A Valley Full of Spoils
“When Judah came to the place overlooking the wilderness, they looked at the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none who escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their plunder, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away. They took plunder for three days, it was so much. On the fourth day, they assembled themselves in Beracah Valley, for there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore the name of that place was called “Beracah Valley” to this day.” (2 Chronicles 20:24-26 WEB)
The inward picture of a valley filled with spoils resonated strongly with me today.
Yet, I didn’t see any dead bodies, but only the good things. It’s like God saying that the trials and troubles we go through are to be counted as nothing, in comparison to the great blessings that will be ours.
“looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 WEB)
Like how Jesus focused on the joy that would come after the cross—the joy of reconciling us to God, we can also look beyond our present sufferings and see the great good that will come thereafter.
With God, we are always living with hope because we can confidently expect good things to happen to us, even if our current circumstances are not ideal.
What caused the spoils to be accumulated in Berecah Valley? Let’s look at the story:
“They rose early in the morning, and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in Yahweh your God, so you will be established! Believe his prophets, so you will prosper.” When he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to Yahweh, and give praise in holy array, as they go out before the army, and say, “Give thanks to Yahweh; for his loving kindness endures forever.” When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set ambushers against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were struck. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them: and when they had finished the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy another.” (2 Chronicles 20:20-23 WEB)
Jehoshaphat and the armies of Judah did not depend on their swords and chariots for the victory. Instead, Jehoshaphat made praise their weapon of choice.
Without relying on the flesh, he exalted Yahweh God and proclaimed His love and grace.
At these words, God fought for Judah, and all the enemies killed each other. Judah didn’t have to fight at all because Yahweh fought for them.
Whether you are in good or undesirable circumstances right now, this truth never changes: God is always good, and His love and grace endures forever.
So, go ahead, praise Him and see all your enemies, obstacles and hindrances taken out of the way like they are nothing. You will pick up an abundance of spoils, and the Lord Jesus will be greatly exalted through your testimony, in the sight of all!
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what is an army group 在 Ken's Portable Classroom Facebook 的最佳貼文
🖐🏽 五分鐘來關心國際時事— 挑戰性別規範 🇰🇿 🇰🇷
📘《Ken的文法筆記 I.》一月出售(詳置頂貼文)
📰 The K-pop inspired band that challenged gender norms in Kazakhstan
韓國男團挑戰哈薩克性別規範
They made their debut as a boy band, expecting to create music and amass fans along the way. Instead they were met with anger, protests and even threats.
這篇文章關於哈薩克斯坦(Kazakhstan)男孩樂隊(boy band)。這對樂隊是給韓國流行音樂(K-pop)所啓發的,目的是創造音樂(create music)和累積粉絲(amass fans),結果他們遇到憤怒 (anger)、抗議 (protests)和威脅 (threats),原因是他們挑戰性別規範(challenge gender norms)。
They perform choreographed dance routines, sing addictive tunes and have shockingly slick music videos - and no, we're not talking about a K-pop group.
This is Q-pop, or Qazaq-pop - an up and coming pop genre in Kazakhstan, which all started with one band, Ninety One.
這兩段介紹了哈薩克斯坦的有前途的流行文化類型(up and coming pop genre),跟K-pop差不多:給刻意安排的舞蹈動作(choreographed dance routines)、上癮的曲調 (addictive tunes)和華而不實的音樂錄像 (slick music videos)。
But the band has not only made a name for itself through its music.
It also made a huge statement when its five androgynous looking members - complete with long hair, guyliner and makeup, burst onto the scene in the deeply conservative country - and challenged its gender norms.
這對樂隊不是因爲音樂成名(make a name),而是因為他們的外形:雌雄同體樣子的(androgynous looking)、長髮(long hair)、給男性使用的眼線液 (guyliner) 和化妝(makeup)。
In 2014, an entertainment group in Kazakhstan held a singing competition - looking for talented individuals who could form a band.
