You can see the locations of known outdoor surveillance cameras in the MapQuest app.

(RNS) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday (Oct. 15) that the Pentagon will not livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter, backing away from a proposal that triggered widespread pushback from prominent religious leaders.

The men of my church are attending a men’s retreat this weekend, and since it’s in Santa Cruz County I decided to take a few more days off and make a little Santa Cruz vacation out of it. I haven’t had a _proper_ vacation in a few years anyway. So I booked a hotel and off I went. What’d I want to do in Santa Cruz? Same thing I did when I lived in the area: Not a lot! Whenever I came to town, it was usually for shopping, restaurants, and coffeehouses. I don’t have any shopping to do, so that largely leaves restaurants and coffeehouses. Can you make a vacation of that? Absolutely. Well, _I_ can. Two problems I ran into right away. First, my job has me on a nocturnal schedule. If it helps, think of it as Pakistani time: I wake around 8ish, and go to bed around 12ish, but swap the AM for PM. I have to get _off_ this schedule when I’m on vacation, which is easier said than done. Really the best thing would be for me to simply vacation in Pakistan. Whenever I’ve adjusted to daylight hours in the past, it always wound up slightly askew: I wake up around 3 or 4 in the morning, and go to bed at 8. I’ve tried to get closer to 6AM and 10PM, but every time I stay up till 10 or later, I still wake up at 3 all the same. My body simply doesn’t wanna adjust any further. It’s not ideal, but I try to make it work by reading and writing until everybody else wakes up. Anywho, since I was in Santa Cruz I just figured I’d go a coffeehouse in the morning. Lots of coffeehouses I used to go to; I could probably hit up a different one every day of my trip. So that was the plan: Out of the hotel at 5, and get some coffee, maybe a bagel; something basic. This plan was foiled by the fact coffeehouses in Santa Cruz don’t open till 7. Seriously. Oh yes, there’s Starbucks and Peet’s, but I have Starbucks and Peet’s back home and didn’t _wanna_ visit any of the coffee places I have back home. I wanted the unique-to-S.C. places. Only one of them opened at 6, though. The rest required me to kill time till they finally opened their doors at 7. Two didn’t open till 8; one didn’t open till 9. That’s right, _NINE ANTE MERIDEM_. Does _no one_ need coffee in the early, early morning? I mean, I _coulda_ gone to 7-Eleven or McDonald’s or a gas station. But again, I could get that sludge back home. (Actually, Circle K’s coffee isn’t bad.) When I first moved to Scotts Valley, it was to attend Bethany College in the mid-1990s. This was before Starbucks went national; this was when coffee was still 50 cents at gas stations and fast food restaurants. But there _were_ coffeehouses I frequented back home, and I figured I’d find similar hangouts in Scotts Valley. But nuh-uh. They _did_ have a coffeehouse in town, which opened at 8 and closed at 5. I was warned away from it because they used Scotts Valley tap water to make the coffee, and I barely recommend using S.V. water in your _toilet_ ; that’s how bad it tastes. I had one professor who used to make coffee with the tap water, and the really strong beans he preferred did _not_ conceal the water’s foul taste. It was one of the rare times I turned down coffee. This is why whenever we college kids went out to coffee, we went to Santa Cruz or Capitola. So I got to know the coffee scene. It has of course changed over the last 30 years. Mr. Toots is still in Capitola; the White Raven (where I’m writing this) is still in Felton; Santa Cruz Coffee Roasters is still a-roasting… but I can buy their beans back home. Jahva House was gone by the time I moved back in the ’00s. Café Pergolesi folded just after I left. Espresso Royale became Lulu Carpenters; then the owner decided he didn’t want college kids to be his customer base anymore and did his darnedest to alienate them, and wound up alienating me too. Well, this wasn’t _just_ a coffeehouse tour. I did visit a few restaurants I hadn’t been to in a while. Others were shut down for renovations; others were straight-up gone. The restaurant biz can be cruel. As is the bookstore biz; Logos Bookstore shut down a few years ago, but I noticed the city is planning to move the public library into its old building, and that’s actually a great place for it. And _man_ are there a lot of new high-rise apartments downtown. It’s getting gentrified big-time. Not sure I like that. Wealthy citizens have a bad habit of fighting any weirdness, and weirdness is one of the many things keeping Santa Cruz fun. Oh yes; I _did_ visit the Boardwalk. But only to use the bathroom. I spent far more time on Capitola Village’s beach, watching the surfers as I waited for Mr. Toots, and later Pizza My Heart, to open. Wasn’t wasted time at all; my phone is loaded with books to read, which is the _other_ thing I really like to do on vacation. What do you think I do in all these coffeehouses anyway?

