A missionary newsletter is an update letter that missionaries send to friends, family members, and partners while overseas or doing ministry locally. This newsletter is usually sent monthly and used to update those following the missionary, about things going on in the missionary’s life, ministry, culture and more.

I have picked out 10 of the top things that I either take note of, or stay away from when writing a newsletter that stands out. These things can look different for everyone, but I hope you can find them helpful as you write newsletters that make your partners excited to know more about what is going on in your life!

Blue State Deplorable
3 hours ago edited
More liberal insanity. The fault rests with the homeowner defending his or her property and family, not the intruder intent upon appropriating another’s property or, worse, doing bodily harm. How warped and naive can you possibly be Congresswoman?

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Castlesofstonesoulnglory
3 hours ago
Translation : You must attempt to outrun a bullet before firing your own. Home invaders don't come in with a baseball bat or a knife, so you'd better be very, very fast.

Most aviation professionals don’t envision the Russian-built An-124 super-freighter playing a role in COVID-19 vaccine distribution because it’s an older, drafty plane often used to haul extra-heavy, oversize cargoes. Think helicopters, turbines and trucks. But the An-124 has a unique advantage that could make it useful: no limit on dry ice. //

Rules changes aren’t necessary with the An-124 because the more spacious the cargo cabin the more dry ice that is allowed under international dangerous goods regulations. Also, the An-124 has a special ventilation system that is separate from the crew cabin.

American conservatives should not be cheering for concentrating power in the hands of a few, whether those few are politicians or business owners. Big business and big government always collude. //

In either case, economic power is being used to enforce a new cultural and political hierarchy. It is often not the owners of the businesses doing this, but the managerial class, who are, in theory at least, only stewards of other people’s wealth.

Those on the right, such as Kevin Williamson, who sneer at boosters of small businesses, ignore these power dynamics. Perhaps it would help them to think of flourishing small businesses as a sort of economic federalism that prevents the further concentration of economic power. Just as we balance our government because concentrated power encourages tyranny, the power of big business should be balanced by a multitude of small and medium enterprises. //

Better to work for the stereotypical rich owner with a mansion on the edge of his factory town than for mid-level managers in Manhattan — the former might see workers as people, but the latter just sees numbers on a spreadsheet.

This culturally radical but economically neoliberal managerial class is the dominant force in the Democratic Party, which is increasingly comfortable identifying as the party of money. One need not look far to find self-congratulatory commentary from leftists praising themselves as the educated, productive class in society. Reality is more complicated, but it is noteworthy that Democrats want to be the party of the elite rather than of the little guy.

This gives conservatives an opportunity to rediscover our natural identity as defenders of localism. We should champion an ethos that sees small as beautiful — and that recognizes that small makes for better coffee.

“Let’s just do this simple thought experiment. I just heard today Elon Musk was moving to Texas. So the smartest man on the planet has decided to move away from the dumbest governor in the United States.” //

“So when the smartest guy in the world says, ‘I’m moving,’ what does that say to the rest of us?” //

Speaking of miserable, Adam told Tucker Southern California’s got things backwards:

“The Left has this way of approaching problems, and it’s a sort of bizarre reverse engineering of a problem. Which is, Los Angeles is like a house that’s riddled with termites. So Los Angeles’s reaction is, ‘Fire the termite inspector.'”

“And what happens to the house when you do that?” Carlson cued.

“It just turns into a pile of sawdust.” //

“[I]t’s like saying, ‘We can’t make it up the hill in this old truck. We can’t go fast enough. The engine doesn’t work.’ ‘Well, then just take the speedometer and push it with your finger up to 80 miles an hour.’ It doesn’t work.”

What recourse do one or more states have in the face of evidence that one or more other states have failed to produce — intentionally or by negligence — an election process and ballot count with integrity?

If the Supreme Court is not a forum where such disputes can be aired and resolved, what forum is there? Congress is controlled by the same partisanship that is said to be the cause of the irregularities at the state and local level. //

I have concerns that the Justices will view these matters as nonjusticiable — meaning that while there may be validity in the claims raised by Texas, the claims are political disputes between the partisan branches which they must resolve outside the judicial branch.

What other means might exist for Texas to resolve its claims is where the difficulty sets in.

Whatever else, President Trump was the Man in the Arena. With him gone, the professional conservatives can get back to the hard work of fluffing Joe Biden, admiring his genteel manner, and criticizing around the edges with no risk to the status quo or to their bottom line.

