‘Ghana was the crime scene’: The country leading the demand for slavery reparations presents three quite different perspectives. The wicked West is perhaps the mostly fondly held in the present age, but that is to disregard the rôle that at least one of those nations played in both the abolition of the trade and slavery itself, though not without much opposition from many who lived in West Africa even until living memory. That of King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, which is not given the space it rightly deserves in this article, is the least likely to be heard, and most likely to be rejected, but in Coco’s understanding probably much closer to the truth that many would wish to acknowledge. The third view is that which describes the corruption of some of the modern efforts to alleviate some of the poverty, which existed before even the West was involved, by the personal economic interests of organisations involved.
Continue readingHistory
Indulgences
Perhaps Coco may be forgiven for thinking that indulgences had ceased after 31 October 1517 following the posting by Martin Luther of his 95 theses at Wittenberg five hundred years ago, but what do we find? Not only are indulgences still available, there are some who think that even our governments should provide them.
Would you, dear Reader, like permission from your government to break the laws without fine or penalty for four years? You would be free to do whatever you wished, at whatever cost to anyone else, and get away with it. But hold on a moment, if you may obtain such an indulgence from your government, may not another, and another? What then? The other does something that affects, damages and hurts you, and now you have no redress. Is this really a good idea?
Continue readingJesus is King
I have set my king on Zion. Three thoughts on the consequences
Jesus is our God and king
He lived and died new life to bring
He shall return judgement to bring
When the trumpet loud shall ring
Jesus lives and is our king
He who died and rose now reigns
He’ll come again judgement to bring
Upon us all as he ordains
Jesus lives! He is the king
Who gave himself for sin to die.
He shall return judgement to bring
Be ready now, the end is nigh!
- Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
“Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then he shall speak to them in his wrath, and distress them in his deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to me, ‘You are my son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in him. ↩︎
Un-Iberian Astrolabe
Coco noted it in a very interesting article about an astrolabe about to be sold at auction:
Courtesy Sotheby’s
Theresienstadt
Ilse Weber (1903-1944) was an Austro-Czech composer who wrote this song during her time in Theresienstadt before she left for Auschwitz where she was murdered in the gas chamber with her young son.
Ich wandre durch Theresienstadt,
das Herz so schwer wie Blei.
Bis jäh mein’ Weg ein Ende hat,
Bis jäh mein’ Weg ein Ende hat,
dort knapp an der Bastei.
dort knapp an der Bastei.
Dort bleib ich auf der Brücke stehn
und schau ins Tal hinaus:
ich möcht so gerne weiter gehn,
ich möcht so gerne weiter gehn,
ich möcht so gern nach Haus!
ich möcht so gern nach Haus!
Nach Haus! du wunderbares Wort,
du machst das Herz mir schwer.
Man nahm mir mein Zuhause fort,
Man nahm mir mein Zuhause fort,
nun hab ich keines mehr.
nun hab ich keines mehr.
Ich wende mich betrübt und matt,
so schwer wird mir dabei:
Theresienstadt, Theresienstadt,
wann wohl das Leid ein Ende hat,
wann sind wir wieder frei?
wann sind wir wieder frei?
Whilst wandering through Theresienstadt
My heart as heavy as lead
My way came to a sudden end
My way came to a sudden end
Just by the bastion gate.
Just by the bastion gate.
I linger there upon the bridge
To look out on the vale
I long to walk on further then
I long to walk on further then
I long to go back home!
I long to go back home!
My home – those words are wonderful!
They cause my heart to groan.
They snatched my home away from me.
They snatched my home away from me.
I have nowhere to go.
I have nowhere to go.
Weary I wend my way distressed
Painful is life for me.
Theresienstadt! Theresienstadt!
When truly shall our sorrow end?
When shall we be set free?
When shall we be set free?
There is a beautiful snippet of Anne-Sofie von Otter singing Theresienstadt on Boosey’s website.
ChoralWiki and Noteworthy Scriptorium
The copyright of the arrangement and translation is held by Stuart Moffatt (© 2026).
The midi file was produced using Noteworthy Composer.
The mp3/ogg were produced using Myriad software.
Nurnberg
In 1945 several men fled to Christ in the face of the enormity of their sin. Major Henry Gerecke, a Lutheran army chaplain had been appointed to the accused at Nuremberg. His work was recorded by F T Grossmith in his book The Cross and the Swastika.
Continue readingSedimentary acrobatics
It was an interesting article: Thousands of dinosaur footprints found on Italian mountain with a good come-on line, but it was not so much that as attracted Coco, as the evidence that the find provides.
Now Coco is not a geologist, but thinks he can tell the difference between a sandy beach and a hardened sedimentary rock face. He would ask geologically minded readers, please, to come to his assistance and correct, or provide better, or even good, explanations of the data. He would also ask such readers to forgive his ignorance to use the proper geologic terminology, or jargon, for what he wishes to describe, just as Carney may be forgiven for using the correct forms of English.
Continue readingGnats and camels
It was an amusing tale in the published by the BBC Council’s clean-up warning for St George’s crosses but also the co-incidence with an article published by the LICC that prompted Coco. We do so easily see the gnat, but fail to notice that there is a camel in our beaker of notoriously middle-class or upwardly-mobile freshly ground and brewed, steamed, iced, skinny, but extra hot, caramel latté (Coco’s judgement on that drink: ☹).
Continue readingThe sons of God
One writer comments that in Genesis 6:1–4, the reader encounters one of the most challenging passages in all of Scripture to interpret. In this article Coco seeks to challenge that thesis by pleading that a plain reading of the text is all that is required.
There are several articles available on the internet explaining who the sons of God are of whom Moses makes mention in Genesis 6. Two of these may be found here:
https://equip.sbts.edu/article/who-are-the-sons-of-god-daughters-of-man-and-nephilim
Who Are the Sons of God, Daughters of Man, and Nephilim? By Mitchell L. Chase
Augsburg
Poker anyone
As one who only knows one thing about poker, that it was the second thing a cowboy did after he had entered the bar, I have heard it said that it is quite unlike any other card game. In any other game, if you don’t know how to play, you can still play. In poker, if you don’t know how to play, don’t.
That was the situation in Augsburg. It has been repeated many times since in different contexts, perhaps famously when one nation left an economic bloc it placed its cards face up on the table, and secondly more recently when a new president stretched out his arm to an old enemy – but that game is not yet over we must wait to see what the outcome is.
Continue reading