How dirty old used cars from the US and Europe carry on polluting … in Africa

The typical car will go for its last drive sometime between its 10th and 15th year on Earth. At this point, the vast majority are sent to be recycled or sold for parts. But for a few autos, a second lease on life awaits, as a significant percentage are exported from richer nations to developing nations for a few more years on the road.

In countries across Africa and Latin America, old used cars from places like the U.S. and Europe provide vital access to transportation to people who would otherwise be unable to afford their own vehicles. While this process extends the lives of these cars, the practice is not without problems, in particular with regards to pollution and passenger safety.

Kids and screen time - an expert offers advice for parents and teachers

 How much time did your child spend looking at a screen today?

The answer likely depends on how old they are, what grade they’re in at school and what rules you have in place at home about screen time. But the reality is that, for children and adolescents growing up as “digital natives”, it is almost impossible to imagine life without screens of some sort.

Devices like cellphones, laptops and tablets have become ubiquitous as tools for entertainment and education in most parts of the world. This has led parents, guardians, teachers and researchers to wonder whether screens are good or bad for children.

The World Health Organization recommends that school-going children (five-17 years) limit their recreational screen time. The recommendation for two to four year-olds is not more than one hour of screen time per day (less is better); it suggests that children younger than two should have no screen time. Research evidence suggests that children and adolescents were already exceeding these recommendations, and that the COVID-19 pandemic only made this worse.

The transgender madness

According to Wikipedia, a transgender person (often abbreviated to trans person) is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender proponents and activists have taken the issue to ridiculous dimensions that portend serious danger the normal human society. They are literally trying to rewrite everything we know about relationships and society. Women and children are mostly affected. The article below highlights aspects of the dangerous trend of transgender madness.

We must halt this transgender madness– it is hurting women and girls - LEO McKINSTRY

TRANSGENDER ideology continues to tighten its demented grip on our society, destroying the rights of women, ruining the innocence of childhood and making a mockery of biological science.

Without any mandate from the public our civic institutions are surrendering to a tiny band of zealots, who are bent on the subversion of humanity.

It was revealed that Altrincham Grammar for Girls, one of the country's most successful state schools, is to adopt so-called "gender neutral" language to avoid offence to pupils who are "questioning" their identity. In this linguistic exercise in social engineering, girls are now to be called "students" because, according to head teacher Stephanie Gill, "being misgendered can be very hurtful".

Such words almost sound like a parody of politically correct dogma but tragically Altrincham's example is just part of a growing pattern of transgender madness. The National Association of Head Teachers sent out guidance in late 2017 which urged "gender neutral phrasing" for uniforms and called for the celebration of "trans people, issues and experiences within the school" to "ensure the visibility of trans perspectives".

In the same vein the Scottish Government has proposed to let 12-year-olds change their legal gender, while the Lancashire NHS conducted a survey in 2017 asking 10-year-old children if they "feel comfortable in their gender". 

The trans movement pretends to be progressive but it is the very opposite. Its entire doctrine smacks of cruelty, misogyny and bigotry. As the Altrincham case demonstrates it wants to airbrush women and girls out of the story.

Artificial intelligence is potentially dangerous - Dr Hinton, the Godfather of A.I.

Geoffrey Hinton helped nurture the technology at the heart of chatbots like ChatGPT but is now worried it will cause serious harm.

Geoffrey Hinton was an artificial intelligence pioneer. In 2012, Dr. Hinton and two of his graduate students at the University of Toronto created technology that became the intellectual foundation for the A.I. systems that the tech industry’s biggest companies believe is a key to their future.

On Monday, however, he officially joined a growing chorus of critics who say those companies are racing toward danger with their aggressive campaign to create products based on generative artificial intelligence, the technology that powers popular chatbots like ChatGPT.

Dr. Hinton said he has quit his job at Google, where he has worked for more than a decade and became one of the most respected voices in the field, so he can freely speak out about the risks of A.I. A part of him, he said, now regrets his life’s work.

Serving God with the whole family (Joshua 24.15; Colossians 3.18-21)

The family is the unit of the society. If the family is peaceful, godly and prosperous, the same trend would be seen in the society and the nation at large. That is why the devil targets the family and seeks to disrupt and destroy the home. An example is what Satan did to the families of Job and David with the attendant negative consequences on the society. Today, the devil causes divorce, waywardness, rebellion, conflicts, business and career failure, poverty, backsliding, infidelity, etc in order to remove harmony from homes and destroy the family.

One way to defeat this enemy of the family is to serve God together as a family. God has placed believers in homes to serve as the connecting link with heaven’s power and as intercessors for those who are still aliens to the grace of God. Believers must do everything in their power to see that members of the family serve God together.

The family is an institution that is of great importance to God. Having instituted it, He gave clear commands in the Scripture concerning it. These commands reveal His original plan for the family and how it should be preserved to continue to fulfil that plan. Departure from these clear commands will certainly bring problems in families. When God’s commands are broken, His blessings cannot be claimed or enjoyed.

The devil is unrelenting in his quest to disrupt families so as to frustrate God’s purpose and negatively impact the society at large. Part of his weapons include spirit of disobedience, waywardness and unscriptural ambition in children; marital and financial unfaithfulness among couples; immoral activities in the family fuelled by social media and wrong use of technology; peer pressure and worldliness. The believing members of the family must stand in the gap and contend against these ungodly forces threatening the families. The Lord will surely salvage and secure our families and bring His will for our homes to pass as we call on Him.

Ponder: What are the best things in life?

The best things in life are things money cannot buy. You can buy a crowd but you cannot buy true friendship. You can buy fear but you cannot buy loyalty. You can buy insurance but can't buy well-being and health. You can buy security service but cannot buy safety. You can buy religion but cannot buy salvation. You can buy happiness but you cannot buy joy. You can buy serenity but you cannot buy peace. You can buy power but you cannot buy authority. You can buy the things of the world but you cannot buy heavenly things. You can buy ephemeral things but cannot buy eternal things. So, evaluate your life. What are the things you have? If all that you have is what money can buy or has bought then your life is suboptimal and you are very poor. 

Inspiration corner: Be Focused

A ship that sails by every wind never comes to harbour. If you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks, you'll never get home. A life without focus is like an unsharpened pencil, it has no point, and cannot make a meaningful impact. The convex lens focuses sunlight on a spot of a paper and can cause it to burn through. The focused life is a life of power and impact. Focus has to do with heart fixation, prioritization, purposefulness, and persistence. Challenges are inevitable in life but the right focus will pull you through. If you aim at nothing, you'll surely hit it. A goal-less life is wasted existence. Have focus in life, but much more importantly, have the right focus - PowerLines.