Here is a video which shows you why/how the sun, moon & stars are upside down in the south & it's really simple.

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Werent people right here at CF saying it was a female LEO or federal intel employee ?

Oompa Loompa said:

Good by diesel exhaust fluid.

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As far as I can tell, absolutely none of this affects DEF.

What is ‘anarchist ideology,’ the political belief the alleged Jan. 6 pipe bomber Brian Cole of Virginia is linked to, and is it connected to ANTIFA? - The Economic Times What is ‘anarchist ideology,’ the political belief the alleged Jan. 6 pipe bomber Brian Cole of Virginia is linked to, and is it connected to ANTIFA?

probinson said:

I know what an analogy is. I also know what a false analogy is. Perhaps you should Google that as well. Here, I'll get you started:

Noun​

false analogy (plural false analogies)

1. (logic) An informal fallacy applying to inductive arguments, in which the similarity in one respect of two concepts, objects, or events is taken as sufficient to establish that they are similar in another respect in which they actually are dissimilar.

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Empirical evidence suggests otherwise.

rjs330 said:

That costs us money. It doea not give us money.

Who said this?

I have no problem with this. Particularly when we know that rye vast majority are not granted asylum and rhere is a large percentage who don't follow through with their hearings.

Probably because rhey don't really what their names are because the people aren't being honest.

But I still think its ridiculous that we are holding illegals for 5-6 months or more. As you pointed out its costing us money. Have them sign the paperwork or get them to a hearing if they want to fight deportation and get them deported.

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I never said "we" got money. I said follow the money. They are being detained because people are making money off the detentions, as explained by GoldenBoy.

Jan:

Feb:

That's a huge number of people, and it takes a lot of resources, a lot enforcement actions typically take a lot of planning, especially if you're focused on trying to get sort of people with significant criminality, criminal histories, which historically is who we've focused on, who ICE has focused on. I think the the aperture is broader now and it, honestly, it has to be to get that many arrests every day. Typically, if you're trying to conduct an enforcement action, you would surveil them. You would figure out patterns you would try and identify. You would make sure you know where they're going to be and when, so that when you conduct the enforcement action, you are conducting it in as safe and secure a manner as you can possibly do, both for the safety of the person you're picking up and for the ICE agents. By opening the aperture of numbers this way, it requires people to focus on who can we arrest quickly, rather than who is the most important person for us to arrest, which isn't necessarily the way they're talking about it. They're trying to focus on, you know, picking up the serious people with serious criminal histories. But it just doesn't stand to reason that you can arrest that many people around the country every day and be focused on the worst, the people with the worst criminal histories. You're going to be focused on the people who you can arrest most quickly, and those are the people who you have good addresses for.

June:

Top Trump aide Stephen Miller set a quote of 3,000 undocumented migrant arrests per day, in a meeting with ICE officials, according to two people who spoke with attendees. It comes as protestors confronted ICE agents during an immigration enforcement operation at a restaurant in San Diego. NBC News’ Liz Kreutz reports.


Today:

camille70 said:

Layoff announcements top 1.1 million this year, the most since 2020 pandemic, Challenger says

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/04/layoff-announcements-this-year-top-1point1-million-the-most-since-2020-when-pandemic-hit-challenger-says.html

Announced job cuts from U.S. employers moved further ahead of 1 million for the year in November as corporate restructuring, artificial intelligence and tariffs have helped pare job rolls, consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday.

The firm said layoff plans totaled 71,321 in November, a step down from the massive cuts announced in October but still enough to bring the 2025 total up to 1.17 million. That total is 54% higher than the same 11-month period a year ago and the highest level since 2020, when the Covid pandemic rocked the global economy.

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I expect that layoff number to continue to rise as the use of AI and robots continues.

The open questions are the number new jobs and labor participation rates.

stevevw said:

I remember when I was younger and just reflecting on how the gospel was preached it was simple. There wasn't all the counter and alternative ideas and rationalisations for not believing in God.

It was a case of 'oh well if thats what you believe in, good for your'. People were more open to at least hearing the gospel and it was often framed as one of the ways people could find what they were looking for compared to other ways.

So if a person is lost and had no hope they were open to at least hearing the hope and life Christ offered. This was how I came to God.

But now the culture is full of all these voices proclaiming a better way. Along with the fact that the church was exposed for abuses and coupled with the fall away from God in the public square its become a mindfield of counter ideas and skepticism against religion and especially Christianity.

