Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers remarks to a joint meeting of Congress on July 24.

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Pastor Steven Furtick’s multi-campus Elevation Church, headquartered in North Carolina, collected more than $108 million in tithes and offerings in 2023, as in-person church attendance soared to more than 17,000 worshipers weekly with three new campuses, according to the megachurch’s 2023 annual report.

The church, which withdrew its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention last summer, after more than 20 years of cooperation with the nation's largest Protestant denomination, reported a 21% year over year increase in in-person church attendance and hundreds of thousands more from the U.S. and around the world tuning in online via the church’s website or social media such as YouTube.

Elevation Church noted that they added permanent church campuses in Belmont, North Carolina, and Orlando, Florida, as well as a second campus in Toronto, Canada. At the end of 2021, Elevation Church reportedthat they had 19 physical locations spread across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Florida. Eight of those locations were reported as owned by the church, while 11 of the locations are leased.

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After nearly a decade, Chick-fil-A is no longer ranked as America's top fast-food restaurant.

USA Today released its 10Best Reader's Choice Awards last week for the category of fast-food restaurant, as voted on by readers. Chick-fil-A, a Christian-owned chain headquarted in Georgia, once landed the No. 1 spot as America's top fast-food chain for nine years in a row. But this year, Del Taco, a California-based chain that serves American-style Mexican cuisine, has earned the title.

"This popular taco stop, which serves all kinds of satisfying Mexican fare including burritos, quesadillas, and nachos, also offers burgers and fries," the list states. "In addition, Del Taco has a dedicated breakfast menu, as well as a vegan and vegetarian menu."

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After surviving two days alone enduring wind and rain from Hurricane Beryl, a 1-year-old baby was rescued when a truck driver on I-10 East near the Texas-Louisiana border saw the child crawling towards the highway a few miles from where his older brother's body was found.

"We looked at this 1-year-old as our miracle baby because he was still alive," Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Stitch Guillory said during a news conference earlier this month, according to KPLC-TV.

"This kid spent two days out in the weather on the side of the highway. Thank God that trucker saw him. When you look at the video here, he was, you know, crawling toward the highway."

The infant, Kingtrail Jack, was discovered just miles from where the body of his 4-year-old brother, Legend Jack, was discovered behind the Louisiana Welcome Center in Vinton on July 9. Both children were last seen with their mother, Aaliyah N. Jack.

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The late Sonya Massey, 36, (L) and fired Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson, 30, (R). | YouTube/CBS News; Sangamon County Sheriff's Office

James Wilburn, the father of 36-year-old Sonya Massey — who was shot dead by a sheriff's deputy inside her home in Springfield, Illinois, after she rebuked him "in the name of Jesus" earlier this month — called the officer who killed his daughter an "emissary of Satan."

When asked why he thought his daughter chose to rebuke the recently fired 30-year-old Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson while he was responding to a call for help at his daughter's home on July 6, Wilburn told "CBS Mornings" that she must have "feared for her life."

"I think that she feared for her life. There was something, some premonition that she had, and it seems like he was just an emissary of Satan. And that's what caused him to do what he did. It's just unexplainable," Wilburn said.

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'We do not live in a dictatorship. Delegates are not oligarchs.'

One of the most prominent progressive advocacy organizations in the United States has raised concerns about Vice President Kamala Harris’ sudden clinching of the Democrat nomination for president after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential election, suggesting that embracing her automatic ascension and coronation would make the Democrat Party a “party of hypocrites.”

Black Lives Matter, which has emerged as an influential voice on the political Left as it has advocated for major societal reforms to protest police brutality and other examples of what it characterizes as racial injustice, posted a “timeline of events” on its X account Tuesday expressing concerns about the process for selecting a new nominee. Biden dropped out of the race Sunday despite winning the overwhelming majority of the popular vote in Democrat presidential primaries and securing the overwhelming majority of delegates.

Biden’s withdrawal from the race is included in the first bullet point on the “timeline of events.” Additional items on the list from Sunday note that “Kamala Harris announces campaign with Biden endorsement,” “Kamala Harris says she is going to work hard to earn the Democratic nomination,” and “Kamala Harris makes calls to party delegates.”

