Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk said on Monday he will actively work toward ensuring GOP lawmakers who vote to pass the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” despite campaigning on promises to rein in government spending will lose their primaries. The warning from Musk, whose alliance with President Donald Trump crumbled several weeks ago after he began openly criticizing the legislation, came as Republicans worked toward getting the 900-page-plus measure passed by the end of this week...

Well, what is it, then?

The introduction of stricter legislation and controls on food production is being used to favour large companies over smaller ones, ultimately leading to a reduction in food choices and an increase in […] The post Food, Inglorious Food first appeared on The Expose.

from SGT Report: Guys, I’m in my mid-50’s now and although I still workout daily and do 100 pushups, 12-15 pull-ups and 35 dips every day – I still have bad knees and I’m always on the search for breakthroughs in the area of anti-aging and health. On today’s show cellular health and anti-aging sciences […]

from SGT Report: The microplastics problem has reached genocidal new heights, microplastics are in our bodies, our blood and even brain and there’s no avoiding exposure – the only thing you can do is take active steps to remove these toxins from your body before they do irreversible damage, and the GOOD news is you […]

by Alex Newman, Liberty Sentinel: Children belong to government-school teachers and teacher unions, argued a leading teachers union boss in explosive comments this week. Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Stacy Davis Gates also mocked those who expressed concerns about the ominous ideology that government is responsible for children, rather than God and their parents. Speaking […]

Throughout this year, we've been banging on the drums about TIGERSKUNK's upcoming OCS action slasher of Krogharr. A game created by the same developer who released the amazing Shoot 'em up of Inviyya; a game with amazing scrolling graphics, super action, great sound effects, and a real hark back to days of R-Type or Project-X! Well today's news is super special! As I've been informed,

