me that this morning. So that’s what I know.” Trump announced no such plans and didn’t even come close to it. Instead, he used the speech to frantically try to sell Americans on the idea that the economy is in good shape, and even if it isn’t, it is entirely his predecessor Joe Biden’s fault. There have been growing concerns that Trump’s escalating pressure campaign against Venezuela—including frequent targeting of alleged drug-smuggling boats and the blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers—could be a precursor to launching an all-out war. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, even let slip to Vanity Fair that the president plans on “blowing boats up” suspected of carrying Venezuelan drug smugglers until the country’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, “cries uncle,” hinting at a possible push for regime change. Carlson, after claiming Trump’s speech would decisively put an end to speculation about war with Venezuela, said he hoped his prediction would not turn out to be true, arguing that there has never been a “regime change effort that’s benefited the United States” dating back several decades. “And if there is, tell me what it is. I just don’t see any evidence of that. It all seems like a net loss for us,” Carlson said. During his Fox News heyday, Carlson was so influential within Trump’s orbit that he was credited with helping to talk Trump down from entering a war with Iran. In January 2020, shortly after Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was killed in U.S. airstrikes authorized by Trump, Carlson urged the administration on air to avoid further escalation if Iran retaliated, asking, “Who’s actually benefiting from this?” Shortly afterward, Trump said the U.S. would not respond to Iran’s retaliatory attacks at U.S. bases in Iraq, with Carlson’s objection to such a move widely believed to have played a part in his decision, according to Associated Press. This time around, however, Carlson’s foreign policy input was roundly mocked for being astonishingly out of touch amid a wider feud in the world of MAGA podcasters. “So Tucker lied,” far-right podcaster Nick Fuentes posted on X. Far-right influencer Laura Loomer added: “Tucker Qatarlson takes another L!” The Daily Beast has contacted Carlson for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-humiliated-as-big-trump-prediction-flops/? ps:It's interesting how all these people just throw each other under the bus when they can't do anything else!! It reminds me of criminal organizations!!!!! -
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How Long Am I Contagious? Written by Paul Frysh Medically Reviewed by Lalitha Kadali, MD, MBBS on September 10, 2025 https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ss/slideshow-how-long-contagious?
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Written by WebMD Editorial Contributor Medically Reviewed by Shruthi N, MD on December 04, 2025 https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/cm/ai-slideshow-surprising-health-benefits-of-prunes?
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The Prostate Cancer Test More Men Should Ask About Pre-biopsy MRIs can help doctors diagnose and treat prostate cancer more accurately. Here’s when you should get one. https://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/news/20251215/prostate-cancer-mri-test-men-ask-about?
- Yesterday
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Things That Raise Your Chances of Dementia Written by Janie McQueen Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on February 15, 2025 https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/ss/slideshow-raise-chances-dementia?
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That part of the Creed which states that Christ's coming and victory was "according to the Scriptures" directly affirms what Sacred Scripture defines as not only the Gospel but the "most important part". This part and the other parts of the Nicene Creed weren't fabricated in the early part of the 4th century - they were of Apostolic origin, the deposit of faith given to the Apostles. At a certain point in time (due to the heretical teaching of Christ having the ability to mutate) it became necessary to formally declare these truths to the Church. The Holy Catholic Church (at the time the Creed was formulated) was the body of believers who accepted the authority of the Council. At that moment the Church was ONE. It wasn't until the great schism that the eastern Church became known as "Orthodox" and the western Church became known as Roman Catholic. Prior to this split I'd agree with Gregory that when the Creed said "holy Catholic Church" it was referring to THE CHURCH who's members acknowledged the authority of the Council of Nicaea. The Apostolic Church was affirming that they worshipped a Triune God as opposed to a "duality" or "compound God" (a God that consisted of parts) whereas God was understood to be a collection of Beings that operated in such a united way that they were considered to be one (like a husband and wife that were in total agreement and worked as one in the raising of a child). Under this "duality' or "compound god" concept 1 of the Beings or god's could eternally cease to exist leaving 1 or more Beings to continue operating. This was not acceptable to the Council of Nicaea because: The Divine Nature is simple and undividable - i.e. it's not that whatever the divine "stuff" is that is God is divided up into the three Persons of the Trinity so that God is a collection of 3 like-minded perfectly unites Beings with the same Divine Nature, it's that the 3 Person's are IN THE SINGLE Divine Nature which can't be divided. If the Son ceased to exist you don't have God any longer - you have something else. I read the article a couple of times and disagree with it - we are not talking about something there is wiggle room on - we're talking about if God is truly Eternal, OR, is God's continued existence conditional. If God is a unity of Beings such as Ellen White taught (and Doug Batchelor still teaches) and had Ellen's hypothetical situation of Christ sinning been realized the Divine nature would have been reduced by a third which would have meant God was not ONE but duality or compound being. Worse yet what would we do with 1st Corinthians 15 and literally 150 additional equally affirmative Scriptures that say failure was impossible?
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In the U.S., Lake Union Issues Statement of Support for Immigrants
Theophilus replied to phkrause's topic in NAD NEWSPOINTS
I would love to know where your wife and family are from, and why you didn't stay with her. -
Who are the twenty four elders of Revelation?
Theophilus replied to hobie's topic in Theological Townhall
But we are given crowns as well, even though we will give them back. These elders were there before (rev 4)Jesus returned to Heaven- in Rev 5.They are representatives of unfallen worlds--a place that Adam would have had too, had he not sinned. This is why Satan appears at the sons of God meeting--Adam lost his place. -
NOTE: In the above "holy catholic church" does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church. It is a simple statement to the effect that the Church of God is a universal church, and SDAs agree with such.