Is Chi Rho Really a Christian Symbol?

A United Nations watchdog filed a complaint Monday morning against a top official at the international organization for trying to skirt the rules of accepting honorariums.  The complaint is based on a series of emails obtained by The Daily Wire in which a top official was duped by the satirical “Chief Rabbi of Gaza” to speak at an anti-Israel protest. Francesca Albanese, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, was fooled last month by the invite and honorarium offer to speak at Columbia University’s encampment by the parody account “Rabbi Linda Goldstein,” known for using progressive talking points to mock anti-Israel protesters.  In the emails, Albanese’s assistant proposed the eight-month anniversary of Hamas’ attack for the speech, asked for the Zoom link, and requested that the honorarium amount be given to an outside organization to fund her assistant’s fellowship.  Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, filed a complaint on Monday calling for an investigation into Albanese “illegally requesting payments for work done in official capacity.” “As the evidence shows, Ms. Albanese is engaged in a practice by which she knowingly and unethically circumvents this prohibition, by requesting instead that, in exchange for her lectures, payments by external groups be made to her research assistant,” Neuer wrote. “Excellencies, in light of the foregoing, we respectfully request that you commence an immediate and independent investigation into Ms. Albanese’s violations of the Code of Conduct,” he added. Neuer requested a full disclosure of all of Albanese’s payments, whether direct or indirect, the name of the institute that was going to send the invoice, and an explanation into the legality of Albanese’s actions. The letter was addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. Goldstein is a well-known parody account that uses progressive anti-Zionist language to make jokes about the anti-Israel movement several times a day on X. “On behalf of the Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University, we wish to invite Special Rapporteur Albanese to deliver a keynote address at her convenience to the thousands of students gathered at the camp,” Goldstein wrote to Albanese in the invitation. “Many anti-Zionist Jews like myself have taken a leading role, and we would be honored to have you. I look forward to hearing from you.” Email correspondences indicate that Albanese was willing to participate.  Research assistant, Eleonora De Martin, responded to the invitation, asking for more details on the topic and the length. “In full solidarity with what you are doing, Ms Albanese would like to know some more details on her intervention,” De Martin wrote. De Martin maintained interest in the proposition, even after being told it was a speech about the “morality of the intifada.” “[W]e want to hear about the ‘Morality of the Intifada,’ which Zionists have co-opted and turned into a dirty word,” Goldstein wrote. “There is also a small honorarium available.” De Martin responded, asking if Albanese could speak on May 7—the eight-month anniversary of the Hamas attack. “If I understood correctly, you would like Ms Albanese to deliver a keynote speech of around 15/20 minutes to the students,” De Martin said, adding that Albanese could not officially accept an honorarium, but asked for it to go elsewhere. “Moreover, concerning the honorarium, she cannot take honorarium for anything she does in her official capacity,” De Martin wrote. “However, she kindly asks for this honorarium to be transferred to the Fellowship of her volunteer which supports her mandate work. Could you please provide some detail on the sum of the honorarium? The research institute will then send you the invoice for payment.” Sara Troian, another research assistant, told The Daily Wire that Alabanese “never agreed to Linda Goldstein’s request,” even though emails show her team asked for a Zoom link. The assistant added that she wanted the honorarium to be sent to her university to fund her own work. Francesca Albanese’s staff asked to speak to the Columbia University encampment on the seven-month anniversary of the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians. “Regarding the honorarium, there seems to be some confusion: it was me proposing that it would be sent to my University for the purpose to fund my fellowship,” Troian said. “The Erasmus University of Rotterdam, which hosts me as a Research Fellow, collects funds from individual donors with the only purpose of accompanying the Special Rapporteur in her country-missions. My work of support to the Special Rapporteur’s mandate is fully voluntary and I do not get paid for it.” After Goldstein asked if the honorarium could be donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) instead, Albanese’s team stopped replying.  “Is it okay if it’s donated to UNRWA in her honor instead?” Goldstein wrote. “Since I was displaced from Gaza as Chief Rabbi after October 7 it’s near and dear to us.”  Francesca Albanese, the embattled UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories was duped by a satirical X account. Troian said Albanese’s team did not respond to the last message because they realized Goldstein “was not a reliable account.” The character of Goldstein told The Daily Wire that she fears her “arch-nemesis Hillel Neuer is probably the most effective Zionist.” “All of us anti-Zionists (NOT anti-Semites) fear him,” she said. “As the Chief Rabbi of Gaza, I know how it feels to be targeted by Zionists,” Goldstein said. “Perhaps if she’d follow through with her speech and hadn’t disrespected the Chief Rabbi of Gaza, her ethical issues wouldn’t have come to light.” Albanese is known for inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric which led to her being barred from the Jewish state in February after she contended that French President Emanuel Macron was wrong for labeling Hamas’ October 7 massacre as the “biggest anti-Semitic massacre of our century.” She instead said the attack was “launched as a way to break the occupation against apartheid.”  The Daily Wire previously reported in February that Albanese told Harvard University students that Israel did not have the right to defend itself from the terrorists who raped, murdered, and burned people and homes. “It didn’t have the right to act in self-defense, meaning waging a war because it couldn’t wage a war against the people it maintains under occupation,” Albanese said. “What Israel had to do was to repel the attack on its own territory, arrest and detain and treat humanely the people who had been arrested and ensure justice.”

