2 ’Av

Greetings.

Jewish date:  2 ’Av 5769.

Today’s holidays:  The Nine Days, Nisfu Sha’ban.

Today’s quasi-holiday:  National Vanilla Ice Cream Day.

Worthy cause of the day:  “Spur environmentally-safe solar energy in the U.S.”

Relevant to Divine Misconceptions:

1. More religious oppression:  “Chinese official: Beijing has won the battle against Falun Gong”, “AZERBAIJAN: 'The government doesn't want to give up control over religion”, “Fiji police hold church leaders”, and “Vietnam police detain 18 Catholics after clashes”.
   
2. Bizarre paranoia:  “Fiji freemasons held for sorcery”.  While Freemasons may be secretive, my periodic objections that no one should suffer based on allegations of black magic without solid proof that actual magic of a harmful nature was performed.  Otherwise innocent people are bound to needlessly suffer.
   
3. “Online journalist wins victory over 'legal jihad':  Court rebuffs defamation suit from swarm of Muslim organizations”:  Major rule:  suppressing contrary evidence never works to make anything so.  Whenever anyone tries to do so, it is a good sign he/she is wrong.
   

Today’s news and commentary:

• “A scanner to detect terrorists”
  

As noted yesterday, there will be no weird things until after the Nine Days.  Peace.

Aaron