UTL COMMENT:- The whole world is fake

by Leo Hohmann, Leo’s Newsletter: We all knew she was lying when she denied just a few weeks earlier that seizing $300 billion in frozen Russian assets amounted to ‘theft’ Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted earlier this month that U.S. sanctions levied against other countries are driving nations to de-dollarize and commit to trade agreements […]

Historical Events 1918 - Socony 200, 1st concrete barge in US, launched to carry oil, NY 1932 - Paul Gorgoulov, assassin of French president Doumer, sentenced to death 1976 - Japanese ex-premier Tanaka arrested (Lockheed Affair) 1983 - 104°F (40.3°C) in Garmersdorf (German record) 1997 - "Candide" closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 103 performances 2006 - The Federal Republic of Germany is deemed guilty in the loss of Bashkirian 2937 and DHL Flight 611, because it is illegal to outsource flight surveillance More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1612 - Murad IV, Sultan of Turkey (1623-40) who conquered Baghdad, born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (d. 1640) 1881 - Hans Fischer, German organic chemist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1930), born in Hoechst, Germany (d. 1945) 1906 - Herbert Jasper, Canadian physiologist and neurologist, born in La Grande, Oregon (d. 1999) 1906 - Leo Durocher, American Baseball HOF shortstop (MLB All Star 1936, 38, 40; World Series 1928, 34; NY Yankees, St.Louis Cardinals), manager (World Series 1954 NY Giants) and coach (World Series 1963 LA Dodgers), born in West Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 1991) 1933 - Nick Reynolds, American folk singer, tenor guitarist, and bongo player (The Kingston Trio, 1957-67 - "Tom Dooley"; "M.T.A."), born in San Diego, California (d. 2008) 1968 - Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Italian actress (Postman), born in Messina, Italy More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1227 - Otto II van Lippe, bishop of Utrecht (1216-27), dies 1924 - Ferruccio Busoni, Italian piano prodigy, composer (Fantasia Contrappuntistica; Arlecchino), conductor, and pedagogue, dies of heart failure at 58 1961 - Theodore Chanler, American composer, dies at 59 1998 - William McChesney Martin, American Chairman of Federal Reserve Bank (1951-70), dies at 91 2000 - Val Dufour, American actor (Eugenie Grandet, Another World), dies at 73 2003 - Bob Hope [Leslie Townes Hope], English-born American actor, comedian and entertainer, dies at 100 More Famous Deaths »

Jesus declares a truth about you and me that we have yet to walk in fully: that our sanctification is linked to his consecration.

Every summer, I compile a list of quality Christian artists who I think should be on your radar (and playlists) if they aren’t already. (See my lists from 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.) I try to pick artists who are both musically interesting and unambiguously Christian, in authentic yet noncheesy ways. In making these lists, I focus on artists in a diverse array of genres who are newer and under the radar and who have released new music in the last year. I also look for artists making music in different nations around the world. While the broader music industry might be stagnating, Christian music is on the rise. So far this year, the Christian/gospel genre sits fourth among the fastest-growing music genres, having grown 8.9 percent in overall consumption. Much of this growth is being fueled by young (millennial and younger) audiences, which have grown to be 45 percent of the genre’s audience—up from 39 percent in 2022. Several of the emerging artists featured below are contributing to this. Contrary to some stereotypes of Christian music, the genre (especially if you look beyond Christian radio) is full of musical creativity and fresh artistry. The 15 artists I’ve highlighted below (listed alphabetically) are cases in point. Check out their music through the playlist sampler I created on Spotify and Apple Music. If you like what you hear, support these artists by following them on social media, streaming their music, and attending their concerts. Luke Bower Texas native Luke Bower caught my attention this year with his homesick-for-heaven ballad “Not My Home.” Listening to his full debut EP, Man on Fire, made it clear why he developed such a following on TikTok and Instagram. This