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a baby sea turtle? Photographer Ross Long captured some incredible images of these creatures, and it seems like they have a pretty charmed life. He shared some of his favorite pictures in an Instagram Reel that’s sure to melt your heart! If you’re having a hard day, these baby sea turtle photos are almost guaranteed to make you feel better. “Nothing quite makes me as happy as when I’m photographing turtle hatchlings,” Ross wrote in his caption. “It’s been incredible season and I’ve had some magical encounters.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by ROSS LONG | Photography | Ocean | Adventure | Australia (@rosslongphoto) In this video, the photographer shared the sweetest pictures of the baby animals going about their daily sea turtle business. This involved a lot of swimming around and laying comfortably in the sand. It’s wild how tiny these creatures look in the middle of a great, big body of water! Of course, Ross Long saved his most impressive shot for the very end of the Instagram Reel. In that photo, a baby sea turtle is pictured next to an adult. The difference in size is unbelieveable. In fact, the child’s head looks to be about the same size as the grown-up’s eyeball! In the comments section, the photographer shared that these baby animals are actually really difficult to capture on camera. Apparently, they’re pretty speedy! However, it’s all worth it in the end because of how absolutely adorable they are. Charlotte Rush on Unsplash “Baby turtles are my favourite animals to photograph,” Ross Long wrote. “They’re also one of the hardest because they’re so teeny tiny and fast!” Other users fell in love with these baby sea turtle images. “Bucket list shots right here!” one person wrote. “Epic work man.” Another added, “I just love this. The last one hits me in the feels.” It’s amazing how photos have the ability to transport us. We really feel like we’ve spent a day as a baby sea turtle thanks to Ross Long’s wildlife pictures! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Photographer Captures Adorable Peek Into A Day In The Life Of A Baby Sea Turtle appeared first on InspireMore.

Such an epic tail out of the world of golf

It was back in 2019 when Elon Musk unveiled the Cybertuck, and it was an event that did not go as Musk probably envisioned. Since then, there has been disaster after disaster, and here are some hilarious and embarrassing examples.The original d’oh momentOn a brightly lit stage, the Cybertruck was unveiled: a brand-new product in the Tesla line. It was to have space to fit six people, go 0 to 100 kilometers (0 to 60 miles) an hour in less than 3 seconds, and looked a bit like something a child drew. During the presentation, it was also claimed that it was bulletproof to a 9mm handgun. To prove how accurate this claim was, Franz von Holzhausen (Tesla’s chief designer) threw a metal ball at a window of the truck.The ball immediately smashed the window – which was a surprise to everyone involved, and even Musk let out a few naughty words.                                                                  IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The company still maintains that the Cybertruck is shatter-resistant.Now that the Cybertruck is out and about, there seems to be a new foe, and that is rough terrain – which is a bit awkward for a vehicle that boasts an Off-Road Mode for "steep ascents, descents, uneven terrain, shallow creeks, and other obstacles you may encounter".It seems that the Cybertuck is a bit more suited to the tarmac than what owners were hoping for, as even the mildest of offroading seems to prove a headache and sometimes requires some assistance.It really hates sand                                                                 ... and hills                                                               IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites....and small river banks                          Getting recalledJust last month, there was a recall issued on Cybertrucks that were produced between November 13, 2024 to April 4, 2024 – 3,878 of them, to be exact – due to an issue with the accelerator pedals. The lubricant between the pedal and the covering pad was causing the pad the slip off and lodge itself underneath the interior trim in front of it.                                                               IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.It seems like Cybertruck has not had the best start.[H/T: Gizmodo]

The black hole information paradox is one of those physics problems that can keep scientists up at night. It strikes at the heart of one of the crucial problems in modern physics: the fact that we can’t reconcile general relativity and quantum mechanics. And it is all black holes’ fault.