Four boys - A.Z. and Zaq were selected, with Bala and Alem cast separately. They were joined by Ace, who had come from South Korea's famous SM Entertainment - the group behind some of the country's most popular K-pop acts.
"We became a team, wrote songs together, learned to dance and perform, and finally... debuted when we were ready," the band told the BBC in an email interview.
這幾段介紹樂隊的由來,部分成員來自一個唱歌比賽 (singing competition),其中一名成員是韓國人。
But the band's producer and the man responsible for creating the group, Yerbolat Bedelkhan, wanted more than just one band.
His aim was to create a whole new genre of music in Kazkahstan, known as Q-pop, or Qazaq pop, inspired by K-pop.
Although it has now swept the globe, back in 2014 K-pop was arguably less well known in the West although it had a massive Asian following.
樂隊製作人(producer) 希望創造一個全新音樂類型 (a whole new genre of music),他參考的K-pop的經驗,在2014年K-pop在西方不是很知名 (well known)。
"Ninety One were conceptualised as a domestic version of K-pop and to some extent are a manufactured group," said Megan Rancier, Associate Teaching Professor of Ethnomusicology at Bowling Green State University.
But when they made their debut, their appearance was a shock to many in the highly conservative country.
"The boys dressed in brighter colours, skinny jeans... their style was more provocative," Mr Bedelkhan told the BBC.
"When they went outside they were dressed in a way that people in the street don't usually dress. In our country, it's not accepted that men can dress brightly."
樂隊成員過的穿著在一個非常保守的國家 (a highly conservative country) 是個震撼 (shock),他們的風格被視爲挑釁的 (provocative)。
People were so scandalised there were even protests, demanding the cancellation of their concerts and calling them "gay".
"People in Kazakhstan are very protective of what they believe Kazakh men and women look like," Aizada Arystanbek, a Kazakhstani gender-related issues specialist told the BBC.
"People's bodies and behaviour is policed by the public in a sense that there is always this notion of 'Is that a Kazakh thing to do?'"
Many of those who protested were young men.
"My father served in the army. When I show his photo, I am proud to say that... he's a real man. What about Ninety One?" one student against Ninety One says in a documentary about Q-pop, titled "Face the Music".
"I can't say they are not men, but they can't be called men either."
當地人要求樂隊取消演唱會(cancel concerts)和稱他們是同性戀(gay),很多抗議人士是年輕男人,他們不接受樂隊成員的外表。
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【人民日報:這10個追問,美國必須回答】
Ten questions the US needs to offer clear answers to the world
1.禽流感病毒改造去年突然重啟,之後無聲無息,為什麽?
1.Regarding the restarted avian influenza virus modification experiment last year, why does the US release no more updates?
去年2月,據美國《科學》雜誌網站披露,美國政府機構已“悄悄”批準曾引發巨大爭議的禽流感病毒改造實驗,這類被認為“危險”的實驗在被禁多年後將很快重啟。相關實驗可將H5N1禽流感病毒改造得易於在哺乳動物間傳播,被認為可能帶來人際傳播風險。美國為何在相關實驗被暫停4年多後重啟這類危險實驗?又為何不見披露進展?
The Science reported in February 2019 that US authorities had quietly approved the avian influenza virus modification experiment. The research, aiming to transform the H5N1 virus to be more capable of infecting mammals, was controversial and considered extremely dangerous. Some experts believe that the modification may increase the risk of human-to-human transmission of the virus.
The question is why the US government decided to unfreeze the experiment 4 years after it was halted, and why there are no more updates regarding the experiment.
2.美軍生物實驗室一度關閉停產,真相是什麽?
2.The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) was previously closed.What is the truth behind ?
日前,據“全球生物防禦”(globalbiodefence)網站報道,位於馬裏蘭州德特裏克堡的美國陸軍傳染病醫學研究所(USAMRIID)已經全面恢復運行。去年7月,美國疾病控制與預防中心(CDC)正式向位於馬裏蘭州德特裏克堡的美國陸軍傳染病醫學研究所(USAMRIID)發出“停產令”,要求其停止進行“特定生物制劑與毒素”研究。今年3月,白宮請願網站出現一道特殊的請願帖,要求美國政府公布去年7月“關閉”德特裏克堡生物實驗室的真正原因。USAMRIID神秘“關閉”和迅速重啟引人關註。針對白宮請願網站請願帖上的要求,美國作何回應?