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Republican Sen. JD Vance also not in attendance

Vice President Kamala Harris won't be attending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech during a joint meetingof Congress on Wednesday, with about 30 federal lawmakers also not planning to attend.

Netanyahu is expected to speak about the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the effort to free the remaining Israeli and American hostages who were abducted on Oct. 7 of last year.

Harris will not be present for Netanyahu’s speech because the presumptive Democrat Party nominee for president is on the campaign trail, reported CNBC.

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Evidently the President self identifies as a Zionist.

The perpetrator of a series of what police say were likely politically motivated attacks on supporters of former President Donald Trump and law enforcement, including a brutal assault on an 80-year-old man, has died by suicide.

The City of Hancock Police Department in Michigan announced Monday that the department responded on Sunday to "three different incidents that appeared to be politically motivated."

Two of the incidents involved vehicles that were "intentionally vandalized," according to police.

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Isaiah 65:

17 For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and take delight in My people. The sounds of weeping and crying will no longer be heard in her.

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No more crying but people still die?

20 No longer will a nursing infant live but a few days, or an old man fail to live out his years. For the youth will die at a hundred years, and he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.

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This was apocalyptic language. People will no longer physically die; there will be no more weeping.

Centuries later, John updated Isaiah's picture with more details in Re 21:

1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.

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Believers will dwell on the new earth with God.

4 ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’

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If someone cries, God will comfort them. No one will die on the new earth.

and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”

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Isaiah suggested no more mourning but people may still die on the new earth, while John suggested people may mourn but no one will die. Both used symbolic language. I think both indicate no more mourning or death.

Pro 15:1 KJV "A soft answer turns away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."

Pro 15:1a KJV "A soft answer turns away wrath: See True Church Paper

Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Psa 78:38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yes, many times he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

Christian Principles (Matt 16:13-20 Acts 20:28 Col 1:13-18 Heb 12:23)

Eph 4:32 And be you kind one to another, tend erhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.

2Co 6:10 As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

Jas 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. you have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Rom 2:4 Or despise you the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Eph 1:7 Rom 3:25

Col 2:2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration (restore), and renewing (resuming activities after interruption) of the Holy Ghost; Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

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Acts 15: continues

Prov 15:1b but grievous words stir up anger."

Prov 15:1b but **grievous words (causes heartbreaking painful consequence) stir up anger (causes judgment from God)."
** Dark Sentences (Dan 8:23 Heb 5:14)

Coming of Grief (Acts 20:29 grievous wolves (Zeph 3:3) enter in)

• **Gen 3:1 KJV "Now the serpent was more subtle (crafty snare) than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he (Lucifer) said unto the woman (Eve), yes has God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Gen 3:2 KJV "And the woman said unto the serpent, we (Adam and Eve) may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:" Gen 3:3 KJV "But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die." Gen 3:4 KJV "And the serpent (Lucifer) said unto the woman, you shall not surely die:" Rev 2:23 kill Jezebel’s children with death Rev 6:2 convincing them to change their mind to follow a lie
• Act 18:7 KJV "And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, **whose house (Acts 1:21-26) joined hard (bible college) to the synagogue (religious building)."
• Heb 5:14 But strong meat (principles) belong to them (Christians) that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised (wisdom in maturity) to discern both **good (principles of Jesus) and evil (principles of Lucifer).
• Gen 3:5 For God does know that in the day you (Eve) eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, **and you shall be as gods (Rev 2:13 seat of Lucifer), knowing good and evil (Adam’s authority went to 2Cor 4:4 god of this world).

Accepting a Lie

Mat 23:4 For they (Scribes and Pharisees) bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them (heavy burdens) with one of their fingers (authority).

Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint (tithe for herb) and anise (tithe for spice) and cummin (tithe for herb), and have omitted the weightier (left out and this becomes grievous) matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 1John 5:3 commands of God not grievous, John 2:15 moneychangers

Rev 2:24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine (Jezebel Rev 2:20-23), and which have not known **the depths of Satan, as they speak (grievous words); I will put upon you none other burden (grief).

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, will sup (fellowship) with him, and he with me.

Pro 25:15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, **and a soft tongue (crafty deception) breaks (causes) the bone (Zeph 3:3 painful consequences).

An Alabama pastor reportedly wrestled a gun away from his grandson after the grandson allegedly shot five people, including four children and his wife. Brandon Kendrick II (32) has been arrested and charged with five counts of capital murder.