Thats why I think the simple gospel is more important than ever and not engage in the semantics and arguements over its truth. It is a truth and we are speaking and living that truth exactly as it was taught.

Today I think churches want to water this down to try and accommodate the world because the same gospel and teachings that had previously saved many was not as appealing today due to all these counter arguements and modern norms encroaching on the church.

But really its the very thing that has always saved. It may seem more outdated or in conflict today but the message is still the same. It still works the same way. People thirst for the truth even if it may seem too hard to believe or outdated to todays ears.

So telling that truth just like it is is exactly how we should preach the gospel and not be afraid of embarrassed about it. If people reject it that is up to them. But to then try and water it down to appease others is selling the gospel short.

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Steve, I’ve seen the same injection of cultural relevance from NZ to Japan—lights, smoke, slogans—yet the house can feel full while God’s throne room stays empty.
The simple Gospel is still scandal + simplicity: “We preach Christ crucified… not with plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor 1-2).
Scandal produces decision; simplicity leaves no wiggle-room.
Our job is one clear witness; the Spirit’s job is conviction; the listener’s job is accept or reject.
Keep telling it straight, mate—thirsty souls still drink when the water’s not watered down. May the Lord bless your day—and thanks for staying around to chat; it’s a rare gift in these hit-and-run times.

essentialsaltes said:

We didn't have enough immigration judges when this all started. There was a 2 million person backlog of cases. This huge extra expense was an inevitable consequence of detaining people without removing the bottleneck.

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In fact, I told y'all so, before Trump 2.0 even got started:

essentialsaltes said:

in the context of cutting the bloated federal budget... detaining people costs money. Increasing the number of detainees will require additional government spending.

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essentialsaltes said:

If this will all be so efficient, why is Trump looking to increase the detention space? I already know why the prison-industrial complex is licking its lips at the idea.

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essentialsaltes said:

I have simply pointed out that implementing this law will cost money, so the GOP will have to increase spending. Something that was included in the bipartisan immigration bill that Trump blew up.

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essentialsaltes said:

The bipartisan immigration bill had money set aside to hire immigration judges, which would have sped up the caseload. Instead, we just have to wait for everyone to be processed legally before they can be deported. If they can feed and house themselves ... I don't see a good reason for the taxpayer to pay for it

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And the GOP did increase spending:

ICE’s Budget Just Tripled. What’s Next?​

But deportations have not tripled. However, we are housing and feeding record numbers of people in private facilities.

ThatRobGuy said:

.....It's not a pet issue, but it's one where the perception of "taking the issue seriously" is often packaged in such a way that they make it synonymous with "going with the approach we want"

For example: In your opinion, is there any way a person can perceived as having taken that issue seriously without landing on the conclusion of some sort of single-payer/state run/medicaid for all type of solution?

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For sure! ACA was exactly that. It was not single payer, and it explicitly accounted for:
-pre existing conditions
-preventative medicine
-many pharmaceutical payment issues
-lifetime maximums
-etc etc

It was very comprehensive. The people who devised it took the matter extremely seriously. By contrast the Rs have given us nothing more than "concepts of a plan" - which is being generous.

This is not to say ACA is working well long term. Medical inflation is obviously blowing it up. My point is just that its authors put in the work to devise a scheme that was fleshed out enough for the rest of us to properly analyze. They took the issue seriously.

eleos1954 said:

Romans 11; while unbelieving Israelites were "broken off," and Gentiles were "grafted in," the text does not state that Gentiles replaced them but that they are now partakers of the promises of the olive tree. Paul's analogy explains that God's plan allows for the possibility of the original branches (unbelieving Jews) to be grafted back in if they turn from their unbelief.

Grafting explained: Paul uses the analogy of grafting a wild olive branch (Gentiles) onto a cultivated olive tree (Israel, God's covenant people) to explain how non-Jews are included in God's promises.

Broken branches: Some branches of the natural "olive tree" (Israel) were broken off due to their unbelief, making room for the "wild olive" branches (Gentiles) to be grafted in.

Not a replacement: This does not mean the Gentiles are a replacement. Instead, it signifies their inclusion in the spiritual blessings and promises of God through faith.

Hope for future inclusion: The passage emphasizes that the natural branches (unbelieving Jews) can be grafted back in if they return to faith, as God has the power to graft them back into their own tree.