The Global Biodefence reported in April that the USAMRIID, US Army's primary institution and facility for biological research headquartered in Fort Detrick, Maryland, has resumed full operation. The institution was once ordered to halt the study of biological select agents and toxins (BSATs) last July. In March, there was a petition on the White House website demanding the clarification of the shutdown of USAMRIID. Given that these issues have become a primary public concern, what is the US government's response?
3.去年傳染病演習情景今年真實上演,真的只是巧合?
3.The US Department of Health and Human Services ran a scenario last year that was similar to the COVID-19 outbreak. Is this just a coincidence?
今年3月《紐約時報》披露的一份美國官方秘密文件顯示,2019年1月至8月16日舉行,美國衛生與公共服務部(HHS)發起組織了一場代號為“赤色傳染”(Crimson Contagion)的推演,演習以中國最早出現病毒為模擬情景。2019年10月,美國多個機構又組織了一次代號為“Event 201”的全球流行病演習。演練中的模型假設一種名為CAPS的冠狀病毒,比SARS致命,又如感冒輕易傳播,卻未開發出疫苗,能迅速傳播促成全球大流行。美國去年進行的傳染病演習的設定與現實的吻合度如此之高是否只是巧合?既然有演練在前,新冠疫情發生後美國為何沒有給予足夠的關註和重視、宣稱“尚在掌握之中”?
In March, the New York Times quoted a draft report obtained from the US government saying that from January to August 2019, the US Department of Health and Human Services ran a scenario called "Crimson Contagion" that simulated the fictional outbreak involving a group of tourists visiting China. They then became infected and flew to various countries, including the US.
Last October, a high-level pandemic exercise named Event 201 was hosted by a couple of US organizations. The drill simulated a scenario that a fictional virus called CAPS, which causes more severe symptoms than SARS and transmits via the respiratory route like the common flu, had caused a pandemic. Like COVID-19, there is no vaccine for CAPS.
Given the fact that the simulated virus is so much like COVID-19, is this just a coincidence? Another question is, why did it not take enough preventive measures at the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak since the US has predicted a similar pandemic?
4.提前預測疫情大流行又無視警告情報,為什麽?
4.US intelligence officials warned of coronavirus crisis as early as last November. Why the warning was ignored?
今年4月,據美國廣播公司(ABC)報道,有內部消息稱,早在2019年11月下旬,美國情報官員就曾多次向國防情報局、五角大樓和白宮警告,一場傳染病正在席卷中國武漢地區。美國國家醫學情報中心(NCMI)去年11月出具了一份詳細闡述病毒大流行情況的報告,也就是後來被確認的新型冠狀病毒肺炎“COVID-19”。有分析人士認為武漢疫情爆發可能會演變成一場災難性事件。據美國《華盛頓郵報》網站報道稱在年初的2個多月時間裏,特朗普獲得了美國情報機構發出的關於新冠病毒的密集警告。美國政府為何一直拖到3月13日才宣布進入“國家緊急狀態”?
In April, according to the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), it was said that, as early as late November 2019, US intelligence officials had warned the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon, and the White House that an infectious disease was sweeping through Wuhan, China.
Last November, the US National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI) issued a report detailing the coronavirus pandemic, which was later identified as "COVID-19". Some analysts believed that the outbreak in Wuhan might have evolved into a catastrophic event. According to the Washington Post, in more than two months from January to February, Trump had received intensive warnings from the US intelligence agencies about the coronavirus. Why did the US government not declare a "National Emergency" until March 13?
5.有多少流感患者感染的其實是新冠肺炎,能不能說清楚?
5.Among the reported influenza deaths in the US, can the US clarify how many cases are actually infected with COVID-19?