Among the victims were Brandon Kendrick’s wife, Kelsey Kendrick (24), and his own children, Kaleb Kendrick (6) and Kynli Kendrick (2). The other two victims were relatives Haley Daniels (6) and Colton Daniels, who would have turned nine on Tuesday.

Brandon Kendrick had been living in a garage apartment of his grandfather, Allan Kendrick (71), who is the pastor of Oasis of Praise Church in Bessemer, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham.

Police responded to a call at Allan Kendrick’s residence in West Blocton, a town roughly 30 miles south of Bessemer, on Thursday (July 18) around 10 p.m. Brandon Kendrick was taken into custody without incident.

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The American presidential race has provided plenty of headlines for the secular outlets this week. As for news of the Catholic world? Not so much.

The National Eucharistic Congress was a spectacular event, apparently inspiring many thousands of the faithful. But while adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is at the heart of Catholic spiritual life, it does not provide catchy story lines. Meanwhile at the Vatican, the relative quiet reveals the fact that in Rome, most sensible people take time off in July. Consequently our headlines have been less numerous and less dramatic than usual.

So let me say something about a potentially dramatic news story that we did not cover—because it did not happen.

For the past several weeks a rumor has been circulating that the Vatican will issue new restrictions on the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass (TLM). We could not confirm those rumors. But several ordinarily reliable journalists insisted that the reports were true: that the document had been prepared, and only awaited final approval and release.

The rumors about this new suppression of the TLM were spread widely enough, and deemed credible enough, to spark several pre-emptive responses. A group of prominent English cultural figures issued an open letter about the “worrying reports,” urging the Vatican to “reconsider any further restriction of access to this magnificent spiritual and cultural heritage.” A similar group of American artists and writers followed suit, saying: “To deprive the next generation of artists of this source of mystery, beauty, and contemplation of the sacred seems shortsighted.” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco added his plea that “this cri de coeur… will be heard.” The retired Archbishop of Guadalajara, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, urged: “Pope Francis, do not allow this to happen.”

While the rumor mill churned, confident reporters predicted the date when the new Vatican document would be released. Some said it would be July 16, others picked July 19.

Well, I am writing on July 19, as midnight approaches in Rome. The dreaded document has not appeared.


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Josephine Hope-Scott Ward (1864–1932) wrote at the crossroads of the implementation of Catholic Emancipation in England—particularly the Universities Tests Acts of 1871—and the Catholic Modernist Crisis (1893–1914). The author of ten novels, a novella, and numerous articles and personal writings, Josephine Ward’s body of work provides a unique look into how the modernist controversy was experienced by English Catholics in the first decade of the twentieth century.

Josephine Ward was the niece of the Duke of Norfolk, which demonstrates her ties to Recusant England. She was also the daughter of the Tractarian and Oxford convert, James Robert Hope-Scott (1812–1872). In 1887, Josephine married Wilfrid Ward (1856–1916), who was the son of the notable Oxford convert, William George Ward (1812–1882). Formed by the English Catholic intelligentsia, Josephine and Wilfrid would become two of the most influential Catholic voices in England at the time of the modernist controversy. Though nearly all of Josephine’s writings have fallen out of print and all but disappeared from the historical record, her voice is essential for an understanding of the social and religious implications of the modernist crisis in England in particular, but also in the greater Anglophone sphere. This is particularly true of her novel, Out of Due Time.

The Modernist Crisis in a Nutshell​

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God’s purposes are often unknowable by us, but there’s no question that he has a plan.

A chorus of populist theologizing greeted the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Much of it was along the lines of “Considering that the shot missed killing him by only a couple of inches, God must have been looking out for him.”

I fully agree. God certainly was looking out for the former president. So what else might we say about what happened?

Although pushing too hard to explain God’s ways can be presumptuous, we can at least say that any serious attempt to understand will run up against mystery. Comprehending God’s plan in its literally unimaginable extent and complexity lies far beyond our limited capacity for grasping divine realities other than those he reveals. As for the little that we do see, it’s seen, as St. Paul remarks, as through a glass — darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12).