  Sennacherib was an Assyrian king who reigned from 705 to 681 BCE. He was known for consolidating and expanding the Neo-Assyrian Empire. In the biblical narrative, he invaded Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah in 701 BCE, capturing many fortified cities and eventually laying siege to Jerusalem. The siege ends with one of the most fascinating divine interventions in the Old Testament. According to the Bible, the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army in one night. Sennacherib had to return to Nineveh to recover from the devastating loss.   Life and Reign of Sennacherib Cast of a rock relief of Sennacherib from the foot of Cudi Dağı, near Cizre. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Sennacherib was born to the King of Assyria, Sargon II. Sargon expanded the Assyrian Empire of his day, and Sennacherib continued that legacy when he became king upon Sargon II’s death in battle in 705 BCE. He immediately faced a rebellion from nations his father had subdued, such as Babylon and several nations from the Levant.   Babylon was a strategically important city to control due to its cultural and economic significance. The Esagila, a temple in honor of Marduk, the primary god of the Babylonians, was located in the city, and Babylon was an important trade hub located on vital trade routes.   Merodach-Baladan (Marduk-apla-iddina II) led the rebellion in Babylon. Initially a local chieftain, he took the Babylonian throne. He allied with Elam and stirred the revolt against Assyrian control. At the Battle of Cutha and Kish in 703 BCE, Sennacherib defeated a Babylonian-Elamite coalition that saw Merodach-Baladan flee into hiding. Sennacherib installed Bel-ibni in his place and plundered the city of Babylon’s wealth.   About a decade later, Merodach-Baladan reappeared and took the city, again with the help of Elam. Sennacherib replied with a two-pronged response. On the one hand, he launched naval attacks against Elam’s coastal strongholds to interrupt their support, and on the other, he engaged with Chaldean rebels in the marchlands. This was a grueling and slow process that lasted for years. Sennacherib grew frustrated at the protracted campaign and decided to attack Babylon itself.   After a long siege, Sennacherib’s forces breached the defenses of Babylon and desecrated the sacred sites in the city, such as Esagila, the temple of Marduk. He also diverted the water of the Euphrates to flood the city. The survivors were enslaved or relocated to depopulate Babylon further and break down its social structure.   Sennacherib’s actions were frowned upon even by the Assyrians, who shared the Mesopotamian heritage reflected in Babylon and revered the city as a cultural and religious capital. The desecration of sacred sites in Babylon alienated many Assyrians who feared divine disfavor and fueled anti-Assyrian sentiments among many other nations. Many sources portray Sennacherib as a tyrant.   Sennacherib’s Invasion of the Levant Kudurru of the Babylonian king Marduk-apla-idinna II/Merodach-baladan. Vorderasiatisches Museum (Near East Museum), Berlin. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Like in Babylon, a rebellion broke out in the Levant when Sargon II died, and the Levantine nations sought to shed the Assyrian yoke. In 701 BCE, Sennacherib launched a campaign into the Levant to subdue several uprisings and revolts. Among these nations were Tyre, Sidon, and Judah, who formed a coalition to ward off the Assyrians.   Sennacherib quickly subdued many Phoenician cities, like Sidon, and towns on the north-western coast of the Levant. As they conquered, the Assyrians installed rulers loyal to them. The campaign moved south to confront armies of Philistine cities like Ekron. Since the Levant served as a buffer zone between Egypt and Assyria, it is unsurprising that Egypt entered the conflict. Sennacherib won the Battle of Eltekeh by defeating a combined rebel and Egyptian force. The Assyrians restored King Padi to the throne, who was deposed when rebel factions took the city. Other cities in Philistia, like Ashkelon and Gaza, also fell to Sennacherib and secured that region for the Assyrians.   Map of Israel and Judah, 9th century BCE. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Judah seems to have been the heart of the rebellion. Here, many fortified cities fell to the Assyrians, with Lachish being the most notable. It was the second largest city in Judah, which is why it features prominently in reliefs in Nineveh. These reliefs show siege ramps, battering rams, and the mass deportations that followed. Excavations at Tel Lachish confirmed the onslaught when archaeologists uncovered ramparts, arrowheads, and a destruction layer consistent with a date of 701 BCE.   Sennacherib advanced his armies to Jerusalem and laid siege to the city, demanding that King Hezekiah surrender. The Taylor Prism describes Hezekiah as “shut up like a bird in a cage” as Assyrian forces encircled the city and cut off supplies. To prevent death and destruction, Hezekiah paid a large tribute of 30 talents of gold and 300 talents of silver (2 Kings 18:14). Assyrian records claim the tribute was 800 talents of silver. Threats against the city continued despite the tribute.   