Ah, the Holidays –
You have ten days remaining, and not all of them are ‘shopping days.’
Yes, there is the ever-popular Kwanza if you plan to celebrate that in the inner city after Christmas. Hanukkah, the Rabbinic Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Jewish Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE, began yesterday, so if you haven’t started to light the menorah, there is still time to strike a match.
Don’t strike a match on Hogmanay, the Scots word for the last day of the old year, which is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner. It is typically a two-week drunk. Striking a match could lead to an ugly explosion. As I’ve mentioned here, the literal barf on the sidewalks during this most auspicious of holidays exists like slick, vile landmines for the unwary to trip-and-slide in.
Festivus is only four days away. Do the pole dance, eat a large spaghetti meal during which time you can tell your family and friends how much they disappointed you over the preceding year, followed by feats of strength.
The Solstice is coming on December 21, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. People come up from the Phoenix area to visit the mountains where I live and run around naked on that day. Sadly, none of them look good naked. I suspect that most pagans are democrats. I’d rather that they restrict themselves and their seasonal orgies to Burning Man in Nevada, but I don’t think that I get a vote.
Boxing Day is not widely celebrated. It may be an excuse to stay away from work for one more day.
The Season
I try to avoid overt religious controversy here on VM, but given the holidays, some debate grounded in respectful discourse can be fun (sorta). The question of where Jesus was born (was he Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus of Bethlehem) continues to be raised. There’s a YouTube short you can view if you’d like. Luke Ch. 1 places Jesus’ birth around 3 BC. Luke Ch. 2 has him being born in 6 AD (the Quirinius census). It really doesn’t matter – how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
Help them return home for Christmas!
Bullet Points:
** We don’t have Father Christmas in the USA – but he’s been up to some mischief in the UK.
** Tired of Angels, Unicorns, and giant Grinches as your central Christmas lawn ornament? How about a 7.5-foot mechanical Chewbacca? Does it offer proof that they also celebrated Christmas long ago in a faraway galaxy? (right)
** A US Representative discusses accidental shootings with Homeland Security Secretary Noem. I wonder if Sec. Noem put a round between his eyes at point-blank range, if the colored politician would call it an accident?
** “My doctor told me he had good news and bad news. I said, ‘Doc, only tell me the good news, all right?’ He said, ‘All right. They’re going to name a disease after you.’” – Dangerfield
** “We are rightfully moving U.S. Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama. This move will accelerate our space efforts, create tens of thousands of jobs, drive billions in investment, and bolster America’s ability to defend—and dominate—the next frontier.”
** (h/t EdB) U.S. federal authorities have recently charged multiple Chinese nationals associated with the University of Michigan for conspiring to smuggle biological materials, including a crop-killing fungus and roundworm DNA, into the United States without the required permits. Xu Bai, Fengfan Zhang, and Zhiyong Zhang, Chinese national scholars, were charged in November 2025 with conspiring to smuggle the DNA of a roundworm (C. elegans) used in neuroscience research. The University of Michigan terminated them for refusing to cooperate with an internal investigation, and subsequently, ICE placed them in custody. They will be deported as undesirable aliens (PNG’d).
** Two people were reportedly found dead Sunday afternoon inside the Brentwood home of filmmaker Rob Reiner. Police were called to the residence earlier Sunday. The identities of the deceased have not been released, and investigators have not disclosed the cause of death. The ages of the deceased reportedly match those of Reiner and his wife, according to reports.
Francofone Afrique
Did France drop the ball with its African colonies that still speak French? Some would say that they have, and since France is broke, the effort that they can put into aiding stability is limited, but there are some success stories.
At the request of Beninese authorities, France provided surveillance, intelligence, and logistical support that helped Benin’s security forces and their regional partners repel an attempted coup in early December 2025. ECOWAS coordinated a rapid regional response, with standby forces and air support from neighbouring states, including Nigeria, which helped stabilise key sites and restore constitutional order — a reminder that collective regional action, when invited and supported by outside partners, can make the difference between a contained incident and a wider collapse. This episode also illustrates the shape of France’s evolving posture in Africa: rather than large, long-term garrisons, Paris is organising more flexible, intelligence-led, rapidly deployable support through the new Commandement pour l’Afrique (CPA) and specialised units — a model intended to preserve influence while responding to partner requests and political sensitivities across the region.
Will they stand against the Russian Africa Corps, a mercenary force of Russians operating in Guinea? Don’t hold your breath.