今年2月21日,日本朝日電視臺報道的“美國1.4萬名因流感致死的人中部分可能死於新冠肺炎”掀起熱議。美疾控中心2月底發布的報告顯示,今冬流感季美國估計已有至少3200萬流感。3月11日在美國眾議院,美國疾控中心主任羅伯特·雷德菲爾德(Robert Redfield)親口承認,在美國,確實有一些“流感”死者實際感染的可能是新冠肺炎。美國流感感染者中,到底有多少新冠病例?美國有沒有借流感來掩蓋新冠肺炎的情況?美國何時才能公開美國流感病毒樣本及基因序列信息,或者允許世衛組織或聯合國派遣專家采樣分析?
Japanese Asahi Television reported on February 21 that some of the 14,000 people reportedly killed by influenza in the US might have died from coronavirus, which became a hot topic soon after.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report at the end of February, showing that there have been at least 32 million flu illnesses in the US that winter.
On March 11, at the House of Representatives, Robert Redfield, the director of the US CDC, admitted that some in the US who were previously thought to have been killed from the flu may have been infected with coronavirus.
Among the reported influenza deaths in the US, how many cases were infected with COVID-19? Did the US government cover up the spread of coronavirus with the flu? When will the US government make public the samples of the US influenza virus and its genetic sequence, or allow experts from the WHO or the United Nations to sample and analyze?
6.新冠病毒到底什麽時候在美國出現?社區傳播是否早已開始?
6.When did the novel coronavirus first appear in the US? Did community transmission of the coronavirus start sooner than it was reported?
今年4月下旬,美國加利福尼亞州聖克拉拉縣政府公共衛生部門公布的最新檢測報告顯示,早在2月6日當地就有人死於新冠肺炎,這比美國此前公布的首例新冠死亡病例出現時間提前了20多天。據《洛杉磯時報》報道,聖克拉拉縣的衛生官員薩拉·科迪表示,這些新發現的死亡病例說明,當時“已經有相當程度的社區傳播”。聖克拉拉縣行政長官傑弗裏·史密斯表示,這表明新冠病毒早在1月、甚至更早就已經開始在加州傳播。加州州長紐瑟姆已宣布將對去年12月以來疑似新冠死亡病例進行屍檢。新冠病毒到底什麽時候在美國出現?美國新冠疫情在社區的傳播是否早已開始?
A report released in late April by local health authorities suggests that a 57-year-old woman from Santa Clara County of California died from COVID-19 on February 6, some 20 days earlier than the date the US announced its first death caused by the virus.
The Los Angeles Times quoted Santa Clara County health officer Sara Cody in a piece saying, "we presume that each of them represents community transmission and that there was some significant level of virus circulating in our community in early February."
County Executive Officer Jeffrey V. Smith said this is evidence that the coronavirus was circulating in California as early as January or even earlier.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered all counties in the state to review autopsies of suspected coronavirus deaths dating back to December.
When did the novel coronavirus first appear in the US? Did community transmission of the coronavirus start sooner than it was reported?
7.全球首個啟動新冠疫苗人體試驗,這麽快是怎麽拿到毒株的?
7.How did the US get the virus strains so soon to start the first human testing of a vaccine against COVID-19?
據《華爾街日報》報道,美國國立衛生研究院(National Institutes of Health)3月16日稱,生物科技公司Moderna Inc. (MRNA)針對新型冠狀病毒的試驗性疫苗已開始首次人體測試。對於全球首次針對新型冠狀病毒的疫苗人體試驗在美國啟動一事,專家表示,美國這一針實在太快了,除非很早就開始進行試驗,更早的拿到了病毒株。美國疫苗人體試驗為何進行得如此之快?美國是什麽時候通過什麽方式獲得的毒株?
The Wall Street Journal on March 16 reported that the first human testing of Moderna Inc.'s experimental vaccine against the COVID-19 had already begun. Experts immediately raised questions about the speed of the vaccine development, saying that it would not be possible unless the US had obtained the virus strains from very early on. So how did the US start the first human testing of the vaccine so soon? When and how did they get the virus strains?