Supergirl (2026) is the follow-up to Superman (2025), featuring Kara Zor-El [Milly Alcock], the Kryptonian cousin of Clark Kent [David Corenswet]. It was always gonna be compared to Superman, which is a high bar to hurdle. Most of Superman’s success is the fact it’s fun. You know, like the better Marvel movies… and unlike the DCEU. It has parts which make the comic book nerds go, “Awesome, it’s got that!” It has parts which make those less familiar with the books go, “Oh that’s cool,” or “Wow, neat,” or “Wait, what?” It has a sense of humor. It has action

#### Matthew 3.7-8, Luke 3.7-8A. In _Mark_ we only see John the baptist’s appearance, plus the obligatory reference to that _Isaiah_ passage about preparing the Lord’s way and making his paths straight. Is 40.3 In the other synoptic gospels we see the same thing… _plus_ a bit where John rebukes some of the people who aren’t all that repentant; who’ve come to the desert to gawk at him. Because of the time _Matthew_ and _Luke_ spend on this bit, you might get the wrong idea—that this was _all_ John taught. That his only purpose was to denounce popular Jewish culture for being hypocritical and only worthy of God’s wrath. You’d especially get this wrong idea if your favorite preachers _taught_ this was John’s main purpose—and likewise teach it’s _their_ main purpose. This is how dark Christianity perpetuates itself. But this is _not_ John’s main purpose, nor his main message. Preparing the Lord’s way does _not_ consist of raging against all the evil and corruption in the world. It’s doing as John _usually_ did: Telling people their sins are forgiven, and baptizing them so they can follow the LORD anew. We Christians are supposed to do this too. _And_ when the religious snobs come to visit our churches and meetings, and complain we’re not doing it in a manner which pleases them, _then_ we can respond to ’em like John did. _Matthew_ 3.7-8 KWL 7Seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, _John_ told them, “Spawn of vipers! Who whispered to you² to flee the coming wrath? 8So produce the worthy fruit of repentance!” _Luke_ 3.7-8 KWL 7So _John_ said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “Spawn of vipers! Who whispered to you² to flee the coming wrath? 8ASo produce the worthy fruit of repentance!” Christianity is meant to be a _lifestyle_ of repentance. And by “repentance” I don’t mean feeling remorseful and guilty all the time, constantly apologizing for all our past misdeeds, constantly apologizing for _others’_ many and egregious misdeeds. (I mean, there’s obviously a time to tell American Indians you’re dreadfully sorry for your white ancestors murdering their ancestors, or looking the other way as your ancestors moved onto their stolen land… and a time _not_ to. True of other such atrocities.) Christianity isn’t supposed to be about continuously beating ourselves up for being dirty sinners. Some churches do that, and they’re absolutely wrong to. Properly, repentance is about _going the other way_. You _used_ to run towards sin; now go the other way. You _used_ to rush towards evildoing and revenge and trolling; now go the other way. You _used_ to embrace insults and trash talk and sarcasm; now go the other way. _Used_ to, right? If not, maybe you’d better start producing the worthy fruit of repentance. #### The religious snobs. We tend to bash these groups for being religious snobs, while ignoring much of our own condescending attitudes towards other religions, and towards fellow Christians who don’t worship like we do. They’re in the gospels to warn us away from adopting their behavior. _Not_ to simply say, “Thank you Lord that I am not a Pharisee nor Sadducee nor secular pagan who only pays you lip-service; I fast twice a week and tithe whatever I get.” Lk 18.11-12 Never presume just because we don’t share their labels that we don’t share their trespasses. Oh, and _don’t_ share their trespasses. In John’s crowd, we have: * **PHARISEES.** These are the _religious_ Jews—as opposed to irreligious, secular Jews. Most were actually trying to follow God as best they could; it’s why they went to synagogue so they could learn the Law of Moses in excruciating detail, and never violate it—or at least learn all the useful loopholes. Yeah—same as Christians—many were hypocrites, faking it for social and political acceptance. But don’t get the wrong idea _all_ Pharisees were that way. * **SADDUCEES.