is authentic, faith-driven, country-tinged folk music at its best. Songs to sample: “Not My Home,” “Haunted,” “Man on Fire,” “Halfway to Your Heart” Jimmy Clifton I’ve been following North Carolina singer-songwriter Jimmy Clifton for a few years now. The passionate young artist has a unique Appalachian sound (with some Bon Iver influences) and pours himself fully into every song. His songs often explore themes of freedom in Christ and overcoming struggles with pornography addiction. Songs to sample: “Hypocrite,” “More,” “Come on Love,” “Moses” Aaron Cole Though he’s only 25, Aaron Cole has already built an impressive career. With the support of TobyMac and Gotee Records, Cole has become one of the brightest young talents in Christian hip-hop. And it feels like he’s only just getting started. Check out his just-released new album, Sorry, I Changed. Songs to sample: “One More Day,” “Proof,” “Right on Time,” “Like You” Coquí Los Angeles-based Coquí (the moniker of Samuel Jacob Lopez Jr.) draws inspiration from eclectic sources—’70s psychedelic rock, ’90s hip-hop, skate-punk, his father’s vinyl collection—making his sound singular in the Christian music landscape. These aren’t radio-friendly Christian pop anthems, but they’re textured and interesting and lived in. I love following the releases of artists like Coquí because you truly don’t know how the sound will evolve from one song to the next. Songs to sample: “My Lord Provided,” “Ven Con Migo,” “Today,” “Charlie” Benjamin Daniel Benjamin Daniel makes poetic, lo-fi, unique Christian music that approaches pain, joy, beauty, and tragedy honestly and without a shred of cynicism. It’s Inklings vibes via indie rock. Daniel’s sound is hard to summarize. One reviewer recently described it as “what Jimmy Eat World or Anberlin would sound like if they were reimagined by a singer/songwriter,” and I think that’s accurate. Give his new album, The Rain Falls Sideways, a full listen. Songs to sample: “Lights Out,” “Marrow,” “Green Again,” “Fear Hymn” Forrest Frank Forrest Frank is probably the fastest-rising star on this list. Fueled by social media buzz and momentum from the viral success of Surfaces (Frank’s duo with Colin Padalecki), the Texas artist’s brand of happy, lo-fi, faith-oriented rap is striking a chord. If you’re populating playlists of upbeat, vibey Christian music for a workout mix or party, you’ll definitely want to include a few Forrest Frank tracks. Songs to sample: “Hallelujah,” “Up,” “Good Day,” “Amazing Grace” From the Ground Up Formed in the wake of a family tragedy, From the Ground Up (based in Manchester, U.K.) makes indie worship music that comes from a place of authentic hope in Christ and trust in the Creator. Beautifully eclectic and devotionally rich, From the Ground Up is a refreshing and unpretentious project with great potential. I can’t wait to see what they do next. Songs to sample: “Sweet Honey,” “Open Arms,” “Polaris,” “Reside” Dwan Hill Based in Nashville, singer-songwriter Dwan Hill is the founder of The Choir Room, a sort of pop-up choir ministry that seeks to bring together “one family of many voices singing for an audience of One.” He’s also a prominent producer, songwriter, and touring musician who has toured with the likes of CeCe Winans and Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors. Combining ’70s influences with contemporary styles, his solo work is excellent. Songs to sample: “Mansion,” “Glory,” “Where Else Can I Go?” “Turn, Turn, Turn” iAmSon Singer-songwriter iAmSon (Orlando Palmer), based in Richmond, Virginia, creates musically rich, emotionally raw, piano-forward devotional music. The multitalented iAmSon studied music at Berklee College of Music and currently serves as artist-in-residence at Redeemer Anglican Church in Richmond. He’s also a frequent collaborator on The Porter’s Gate projects. Songs to sample: “I Wanna Know,” “Easy to Love,” “Always With Me (Song for Anxiety),” “Thief (Remember Me)” Praise Lubangu Praise Lubangu, based in the U.K., has been making music for several years, releasing noteworthy collaboration tracks with a who’s who of indie Christian music (sxxnt., Trulah, IMRSQD). Her stylistic diversity, ranging from lo-fi to techno to acoustic worship, is refreshing, and her clear sense of devotion to Christ comes through beautifully in each song. Songs to sample: “Covenant,” “Candlelight,” “Raise a Hallelujah,” “Sirens” Marizu