In the present case, then, start with the obvious. God isn’t a Democrat or a Republican or anything else in political terms. But politics and politicians do have places in God’s providential plan, as do everyone and everything that exists now or ever has existed in the past or ever will exist in the future. Also, although God doesn’t cause evil, he does permit evil’s intrusion into history — including the evil done by crackbrained individuals who shoot celebrities.

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ANALYSIS: Breaking with conventional conservatism, the GOP vice-presidential nominee draws from a controversial, Catholic-inspired approach to politics that emphasizes communal good over individual liberty.

J.D. Vance is an election away from becoming the first Catholic vice president from the Republican Party.

But the Ohio senator, who is running alongside Donald Trump on the GOP ticket, is not your typical Catholic conservative — at least not the kind that has been the norm in American politics over the past half-century.

Instead, Vance is a self-described member of the “post-liberal right,” an upstart political movement that flips the conventional conservative script and emphasizes the good of the community over individual liberty. The controversial approach, which is both inspired by and contested within the Catholic Church, includes harnessing state power to secure its aims, another break from the standard operating procedure of the American right.

And if Vance is elected vice president, “post-liberalism” won’t merely shape federal policy in new and unprecedented ways. It’s also likely to have a major impact on the entire political outlook of the American right — perhaps especially among Catholic conservatives.


“I expect the election of a Trump-Vance ticket to give post-liberalism renewed intellectual energy,” said Bowling Green political theorist Kevin Vallier, who wrote a book on the rise of religious, anti-liberal political movements.Vallier anticipates a Vance vice presidency would lead to post-liberal ideas becoming “more commonplace” in conservative circles.

Post-liberalism, as its name suggests, is a rejection of liberalism. Liberalism refers not merely to the worldview of the American political left, but to a broader political philosophy that puts a premium on individual liberty and is arguably the dominant outlook in American political and social life.


Post-liberals argue that liberalism’s emphasis on freedom has come at the expense of America’s common good, leading to a broken, atomized society, the decimation of working-class communities, and ruling elites with no loyalty to their fellow citizens.

“The liberal ordering of the world is exhausting us,” contends Postliberal Order, a leading online publication of the movement.


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The mysterious Antikythera Mechanism has captured the imagination of archaeologists, mathematicians, and scientists ever since its discovery, even inspiring the plot for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Now, using the latest 3D x-ray and modelling technology, experts are unravelling the secrets of what this machine may have been capable of...

Video below. 6 minutes and 54 seconds.

The Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith sends a letter, approved by the Pope, to the cardinal bishop of Como granting the ‘nulla osta’ regarding spiritual experiences at the Sanctuary of Maccio.

Vatican News

The entry into force of the new Norms for discerning alleged supernatural phenomena has allowed a new “green light” from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, this time with regard to spiritual experiences at the Shrine of Maccio in Villa Guardia, near Como in northern Italy.

In 2000, Gioacchino Genovese, a music teacher and choir director, married and the father of two daughters, began to perceive through “intellectual visions,” a “living presence of the mystery of the Holy Trinity.”

A serious, discreet person who never sought the limelight, five years later he invited more people to be involved with adoration, supplications, and novenas.

After an initial examination of Genovese’s writings and of the phenomenon more generally, in 2010 the then Bishop of Como, Diego Coletti gave the parish church the status of a Sanctuary with the title Santissima Trinità Misericorida (“Most Holy Trinity Mercy”).

The prefect's letter​

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There is not a whole lot to say. I have been secretly hiding my alcohol addiction for a while. While drinking, I say hurtful things and not remember. Even in my forum posts, I have noticed that I post inflammatory remarks and not even remember until I receive a warning. But what is worst of all, I feel regretful of the things I say to my wife and children. I am beginning treatment on the 26th. Please pray for me.

Trump could have done better.

(OSV News) — He was a priest whose wide smile could just light up a room and whose energetic self-giving to the people he served seemed limitless.

Those who knew Father Norman Fischer said the priest’s easy ability to model the love of Christ and build bridges — sometimes through a beaming selfie or a fist bump — was legendary. So was his skill at mediating conflict, or inspiring a deep appreciation of cultural diversity. He was even known to break into a rap in the midst of a homily.

Remembering Father Norman Fischer​

And now he’s gone from this life.


On Sunday, July 14 — at the age of just 50 — Father Fischer’s earthly journey came to an end.