As part of their deepening military partnership, the French Navy’s Bâtiment de Projection et de Commandement (BPC) Tonnerre made a high-profile port call in Benin from November 2 to 9, 2025. The amphibious helicopter carrier’s visit formed part of Operation CORYMBE, a long-standing French-led maritime mission aimed at consolidating regional security in the Gulf of Guinea, a strategic corridor challenged by piracy, trafficking, and illegal fishing.
Meanwhile, in the Sahel, the JNIM (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin) continues its expansion, pushing closer to Senegal and threatening coastal states such as Benin and Togo. What were once isolated pockets of militant activity are progressively taking the shape of continuous territorial bands, tightening the insurgents’ grip across the region.
I don’t know that Africa can be ‘fixed’ or cured in any meaningful way over the long haul. Many religious groups are present, bringing Bibles and soap, but to date, neutron warheads might be the only way to start over. I’m not detracting from French efforts, but they are the very same efforts that have gone on for the last hundred and fifty years with no results, so to speak. (Remove species before you neutron scrub the place and then reintroduce them)
Book Review – Science Fiction
The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown is my holiday reading. Highly recommended.
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon, he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
Or if you’re in the mood for short stories, check out .
The collection of short stories comprises two sections. The first includes thirty-six ‘shorts’ with topics marked as fiction, nonfiction, or based on a true story. The topics range from espionage, science fiction, historical fiction, and true crime. The second section consists of seven nonfiction case studies of police informers, with the general theme of how to make money as a government informant.
AND/OR
The collection includes nineteen short stories of varying length and topic, ranging from science fiction and historical to espionage thrillers. They are categorized as fiction, science fiction, nonfiction, and based on a true story. Some of the most interesting stories are true stories and those based on actual events.
Russian Propaganda in Italian Social Media
(h/t Claudio) It’s a good article (in English) and is worth a read. Across more than a thousand user comments, recurrent patterns and consistent emotional registers resurface: anti-NATO sentiment, hostility toward and ridiculing of European leadership, denial or minimization of the Russian threat, and a deep sense of betrayal by Western elites. The main themes and central narratives are presented below.
Inversion of Aggressor and Victim
The dominant narrative in many comments is the inversion of the aggressor–victim dynamic. NATO, not Russia, is cast as the principal threat to peace. Commenters accuse the Alliance of provoking Moscow, spreading fear, and pushing Europe into war for U.S. interests. The language is emotionally charged and often mocking – NATO becomes a “warmongering (guerrafondaia) association,” a tool of “western imperialism,” or a vehicle for “psycho terrorism,” designed to restrict freedoms and justify militarization.
This framing extends naturally to the European Union, NATO, and its leaders. Figures such as Mark Rutte and Ursula von der Leyen are depicted as corrupt, reckless, or absurd – loschi figuri (shady characters) and pagliacci (clowns). The EU itself is portrayed as hypocritical and strategically impotent, an organization serving foreign or corporate interests rather than citizens. Many comments contrast European alarmism about Russia with its muted response to Israel’s conduct in Gaza, calling the EU’s behaviour “an enormous disgrace.” This frequent juxtaposition is central to the pro-Kremlin playbook: by highlighting perceived double standards, it undermines the EU’s moral legitimacy in its stance on Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine as a “Distant” and “Irrelevant” War
Across the comment sections, Ukraine is rarely depicted as a victim. Instead, the conflict is framed as a bilateral quarrel between two states — “a war between cousins,” “a conflict that has nothing to do with us.” This narrative – perfectly in line with the Kremlin playbook – strips the invasion of its moral and geopolitical dimensions and recasts it as an internal “family feud”. Such framing absolves Russia of responsibility while justifying Italy’s passivity and withdrawal of support.
Several users express open fatigue toward the subject, suggesting that “Italy has already done enough” or “should stop sending weapons.” Others portray Ukraine as a corrupt puppet of Western interests or a source of unnecessary risk for ordinary Italians: “We are risking World War III for a war that is not ours.”
At the same time, Zelenskyy’s image is consistently delegitimized. He is described as a “puppet,” “actor,” “drug addict,” or “servant of Washington,” often in tones that blend mockery and disinformation. The overarching message is that support for Kyiv is not an act of solidarity, but a costly error driven by elite hypocrisy.
