Sunspots 880

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to others*:

Christianity: Ken Schenck has published "explanatory notes" on Bible passages relating to Holy Week. Here's one of these.

Environment: (and politics) Gizmodo reports on a scientist who finally decided that "...  It's not political to tell the truth" about climate change.

Gizmodo reports that sea urchins are dying off rapidly. They are important members of reef communities. The reason for the deaths is unclear.

Finances: Gizmodo reports on how much the very rich pay in income taxes.

Science: (or something) A man with over 100 snakes in his house, several of them poisonous, was found dead in the home, according to Gizmodo and multiple sources.

ListVerse tells us a lot about the tiny, and extremely resilient, animals known as tardigrades.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.

*I try not to include items that require a password or fee to view.

Thanks for reading.

 

Sunspots 733

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to

someone else:

Christianity: A Christianity Today writer discovered that you don't have to frown to defend the Gospel. He has decided to be happier, and is better for it, in many ways.

A Relevant writer asks if God really wants everyone to be happy.

(and politics) A Christianity Today article on politics and the Southern Baptist Convention includes data indicating that the more frequent their church attendance, the less likely self-proclaimed Christians are to support building a wall, the more likely to support a pathway to citizenship, and the less likely to support stricter immigration enforcement. Also white evangelicals are less likely to support President Trump's try for a second term than are Republicans as a whole. 

A Christianity Today article on steps toward racial reconciliation in Charleston, SC, where, about four years ago, a white supremacist shot and killed 9 African-Americans at a Bible study.

(and Computing) A Relevant writer asks Christians not to engage in various kinds of behavior on social media.

Computing: (or something) Gizmodo reports on an investigation that found lots of law enforcement officers are members of on-line hate groups.

Gizmodo also reports that hospitals are being besieged by robocalls, often spoofing numbers from the hospital's own phone network.

Education: Grammarphobia discusses the use of the phrase "in the weeds."

Finance: Catherine Rampell wonders how the economy can be a) as strong and stable as it's ever been and b) threatened by a slender 0.25% rise in interest rates. (Both of these according to President Trump.)

Ms. Rampell also points out the failed promises accompanying the recent GOP-driven tax law. The deficit has increased significantly.

Food: Gizmodo reports on commercially released plant-based alternatives to meat.

Humor: (or something) Listverse gives the answers to 10 fairly common questions, starting with "Do bulls hate red?"

Christianity Today recounts 10 distractions of a pastor during the sermon.


Politics: Michael Gerson reports on the desperation of Venezuelans.

Science: National Geographic discusses race and ethnicity.

Gizmodo reports on the construction of the world's strongest magnet.

Gizmodo also reported on the discovery of a new crater on Mars.

Sports: The players at the recent LPGA Meijer Classic golf tournament included J. Y. Ko, S. H. Oh, E. Ji, M. He, L. Ko and B. Do, each with about as short a surname as you can get, and P. Thanapolboonyaras and S. Santiwiwatthanaphong, whose surnames are a lot longer. None of these players won, by the way, although Oh tied for second.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

Some states get a lot more from the Federal Government than they pay in Federal Income Taxes

The Wall Street Journal has analyzed how much money each state gets from the Federal Government, as a ratio of the amount of federal income taxes paid by residents of that state, how many federal employees there are in that state, and the percentage of revenue in the state that is from the Federal Government. My state, South Carolina, gets more return (if you want to put it that way) on income taxes paid than any other state, namely $7.87 received for each dollar of federal income tax paid. The report says: ". . . what the data in the study generally reveal (although not the whole story) is the redistribution of national income from wealthier individuals (states) to lower-income individuals (states) in the form of health and welfare benefits."

The report also indicates that "Red" states receive significantly more from the Federal Government than "Blue" states. (Red states mostly vote Republican, Blue vote Democratic.)

Thanks for reading.