This relief depicts a man, 2 women, and 2 (male and female) children being deported with their household belongings after the sack of Lachish, 700-692 BCE. Source: Wikimedia Commons   According to the biblical narrative, the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers gathered around Jerusalem. The Assyrian record is silent, not confirming or denying the capture of Jerusalem. If the Assyrians conquered Jerusalem, it would have been recorded in the Assyrian records as an achievement of Sennacherib. Like many kingdoms in antiquity, records often omit embarrassing events or losses. It suggests that the Assyrian forces withdrew from Jerusalem and returned to Nineveh.   The Assyrian campaign into the Levant was successful. It brought many cities in the Levant back under Assyrian control and took many riches and people to Assyria as loot. Assyrian forces did not take Jerusalem, but Judah became a vassal state.   The Bible portrays the survival of Jerusalem as a humbling experience for the aggressor, Sennacherib. The narrative attributes the event to divine intervention, and it shaped Judeo-Christian theology many years later.   Egyptian involvement in some of the clashes foreshadowed the Egyptian-Assyrian conflict at a later date. The Bible mentions that Josiah, one of the greatest reformer-kings of Judah, died at the hands of Pharaoh Necho when he traversed through Judea to do battle with Assyrian forces.   Archaeological Evidence for Sennacherib Cast of a rock relief of Sennacherib from the foot of Cudi Dağı, near Cizre. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The Bavian Inscription, a record by Sennacherib, recorded the destruction of Babylon and presented it as divine retribution for their defiance. In addition, Assyrian sources, including the Taylor Prism and palace reliefs at Nineveh, which depict his southern conquests, testify to Sennacherib’s campaigns. Layers of destruction in Babylon dated to around 689 BCE align with events described in some records.   The Taylor Prism is a six-sided clay record of Sennacherib’s first eight military campaigns. The artifact includes accounts of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah. It details the conquest of several cities and the siege of Jerusalem. Like some Egyptian records, it omits embarrassing events and losses that would cast the Assyrians in a bad light.   Many tablet inscriptions and cylinders record the Assyrian invasions of Elam, Chaldea, and the Levant consistent with Sennacherib’s reign. These records often reflect imperial propaganda. Many other palace reliefs and artworks from the time show sieges, battles, and royal imagery that boast of the extent and success of Sennacherib’s rule.   Excavations in Nineveh show the grandeur of the “palace without rival,” city walls and gates, irrigation systems, and other features that reflect the upgrades and transformation Sennacherib’s construction efforts contributed to the city infrastructure.   Archaeological evidence attests to the military campaigns Sennacherib launched on Lachish, Jerusalem, Babylon, and other cities in southern Mesopotamia. The Esarhaddon’s Records confirm that Sennacherib was assassinated in 681 BCE by one or more of his sons. Some records from Nineveh contain evidence of succession disputes among the sons of Sennacherib, supporting Esarhaddon’s version of events.   Sennacherib’s Legacy The Monuments of Nineveh, from a sketch by James Fergusson, 1853. Source: Royal Academy of Arts   Sennacherib’s legacy is one of military power and imperial expansion. Under his rule, military advancements in equipment and new tactics were implemented. Though he had great successes, he had losses as well, as is evidenced by the failed siege of Jerusalem.   Under Sennacherib, Nineveh’s infrastructure was upgraded and increased. Nineveh became an imperial hub with examples of contemporary innovation in engineering and urban planning, with art being used as state propaganda.   One consequence of Sennacherib’s campaigns was the development of a robust administrative system. The system saw money extracted from subdued nations in the form of taxes to bolster the Assyrian economy. It also managed relations with vassals, and deported people to reshape demographics and prevent rebellion by changing societal structures and controlling labor. The coercive nature of these actions left a negative impression of his rule that spurred unrest among many subservient nations.   The desecration of the temple of Marduk was offensive in the minds of most Mesopotamians. Fear of divine retribution spread among the Assyrians. This act of removing the statue of Marduk from Esagila had a negative influence on how Mesopotamians viewed Sennacherib’s reign.   Though Assyrian records present him as a divinely ordained heroic conqueror, builder, and ruler, later Babylonian records reflect on Sennacherib as a villain and blasphemous oppressor. Sennacherib’s legacy depends on the perspective of the critic who considers his life and rule. What is not subject to perspective is that he had a significant impact on shaping the Mesopotamian world and the Levant during the late 8th and early 7th century BCE.

