Sunspots 839

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

Environment: (and Politics) Gizmodo reports that the US Chamber of Commerce has been denying climate change for years.

Finance: (or something) According to Politifact, prominent TV preachers Charles Stanley, Pat Robertson, and Joel Osteen are not selling cannabis products.

Food: NPR reports on nut thefts: Organized criminals are stealing pistachios and almonds,

Politics: Florida now has a law that expects universities to keep track of the beliefs of employees and students, according to Relevant.

According to Gizmodo, Florida has also given fossil fuels an advantage in energy sources.

Pornography: With considerable reluctance, I have added this category to my weekly sunspots. It's important, and it keeps coming up. I will not knowingly link directly to any pornographic sites.

Relevant gives us some misconceptions about sex trafficking and pornography.

Science: Astronomers have been thinking about the possibility of intelligent life on other planets detecting earth, according to NPR.

The Scientist reports on cicada holes, which are more permanent than some other animal-produced holes in the ground, and which have important effects on the microbes in the soil, and on the atmosphere. There are lots and lots of such holes.

Gizmodo reports that there are underground (and frozen) lakes on Mars.

Gizmodo reports on the collision of a black hole and a neutron star. 

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 748

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

The Arts: The History blog reports that a painting by Cimabue was found in a kitchen in France. It will probably sell for millions.

Christianity: Christianity Today reports on another significant annual cut in the number of refugees that the US will receive, and points out that this announcement came almost at the same time that President Trump was extolling the value of religious freedom ad the UN. Many people, possibly including the President's (and my) ancestors, came to the US seeking religious freedom.
Christianity Today also has published another article on the effect of the cut mentioned above. It says that the results would be significant.


Computing: Relevant, and other media, report that men and women are not equal in how much they retain when reading the Bible digitally versus from a physical copy.

Gizmodo asks several experts what it would take to shut down the internet, if it could be accomplished.

Health: Gizmodo discusses the ins and outs of acne, and concludes that we aren't really sure how it works.

NPR reports that eating nuts every day helps prevent weight gain, and has other benefits.

Politics: Catherine Rampell reminds us of some of the ways that President Trump's actions, before and during his Presidency, have been driven by greed.

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