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Replacement theology is a misnomer. The church has always been the ISRAEL of GOD. The foundation of the church is built upon the prophets and Apostles with Jesus the chief cornerstone. This entire building is a dwelling place for GODS spirit. The grafting in of the Gentiles means that the Gentiles become part of the olive tree, part of the Israel of GOD, the church. The root of this olive tree goes back before Israel to the patriarchs. The root bears the branches, supports the olive tree. There never was a replacement, the church has always been the Israel of GOD. Today is the time of the Gentiles and blindness covers carnal Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles are called into the church. Hebrew 11 gives the testimony of the faith that was in the people before Christ. These people will not be made perfect apart from us. Abraham is the father of the faithful and had imputed righteousness just like we do because of faith. Abraham was given the promises and his seed was Jesus who confirmed those promises. Those unbelieving Israelites will not be grafted back in until the second resurrection. The Gentiles did indeed replace those unbelieving Israelites. You and I are former gentiles who were grafted in to replace them . This subject requires much study, prayer and meditation. The gospel was preached to Abraham and Abraham believed, he had faith , was imputed righteousness and obeyed GOD, isn’t that what you and I do ? What would you call a person who experiences all these things ? Abraham saw afar off , he saw the day of Christ and rejoiced and was glad. We see Christ in the past, Abraham saw Christ in the future but it’s still the same Christ. Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Layoff announcements top 1.1 million this year, the most since 2020 pandemic, Challenger says


Announced job cuts from U.S. employers moved further ahead of 1 million for the year in November as corporate restructuring, artificial intelligence and tariffs have helped pare job rolls, consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday.

The firm said layoff plans totaled 71,321 in November, a step down from the massive cuts announced in October but still enough to bring the 2025 total up to 1.17 million. That total is 54% higher than the same 11-month period a year ago and the highest level since 2020, when the Covid pandemic rocked the global economy.

Dave... said:

Hey bling.

It's important to note that the word baptism simply means to place into, or immerse. I think a mistake that many people make today is that they assume water into the definition of the word baptize. I baptize my French fries with catchup, but catchup is not any more part of the definition of the word baptize than water is. Many times the context will explain what that agent is, or who the baptizer is, like Matthew 3:11. Jesus is the baptizer, and the Holy Spirit is the Agent of that baptism.

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Do you believe John the Baptist was baptizing people with water? John 1:26
Do you believe Jesus was baptized with water?
Jesus' disciples were baptizing lots of people before Pentecost, but Jesus did not baptize anyone.
John 4:1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.
Acts 8:36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

Dave... said:

Peter in 1 Peter 3:21 made it a point to contrast the "type" water baptism, with the "antitype", or real thing, that being Spirit baptism. The agent of the baptism that saves is the Holy Spirit, rather than water, which is, as you noted, just a symbolic public display of an inward reality that has already taken place. Some people at this point will claim that the water baptism initiates the Spirit baptism, but that's not true either. It's a baptism by faith, as Paul noted over and over in Galatians 3.

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I specifically in my post: Water baptism is not a “requirement” for salvation, since God does the saving, but is something Christians get to do to help them and others.
1 Peter 3:...In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
The water (and Peter is talking about real water here) is not to cleanse (wash the body), but the water (coming up out of the water) represents Christ resurrection.

Dave... said:

R.C. Sproul believes that water baptism replaced circumcision. It sounds right but I don't really know. The types only point to the spiritual truths. unfortunately, when a person is not seeing the spiritual truths, for whatever reason, they sometimes try to apply the power to the types, and not the truths that those types point to. False teachers do this all the time, knowing that many people who cannot see will fall for these things.

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Circumcision was not done away with (replaced) on Pentecost water baptism. Paul never said Jews should not be circumcised and/or baptism replace circumcision. I think we can agree John's water baptism stopped, so did Christian water baptism replace John's baptism?
Again water baptism does not save you, but does it help you?

camille70 said:

The essay is linked in the article via another site.

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I haven't found a link that would successfully load in my browser.

camille70 said:

I haven't found a non paywalled article for it but if you search Relations Among Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health During Early Adolescence Jennifer A. Jewell, Christia Spears Brown the ai options will provide a summary.

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I may be able to get to the article through my university's library. I'll try later today.