** These are the Reform Jews of the day: They believed in God and upheld the Law, but didn’t believe in angels, miracles, present-day prophets, afterlife, resurrection, or End Times; and only had five books in their bible. When they weren’t working in temple they lived much like their Greco-Roman patrons. Freakishly, these are the folks who ran Judea: The head priest, his family, and the leading families of Jerusalem, were Sadducee. * **LEVITES.** Israel consisted of 13 tribes—12 with land, and Levites were the 13th, a tribe of priests who lived in cities and took turns serving in temple. John was a Levite himself. Some were Pharisee, some Sadducee, some in other Jewish sects. But all were involved in temple. * **THE ROMANS.** _Luke_ 3.14 says there were soldiers in John’s crowd, and the only soldiers were Roman—occupying troops originally sent to help Herod 1 suppress his own people, but after Herod died, Cæsar Augustus turned Judea from a client state to a Roman province, and the troops were there to support the Roman procurators and the taxmen. Understandably, Judeans didn’t care for them—and some would object to John even teaching them to be saved. But salvation is for everyone; even gentiles. * **“THE CROWDS.”** In _Luke_ , John appears hostile to everybody, not just the religious folks. _Everybody_ gets slammed in his preaching. No exceptions. But it’s fair to say most of them were Pharisees—because in their End Times timeline, Elijah comes before Messiah, and they wondered whether John was this Elijah. (Spoiler: He is.) #### Prophetic disdain for religious snobs. Elsewhere I pointed out some preachers and commentators claim John was Essene. There are some _really_ shaky grounds for this idea, but they ignore all the shaking and insist on it. I say ignore them. After the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the 1940s, people presumed the separatist Jewish sect which collected them—the Qumranis; the zealots who occupied Masada when the Romans invaded in the year 70—were actually the Essenes, and John came from _this_ sect. Again, no he wasn’t. But I will point out one of the popular Qumrani beliefs was that heretics—meaning the Sadducees—had taken over the temple, and needed to be overthrown. In the Qumrani version of the End Times, Sadducee priests and Pharisee rabbis were some of the “sons of darkness,” whereas _they_ were the sons of light. At some point, the sons of light would fight the sons of darkness, win, and the two messiahs (yep, they believed in two messiahs) would rule Israel: The Messiah of Israel would rule the nation, and the Messiah of Aaron would run the temple. When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in the great tribulation, the Qumranis believed it to be the End, and fought these “sons of darkness” to the death. _Their_ death; none survived. Which just goes to show how getting the End Times wrong can become a really big deal. Anyway, Qumranis weren’t alone in thinking Sadducees and Pharisees were heretic, or at least profoundly wrong and corrupt. I don’t know whether John shared the Qumranis’ sentiment, but he _did_ call these people γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν/_yennímata ehidnón_ , “spawn of vipers” (KJV “generation of vipers,” NIV “brood of vipers”). Yes, the vipers were intentionally meant to remind people of the serpent of Eden, i.e. Satan. “Spawn of vipers” would’ve been immediately recognized as an offensive term; exactly like “sons of bitches” in ours. (Whoops, should’ve warned you that profanity was coming. I’ll wait while you go get your fainting salts and fan yourself.) Why was John trying to offend them? We can tell from what he said next: “Produce the worthy fruit of repentance.” Which they weren’t doing. They were producing the fake stuff. Stuff which made ’em look good in public, but didn’t impress God any. John nailed down the sort of fruit he meant: Stuff which demonstrates to _God_ , not others, they’re serious about following him.