This perception of Ukraine as distant and morally ambiguous reinforces the sense of Western corruption and fatigue – a key element in the Kremlin’s disinformation strategy. By encouraging the idea that the war is “none of our business,” disinformation transforms indifference into complicity.
Fearmongering and Manipulation
Another recurring strand accuses NATO, the EU, and the media of manufacturing fear to justify skyrocketing defence budgets. References to the Cold War – “even then Russia could hit Italy” – or to exaggerated missile capabilities trivialize the threat and portray the current warnings as cynical scaremongering. Several commenters explicitly describe the purpose of such statements as “instilling fear” and “limiting people’s dreams.” In contrast, others link it to the enrichment of arms industries or political elites by boosting the war economy at the expense of citizens’ welfare.
Russia as Rational and Reactive
A strong flow of commentary denies that Russia poses any real danger. Putin, many insist, “has said 150 times” that he does not intend to attack Europe. This repetition of official Kremlin talking points positions Moscow as rational, restrained, and reactive — responding only to NATO encroachment. Some commenters even invert the fear hierarchy, claiming to fear “American missiles more than Russian ones.” The missile threat is therefore interpreted not as a reflection of geopolitical reality but as Western propaganda.
Blame on Western Leadership and Elites
The tone of resentment toward Western political elites is pervasive. Italian and European leaders are portrayed as self-interested and war-hungry, dragging the continent into another catastrophe to bolster national GDPs or the defence sector. Historical analogies abound – references to the world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and the Balkan conflicts serve to depict Europe as inherently bellicose. References to Brussels as an expression of contemporary nazism and fascism are not rare. The EU, in this view, is the real danger: bureaucratic, disconnected, and complicit in Washington’s strategy.
Anti-Americanism and Domestic Frustration
Anti-American sentiment underpins much of the discourse. The US, despite Trump’s potentially appeasing role, is repeatedly cast as the puppet-master – the hidden force “behind” NATO and the EU, orchestrating wars for profit or hegemony. This blends easily with domestic frustration: anger at Italian politicians and cynicism about democracy – “better a dictatorship like Russia than a democracy like Italy”, and fatigue with foreign entanglements – “we had become a colony of Brussels”. Sarcasm often turns into dark humour: “Let’s hope the missiles hit Parliament first.” For many, the war in Ukraine is “their war,” not Italy’s.
Parallels with Palestine, Iraq, and Ukraine
While explicit references to Palestine appear sporadically, they carry symbolic weight. Commenters contrast Europe’s outrage at Russia’s invasion with its silence on Israel’s actions in Gaza or the US invasion of Iraq, invoking the false “weapons of mass destruction” narrative to equate today’s missile warnings with past lies. One commenter goes, “The only drones I’ve seen so far were the Israeli ones hitting the flotilla [to Gaza]. Not a word of commendation from Giorgia [Meloni].” These analogies aim to erode the moral clarity of the West’s position: if the West has lied before or tolerates violence from its allies, why believe it now?
This moral equivalence – central to Kremlin information strategy – reframes the conflict in Ukraine as a local dispute (rather than as a war of aggression) into which Europe foolishly inserts itself and contributes to fuel instead of working for peace.
Emotional and symbolic connotations
The emotional landscape of the discussion reveals a striking asymmetry in perceptions of key actors. Despite the tangible reality of Moscow’s war of aggression, Russia rarely appears as the villain. NATO and the EU, by contrast, are consistently cast as dangerous and illegitimate. Kyiv is depicted as a corrupt artificial state deprived of any agency and led by a puppet of the West.
Identify the Aircraft
1
Two graphics to aid your ID.
2
Nice shot of the G90 camera lens in the intake.
3
4
Please ID the choppa and the payload.
The carpet doesn’t match the drapes in the photo below. So I don’t want to play games. Let’s talk about it all.
The Brewster Buffalo shown here is not an aircraft that served in the Netherlands East Indies. All ML-KNIL Buffaloes were lost during the Japanese advance in early 1942, and none survived the war. This example is a post-war reconstruction, built mainly from Finnish airframe components and restored to represent the type flown by Dutch fighter units in the East Indies. It serves as an accurate visual example of the aircraft, since no original Dutch Buffalo airframes exist today.
In 1940, the Netherlands East Indies government placed an order in the United States for the Brewster B-339 fighter as part of its standing defence program. This was possible because the Dutch state had not capitulated as a combatant after the German invasion. Only the army in the occupied homeland laid down its arms; the Dutch government, the navy, and the overseas territories remained at war and continued to function normally. The East Indies, therefore, remained a recognised Allied territory, able to purchase and receive modern aircraft.
