https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/10/15/the-irony-of-openai-crying-foul-over-spying
Belen Fernandez hit an important point here - the absurdity of OpenAI complaining that others are violating its proprietary rights. The entire AI project is based on data mining others work, resources, and proprietary information in order to provide its summaries and/or generate new work.
This is a common apologia for Halloween - an attempt to tie it to the Church Calendar and thus argue the holiday has Christian roots. But this begs the question concerning the legitimacy of the Church Calendar to begin with.
https://thegrayzone.substack.com/p/as-criticism-grows-over-landslide
Situated between India and China, and specifically on the borders of Tibet, it's not hard to see why New Delhi, Beijing, and even Washington are concerned with events in Nepal and who is in charge.
In just a few days we've witnessed (and are witnessing) some consequential elections - with the US Mid-term coming up in less than a week.
In Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stunned the Right by picking up a victory in the second round of presidential elections. The Bolsonaro camp is crying foul but there are indications that many who sat out the first round decided to vote - not because they like Lula, but because they don't want to see another Bolsonaro in charge.
I recently heard an Evangelical speaking about Christians not voting and ascribing such arguments and positions to Biblical ignorance. He then proceeded to appeal to the prophets and the way they testified to the kings. Drawing an analogy, he suggested this means that we are to fulfil that same role and speak to the kings (or leaders) of our society. And we do so (it would seem) by voting.
The recent school shooting in Oregon received some extra attention because the shooter or perpetrator was gunned down by someone off the street, someone not in law enforcement. This makes some in government nervous as the line between state power and violence and the kind wielded by vigilantes becomes confused.
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/7/31/ecuador_boat_strikes_prosecutor_killed
https://thegrayzone.substack.com/p/was-ecuadorian-activist-monika-silva
Whether direct US agents or through proxies, whether by direct order or by an insinuation, someone in Washington ordered this hit. Traditionally it would have been CIA, but the Pentagon has its own intelligence special operations forces. The Pentagon has the most to lose from a prosecution, but at the same time there would be some caution before they just sent in special ops to assassinate someone.
That would be the conventional thinking but of course under the Trump-Hegseth Pentagon, some of that thinking no longer applies.
Would Pete Hegseth give such an order? Do you doubt it?
https://theaquilareport.com/who-will-stop-the-democratic-socialists-of-america-dsa/
It's been awhile since we've heard from Larry Ball. He posted this back in August and I've refused to look at it again until now.
We find that he's still living on another planet - in another dimension born of his own dream visions regarding reality, history, and Biblical teaching.
https://www.npr.org/2026/10/15/nx-s1-6001794/fort-hood-execution-hegseth-christian-nationalist
As we would expect, religious reporting coming from Mainstream outlets is not always going to get everything right. That said, in the broad-strokes, this article is accurate.
https://byfaithonline.com/sjc-issues-decision-in-te-burk-parsons-appeal/
Reading about Burk Parsons and his disciplinary issues with the PCA, I'm reminded again as to why I rejoice in the fact that I escaped Presbyterianism. To be fair, it's not just Presbyterianism but largely a question of denominations and their politics. The Presbyterian system is particularly odious to me as its bureaucratic labyrinthine way of doing things is galling, made doubly so in that they absurdly insist that it's all Biblical. In reality it's as degenerate as the worst forms of episcopacy - the very point John Milton tried to make.
Romania and Spain were the last of the European nations to avoid a return to Right-wing politics. Spain spent decades under Franco and only returned to democracy in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Romania had been under fascist rule during World War II and then fell under communism for the duration of the Cold War. Since then it has emerged and while always battling corruption and other issues, the Right was kept at bay.
https://www.ilfordipc.co.uk/the-bible-teaches-the-sacred-secular-distinction/
This was a refreshing read to say the least. It exhibits the very rare case in which someone seems to be able to grasp that while every aspect of our lives is shaped by our faith, there is nevertheless still a critical distinction between the sacred and secular and that it's something explicitly taught in Scripture.
https://breakpoint.org/a-theology-of-idolatry-for-the-twenty-first-century-part-1/
The Family Life Network (FLN) has replayed this BreakPoint commentary more than once and after hearing it again, I felt compelled to comment. It is a very rare occasion indeed that I find myself agreeing with these commentaries. In fact it's remarkable to me how one organisation can so consistently be wrong, how even when some truth is arrived at or spoken about it is immediately thrust into a theological, ethical, or other interpretative framework that turns it all on its head.
https://consortiumnews.com/2026/09/27/craig-murray-four-days-in-ekaterinburg/
Craig Murray is certainly a controversial figure that raises hackles in some quarters. He's perceived as being pro-Russian and he upset many by standing close to Julian Assange through his many struggles. Murray is also tied in with the Scottish Independence movement and has clashed with the Crown judiciary over leaked information resulting in a short jail sentence. In other words, he's a polarizing figure.
Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia are all deeply indebted to Washington which in turns exerts considerable influence within their systems. In other words they are client states - Kosovo being more akin to satrapy. This gas deal is a case of reciprocity. It's wanted in Washington and Wall Street, which creates political pressure in these countries. The people who implement it locally (often connected to if not sponsored by American institutions and interests) will in turn profit from it as well. Everyone in the circle is happy, but in this case it's an issue that is not a private business deal with limited impact but one that profoundly affects society at large and from the standpoint of Brussels - the entire European Union will be impacted.
After forcing myself to listen to the local Evangelical station, I was again struck by the constant refrain found in the latest CCM songs - themes that were not present in the music back in the 80's. Over and over again the singers talk about believing lies about themselves and how now they understand they are wanted, special, etc.
To understand the shift I thought of some questions or statements and how today's theology (expressed in music) understands and answers them.