Father Fischer had shepherded souls both as pastor of one of Kentucky’s oldest Black Catholic parishes, St. Peter Claver in Lexington, and as chaplain at Lexington Catholic High School.

“He used his voice — not only serving the people of the Diocese of Lexington, but serving the church in the United States, and specifically, serving the Black Catholic community,” said Father Kareem Smith, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel in New York’s Bronx borough. “This is a tremendous loss.”

Father Smith served with Father Fischer on the board of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, and less than a year ago, Father Fischer was elected NBCCC president. With Father Fischer’s passing, Father Smith — previously vice president — assumes the role of acting president until an election can be held.

“As the church at large struggles with vocations,” said Father Smith, “the same is true of course in the Black Catholic community — and to lose a priest of his age, only 50 years old, in an important ministry in his own diocese and of course nationally, is a tragedy.”

Black Catholics​

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Father Terry Martin, a Catholic priest from West Sussex, England, has appeared in an advertisement for The Tablet denouncing bullfighting in his continued calls and efforts for Pope Francis to condemn the sport.

Partnering with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Martin appears in a July 18 ad in red vestments posing alongside a bull with a caption reading: “It’s a sin to torture animals.”

Martin has long been outspoken in advocating for the welfare of animals, having sent a joint letter with priests from Canada and France to Pope Francis last year calling on him to condemn the “torture and violent slaughter of innocent bulls.” This latest advertisement forms part of the PETA campaign that also beseeches the Holy Father to sever the Church’s links to the sport.

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Three years and three months ago I was texting back and forth with my son (now 32) about meeting up for lunch. Mid conversation he just stopped responding. He ghosted me. No response to texts, calls, etc. There was no fight or disagreement or anything, my last text was just to ask where he wanted to eat. He just cut me off. He didn't block me on his socials, and he is still in contact with his younger brother (22) who is still at home, but no clue as to what I may have done wrong. His brother says he has no idea why either.

I've been praying that he would reach out to me, and then last night he did! He texted me out of the blue saying he needed to talk to me and when would be a good time. I asked if he wanted to meet of dinner and he said yes. I know it's difficult to determine mood or tone in text, but the vibe I got from his messages was positive.

I'm immensely thankful to God that he has reached out, but also very apprehensive about why he suddenly needs to talk to me. Hoping he wants to reconcile, worried it's bad news of some kind.

Would appreciate prayers that our meeting this evening (in about 7 hours) goes well. Thanks!

In north-central China, roadwork near the city of Taiyuan uncovered a tomb dating to the Tang Dynasty that is turning heads for its remarkably preserved collection of murals depicting daily life.

One might imagine such a tomb decorated with images of dragons among heavenly palaces resting on clouds—depicting a glorious afterlife, but this tomb shows a series of pictures of household chores, and a glimpse of the Silk Road in the form of a foreigner.

Discovered in 2018 on a hill slope alongside the old Jin Ci West Central Ring Road in Taiyuan city, the tomb consists of a brick chamber, entranceway, and corridor, and first welcomed its owners into the embrace of the Earth around 736 CE during the Tang Dynasty.

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The boss of a seafood delicacy business has spoken of the shock he experienced harvesting a monster oyster as big as a newborn baby.

Tom Haward said he was fascinated after his company retrieved the huge mollusk, weighing 5.5lbs (2.5kg) along the coast of Mersea Island, Essex.

Mr. Haward estimates the 12 inches long and five inches wide oyster is 20 years old which makes it considerably rare as they usually only live for around six years in harvested waters.

“My first thought was ‘flipping heck’. We work with oysters all the time and see thousands upon thousands a day, but to see one like that, it was fascinating,” Mr. Haward said. “You could see the growth lines on it, just like a tree. It’s very intriguing.”

Richard Haward’s Oysters, founded in 1769, harvests around a million mollusks a year but Mr. Haward said this one was the largest he’d seen.


Positing how an oyster could live so long, the oysterman said that with 14 miles of oyster reefs, it’s always possible for an individual to be looked over.

“Some can be left growing as they keep getting missed and then they can end up around 20 years old,” he said.

Unlike other delicacies, size doesn’t confer special treatment, and if the oyster does make it to their market stall, it would be sold according to the weight of its meat, putting it at about $12.00.

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