Blood and baguettes don’t usually go together in any context, let alone as building materials, yet there’s a palace in West Africa that’s cemented with these bizarre ingredients. Located in the city of Abomey in Benin, the structure is said to have been built using the blood of 41 voodoo sacrifice victims, and a new study indicates that the legend is probably true.As the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, Abomey was the seat of 12 successive kings who ruled from the 17th to early 20th centuries. The ninth king, Ghezo, held the throne from 1818 to 1858 and was renowned for his power and military brutality.As if to highlight the fact that King Ghezo didn’t mess about, the authors of the new study explain that “the alley leading to his hut was [allegedly] paved with the skulls and jawbones of defeated enemies,” while his throne is said to have “rested on the skulls of four defeated enemy leaders.” Within his palace compound, meanwhile, is a funerary hut built from some unconventional materials.“The binder of the walls is not a standard mortar, but is claimed to be made of red oil and lustral water mixed with the blood of 41 sacrificial victims - 41 being a sacred number in voodoo,” explain the researchers. “The victims were probably slaves or captives of enemy populations.”The blood-red walls of King Ghezo's funerary hut.Image credit: Charlier et al., Proteomics 2024Within the voodoo culture and religion that continues to permeate Beninese life, blood offerings combined with prayers and sacred water can be used to consecrate buildings or animate wooden structures known as fetishes. In this case, the sacrificial tribute was “charged with protecting what remains of the subtle essence of the deceased king.”To determine the exact composition of the mortar, the study authors used high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry, which enabled them to characterize the proteins within the cladding. To their surprise, they detected traces of wheat, which was not grown in sub-Saharan Africa until long after Ghezo’s death.They note, however, that Ghezo was a big fan of the French emperor Napoleon III and often sent diplomatic gifts such as fabrics, weapons, and cowries from Benin to France. It is therefore possible that wheat may have circulated in the other direction, with French baguettes and other baked items being presented to Ghezo and later incorporated into the mortar of his palace as part of a sacrificial offering.Proteomic results also confirmed the presence of hemoglobin and immunoglobulins from both humans and chickens, proving that the wall binder is indeed made of human blood.According to the study authors, the death of Dahomey kings was often marked by the sacrifice of up to 500 victims, in a ritual known as the “Great Customs”. Whether or not the blood found in the walls of Ghezo’s tomb was spilled during such an occasion is currently unclear, although the researchers say further DNA analysis may help to reveal exactly how many people involuntarily offered their lifeblood to consecrate the structure.The study is published in the journal Proteomics.

The cinematic world is abuzz with the latest announcement from Hollywood: the release date for Steven Spielberg’s much-anticipated UFO-themed movie is set. Spielberg, a director synonymous with groundbreaking storytelling, has once again turned his lens toward the extraterrestrial, a theme that has significantly marked his illustrious career. Decades after Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” left indelible marks on the sci-fi genre, the director’s new project promises to reignite the allure of the unknown. While details of the plot remain shrouded in mystery, speculation is rife. Could this be a revival of Spielberg’s abandoned ’70s project “Night Skies”? “Night Skies,” a project that never saw the light of day, was poised to be a chilling horror film inspired by the Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter, where a Kentucky family claimed to have been terrorized by otherworldly visitors. The narrative was set to explore the interactions between alien beings and terrestrial life, delving into themes of communication and confrontation. The original concept for “Night Skies” was bold, featuring a sequence filmed aboard a space shuttle, a testament to Spielberg’s vision and ambition. However, the project was shelved in favor of the more family-friendly “E.T.,” which captured the hearts of audiences worldwide and became a cinematic classic. Now, with a release date of May 15th, 2026, Spielberg’s return to the realm of UFOs. Will this new film pay homage to the director’s earlier works, or will it chart a new course in his exploration of the extraterrestrial narrative? The post Steven Spielberg’s new UFO movie: a nod to the past or a fresh take? appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Less than two weeks after George Floyd died in the custody of Minneapolis police in May 2020, prominent city council members gathered in front of activists and pledged to start dismantling the Minneapolis Police Department."Decades of police reform efforts have proved that the Minneapolis Police Department cannot be reformed and will never be accountable for its actions," the council members stated, according to the Star Tribune. "We are here today to begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department and creating a new, transformative