Timeline of events on the night of Nov. 3 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta

nimelennarArs Scholae Palatinaeet Subscriptorreplyabout 5 hours agoignore user
Barleyman wrote:
"Technically speaking, it landed".

It's just a little disassembled; it's still good! It's still good! //

trimetaArs Praefectuset Subscriptorreplyabout 5 hours agoReader Favignore user
khebeln wrote:
show nested quotes

Wikipedia: Triethylborane is strongly pyrophoric, igniting spontaneously in air, burning with an apple-green flame characteristic for boron compounds. Thus, it must be handled and stored in nitrogen or argon

The Raptor engine does not use TEB (or TEA, for that matter); it's spark ignition. So the only substance around that burns green is the copper which lines the ignition plate. If that's burning, the engine has ceased to be "reusable."

One other note, in addition to low pressure in the methane header tank leading to an oxygen-rich environment looking for something to burn, don't forget that that same methane is used to actively cool the chamber. So you've got hot oxygen and hot copper. Leading to hot green exhaust. //

hamjudo2000Smack-Fu Master, in trainingreplyabout 5 hours agoNew PosterReader Favignore user
This test not only demonstrated that most things worked right, it also freed up a parking place for another StarShip.

Texas argues that the case ‘presents constitutional questions of immense national consequences,’ namely that the 2020 election suffered from serious constitutional irregularities.

When Qantas began flying the Kangaroo Route in 1947, it used Lockheed Constellations. Onboard were ten crew, including three pilots, one navigator, one radio operator, two flight engineers, and three cabin crew. They looked after just 29 passengers who paid the equivalent of US$26,000 to fly from Sydney to London. Travel time was around 58 hours.

It was called the Kangaroo Route because the flight hopped its way across to London. In those early days, there were seven stops, a rollcall of interesting cities. After departing from Sydney, the Constellation stopped at Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, Castel Benito, Rome, and finally, London. //

These days, when not grounded, Qantas offers the choice of a daily A380 service via Singapore or a daily 787-9 service via Perth. British Airways normally whizzes down to Sydney via Singapore using a Boeing 777. All are a long way from the Lockheed Constellation. That contemporary 787-9 carries almost ten times as many passengers as the Lockheed, and a return ticket typically costs around US$1000. Both routes take about 21 or 22 hours, depending on the winds.

The fact that Biden is being investigated in the District of Delaware means the case involves more than just tax issues. Tax Division attorneys, and the IRS Criminal Division Special Agents who investigate the cases, have very limited authority to bring non-tax charges. Cases that involve both potential tax crimes and other financial crimes are usually handled jointly — a combined effort of a Tax Division attorney and an Assistant United States Attorney in the district where there is venue for the charges. The fact that Biden announced that his attorney was contacted by the US Attorney for the District of Delaware confirms that this is a joint-investigation and that the investigation is based in Delaware.

That means that both the alleged tax charges and any other criminal charges are both properly venued in Delaware. //

The combination of this investigation and health considerations will lead to the resignation of Joe Biden from office. Health reasons will be the public explanation, but there is no way for Joe Biden to escape the web of criminal entanglements that Hunter Biden was involved in with the Chinese and others based on the information that became public prior to the election. I’m confident there is much more evidence than what has been seen.

Steve Guest
@SteveGuest
This is only possible because of @realDonaldTrump:

🇮🇱 🇦🇪 Israel-UAE peace deal.
🇮🇱 🇧🇭 Israel-Bahrain peace deal.
🇷🇸 🇽🇰 Serbia-Kosovo economic normalization.
🇮🇱 🇸🇩 Israel and Sudan make peace and normalize relations.

Today, 🇮🇱🇲🇦Israel and Morocco normalize ties.
10:21 AM · Dec 10, 2020

Trump said Israel and Morocco would restore diplomatic and other relations, including the immediate reopening of liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv and the eventual opening of embassies. U.S. officials said it would also include joint overflight rights for airlines.

The White House said Trump and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI had agreed in a conversation that Morocco would “resume diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel and expand economic and cultural cooperation to advance regional stability.”

The U.S. will also recognize the country’s claim over Western Sahara, the former Spanish North African territory that has been a long-running dispute that has confounded international negotiators for decades, the White House said in a statement.

The fire is roaring and hot cocoa is almost ready. Here’s how to navigate all the endless streaming services to see these 25 beloved Christmas classics.

Both suits center on Facebook’s purchases of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 for $1 billion and $19 billion respectively, while also targeting smaller firms. The acquisitions, plaintiffs allege, illegally stifled online competition. The FTC is seeking to force Facebook sell Instagram and WhatsApp.