Whenever we fast, prayer needs to be a part of it. Yes, fasting helps us develop spiritual maturity; yes, fasting increases our self-discipline and self-control; yes, fasting shows our commitment to God (assuming we _are_ doing it for God, and not because we have an ulterior motive to lose a pound or two). Yes, it has its spiritual benefits. But its _point_ is the hardcore pursuit of God, whom we love more than calories. So we _should_ be talking with him throughout. And in the scriptures, when we see people fast, that’s what they’re doing: Talking with God. Usually because they have a dire need or have a serious question, and want God to help or answer ’em. And that’s fine; God _wants_ us to bring our questions and needs to him. First thing is to _not_ bring public attention to your fasting, lest you want God to ignore your requests because you’re _really_ just fasting for the attention. _Matthew_ 6.16-18 NLT 16 _“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”_ Forget the burlap and ashes; yes I _know_ people in the Old Testament did it, but they didn’t know any better. Cancel any lunch or dinner dates—don’t do that thing where you go to them anyway, but conspicuously don’t eat; that’s hypocrisy too. Go through your day as usual, but instead of eating, pray. Seek God’s aid and answers. #### Old Testament examples. The New Testament has a few examples of fasting and prayer as well, but today I’m gonna focus on the Old Testament examples. When they were petitioning God and included fasting, things tended to be a lot more dire. **JONAH BEN AMITTAI.** Jonah’s story is fairly well-known by most Christians, ’cause we’ve largely made it a Sunday-school story. He was sent to Assyria to tell them their capital city Nineveh would be destroyed. He didn’t want to; he tried to flee to Spain—as if the LORD’s not _everywhere_ —so God had a storm smack their boat around until Jonah offered to be thrown overboard to save them. God then had a big fish (which Jesus identified as a whale, Mt 12.40 KJV because the ancients classified whales as fish) swallow Jonah and spit him up on a beach, so Jonah grudgingly proclaimed Nineveh’s destruction. And the Assyrians _repented_. _Jonah_ 3.5-10 NLT 5The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. 6When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. 7Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: > “No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. 8People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. 9Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.” 10When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. Thus turning Jonah into a false prophet. Which enraged Jonah, who just _knew_ the LORD was gonna be a big softy towards his beloved Assyrians, and Jonah wished God would just kill him now. Jh 4.1-3 But tantrum-throwing prophets aside, my obvious point is the fasting meant the Assyrians were serious and earnest, and God heard ’em. **JOEL BEN PETHUEL.** The prophet Joel declared “the LORD’s Day” was coming to Jerusalem. Plenty of Christians claim this term means Jesus’s second coming, when he returns to smite the wicked and gather the faithful. And no, in the book of _Joel_ , it doesn’t. “The LORD’s Day” refers to any day in human history when God decides enough is enough, and disaster is going to befall a sinful people-group, exactly like he was planning to do with Nineveh. Even though you might be a devout believer, _you’re still part of that sinful people-group._ Daniel and Ezekiel got deported to Babylon same as the sinners. There were many Christians in Germany who had _not_ capitulated to the Nazis when the Allies defeated them in 1945, and they were bombed and shot just the same. For that righteous segment of the population, Joel had a message from God for them: _Joel_ 2.12-18 NLT 12That is why the LORD says, _“Turn to me now, while there is time._ _Give me your hearts._ _Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning._ 13 _Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,_ _but tear your hearts instead.”_ Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. 14Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before. 15Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. 16Gather all the people— the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. 17Let the priests, who minister in the LORD’s presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray, “Spare your people, LORD! Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery. Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’ ” 18Then the LORD will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land. Call others to fast along with you; get ’em to drop what they’re doing (or in the case of the newlyweds in verse 16, _whom_ they’re doing) and repent as a nation. If they do that, God’ll save them. Spoiler: They didn’t do that. The few who _did_ listen to Joel and fasted, weren’t enough to stop Jerusalem’s destruction. **DANIEL.** Daniel was one of the Judean nobles who lived through that destruction, got deported to Babylon, and even though _he_ did relatively well in that culture—maintaining his government position even after Kūruš of Persia conquered the neo-Babylonian Empire, and Darayava’uš (KJV “Darius”) succeeded him—he still mourned for his homeland. _Daniel_ 9.1-3 NLT 1It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. 