model for cultivating safety in Minneapolis."In addition to cutting police budgets and doing away with many officers, numerous police departments also were decimated after frustrated, abused, and unsupported cops simply turned in their badges.The "defund the police" movement was born.And in the same way rioting commenced in Minneapolis in the wake of Floyd's death and spread across America, so did the notion of defunding and dismantling police departments. Other cities such as Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, and Chicago got into the act.It was a bad idea.So much so that voters in Minneapolis a year and half later rejected the idea of removing the city's police department and replacing it with "a Department of Public Safety that employs a comprehensive public health approach ..."In addition to cutting police budgets and doing away with many officers, numerous police departments also were decimated after frustrated, abused, and unsupported cops simply turned in their badges.Law enforcement officials in 2022 called it a "crisis." A perfect storm of spiking crime and violence in the streets — along with police getting defunded or quitting — led not only to staffing shortages, but also new cops weren't signing up."What they're doing now is vilifying the job, and they're connecting with our state's attorney and our chief judge, letting all these prisoners out and all these offenders out immediately," former Chicago police officer Anthony Napolitano said. "And it makes cops throw their hands up in the air and say, 'I'm not going to do this job any more.'"Here are 10 times when "defund the police" backfired spectacularly.Boy, 13, forced to watch his dad die after delayed response by Seattle cops; family sues, blames 'defund the police' movementThe family of a man who died after a delayed police response to his medical emergency filed a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Seattle in December 2022. A year prior, 46-year-old William Yurek's son, 13, called 911 while his father was having chest pains and difficulty breathing. Yurek soon after died of cardiac arrest in front of his son. The lawsuit stated that the Seattle police department "was severely understaffed at the time of this incident due to fallout from the abandonment of the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, a.k.a. 'CHOP,' a perceived lack of support from the city, vaccine mandates, and other factors, including city mismanagement." Seattle last year settled the lawsuit for $1.86 million.Progressive Vermont city regrets its 'defund the police' effort; Democrat mayor says 'a lot of damage' has been doneBurlington's "defund the police" movement failed so dramatically that even the progressive council member who pushed it admitted the city messed up, NBC News reported in December 2021. About 18 months prior, a resolution passed that slashed the police force by 30%, removed resource officers from schools, and shifted police funding to social justice initiatives. Instead cops felt attacked, and they left the department in droves. The city, with its 44,000 residents, went from a police force of 95 to 64 — resulting in only about five officers available to patrol at night. The city's Democratic mayor, Miro Weinberger, didn’t support cutting the force and wasn't happy with the defunding efforts: “There’s a lot of damage that has been done in the last 16 months."Soon after its 'defund the police' efforts, Minneapolis tells crime victims to cooperate with criminals, turn over their propertyThe city circulated a letter in late July 2020 telling residents in the third police precinct that due to the overwhelming violent crime wave, they should "be prepared to give up your cell phone and purse/wallet" — and if confronted by a violent robber "do as they say." The letter added that "robberies and Carjacking's have increased in our precinct. Cell phones, purses, and vehicles are being targeted. Some victims have been maced, dragged, assaulted, and threatened with a gun." In addition, "100 robberies and 20 carjackings have been reported to the 3rd Precinct Police in July alone." Just days after George Floyd's death, violent protesters breached the police department's 3rd precinct building and set a fire inside the station. In November, carjackings were up 537% compared to the previous year.Minneapolis city council's 'defund the police' initiative inspires residents of left-wing neighborhood to stop calling cops. Boy, are they sorry.After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, the city council dreamed of a "transformative new model" of public safety in which community social workers — not armed police officers — enforced the law. So a neighborhood the New York Times described as "a haven to leftist activists and bohemian artists" vowed — as a way to protest racial injustice — not to call police. But within a month, their tree-lined neighborhood became a haven for crime and hundreds of homeless people. Resident Shari Albers organized "her mostly white neighbors" to "help tackle long-standing issues with crime," but instead she was kept awake at night by the "Powderhorn Park Sanctuary." The Times reported that the homeless community "has drawn heavy car traffic into the neighborhood, some from drug dealers." Albers admitted to the paper, "I am afraid. I know my neighbors are around, but I'm not feeling grounded in my city at all. Anything could