8.政府說疫情不嚴重,官員卻在狂拋股票,為什麽?
8.Why did the US government keep downplaying the pandemic while its officials privately dumped stocks?
據《華盛頓郵報》報道,大約在新冠肺炎疫情引發美股暴跌之前一周,美國國會參議院情報委員會主席理查德·伯爾密集出售了自己和夫人持有的33只股票,估價在62.8萬美元到172萬美元之間。為什麽2月中旬美國政府對本國新冠肺炎疫情輕描淡寫,而參議院情報委員會的多位官員卻在那時拋售價值上百萬的股票?難道政客們竟然一邊利用內幕交易售賣股票,一邊對公眾隱瞞疫情?
According to the Washington Post, US Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr and his wife sold up to 1.7 million in 33 different stocks just one week before the market plunged. Why did these officials at the Committee act so quickly while the government was continually understating the pandemic?
Why is the vital information kept confidential to the public while the government officials were taking advantage to practice insider-trading?
9.不許美國專家學者隨意公開談論新冠病毒,是想幹什麽?
9.Why are US experts not allowed to discuss COVID-19 in public?
據美國《紐約時報》報道,在由副總統邁克·彭斯領導美國防疫工作之後,白宮於當地時間2月27日開始,加強了對新冠病毒信息“發聲”的控制。包括美國國立衛生研究院(NIH)過敏和傳染病研究所(NIAID)主任、美國疾控中心(CDC)頂級傳染病專家安東尼·福西(Anthony S. Fauci)在內的眾多科學家和政府衛生官員被要求:只有與美國副總統辦公室協調商議後,才能發聲明或公開露面談論新冠病毒的相關話題。為什麽號稱言論自由的美國不允許專家學者自由公開討論新冠病毒?是想隱瞞什麽還是在害怕什麽?
The New York Times reported that the White House began tightening controls for all coronavirus messaging from health officials on February 27 after Vice President Mike Pence led the nation's epidemic prevention and control efforts.
Several scientists and government health officials, including the nation's leading infectious disease expert Anthony S. Fauci, have been asked to make statements or make public appearances about the COVID-19 only after consultation with the US vice president's office.
Why does the United States, which claims free speech, not allow experts and scholars to discuss the novel coronavirus in public? Does the US want to hide something or fear of something?
10.海外生物實驗室到底在做什麽研究,為什麽從不向外界透露?
10.What research is being done in the US overseas biological laboratories? Why does the US keep tight-lipped about it?
據俄羅斯衛星通訊社日前報道,俄羅斯國家杜馬國際事務委員會副主席波克隆斯卡婭提議核查世界各地美國生物實驗室的合法性。前不久,俄羅斯外交部發言人就美國在前蘇聯國家建立生物實驗室表達關切。俄羅斯內政、外交和國防領域專家格裏高利·特羅菲姆丘克表示,美國這些生物實驗室所從事的工作從不向外界透露,並且這些實驗室引發了大量的問題,在實驗室所在地就曾爆發過大範圍的麻疹等危險的傳染類疾病。美國建立的這些生物實驗室到底在進行什麽研究?美國為何對這些生物實驗室的功能、用途、安全系數等三緘其口?
Natalia Poklonskaya, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs, has proposed verifying the legitimacy of US biological laboratories around the world, according to Sputnik news agency.
Not long ago, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the establishment of a biological laboratory in countries from the former Soviet Union.
Grigory Trofimchuk, a Russian expert in the field of internal affairs, foreign affairs, and national defense, said the work of these biological laboratories was never disclosed to the outside world, and that they had caused several problems, with widespread outbreaks of dangerous infectious diseases such as measles at the laboratory site.
What research is being done in these biological laboratories? Why does the US keep tight-lipped about the function, use, the safety of these biological laboratories?