Production of the Brewsters continued through late 1940, and deliveries to the Indies began in early 1941. The aircraft were assembled on Java and issued to three ML-KNIL fighter groups. Throughout 1941, these units expanded and prepared for the increasing tension in Southeast Asia.
When Japan attacked in December 1941, the Dutch Buffalo squadrons were committed immediately to operations over Malaya, Sumatra, and Java. They took part in the defence of airfields, cities, and supply routes during the Allied retreat. The rapid Japanese advance overran the Dutch bases one by one. Surviving aircraft were destroyed during withdrawal or scuttled to prevent capture. By early March 1942, none remained.
Thus, the operational life of the Brewster in Dutch service runs in a straight line from its purchase by a Dutch state still entirely at war, through delivery and deployment in 1941, to its extinction in the final days of the Netherlands East Indies campaign in 1942.
PARTING SHOT
End
(1) Kawanishi E15K1 Norm. Recce floatplane.
(2) Bristol Brigand torpedo bomber.
(3) Aerospatiale Alouette II with SS-11, looks like.
– Kle.
Maybe a Hudson, above that Buffalo?
– Kle.
Gah, I totally skipped the Lightning, scrolled too fast.
So:
(1) Norm
(2) English Electric Lightning.
(3) Brigand.
(4) Alouette / SS-11.
Geeze.
– Kle.
Excellent
3 is Bristol Brigand TF.1 British mostly used for anti ship work.
4 is Helicopter Aerospatiale SE3130 Alouette II used by Heeresflieger (German Army Aviation). Not sure of the munitions.
1 – Japanese Kawanishi E15K Shiun
2 – British English Electric Lightning F3
3 – British Bristol Brigand TF.1
4 – German Army Aérospatiale Alouette II with SA.11 anti-tank missiles
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Kawanishi E15K Shiun ‘Norm’
2. English Electric Lightning
3. Bristol Brigand
4. German Aérospatiale Alouette II carrying SS.11 AT missiles
>if the colored politician would call it an accident
Hey! The honorable Bennie Thompson (D-MS) says he “misspoke”. He done own his error. I done lissen’d and he authentic. What is NOT authentic is a man I occasionally have to deal with. He is “of recent African [1] ancestry” but did not grow up in the US. An educated man, he speaks completely standard educated-American English, albeit with a slight accent, but does NOT speak with any trace of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) accent or dialect, except for ONE thing: this man says “ax” instead of “ask” just like Mr Bennie Thompson in the video clip. That is the sign that his “blackness” is performative. At least that’s how I see it.
[1] going along with “out of Africa” just arguendo
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>I don’t know that Africa can be ‘fixed’ or cured in any meaningful way over the long haul
Much as I dislike YouTube shorts in general, and especially those where some person is staring creepily at a window where another person is speaking, this here video is an example of preference cascades in action. It is now largely acceptable to speak openly in public about Somalis. This is very good, though India (the other recent preference cascade) is falling out of public attention.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4IjvyaF-Jdk
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Russian social media propaganda: Bloody amateurs. What Russia needs is a Italian Russia Public Affairs Committee.
Thanks for axing the right questions, Mike_C. I have heard ads for IPhones where the claim is made that they can translate on the fly. I wonder if Rep. Thompson (D-MS), Rep. Johnson (D-GA), Rep. (Jizman) Crocket (D-TX), and the rest of the caucus would consider using them to translate ghetto fabulous into English, at least when day-be-in-de Congress managing the People’s Business?
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The Russians do love their committees.
“you take you with you”
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Exactly. Feature, not a defect.
Indeed.
**Will they [the French] stand against the Russian Africa Corps**
How large a presence does the US have in Africa?
5-6000 in Djibouti and Kenya. More come and go to Tanzania etc
One day, when AI robots are the norm, they’ll be asking for a week off to celebrate robotica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtCkiXlSfPQ
Elon Musk’s birthday is June 28 (71). That would be an auspicious day. There is always the day that SkyNet becomes sentient…
Love the ICE one the best. Okay the graphic at the top is way cool.
Have a fabulous day and week. :)
African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) accent or dialect
Once encountered said speech when ordering at a Burger King in the Atlanta airport. My lack of comprehension irritated the female speaker. Increased volume didn’t aid understanding.