happen."Days after Oakland cuts police budget, armed robbers run up on city's woke 'violence prevention chief' and reporters amid discussion on rising crimeA KNTV-TV news crew was interviewing Oakland's violence prevention director on the steps of City Hall in June 2021 when two armed robbers approached the group with guns and tried to steal camera equipment. An armed security officer drove away the would-be burglars, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, but news of the scuffle broke out on social media — and it was called the perfect example of what inevitably happens when a local government cuts its police budget. A few days earlier, Oakland's City Council voted to reallocate $18 million of police funding to community violence prevention programs. Later in 2021, amazingly Oakland's liberal Mayor Libby Schaaf blamed "defund rhetoric" for a lack of police recruits amid a surge in violent crime.LA school district cuts police force by 33% — then middle school girl is brutally beaten by 2 females while male teacher watches, not knowing how to handle itA KCAL-TV report last summer linked defunding police with the brutal, two-against-one beating at Sun Valley Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. A teacher tried to stop it but soon gave up and watched the attackers punch the victim as many as 35 times. The victim's mother told KCAL that the teacher admitted to her that he didn't know what to do when the girls became violent: "He said, 'I tried to do what I could, I cannot touch the students, and I would like more training on how to restrain a child, or what can I do in this situation?'" The report documented how the district defunded and reduced its police force beginning in 2020. In 2021, then-L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva blamed "defund the police" and progressive policies for a violent crime wave.Minneapolis' 'defund the police' zeal leads to increased crime — and city actually moves to pay for temporary cops at a hefty priceThe outsourced police work was to cost Minneapolis $500,000 over six weeks at the end of 2020. The desperate move came after the city and anti-cop activists went after officers, about 100 of whom simply left the force. As crime was spiking, members of the city council In September 2020 — all of whom backed defunding the police force — actually demanded to know, "Where are the police?" What's more, in October 2020, several residents sued the city over insufficient policing, claiming there were fewer officers than what the city charter requires. A year later, a judge ordered the city to hire more police officers, and Mayor Jacob Frey admitted that calls to "defund the police" led to a spike in crime.In the wake of Portland's 'defund the police' failure — and soaring crime that resulted — city restores gun violence prevention unitPortland — not surprisingly falling in line with other woke cities — cut its police budget in the summer of George Floyd by $15 million. But by early 2021, Portland moved to reintroduce a gun violence task force within the city's police department after tons of violence. Many community members blamed budget cuts, and specifically the dissolution of the Gun Violence Reduction Team, for the spike in crime. Many within the police department warned that cutting the police budget would only lead to more crime. "I'd say they're more emboldened, maybe, to be out with guns," Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said. "They know there's not someone watching. There's no real deterrent there." Later in 2021, Portland was having a tough time finding officers to fill the revamped gun violence task force.Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is a 'defund the police' champion after George Floyd's death — a year later, she completely reverses herself amid violent crime waveIn October 2020, the mayor announced cuts to the police department's budget in response to Black Lives Matter activists' demands. More than 600 police jobs would be eliminated. Lightfoot said police have played a "complicit role" in "brutally enforcing racist, Jim Crow laws, depriving Black and Brown people" of their "full rights as citizens." That Christmas holiday, at least eight people were killed and 30 more were wounded in citywide shootings. Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara called the "historic levels" of violence amid police cuts "ridiculous." A year later, according to the Chicago Tribune, "Lightfoot unveiled a $16.7 billion spending plan ... that boosts funding for police ..."Far-left San Francisco mayor pushed for $120 million in police funding cuts after George Floyd's death; just a year later she wants cops to fight 'bulls**t' crime 'that's destroyed our city'Mayor London Breed — who jumped on the "defund the police" bandwagon in 2020 — just a year later launched an emergency police intervention in the city's high-crime Tenderloin neighborhood over rampant drug use and related gun violence, KPIX-TV reported. "It’s time, the reign of criminals who are destroying our city, it is time for it come to an end," Breed said with an angry tone at a press conference, the station said. "And it comes to an end when we take the steps to be more aggressive with law enforcement. More aggressive with the changes in our policies and less tolerant of all the bulls**t that has destroyed our city." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!