Every Chinese national citizen residing in the United States on some kind of visa is a Chinese government intelligence asset — EVERY SINGLE ONE.

Back in May, former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster penned a very provocative article in The Atlantic entitled “How China Sees the World — and How We Should See China“. It is a fascinating article I highly recommend to all, and the totality of McMasters’ views reflected in the article are beyond my ability to document here. But relative to this particular issue — the status of Chinese citizens residing in the United States — he wrote: //

This is Chinese law — “Any … citizen shall support, assist with, and collaborate with the state intelligence work in accordance with the law.” //

All Chinese Nationals in the US Are Intelligence Assets of Chinese Government -- Sleeping With Politicians Is a Tactic
By Shipwreckedcrew | Dec 09, 2020 6:15 PM ET

AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File
The disclosures regarding US politicians, including a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence — Eric Swalwell — as chronicled here by my colleague Bonchie, having been compromised by a Chinese “Honey Trap” only REINFORCE the FACT that the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army are a malevolent force in the world, and Western cultural and moral norms are irrelevant to the tactics they are willing to employ to advance the interests of the Party and the Military.

“Red Sparrow” has historically been a reference to Russian/Soviet intelligence agencies’ use of female intelligence operatives to lure western officials and diplomats into compromising sexual relationships in order to have leverage over them for blackmail purposes. Western intelligence services in the past had identified a “school” where such operatives underwent training before being deployed into foreign countries under a variety of “cover” identities.

The Chinese operate in a different manner. The “Honey Trap” device is used to place Chinese Intelligence assets in positions where they might be able to gather important information over a long period of time. Generally, it is not used for leverage or to extort the targeted individual. It is used to develop a trusting relationship that can be exploited on a continuing and ongoing basis for as long as it can be maintained. Having an “intern” in a Congressman’s office means access to computer systems and all physical spaces inside the office, both in Washington DC and back in the Congressman’s district. That is the “payoff” from the trusting relationship when it develops.

Every Chinese national citizen residing in the United States on some kind of visa is a Chinese government intelligence asset — EVERY SINGLE ONE.

Back in May, former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster penned a very provocative article in The Atlantic entitled “How China Sees the World — and How We Should See China“. It is a fascinating article I highly recommend to all, and the totality of McMasters’ views reflected in the article are beyond my ability to document here. But relative to this particular issue — the status of Chinese citizens residing in the United States — he wrote:

In 2014 and then again in 2017, the [Chinese Communist] party declared that all Chinese companies must collaborate in gathering intelligence. “Any organization or citizen,” reads Article 7 of China’s National Intelligence Law, “shall support, assist with, and collaborate with the state intelligence work in accordance with the law, and keep the secrets of the national intelligence work known to the public.” Chinese companies work alongside universities and research arms of the People’s Liberation Army…. In addition to espionage and cybertheft by the Ministry of State Security, the party tasks some Chinese students and scholars in the U.S. and at other foreign universities and research labs with extracting technology.

This is Chinese law — “Any … citizen shall support, assist with, and collaborate with the state intelligence work in accordance with the law.”

Chinese “students,” “academics,” and others living in the United States must regularly visit Chinese consulates to be interviewed by consulate officials as part of being given permission to remain in the United States. They are expected to gather intelligence and report what they have learned during the interviews. The leverage over them is that they all have family still in China.

Last week, Secretary Pompeo made an announcement that was largely overlooked with all the election “happenings” — canceling five Chinese “cultural exchange” programs under Section 108A of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act (MECEA) that allow U.S. government employees to travel using foreign government funds. All five programs were funded by money from the Chinese Communist Party. The programs were canceled because the State Department determined that the US government employees traveling to China as part of the program were exposed only to Chinese Communist Party and Government officials, not the Chinese people, and the only purpose of the exchanges was to promote CCP propaganda to US officials.

“Confuscious Institutes” are Chinese funded organizations on the campuses of US universities also set up as part of a “cultural exchange” for the purpose of giving US college instructors and students greater awareness of China by teaching Chinese languages, history, and culture. Chinese scholars visit the Institutes and the Institutes fund travel by US academics and students to China. But as this Politico article showed two years ago, the Institutes are really nothing more than “Trojan Horses” through which Chinese spies gained entry into the country and a role at United States research universities in order to conduct espionage.