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A recently acquired Christmas tradition is eating MRSDRJIM’s fabulous pot roast.
I’ll note here that I wasn’t invited. Only the cool kids…
The Pretty Korean Girl’s first day in the States (for grad school) she had just moved into her apartment, was a little homesick and decided to cheer herself up by going out for fried chicken, which she loves. So PKG found herself at a Popeyes. The three persons at the counter were all young black females. PKG could not understand what “her” counterperson was saying. The counterperson called over the other two, who were also incomprehensible to PKG. Collectively, all three women mocked her with much hooting and “dayum-ing” and PKG retreated in defeated disarray, chickenless.
—
“I went back to my shitty little student apartment and just cried. I was thinking, How am I going to make it in the US? I can’t understand anything! How could this happen? I got A’s in English at school.” PKG was laughing when she told me this sad tale nearly a decade later, but I can imagine how upset she was at the time, since she had ZERO idea about AAVE (among other related … issues) at the time. Anyway, once she realized what was what, she had the tendency to laugh out loud in sheer disbelief when seeing the social dysfunction in real time. It took me some time to break her of this potentially dangerous habit.
The habit of mocking the descendants of slaves? That would be a lot like me mocking Barack’s husband, Big Mike for “living in a house built by slaves.”
“Jesus of Nazareth was [not] born in Bethlehem”: If I may…
It is interesting how many decide they know better about New Testament Biblical content than historical scholars, labeling [in this case] The New Testament as being contradictory or inaccurate, or worse, taking Scripture out of context of the passage as a way to discredit God’s Word. Secondary Tenets are fine to be argued but should never interfere with Primary ones. To me the Bible is unerring and the Four Gospels offer different perspectives to build a more complete picture. Hank Hanegraaff (Bible Answer Man) – someone I greatly respect – says this on the subject (highly truncated so as to not hog blog space)…I wholeheartedly agree:
– Prophecy Fulfillment: Hanegraaff asserts that Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, specifically Micah 5, a prediction made centuries in advance. He argues that the precision of such prophecies, including the location of birth and the virgin birth, points to the divine inspiration of the Bible.
– Historical Reliability: Hanegraaff frequently references the story of Sir William Ramsay, a skeptic archaeologist who reportedly became a Christian after his research confirmed the historical accuracy of Luke’s writings, including details about the census that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.
– Complementary Gospels: Hanegraaff argues against the idea that the Gospels contradict each other. While Matthew and Luke may present different details (e.g., Matthew mentions the Magi and the flight to Egypt, while Luke mentions the shepherds and the census), Hanegraaff maintains that these accounts are not contradictory but rather offer different perspectives that provide a fuller historical picture.
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Jesus lived in Nazareth, therefore was FROM Nazareth, which was (is) in Galilee, thus he was a Galilean. This is not a hard concept…usless one wishes to discredit Biblical accuracy. I was born in a Philly hospital but was from Richboro…where I grew up. Yet some historian (assuming they would care about moi) could say I was from NE Philly because as a newly minted little guy we lived in a new NE Philly row home for a few years before moving out to Bucks County where I grew up. Splitting hairs on such matters is a useless exercise, especially when one brings their personal attitude into the mix.
Enough said on that.
***
Red Rising: Sounds a bit like the Matt Damon flick, Elysium.
***
“…moving U.S. Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama”…to generate tens of thousands of jobs, etc…: …aaannd in 3, 2, 1, The Democrats and a hand-picked low-grade Federal Judge in some Podunk court will begin working hard to block the move because…it makes sense.
***
Opening Graphic: You must be in your ‘Time Burton’ period. Kinda cool.
Red Rising isn’t at all like the film Elysium. I liked the film, but it’s very different. If you like sci-fi, you’ll likely enjoy Red Rising. If you don’t, then not so much.
Ok, good…I’ll get a copy…sounds interesting.
–
As for the Portland Replacement Tree, nothing says Christmas like a huge green butt plug. Can they get anymore demented? Probably.
(Oh, that was ‘Tim’ Burton…word sub)
If I recall the ending of Elysium they started bringing the poor poor sick children up to the orbital station for treatment.