2During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the LORD, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. 3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes. He gave a big ol’ repentant prayer, Da 9.4-20 and in response God sent him Gabriel to tell him the future. Da 9.21-27 Daniel wanted answers and hope; the LORD sent Gabriel with answers and hope. **ESTHER BAT ABIHAIL.** Esther was the queen consort of Darayava’uš’s son Xšayārša (KJV “Ahasuerus,” NIV “Xerxes”), and Xšayārša’s vizier Haman bar Hammedatha had convinced the king to make it legal for Persians to kill any Jews they found among them, all on one day—13 Adar 473BC. Es 3.8-14 _Esther_ 4.1-15 NLT 1When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail. 2He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning. 3And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes. 4When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed. She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused it. 5Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning. 6So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the palace gate. 7Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. 9So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message. 10Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: 11“All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” 12So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai. 13Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” 15Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16“Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” 17So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. You’ll notice the fasting, but no reference made to prayer. That’s because the Hebrew text of the book of _Esther_ deliberately left God and religion out of the story. But it’s awfully hard to hide the fact you don’t just fast for no reason. Nor Mordecai’s comment about just _who_ made his cousin the queen. In any event, Xšayārša didn’t kill Esther when she showed up uninvited, and she had to throw him two banquets before she got up enough nerve to tell him _she_ was one of the people who’d be slaughtered on 13 Adar. In his wrath, Xšayārša had Haman crucified, then passed a law permitting the Jews to defend themselves and spoil their enemies, and that pretty much undid Haman’s edict. And now Jews celebrate 13 Adar every year as Purim. **EZRA BAR SERAIAH.** Ezra the scribe was a Levite who led a group of settlers from Babylon to reestablish Jerusalem during the reign of Xšayārša’s son Artaxšaçā (KJV “Artaxerxes”). Because Ezra wanted to show off to Artaxšaçā how they had God’s favor, he didn’t accept any royal escort—so now they really _had_ to pray for God’s favor. _Ezra_ 8.21-23 NLT 21And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. 22For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.” 23So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer. Our culture has been _so_ spoiled by our highway patrols and state troopers; raiders and “highwaymen” were a _constant_ problem in the past. But God kept Ezra and his party safe. **NEHEMIAH BAR HACALIAH.** Decades later, Artaxšaçā’s cupbearer Nehemiah heard things weren’t going well in Jerusalem; they still hadn’t built the city wall. So Nehemiah turned to God. _Nehemiah_ 1.4 NLT When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. He recorded just what he prayed to God, and months later brought it up to Artaxšaçā, who quickly sent him to Jerusalem to fix the problem, and granted all his other requests “because the gracious hand of God was on me.” Ne 2.8 NLT #### Takeaways. Notice in all these stories, how it isn’t just the fasting—or the burlap—which moves God to act. It’s the fact these folks were sincere and earnest about what they requested. They didn’t take for granted the fact they were God’s chosen people. (And yes, that includes the Assyrians; _every_ culture thinks they’re God’s chosen people, even if they’re not.) They didn’t presume anything except that God was more apt to hear them when they actively demonstrated they prioritized him over food. These stories don’t prove God _will_ or _must_ say yes to our requests when we fast and pray. Sometimes we ask for the wrong things. Sometimes we’re _fasting_ when we ask for the wrong things. God’s never under any obligation to grant us absolutely anything we request. He’ll answer; he’ll tell us no. Even when we earnestly, sincerely want it, he knows what’s best; he’ll tell us no. We have to trust him, accept that, and move on. I have blind friends God’s not cured, deaf friends he’s not cured; they _still_ get hassled by well-meaning Christians who insist they’ve just gotta pray harder and maybe try fasting. No; those well-meaning Christians need to read their bibles instead of cherry-picking verses which suggest God always answers yes. He does not. But he _does_ answer, and it’s the _right_ answer. And isn’t that what we want after a good fast?—a good answer from God. Always pray for that.