A 2011 speech by a standing member of the Politburo in Beijing laid out the case: “The Confucius Institute is an appealing brand for expanding our culture abroad,” Li Changchun said. “It has made an important contribution toward improving our soft power. The ‘Confucius’ brand has a natural attractiveness. Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical.”

“Soft power” and “excuse of teaching” don’t seem to suggest an interest on the part of the Chinese government in helping US academics and students distinguish between Mandarin and Cantonese languages, or to distinguish artifacts of the Ming Dynasty from those of the Yuan Dynasty, or to understand what to expect when they order Szechuan Chicken rather than Hunan Chicken at Panda Express.

But let’s return to the travails of Eric Swalwell and other Democrat politicians in Northern California.

A basic primer for US government officials and businessmen — take a look in the mirror. If what stares back at you is not a version of Brad Pitt that would set afire the heart of a 22-year-old recently graduated college female who just happens to be a Chinese national in the US on a student visa, when you find yourself rolling around a hotel room naked with that same young woman, you should not chalk it up to the fact that you are a “smooth operator” with your come-on lines.

Many years ago, I had the occasion to discuss this very subject with an attractive US intelligence agency representative who happened to be a close acquaintance of an AUSA I knew. At the time, I did not work in a location that had a significant military installation or city with high-level banking or business headquarters of companies like defense contractors, so I never had much exposure to “intelligence” matters. This intelligence agency representative was in the process of transferring away from such an area and told the story of a federal agent who had been “befriended” on a flight to Hong Kong by an Asian female flight attendant. They got together while he was in Hong Kong on business, and a relationship developed. He was not doing “intelligence” work at the time — he was doing counter-terrorism work. He was in his early 50s, divorced, with adult children. Basically, his life was his own. He ends up helping her — not in an illegal way — get a job offer from a US-based airline, and they settle into a relationship with each flying to spend time with the other. He was continually cautioned by supervisors because she was a foreign national, and certain disclosures were required of him. Sure enough, after their relationship ended she quit her US job and returned to living in Hong Kong, It turned out she was tentatively identified later as a Chinese national who had positioned herself to be close to him to see if there was anything she might learn.

The female intelligence agency representative said the US was the only intelligence community in the world that she was aware of where “sex” as a tactic was against “policy.” She shrugged when I asked how well the “policy” is adhered to in her experience — not her specifically but with regard to her knowledge. But she said, “If I was of a mindset to use sex as a tactic, and it was accepted policy, I would never run out of productive work, and I could feed valuable information almost non-stop into intelligence databases.”

That’s why a “hot” Chinese national female wanted to be Eric Swalwell’s squeeze on the side.

The Chinese use sex as a tactic to gain intelligence. It is not frowned upon. The paramount consideration is assistance to the Party and the State — by whatever means necessary.

The United States and other western nations superimpose “Judeo Christian” values and morality on foreign cultures — the Chinese in this case — which are neither Judeo nor Christian. Morality reflected in ethics or monogamy is irrelevant to the concepts of statecraft and espionage to the CCP and Chinese military.

MI5 made this clear to UK businessmen and government officials back in 2010!!!

In a 14-page document distributed last year to hundreds of British banks, businesses, and financial institutions, titled “The Threat from Chinese Espionage,” the famed British security service described a wide-ranging Chinese effort to blackmail Western businesspeople over sexual relationships. The document, as the London Times reported in January, explicitly warns that Chinese intelligence services are trying to cultivate “long-term relationships” and have been known to “exploit vulnerabilities such as sexual relationships … to pressurise individuals to co-operate with them.”

The US has put out the poison bait for itself by being so indiscriminate in how it allows Chinese national citizens to come into the country and then remain. Our “openness” to cultural exchanges, and the vehemence with which any hint of “racism” is denounced when any government policy is premised on where a foreign national comes from, are sowing the seeds for our own destruction.

Read H.R. McMaster’s article linked above.

The party’s leaders believe they have a narrow window of strategic opportunity to strengthen their rule and revise the international order in their favor—before China’s economy sours, before the population grows old, before other countries realize that the party is pursuing national rejuvenation at their expense, and before unanticipated events such as the coronavirus pandemic expose the vulnerabilities the party created in the race to surpass the United States and realize the China dream. The party has no intention of playing by the rules associated with international law, trade, or commerce. China’s overall strategy relies on co-option and coercion at home and abroad, as well as on concealing the nature of China’s true intentions. What makes this strategy potent and dangerous is the integrated nature of the party’s efforts across government, industry, academia, and the military.