The Barbarian said:

President Donald Trump's Cabinet sang his praises during a televised meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2
As the president appeared to be frequently closing his eyes, his secretaries showered him with compliments on everything from his sacrifices for the American people to his apparent influence on the weather.
"Sir, you made it through hurricane season without a hurricane," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, as Trump quietly said, "Yeah."
"Even you kept the hurricanes away. We appreciate that," she continued.

https://people.com/kristi-noem-tells-donald-trump-he-kept-hurricanes-away-11860541

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I would like to see the video, to see if she was joking or serious when she made that statement.

rjs330 said:

But I still think its ridiculous that we are holding illegals for 5-6 months or more. As you pointed out its costing us money. Have them sign the paperwork or get them to a hearing if they want to fight deportation and get them deported.

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We didn't have enough immigration judges when this all started. There was a 2 million person backlog of cases. This huge extra expense was an inevitable consequence of detaining people without removing the bottleneck.

I went many years thinking, I need some supernatural event to prove I’m on the right track. And I do have one charismatic event that was a turning point for me. But now as I am wiser I understand it’s not about those things. It’s a about the relationship you have with other people.

God is going to answer your prayers and he will reveal himself to you. But it’s most likely not going to be in the form you ask of.

Strong in Him said:

Given that you've quoted only half of this verse - which you've taken out of context - I would say it's you who doesn't understand.

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I quoted Daniel 12:10b..... only the wise leaders will understand.
The context is Daniel 12:8.....The Words are to be kept secret until the time of the end.
Your accusation is false.

Also, your rejection of a viable explanation of Zechariah 5, without any sensible alternative, is unreasonable and shows extreme bias, as well as just ignoring the present realty of the Middle East situation.

ThatRobGuy said:

"Healthy at any size!" "Big is beautiful!"

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That is what I scream halfway round 3 of my kettlebell workout.

I certainly wouldn't want this premed student looking at me. I would say that the paper that the student wrote should flunk.

Medical school is about science, not one's religious beliefs may be.

ThatRobGuy said:

...If it was just a "it's okay to be a little curvy, not everyone has to look like a barbie doll" sort of thing, then one could've rationalized it a bit.

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I would have rationalized it a lot!, given the mental and physical suffering of young people conditioned to agonize over various imperfections

ThatRobGuy said:

But that movement was glorifying some body types as "normal" that were beyond unhealthy.

And they actually incorporated a sense of tribalism into it. When people like Adele and Rebel Wilson lost weight (I believe they both lost around 100lbs), they got labelled as "sell-outs" by people in that movement with the rationale of "They used to be an inspiration to other plus size women that someone with their body type can be famous and successful, but now they have nobody to look up to because by choosing to lose weight, you're conforming to society's beauty standards and undoing the progress we've made"

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Thats not good.

rjs330 said:

That's what everyone says when they believe a conspiracy theory.

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Did you or did you not wonder why people are being kept for months instead of being immediately deported?

rjs330 said:

Do you say this about every NGO or just the ones that donated to Trump.

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How about we stick to the topic of the thread?

ThatRobGuy said:

Body positivity should've always been reserved for circumstances of birth, or perhaps someone who had some sort of accident and lost a limb or had some condition like vitiligo.

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If you dig deep enough, I suspect you could pin a large percentage of obesity (and other things, like addiction) on circumstances that happened to a person. Metabolic rate, brain signals around hunger, pleasure signals from eating, neurodivergence and mental health issues, medications, etc.

If a middle aged adult puts on 5 pounds a year, yeah, that's probably a run-of-the-mill discipline thing. But if they've been heavy since childhood and happen to have a body type that looks exactly like their parents? I know families like that and there's no way those kids were eating more than I was at their age and I was skinny as a rail (still sort of am).

Most people are average and just sort of coast along, making the easiest decisions available to them in the moment. Did we all lose all of our discipline since the 50's when everybody was skinny? Or did something about our environment change that facilitated us coasting along into obesity instead of, say, lung cancer?

Body positivity as a movement may have gone too far, but shaming people has gone a lot farther for longer.

Perpetual Student said:

I see "the leftists" call for the application of the rule of law.
This has been even pointed out previously.
But let me ask you directly: are you in favour of applying and protecting the rule of law, without ifs or buts and without exceptions?
Do you equate the advocatiing for the rule of law is loving criminals?

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@Servus :
I have asked the questions above at least two times, yet haven't had an answer.
1) Are you in favour of applying and protecting the rule of law, without ifs or buts and without exceptions?
2) Do you equate the advocating for the rule of law is loving criminals?
and I add a third one:
3) Do you adhere to the principle that everybody is innocent until proven guilty?