Sunspots 931

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

Computing: Gizmodo reports that the Federal Trade Commission is considering making it much easier to unsubscribe from all sorts of subscriptions (To news outlets, anti-malware software, and many more). Companies are not happy about this idea. (Surprise!)

Environment: Gizmo reports that California has adopted rules that protect Joshua trees.

Gizmodo reports that some national insurance companies have pulled out of certain states because of increased flooding, fires, and other problems. Yes, we are affected by global climate change.

Finances: The Hill tells us that China is in default to Americans on many billions of dollars of bonds.

Food: Gizmodo reports on a robot that prepares avocados for use.

Health: A Conversation writer discusses the biology of aging -- we all age differently.

Humor: (or not) Gizmodo reports on a sea otter that's taking over surfboards, from people who are using them.

Politics: An article in The Conversation considers the relationship between patriotism and nationalism.

Science: The Guardian reports on a palm tree that produces flowers underground.

Gizmodo reports on some splendid astronomy photos, submitted to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

Gizmodo also reports that ticks are especially efficient at connecting with us.

Science Alert reports that a New Zealand harvestman (aka daddy longlegs) has three different types of males.

A Conversation writer discusses research that indicates that we underestimate how much other people appreciate good deeds.

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

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 798

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

Christianity: Relevant has an article on the idolatry of patriotism.

Environment: Gizmodo says that animal extinction is increasing, but that it doesn't have to be that way.

Gizmodo also reports that the city of Charleston, South Carolina, is one of several that are suing oil companies because of increased flooding.

NPR reports on how oil companies knew plastic recycling wouldn't work, but promoted it heavily. It still doesn't work for plastics, and it's still being promoted.

Gizmodo reports that climate change denial is alive and well in Australia, as well as in the US.

Gizmodo also reports that international biodiversity goals have not been met, although there has been some progress. We are "rapidly losing the rainforests that play an important role in protecting us from our own carbon pollution, the bees we depend on to pollinate our food, and the coral reefs that shield millions of people from flooding ..." 

Politics:  FiveThirtyEight on Republican efforts to make it harder to vote (the report says that some Republicans are making it easier to vote).

Relevant reports that there was no child trafficking ring taken down in a raid in Georgia.

FiveThirtyEight on how, and why, white seniors in Florida are less likely to support Trump than in 2016.

Gizmodo reports that conservative media are influencing people to not evacuate when there's a hurricane warning.

It also reports that the Department of Health and Human Services is attempting to alter CDC reports.

Science: Gizmodo reports that new studies indicate that several species of fish can walk on land.

Gizmodo also reports that a molecule produced by living things, and perhaps in no other way, has been discovered in the atmosphere of Venus.

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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 736

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

Christianity: A Relevant writer warns of the dangers of patriotism, for Christians.

Kaiser Health News reports that small churches can wipe out millions of dollars in other people's medical debts. 

A Relevant writer on why the Bible is trustworthy.

Computing: Gizmo's Freeware on what you can do with the Function keys (F1, F2, etc.) in Windows, and Office.

Education:  Listverse tells us some things we probably didn't know about newborn babies.

Health: NPR on how to pick a doctor, or how to change doctors.

Politics: Catherine Rampell on incriminating, or nearly such, e-mails between a Republican gerrymandering expert and a Census Bureau employee, a few years ago, about adding a question about citizenship to the census. There's also a discussion of the effect of adding such a question.

Relevant reports that when Russell Moore, an official of the Southern Baptist Convention, was one of many Christian leaders who decried conditions for immigrant children, Jerry Falwell, Jr., attacked Moore.

FiveThirtyEight posted "The First Democratic Debate in Five Charts." (The report combines the two nights of the debate.)

NPR reports that President Trump recently portrayed himself as helping the environment a lot.

Michael Gerson says that the President celebrated military victories, but not the character of the US.

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

Sunspots 639

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

Christianity: Christianity Today reports that Perry Noble, recently fired as senior pastor of the largest church in South Carolina, NewSpring, is thinking strongly about starting another church.

A Relevant writer says that Jesus didn't need the approval of others.

Ed Stetser warns against overemphasizing patriotism in church services, here and here. He cites evidence that 53% of protestant pastors think that their congregations sometimes love America more than they love God.


Computing: I haven't used it yet, but Firefox Send is said to be a free, safe way to send large files to other users.

Wired has a thorough article on how the Russians are viewing and waging warfare. Scary, and it's doubtful if our government really understands.

The Guardian reports on a man who "married" a robot. CNN reports on a man who "married" a video game character.

Food: Listverse lists 10 ice cream flavors that are popular outside of the continental United States, but you probably can't find in the US at all.

Health: Scientific American reports that women with insomnia are more likely to give birth to premature babies.

History: (or botany) Listverse on the history of 10 commonly consumed fruits.

Humor: (or botany) Wired has posted a photo of a man trimming the world's largest hedge. It's really tall.


Politics: A Christianity Today writer argues that the use of nuclear weapons is inherently, and always, evil.

Listverse reminds us of times when the press made us aware of scandalous uses of power.

The Barna group reports on what Americans think makes America great. Different groups responded differently.

Science: A Clemson University professor has spent more time in the shadow of total solar eclipses than anyone else on earth.

FiveThirtyEight reminds us that there will be less solar-powered electricity during the upcoming solar eclipse.



Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 634

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

Christianity: Relevant has an essay, "Can Patriotism Become Idolatry?"

Relevant also has an article on why the Travel Ban is misguided, and points out that "just 12 percent of American evangelicals say that their views on immigration-related issues are primarily influenced by the Bible." (The Bible has over 30 passages that relate to treating strangers and aliens with charity.)


Ethics: In case you hadn't heard, Hobby Lobby illegally imported artifacts from Iraq, and Sojourners, and other outlets, say that they must have known that what they were doing was wrong.

Health: The Scientist tells us what changes happen when we fast.

History: National Public Radio tweeted the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, and several people took that as an attack on President Trump. (NPR has been posting the Declaration on July 4th for several years.)

Humor: (or Architecture): Wired reports on a building with elevators that can go up, down, sideways, and slantways, and the advantages of having such elevators. No cables, either.
 

Politics: Oh, dear. The US Embassy in Afghanistan refused temporary visas for a team of six schoolgirls, who were seeking to enter an international robotics competition in the US. They don't look like terrorists . . .
Update: on July 13, National Public Radio reports that the girls have been allowed to compete in the US, through direct intervention by President Trump.

Science: Listverse tells us about different types of twins, including one case of "twins" born to two different mothers.




Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 529

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

Christianity: Ken Schenck tells us that there is no one, correct form of church government.
 
Health: National Public Radio reports that doctors are considerably less likely to die in hospitals, with aggressive end-of-life care, than the general public.


Humor: (or tragedy) Relevant says that bubble wrap is going to disappear.


Politics: (and history) The Washington Post on how history has been distorted in favor of the confederacy. For example, there are 72 Confederate monuments in Kentucky, and only 2 for the Union, even though the state sent nearly three times as many soldiers to the Union side. Also, the article points out that the South was against State's Rights, at least State's Rights in the North.


A Relevant writer asks if Patriotism can become idolatry. Short answer -- "yes."


Science: Wired says that we should beware of the tarantula hawk wasp.
 
Wired also tells us how sunscreen works.

Image source (public domain)

Excerpts from Orthodoxy, by Gilbert K. Chesterton, 20

In the last chapter it has been said that the primary feeling that this world is strange and yet attractive is best expressed in fairy tales. The reader may, if he likes, put down the next stage to that bellicose and even jingo literature which commonly comes next in the history of a boy. . . . Whatever the reason, it seemed and still seems to me that our attitude towards life can be better expressed in terms of a kind of military loyalty than in terms of criticism and approval. My acceptance of the universe is not optimism, it is more like patriotism. It is a matter of primary loyalty. The world is not a lodging-house at Brighton, which we are to leave because it is miserable. It is the fortress of our family, with the flag flying on the turret, and the more miserable it is the less we should leave it. The point is not that this world is too sad to love or too glad not to love; the point is that when you do love a thing, its gladness is a reason for loving it, and its sadness a reason for loving it more. All optimistic thoughts about England and all pessimistic thoughts about her are alike reasons for the English patriot. Similarly, optimism and pessimism are alike arguments for the cosmic patriot.

Orthodoxy, first published in 1908, by G. K. Chesterton, is in the public domain, and available from Project Gutenberg. The previous post in this series is here.  Thanks for reading! Read Chesterton.

Sunspots 287

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

Science: Science News reports that scientists have discovered some unique proteins in the immune systems of people who have been infected with the HIV virus for years, but not developed the disease. They don't yet know the mechanism of this immunity.

A blog entitled The New Creationism has posted "The top five challenges for creationist geology."

A Canadian team of scientists have apparently transformed adult skin cells into blood cells. This has tremendous potential in medicine, and by-passes any objections against using embryonic cells in research.

Politics: I didn't know the official name of the state commonly referred to as Rhode Island until the recent election, when voters rejected an attempt to change the name.

Christianity: Ken Schenck wonders, among other things, why US churches (many of them) have national flags prominently displayed.


Image source (public domain)

Patriotism/partisanship: not always a good idea

The Free Dictionary's definition of patriotism says, succinctly: "a devoted love, support, and defense of one’s country. . ." The Wikipedia article on the subject is here. A partisan is defined thus: "A fervent, sometimes militant supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea." There is a Wikipedia article on Partisan.

Patriotism, or partisanship, can sometimes be a good thing, I guess, as, for example, when the Jews, or slaves in the US, helped each other against oppression and injustice. But, clearly, such devotion to country, ethnic group, tribe, political party and the like, can go way too far, and often has, leading to various kinds of evil, including war. Some church congregations or denominations will not display a US flag, perhaps because of the evils perpetrated in the name of various forms of partisanship or patriotism.

There is a terrible example of this in the book of Judges. Chapters 19-20 tell the story of how the men of one town in the tribe of Benjamin performed a horrible crime, or several such. The residents of Gibeah were not hospitable to a man passing through, then, later, wanted to sexually assault him, and, finally, sexually assaulted his concubine, so terribly that she died. When the rest of the Israelites demanded that the criminals be turned over for punishment, the entire tribe of Benjamin refused, even though the majority of them had no part in the crime, and, after the Benjamites killed many from the other tribes, the men of the tribe were almost completely wiped out.

Some actions should not be supported or defended, even if carried out by my country, my political party, my extended family, my socio-economic group.

Is it easy to go against your own group? No, of course not. But sometimes it is necessary.