  Emerging in the context of Henry VIII’s English Reformation, the Puritans, a loosely knit community of English protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries, believed that the Church of England preserved too many remnants of Roman Catholicism. They sought more radical reform – a ‘purified’ biblically governed community that reflected the scriptural principles of ‘true’ religion. Faced with persecution in England, many Puritans sought religious freedom in the ‘New World’, where they founded colonies that deeply influenced the political and cultural foundations of the future United States.   Puritan Beginnings The Puritans in Conference with King James I of England, Source: Wikimedia Commons   In 17th-century England, church and state were inseparable: membership of the Church of England was compulsory. Attendance at Sunday services was legally enforced. Church courts exercised authority over moral and religious conduct, punishing offenses such as adultery, blasphemy, or failure to pay church tithes with public penance or excommunication (Hill, 1982).   The roots of Puritanism trace back to the 1520s, in the context of growing radicalism following Henry VIII’s break with the Catholic Church. Unhappy with the Church of England, most Puritans sought to reform from within, rather than break from it. In this regard, they first emerged as a movement attempting to “purify” the church of residual Catholic “idolatry” – rejecting the continuation of ecclesiastical hierarchy, clerical vestments, and sacred images (Hall, 2019).    Puritans pushed for a simpler, scripture-based mode of worship. They aimed to ‘complete’ the reformation by abolishing hierarchical church structures and promoting lay control (Hill, 1982). Their vision was of a church and society ruled not by monarchs or clerics but by the direct biblical authority of God’s word.   What Is Puritanism? Puritans, in John Cassell’s Illustrated History of England, Volume 3, 1865, Source: Wikimedia Commons   Despite its profound historical impact, Puritanism is a ‘problem’ insofar as it defies precise definition. Scholars have variously described it as a religious, cultural, and political movement (Van Engen, 2013).   Lacking a unified doctrine, Puritanism was unified instead by shared values and core convictions: strict personal discipline, deep engagement with scripture, and the idea of life as a divine calling. They shared a commitment to reading and studying the Bible, attending sermons, and observing the Sabbath. The bible was treated as divine “law” (Hall, 2019).    The Puritans emphasised a “double calling” – one to divide service to God and the other to their worldly vocation, in the service of God. Faith was not limited to Sunday worship but lived out daily – through strict religious observance, disciplined moral conduct, and the banding together of the godly.    Thus, Puritanism functioned less as a denominational creed and more as an all-pervasive religious sensibility rooted in Reformed-style Protestantism.    Everyday Puritan Beliefs Depiction of a Puritan family, 16th century. Source: Britannica   Puritanism, then, was very much a ‘living faith’ anchored in a covenantal, personal relationship with God. This covenant demanded intense personal piety, strict moral discipline, and total obedience to God.    Central to Puritan theology was the practice of a version of Calvinist predestinarianism – the idea that God had eternally predetermined who would be saved or damned, irrespective of human efforts or merit. The concept of predestination fueled intense inward scrutiny among Puritan believers, as strict moral behavior and religious zeal became outward signs of divine election.    Portrait of John Calvin reading, 16th century, Source: University of Toronto Library   In this regard, the Puritan family became the nucleus of Godly society. Marriage was considered sacred, albeit with husbands as the spiritual head of the household. Wives, by contrast, were expected to show religious faith through obedience, managing the home, and piously raising children.   Beyond the family, Puritans sought to organize society according to biblical principles. They believed the government should propagate and uphold ‘true’ religion, and that scripture should influence law, politics, and public life. Their ultimate aspiration, in this regard, was the formation of a divinely ordered society – set apart from the corruption and sin of the world Cust & Hughes, 1989).   Puritans in America Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882. Source: Wikipedia   In the early 17th century, facing religious persecution in England, many Puritans sought refuge abroad and a place where they could practice their faith freely. In 1608, a small group of separatist Congregationalists from northern England fled to the Netherlands. Then, in 1620, 102 separatists, later known as the Pilgrims, crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower and founded the Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts.   In 1630, a fleet led by John Winthrop brought around 700 Puritans to North America, laying the foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Over the next decade, approximately 20,000 more followed. Almost all those who migrated to America from England shared a common Calvinist theology and the vision of building a godly society without compromise.   Thanksgiving at Plymouth, Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1925. Source: National Museum of Women in the Arts, New York   Puritan life in America emphasized religious discipline, education, and communal responsibility. Schools were established to promote biblical literacy, and in 1636, Harvard College was founded to train ministers and religious scholars. The family was central to moral instruction and social order. Over time, the Puritans of New England collectively laid the foundations of American cultural identity itself –  from the vision of a divinely ordered society, to individual responsibility and the enduring belief in the redemptive power of hard work.    The Decline of Puritanism? The First Baptist Church, Providence, Rhode Island. Source: Wikimedia Commons   By the mid-18th century, traditional Puritanism had largely fragmented, giving rise to a wide range of Protestant denominations. Some of the movement’s more radical theological elements – such as strict predestinarianism – faded from prominence. Yet many core Puritan persisted and lived on within new religious and cultural contexts.    Today, modern Evangelical denominations – from Baptists to Quakers – continue to emphasize many Puritan ideals, from Biblical literalism and the supreme authority of scripture, to the importance of inner piety and belief in divine calling. Similarly, modern Congregationalist churches continue the early Puritan emphasis on local church autonomy and pursuit of lay leadership – free from the outside influence of higher authorities.   Beyond theology, the broader cultural influence of Puritanism has been profound. In particular, the Puritan emphasis on hard work, discipline, and self-reliance – sometimes referred to as the “Protestant ethic” – remains deeply embedded in the modern ‘West.’  In this regard, though the Puritan movement itself waned, its imprint continues to shape religious and civic life across the modern world.    Bibliography   Cust, R. and Hughes, A. (eds.) (1989) Conflict in early Stuart England: Studies in religion and politics 1603–1642. London: Longman.   Hall, D.D. (2019) Puritans: A transnational history. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.   Hill, C. (1982) Religion and democracy in the Puritan Revolution, Available at: https://democracyjournalarchive.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/hill_religion-and-democracy-in-the-puritan-revolution-democracy-2-2_-apr-1982.pdf    Van Engen, A. (2013) ‘Puritanism’, Oxford Bibliographies Online. Available at: https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199730414/obo-9780199730414-0198.xml