Sunspots 550

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

Christianity: (and politics) Ken Schenck has a fine post (and it's not long) on "God calls us to respect our governments," based on what the Bible says about that topic.

Relevant has a thought-provoking post on the question of whether there really is a "War on Christmas," and, in the process, looks hard at how our culture handles Christmas. Not well.

Computing: A short introduction to how to use Twitter.

Education: The difference between "have" and "have been."

The Environment: Wired reports that quite a few climate scientists have come to realize that the scientific findings don't matter. It's the money.

Politics: Leonard Pitts, jr., on the recent activity of Presidential candidate Donald Trump, and those who are enthused by this activity: "Keeping the customer satisfied, giving the people what they want, is the fundament of sound business. More effectively than anyone in recent memory, Trump has transferred that principle to politics. Problem is, it turns out that what a large portion of the Republican faithful wants is racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, the validation of unrealistic fears and the promise of quick fixes to complex problems."

Jerry Falwell, jr., recently urged the students at Liberty University to carry concealed weapons, and be prepared to use them on terrorists. Relevant analyzes what he said, and the reaction from the students, and says: the point that ought to concern all Christians is the joyous tone being struck here. Falwell speaks for the largest Christian university in the United States, and publicly calls for death to thunderous applause. Even if we allow for the distinctly unlikely possibility that Falwell or one of his students would ever have the opportunity to shoot and kill radicalized Islamic terrorists, ought the response really be one of—there's really no other way to put it—celebration? Shouldn't our reaction to violence elicit a slightly different response than a Monday night touchdown? Indeed.

Science: FiveThirty-Eight discusses the Paris Climate talks.


Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 508

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

Computing: Gizmo's Freeware tells us how to configure Adblock Plus (an add-in for major browsers) so that it does a better job of blocking ads.

Relevant warns of some dangers of social media. They aren't all the same ones you've already heard about.

Politics: Michael Gerson, columnist for The Washington Post, does not think President Obama's response to terrorism has been serious enough. But, he says, the President, nor the one before him, should or could have spoken against Muslims in the way that some people think that they should have.

Science:  Wired reports that the Hubble Space Telescope has captured three of Jupiter's moons, moving in front of the planet's surface. Eclipsing, in other words.

Wired also tells us that the hydra, a common, but nearly-microscopic animal, is potentially immortal.

Wired also tells us how it is possible for a baby to have three parents, in the sense that she gets genetic material from all three of them.

Sports: USA Today, ESPN, and many other outlets tell us that Dean Smith, great men's basketball coach, and greater man, has passed away.

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 477

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

My usual categories don't exactly hold several of the things I've spotted this week.

Computing: (sort of) More than you want to know, but you should know, about sex trafficking.
Health: (and, unfortunately, rape) The BBC on the difficulties Indian woman experience in going to the toilet, or in getting along without such a facility.
Politics: (sort of) "What gives a dollar bill its value?" a YouTube video, less than 4 minutes in length.
(sort of) A Fox News commentator on the sudden influx of children from Central America. Public Radio International reports on the same matter.
National Public Radio reports on how much it takes to finance a terrorist attack. Not very much.
NPR also reports on how government grants to local police have made it more likely that SWAT teams will be used inappropriately, and they have been so used, unfortunately.
Science: Wired reports on harp sponges, a really strange primitive animal.
  Image source (public domain)

Putting Terrorism in Perspective

Columnist Leonard Pitts puts terrorism in perspective, saying that terrorists are only powerful if we pay attention to them.