Issue 025

In Our Father's Hand

"He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge" Psalm 91

"Dad" by Matt Forsyth

The best dads don’t think about Father’s day. They’re too busy looking out for your future.

Thank you to my father, and yours, for they are all gifts of the One from whom all families are named. Amen!

“It’s just like the flu.”

I know I’ve said it.

But it’s not true.

I didn’t make it up. I wasn’t trying to be deceptive. COVID is just like the flu in some ways. But it is also very much not like the flu in powerful and even perplexing ways.

The problem is that even the “experts" are still shooting in the dark, and, worse, admitting that they feel justified in lying to the rest of us whenever they feel it suits them. 

It’s pretty hard to take any of them too seriously any more. But we here in the madness have beet trying. Truly, we almost lost Frisby the Hand in the trenches on this mission to pin down the actual differences between COVID and the flu. The more she learned, the less she could even begin to say.

What follows below is what we know we can say. We submit it to you as a barometer in the madness, in the hope than, for all the white noise, Us, the Chill wherever we are can work together in those sojourns to foster local understanding, good practice, patience and the hope for peaceful and quiet lives.

Speaking of white noise, don’t miss out on the new weekly podcast with myself and Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller: Stop the White Noise. If you are subscribed to the old RevFisk Raw feed, then you’ve already got two episodes on your phone. If not, you can find it here.

Is coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) like the flu?

1. Ways they are similar

They are both transmitted through infected droplets and begin with similar symptoms. 

2. How people die from COVID

Lancet says they found that COVID deaths could be classified under three categories:

• respiratory failure (with or without intervention),
• cardiogenic shock (with or without resuscitation) and
• septic shock (multiple organ failure)

3. How people die from flu

Directly through cell damage in the lungs but indirectly through bacterial infection (pneumonia) or sepsis (organ failure)

4. "Cytokine storm" immune response may be contributing to death toll

An overwhelming immune system response known as a "cytokine storm” can complicate matters. Some doctors think this may be the chief cause of “sepsis” and consequently organ failure death. 

NEWS: 06/19/20 drugs may help calm this down 

5. Do ventilators help?

Mechanical ventilation may overcompensate and lead to higher death rate but some say that the stats have not taken everything into account 

NEWS: 06/19/20 common steroid drug has prevented people dying

We do our best to speak truth here at Mad Mondays.  Wade with us through the muck as we try to protect our families and do what is best for our towns.  If you come across updated information, feel free to send it our way.  Let's get educated together.

--
Be strong, and let your heart know courage.
Rev. Fisk

Stop the White Noise is a weekly conversation between Rev. Fisk and Pastor Wolfmueller.  Use Everbook to put to shame and silence the babbling cackle of white noise in your life and do more good.

Quick Hits for the Eyebuds

• An experimental "Martian city" in Dubai
• Hey: A new email contender could challenge Google
• Ever wondered about the effects of the earth's rotation on sport? Wonder no more.
• Liquid air battery to store extra energy
• A.I. recreates painting techniques of famous artists
• ESPN site records cheering and remixes them to add ambiance to socially-distanced sports events
• Customer helped keep a cafe open by buying 100 sandwiches daily for nearby hospital staff

White Noise Free 
Clickbait Paradise

"Our society expects nothing of men"

Rev Fisk dropped this comment in a Saturday Morning Chill lately and it's an interesting thought to contemplate in the light of the decay of Western Civ and Father’s Day. Christians are not the only ones to notice that this is indeed the case, with many pointing to the portrayal of dads on TV as evidence that society sees men as superfluous oafs. There has been a sustained focus on empowering girls to sign up for what have been traditionally male careers, but it has been, (some say by design) at the expense of the formation of boys. (Joy Pullman discussed this here.)

A recent article at Unherd characterizes Western history as moving from an “honor culture” - where reputation would be defended to the death - to "a more pragmatic and constructive ‘dignity culture’ in which people were encouraged to ignore verbal insults.” The writer concludes that both have been replaced by "victimhood culture" where we all battle it out for moral supremacy based on who’s the most oppressed. However, towards the end of her piece, she places a spotlight on men, as key players in the culture wars and laments the way they can be “cancelled” just for being born male:

"During my career I have encountered numerous men who were not power-hogging sexists...but instead encouraging, kind and notably generous with their time and professional expertise. All around me I see decent men who are helping to support their families, both in work and at home, while playing a valuable part in their community. Are such men simply to be written out of the ideological picture?”

Polls have documented the dwindling presence of men in our churches and a post at Mockingbird this week suggests that fathers are lonely. We don’t need monster trucks in the narthex, but it has been suggested that men are alienated by the creeping feminization of church that has come largely through contemporary “worship” music and also by the law-only preaching so prevalent in the visible church. (Pastor Wolfmueller once quipped that men don’t like love songs, nor being told what to do, so that could explain it!)

“If civilization had been left in female hands we would still be living in grass huts.”

So says provocative feminist Camille Paglia and as much as the ladies might bristle, she has a point! Either way, for anyone who would love to see boys and men finding their place and taking up their God-given roles in our families, churches, and communities, there are many great resources to be found, including Pastor Fisk’s Issues Etc series on parenting in a progressive age and Pastor Jeff Hemmer's conversation on biblical manhood. We may not need more Chuck Norrises or MacGyvers but we probably do need men who learn public speaking, mentoring, and to pastor their families - a bit of outdoor survival won’t go astray either if Rev Fisk’s right about the coming apocalypse!

Trailmix

🎮 The hot gig for composers now is video games, not cinema

🩹 Bandaid bandwagon: multi coloured bandaids. The company had a similar range previously which was withdrawn due to lack of interest...

🧤 Glove love: the demand for PPE has made new billionaires in SE Asia

🛃🐾 Gotta seize ‘em all: a haul of fake Pokemon figurines seized by Customs

💵 Money on trees: Town in WA is printing its own money to encourage spending at local businesses

🧳 Slippery little suckers: the nasty world of eel smuggling

💀⭐ The age old problem: implausibility of the Death Star trash compactor

🤖 An interesting longread engineers, dystopia, polymath and the libertarian history of Science Fiction. 

🤣 Straight outta the First Amendment: An answer for Mr Cuomo questioning whether protests are supposed to be polite?

Only Illuminati Need Apply
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Thank you to Dawn who created a playlist of Rev. Fisk's Daniel content.

Some days are so chill..  

Let us pray: O God, because Your abiding presence always goes with us, keep us aware of Your daily mercies that we may live secure and content in Your eternal love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.