Sunspots 649

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Christianity Today says that a Chinese pastor, of an unregistered church, has been arrested, with some of her family, for publicly proclaiming the gospel.

A Relevant writer has some good advice for those attracted, or hooked on, pornography, and other sexual sins.

Relevant discusses martyrdom, which is all too real for hundreds of Christians (almost all in other countries than the US) every year.

A Relevant writer explains the benefits of not agreeing with everything your pastor believes.

And another Relevant writer says that US Christians are NOT under attack.

(And Politics) Michael Gerson, himself a political conservative and a Christian, blasts those who sympathize with the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit, for straying from Christian values. Writes Gerson: "Now, according to [Steve] Bannon, 'economic nationalism' is the 'centerpiece of value voters.' I had thought the centerpiece was a vision of human dignity rooted in faith." Bannon spoke at the Summit, and was apparently acclaimed.


Computing: Gizmo's Freeware mentions a program that converts Office files to .PDF. It apparently also converts Word files to epub files, too.
 
Health: National Public Radio reports that medical eye drops are bigger than they need to be, or than you actually absorb, and users are paying more because of their size.

History: (or something) Sojourners reports on the Samaritans of today. A tiny group, less than 1,000.

Politics: Scientific American documents how several appointees in the Trump administration are working to set aside scientific findings which show how industries of various kinds are hurting the public.

(and gender) A Pew Research poll finds that Democrats and Republicans have different views of how hard men have it.

Science: According to Scientific American, dodder, a parasitic plant -- you may have seen it, it looks like skinny spaghetti -- passes warning signals between plant hosts, allowing plants that may soon be attacked by insect pests to be better prepared.

Listverse shows us, and describes, 10 newly discovered species of animals.

Image source (public domain) 

Sunspots 643

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Christianity Today points out that (in spite of Article VI of the US Constitution) there now seem to be religious tests for public office.


Computing: A Scientific American commentary argues that e-mail should go back to being text-only, for the sake of cyber-safety.

Food: Relevant tells us that there is now a new kind of chocolate -- and it's pink.

History: Listverse tell us some facts about hurricanes, including how the naming system has changed.

Humor: (and health) Relevant reports that the tooth fairy refused to accept a tooth, because the child had not taken proper care of the tooth -- too much sugar, etc.

Scientific American has an article entitled "The Rise of the Recliner as a Male Social Space." Really.
 

Politics: FiveThirtyEight analyzes the changing religious affiliation (or lack of one) of voters for both political parties, and finds that both parties will have to change to continue to attract voters.

National Public Radio looks at Steve Bannon's view of US history, and finds it to be rather inaccurate.


Science: Nature reports that humans are evolving toward living longer.

Scientific American tells us how global climate change is making severe hurricanes more likely.

And Scientific American also reports that fireflies are in danger of going extinct in China, and why.



Image source (public domain)