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What I wanted was a sequel called “Elysium: Two Months Later”. After about a week of genuinely sick children being brought up for treatment, the passenger demographic swiftly changed to young, healthy males “looking for work”. This, somewhat shockingly, was supported by a substantial fraction of the Elysium dwellers, who (apart from the technical caste) were largely of the sort that currently lives large in cities such as Scarsdale, NY or Newton, MA while poisoning the culture and siphoning off the wealth created by actual working non-Scarsdalians and non-Newtonites. But I digress. Anyway, having lived for [a generation or two?] in safety and security aboard Elysium, they (collectively) had reverted to the mode of thinking (possibly genetic) that venerated the downtrodden simply for BEING downtrodden. While this was unexpected and in stark contrast to the leadership of Elysium and official policy, this was yet another example of how a preference cascade can change society seemingly overnight.
—
It rapidly became fashionable for young Elysium-born females to date “the planet born” who were exciting because of their rough, lower-class origins and because they were physically much more robust than Elysium-born males (spin “gravity” was probably less than 1g, I’m guessing). Unsurprisingly, there were physical altercations between Planet-born and Space-born, with the latter routinely getting their spindly asses thoroughly kicked. Then the casual rapes began. Shockingly, there was actual debate on whether this was a bad thing, or whether the Elysium-born OWED this to the cruelly exploited Planet-born. Following the death of SecDef Delacourt (Jodie Foster’s character), the will to defend Elysium and its people had essentially collapsed in over 60% of the population, including a substantial portion of the security forces, and the authorities were paralyzed. Two weeks after several incidents of gang rape, one resulting in the death of the female victim, a group of about two dozen young Elysium males took to the streets in protest. They were met by a mob of over a hundred Planet-born, and literally cut to pieces.
—
I’ll leave the story here for the reader to finish. But I envision idiots trashing Elysium so that it became uninhabitable. If it was indeed an L5 structure (I forget) then getting it out of position might be tough (to put it mildly), but one might consider some idiot scheme to “make Elysium easier to get to” that would result in the whole thing breaking up, deorbiting, and gigantic chunks raining down on major cities.
—
Why yes, I AM an optimist and a Ray of Sunshine. Why do you ax?
You’re as jaded as a thirty year Philippines sailor.
I liked Hail Mary. My son gave it to me. I like Science Fiction generally.
I read two chapters of Red Rising and stopped. That’s all I have to say about that.
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Not only was Jesus born in Nazareth, I and (I discovered) many others believe that Jesus was born during Hannukah.
Like Easter and Passover which approach and overlap due to the calendar, so do Christmas and Hannukah.
Easter and Passover share significance in the death Pascal Lamb.
And all Jewish feasts have their fulfilment in the NT.
The Festival of Lights (which Jesus attended) signifies the arrival of the Light of the World. The birth of the Pascal Lamb.
Many claim that shepherds would not have been out in the field at that time of year but Alfred Edersheim, a Jewish scholar of renown (Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah) points out that the temple shepherds were out year round, and adjacent to Bethlehem. He has the receipts.
Seriously, there is not a lot of evidence for the time of year, only inference.
But the strongest inference is for December.
It takes some time to get into Red Rising. It’s true with a lot of Sci-Fi, because the author is creating a world, a world system, etc. As a writer and author (two different things) at this point in my life, I find it easier to write near-contemporary science fiction than a more exotic world-building science fiction for that very reason. Hail Mary is more of an “engineer’s sci-fi,” and I can see why you liked it. I liked it too. I appreciate all of Andy Weir’s science fiction.
Gah!!!!!
I wrote Nazareth and meant Bethlehem!
I don’t want St. Nick to slap me for a heretic.
Well, the butt plug IS appropriate for Portland… And I’d highly recommend both your books of short stories! Loved them!!!
Thanks, Old NFO.
+2
As for Ukraine (my grandfather came from Kiev when it was still Poland):
Perhaps if Z-sky was not as questionable a character as he is, so much corruption was not as prevalent (and linked to the Biden administration under who this war started), Russia hadn’t owned Crimea until fairly recently, and we hadn’t organized the color revolution that drove out the previous president, or that Neo-Nazis didn’t figure so prominently in Uke politics, we’d have a clearer picture of good guys and bad guys.
This is not in any way a statement in support of Russia or anything Putin has done.
Ukraine is/was more corrupt than Albania. It was where the corrupt American left (and a few conservatives) politicians chose to plant their flag long before the invasion. It was the great democrat hope for laundering through this decade post-Afghanistan. The Russians are all in on conquering it and are behaving as one would expect them to.