Following broader trends in global Christianity, Afro-beats and Afro-gospel are surging genres within Christian music. Nigeria alone has produced several leading voices in the genre, including Limoblaze and Calledout Music (both highlighted in previous installments of this series). Marizu is another talent to watch. His God-centered, joyful songs are both musically catchy and spiritually enriching. Songs to sample: “Abba,” “Big God,” “Working for My Good” “Never the Same” Joseph O’Brien After first gaining notoriety on season 13 of America’s Got Talent, Joseph O’Brien was signed by TobyMac’s Gotee label and has emerged as a rising talent on the Christian pop scene. At times evoking Owl City, For King and Country, or even Justin Bieber, O’Brien’s music is youthful, joyful, catchy, and worshipful. Songs to sample: “Take Your Time,” “Give Up on Love,” “Won’t Let Tomorrow,” “Down In My Heart (Joy)” Josiah Queen It’s fitting that Josiah Queen is touring in support of Forrest Frank on the Child of God Tour this summer. Like Frank, Queen is a Gen Z artist who has gained rapid indie success thanks to social media savvy and rabid online fans. Fueled by folksy viral hits “I Am Barabbas” and “The Prodigal,” Queen’s rise reached a new peak earlier this summer when his self-released debut album reached number one on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart. Songs to sample: “The Prodigal,” “My Promised Land,” “I Am Barabbas,” “Fishes and Loaves” Saint Augustine’s Music It’s so encouraging to see excellent Christian music being made by local church worship teams. Sydney’s CityAlight is perhaps the most prominent example, but there are plenty of other noteworthy groups around the world. Recently, I’ve been enjoying the music ministry of Saint Augustine’s Church in Auckland, New Zealand. Check out their lovely new EP, A Table. Songs to sample: “Here & Now,” “To Be Like You,” “You Are Good,” “Evergreen (Psalm 1)” Domas Žeromskas A recent Berklee College of Music graduate, Domas Žeromskas is a Boston-based, Lithuanian pianist and composer whose 2024 jazz album is one of my favorites of the year: Meditations on Providence and Perseverance, Vol. 1. The album intertwines his post-bop, Gospel, and Caribbean music influences and creatively reimagines his native Lithuanian composers’ songbook, as well as hymns from Christian traditions. Songs to sample: “Of Water and Spirit,” “Be Still My Soul,” “Psalm 139,” “Courage That Won’t Break” Artists Highlighted in Previous ‘Quality Christian Music’ Lists 2023 Anchor Hymns Joel Ansett Victory Boyd Bridge Music CalledOut Music Kyle Church Candace Coker Fyr Fytr Hey Barnabas! Sam McCabe Ethan Nathaniel Anna Palfreeman Skye Peterson The Soil and the Seed Project sxxnt. Madison Ryann Ward 2022 Kelsey Breedlove Will Carlisle Colorvault Cortes Elias Dummer Davy Flowers Garden Friend Land of Color Joshua Leventhal Limoblaze Mr. and Mrs. Garrett Soucy James Paek PEABOD Leslie Perez Pyramid Park Tekoa TEMITOPE 2021 Darla Baltazar Former Ruins Gable Price and Friends Ellie Holcomb Hulvey IMRSQD Judah. Eliza King Taylor Leonhardt Lovkn Maverick City Music Phil J. Bear Rinehart Sharyn Andy Squyres Yaz Williams 2020 Montell Fish Jon Guerra Claudia Isaki Loud Harp Cole McSween Medical Morning Sajan Nauriyal Tenielle Neda Jonathan Ogden John Mark Pantana The Pharaoh Sisters Chris Renzema Sarah Sparks Trulah John Van Deusen 2019 Antoine Bradford CityAlight The Corner Room Greg LaFollette Hallowell Isla Vista Worship Jess Ray Josh Gauton Latifah Makuyi Parallel Stereo Psallos Russ Mohr South of Royal Zambroa

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Foreign Affairs Western Leaders Can Learn from Viktor Orban’s ‘Peace Mission’ A communication gap has opened between NATO and both Russia and China. Credit: DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images) The recent NATO Summit in Washington D.C. was convened to celebrate the alliance’s 75th anniversary and address mounting challenges around the world. Despite ever increasing stakes, the bottom line of the summit’s final declaration is not substantially different from previous communiques: Ukraine will become a member of NATO at some unspecified point in the future. The summit itself ultimately turned out to be a non-event and was dominated by episodes on the sidelines. Predictably, American domestic politics featured prominently. After a subpar performance at the first