(來源:人民日報客戶端)
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Người Việt Đồng Tâm
Để tranh đấu cho công lý và hỗ trợ người dân Đồng Tâm, mỗi người dân Việt đều có thể làm nhiều việc khác nhau trong đó có phần vận động sự quan tâm và can thiệp của quốc tế. Do đó, chúng tôi kêu gọi đồng bào Việt Nam trong và ngoài nước cùng gửi điện thư (email) đến tất cả các tòa đại sứ và lãnh sự quán có mặt tại VN, Liên Hiệp Quốc, các Tổ chức quốc tế nhằm kêu gọi họ yêu cầu chính phủ Việt Nam:
- Đồng ý cho đại diện các đại sứ quán, các tổ chức trong nước và quốc tế đến thăm hỏi, tìm hiểu, giúp đỡ dân làng và các nạn nhân.
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Dear Sir/Madam:
It is with grave concerns that I draw your attention to the following:
•On January 9, 2020 a violent clash over a land dispute in Dong Tam commune, Vietnam where excessive military and police force was deployed that killed an 84-year-old civilian and injured several others. The elderly who had been a vocal leader in the struggle against land confiscation was shot twice in the head and once in the chest while sleeping in his bed. Several other elderly and farmers of the same commune were arrested or assaulted and badly injured. Reportedly there were some 3000 police heavily armed with tear gas, explosives and live ammunition that launched the attack at approximately 3 a.m. on that day targeting the house of the local elderly leader. His sons were also arrested and his daughter in law and grandchildren were also hunted down while running away by police sniffer dogs.
•This is the latest bloody conflict of land seizures in Dong Tam commune where tension has been simmering for some three years. Farmers claim that the government seizes 59 hectares (116 acres) of their farmland for the military-run Viettel Group, which is Vietnam’s largest mobile phone company, without consultation, consent and adequate compensation for the rightful owners.
•While violent land confiscations are not uncommon in Vietnam, this is the first time the authorities claimed there had been 3 policemen killed during the attack against the rightful owners of the lands. Human Rights Watch and other international human rights organizations have urged the authorities to investigate the killings fairly and to hold accountable those who used violence and whether excessive police force was justified so as not to wrongly accuse and further victimize the victims.
•Similarly, last year, just days before the Vietnamese traditional new year, “Tet”, on January 4 and January 8, the authorities in Ho Chi Minh city also launched an attack against the Loc Hung Vegetable Garden, a settlement area claimed by the Catholic Church and registered for agricultural use in 1991, 1995, and 2005, and ever since the land had been used by residents for growing vegetables.
•During the two-day operation, some thousand uniformed police and plain clothes forces wearing masks equipped with about 8 bulldozers and earth movers to demolish all the houses in Loc Hung Vegetable Garden, Tan Binh district, without prior warning, proper notice, or adequate compensation for the residents.
•This forced hundreds of displaced victims who are mostly defectors and people who had escaped the Communist regime in the North in 1954, and former prisoners of conscience, political dissidents and veterans of the former army of South Vietnam out of their homes.
•Lawyers in the country protested against the local authorities’ abuse of power claiming the state should have issued an order for land appropriation first before any issuance of an eviction order to residents of Loc Hung Vegetable Garden.
Therefore, we earnestly ask [your embassy] [U.N. organization]…. to exert diplomatic pressure and
1. Urge the Vietnamese government to end military and police repression and abuse of powers against civilians;
2. Urge the Vietnamese government to recognize the importance of engaging in respectful dialogues and fair negotiations to solve land disputes peacefully rather than resorting to violence.
3. Urge the Vietnamese authorities to investigate with impartiality and transparency and punish all those who are responsible for the human rights violations and the violence in Loc Hung Vegetable Garden and Dong Tam commune so that there is no impunity for crimes committed by state officials.
4. Urge the Vietnamese authorities to permit access to Dong Tam and Loc Hung survivors by local and foreign journalists, diplomats, UN agency officials and other impartial observers to assess what evolved there and monitor the government’s investigation of these incidents.
5. Urge the Vietnamese government to recognize unfair and arbitrary land confiscation for economic projects displacing local people is the source of social unrest, publi