1469
Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country, Spain.
1512
Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology (Doctor in Biblia).
1781
At Yorktown, Virginia, representatives of British commander Lord Cornwallis handed over Cornwallis’ sword and formally surrendered to George Washington and the comte de Rochambeau.
1789
Chief Justice John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.
1805
Napoleonic Wars: Austrian General Mack surrenders his army to the Grand Army of Napoleon at the Battle of Ulm. 30,000 prisoners are captured and 10,000 casualties inflicted on the losers.
1812
Napoleon I of France retreats from Moscow.
1813
The Battle of Leipzig concludes, giving Napoleon Bonaparte one of his worst defeats.
1900
Max Planck, in his house at Grunewald, on the outskirts of Berlin, discovers the law of black body emission (Planck’s law).
1950
The People’s Republic of China joins the Korean War by sending thousands of troops across the Yalu river to fight United Nations forces.
1956
The Soviet Union and Japan sign a Joint Declaration, officially ending the state of war between the two countries that had existed since August 1945.
2005
Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.
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“Make no mistake: What we are dealing with is a real mysterious creature, not a simple and predictable machine. And like all the best fairytales, the creature is of our own creation. Only by acknowledging it as being real and by mastering our own fears do we even have a chance to understand it, make peace with it, and figure out a way to tame it and live together.”--Jack Clark, whose official title at Anthropic is head of policy
***
Went to the "No Kings" event yesterday in Boston. Some clever signs answering unasked questions, a festival mood, an older crowd. This seemed to be a meeting of people who don't like Trump--of whom there are many. (Over 48% of voters voted for Harris.) But one would think if you were mad enough at him to get up, make a sign, and join others in the street, you would have some specifics.
There's a lot wrong with the country and its direction, but they will not be solved with self-indulgent displays.
***
The Israeli military says it has carried out strikes in southern Gaza, after an alleged attack by Hamas on its troops in Rafah.
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For Tesla owners in the U.S., their 2023 Model Ys are worth 42% less than what they paid two years ago, while a Ford F-150 truck bought the same year depreciated just 20%. Older EV models depreciate even faster than newer ones.
***
A brazen robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday morning has left investigators searching for several men who made off with what officials describe as "priceless" jewels.
***
Sunday/The Widow and the Judge
In today's Gospel, the persistent widow wears down the judge. It is paired with the Old Testament reading where Moses influences Joshua's success in battle by having his friends support his arms during the combat. Both involve the advantage of regular prayer. Of courage and persistence. But Christ also raises a disquieting concept: a dishonorable judge.
Here, the judge neither feared God nor respected man. However, it raises a more significant concern: the possibility that the judge is not committed to justice.
There was a disturbing sci-fi story where the judge of this universe was a child playing with the universe given to him by his all-powerful parents as a toy. And there are countless post-Enlightenment philosophies stating the universe is, at best, godless and indifferent. Christ does not assume that such questions will not be raised. What is astonishing is how dismissive He is of them.
Sunday/The Widow and the Judge
In today's Gospel, the persistent widow wears down the judge. It is paired with the Old Testament reading where Moses influences Joshua's success in battle by having his friends support his arms during the combat. Both involve the advantage of regular prayer. Of courage and persistence. But Christ also raises a disquieting concept: a dishonorable judge.
Here, the judge neither feared God nor respected man. However, it raises a more significant concern: the possibility that the judge is not committed to justice.
There was a disturbing sci-fi story where the judge of this universe was a child playing with the universe given to him by his all-powerful parents as a toy. And there are countless post-Enlightenment philosophies stating the universe is, at best, godless and indifferent. Christ does not assume that such questions will not be raised. What is astonishing is how dismissive He is of them.
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