presidential debate and a brutal news cycle that took aim at Biden’s age, the president again put the spotlight on his mental acuity when he introduced Ukrainian President Zelensky as “President Putin” during a NATO press conference. Biden has since suspended his reelection bid, but his gaffes were not the only side show to overshadow the proceedings in Washington. In the weeks preceding the summit, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban traveled to Ukraine and Russia, to meet with the warring heads of state face-to-face. To top it off, Orban met Xi Jinping in Beijing the day before the NATO summit. This world tour attracted a lot of attention during the Washington Summit. Orban’s diplomatic voyage to Russia has been criticized in the media and condemned within the EU. Despite negative coverage, Orban’s succinct report on his “peace mission” provides several insights worth paying attention to. The report states that “tensions will not decrease and [Russia and Ukraine] will not start searching for a way out of the conflict without significant external involvement.” Orban bases this observation on his conversations with the Ukrainian and Russian Presidents, “neither [of whom] would like to make initiatives for a ceasefire or peace negotiations.” The report goes on to say that the U.S. is too preoccupied with the presidential election to provide the requisite peace-oriented external involvement. If a peaceful resolution is to be worked out in the near future, the initiative will have to come from elsewhere, thus requiring the involvement of China and Turkey. This is a sober assessment, and Western leaders would be remiss to disregard it. In an interview shortly after meeting Putin, Orban emphasized that the last conference between Putin and a Western leader took place more than two years ago, when Austria’s chancellor went to Russia to confront Putin about Russia’s conduct in the war. What Orban was trying to do by holding back-to-back meetings with Zelensky and Putin was to put his finger on the pulse and close a communication gap between Russia and the West. Further, by meeting with Xi, Orban was arguably the only head of a NATO member state who adequately prepared to deliberate on the questions raised at the Washington Summit and brief his counterparts. Orban’s foreign policy tour is significant for another reason. On July 1, Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the European Council, which it will hold until the end of the year. Hungary may try to leverage its presidency to add weight to Orban’s discussions with foreign leaders. This is why Orban is being accused of violating EU treaties. It’s also why the European Commission has advised Commissioners to send lower-ranking civil servants to Ministers’ meetings organized in Budapest. Such measures are intended to snub Orban and forestall further “peace missions” as well as the attention that they receive. The structure of the EU’s bureaucracy prevents the Hungarian Presidency from significantly impacting EU foreign policy, which is the domain of the bloc’s High Representative. Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative since 2019, says that Hungary has not received a mandate from the EU to conduct diplomacy and that the EU’s official position on Russia “excludes official contacts between the EU and President Putin”. However, what Viktor Orban can do is play a game of perceptions and lean on his relationship with former President Trump, who Orban met shortly after the NATO summit. Trump also gave Orban a shoutout in his speech at the Republican National Convention. What Hungary could hypothetically do during its European Council presidency pales in comparison to what an Orban-friendly Trump White House will seek to do vis-a-vis the war in Ukraine come January 2025. All of this has caused consternation among NATO members, but it wouldn’t if Europe and the alliance took a more sensible approach and put diplomacy back on the table.Regular consultations between Western leaders and their adversaries are possible and necessary. If a majority of those leaders believe Viktor Orban cannot be trusted, then the solution is to take a page out of his book and travel to Moscow, to render his peace mission redundant by their own concerted diplomatic efforts. The post Western Leaders Can Learn from Viktor Orban’s ‘Peace Mission’ appeared first on The American Conservative.