Sunspots 897

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

The Arts: NPR has posted photos of lots of fireflies in action.

Politics: A Conversation writer discusses access to White House documents.

Another Conversation writer tells about partisan news consumption. (In other words, getting news from one side of the political divide.)

Yet another Conversation post discusses political activity by members of the military.

Science: Gizmodo reports that a newly discovered species of isopods (aka pill bugs, wood lice, roly polys, and more) can grow up to a half meter or so in length.

The Scientist reports on why doing work that requires thinking makes you feel tired.

The Scientist also has an article about dreaming in animals, and its possible ethical implications.

A Conversation article tells us why animals have tails.

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

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 626

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

Education: National Public Radio has published an in-depth report on the pluses and minuses of school voucher programs.

Ethics: Rerum Novarum, an encyclical issued in 1881, by Pope Leo XIII, on the treatment of laborers, and a lot more. Sample (from paragraph 28):
Neither must it be supposed that the solicitude of the Church is so preoccupied with the spiritual concerns of her children as to neglect their temporal and earthly interests. Her desire is that the poor, for example, should rise above poverty and wretchedness, and better their condition in life; and for this she makes a strong endeavor. By the fact that she calls men to virtue and forms them to its practice she promotes this in no slight degree.


Finance: Relevant reports on a study of repaying loans, which found that people who mentioned God when talking about paying back loans were less likely to pay them back.

Health: National Public Radio details two good methods for washing our hands. (Confession: I don't use either of them.)

History: Some historical facts you didn't learn in school, from Listverse.

Humor: (Sort of) Scientific American reports further on the question of why people take their empty shopping carts to a cart corral, or don't. The report is mostly interesting comments, from returners and non-returners.


Politics: Listverse tells us that free speech is being attacked from many sides, in many ways.

(And history) FiveThirtyEight discusses US political scandals of the past, and points out that even when Presidents were involved in some really bad stuff, many congresspeople stuck by them.

Science: (and Christianity) Relevant strongly defends the concept of human-caused climate change.

Wired reports that scientists have made functioning mouse ovaries with a 3-D printer. Really.

Listverse describes 10 fascinating facts about plants.



Image source (public domain)

Prayer and God's Work, part 1, by E. M. Bounds

God has a great work on hand in this world. This work is involved in the plan of salvation. It embraces redemption and providence. God is governing this world, with its intelligent beings, for His own glory and for their good. What, then, is God’s work in this world? Rather what is the end He seeks in His great work? It is nothing short of holiness of heart and life in the children of fallen Adam. Man is a fallen creature, born with an evil nature, with an evil bent, unholy propensities, sinful desires, wicked inclinations. Man is unholy by nature,
born so. “They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.”
God’s entire plan is to take hold of fallen man and to seek to change him and make him holy. God’s work is to make holy men out of unholy men. This is the very end of Christ coming into the world:
“For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
God is holy in nature and in all His ways, and He wants to make man like Himself.
“As he who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
This is being Christlike. This is following Jesus Christ. This is the aim of all Christian effort. This is the earnest, heartfelt desire of every truly regenerated soul. This is what is to be constantly and earnestly prayed for. It is that we may be made holy. Not that we must make ourselves holy, but we must be cleansed from all sin by the precious atoning blood of Christ, and be made holy by the direct agency of the Holy Spirit. Not that we are to do holy, but rather to be holy. Being must precede doing. First be, then do. First, obtain a holy heart, then live a holy life. And for this high and gracious end God has made the most ample provisions in the atoning work of our Lord and through the agency of the Holy Spirit. - From The Essentials of Prayer, by E. M. Bounds.

Although E. M. Bounds died in 1913, this book was first published in 1925, by an admirer of the author's life. Bounds was known for praying from four until seven each morning.

This post is one of a series, taken from The Essentials of Prayer, by Bounds. Found through the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, here. The Essentials of Prayer is in the public domain. The previous post in the entire series on the book is here. Thanks for reading. Read this book, and, more importantly, practice, prayer.

Work and Retirement, 2

I've been a bit ill, so not much of a post today.

My wife raised two points (bold) about yesterday's post, my admittedly idealized and unrealistic prescription for work in the US:
1) It was assembly lines, which is one type of work that may disconnect the worker from the end-product of labor, which made much of today's production and wealth possible.
My response: OK. Why didn't Henry Ford at least show the workers a few cars every week or so? She said that perhaps he did. Perhaps so.

2) Speculation may really be productive work. A speculator may at least be making a living.
Obviously, it depends on what is meant by productive. I don't understand day-trading, futures, and the like. I have a suspicion that most or all of these amount to a form of gambling, and don't really increase the value of anything, but I stand to be corrected.
This is probably oversimple, but one of the problems with Enron was that they weren't really producing anything.

Work and Retirement

Modified from Punch, May 16, 1917, as uploaded by Project Gutenberg
(for illustrative purposes only--I don't play golf--so far!)

Our Sunday School lesson for May 29th had this as part of the text:

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat.
11 For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies.
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing. (ASV)

There's also this: 1 Thessalonians 4:11 and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;

I told my University that I would not be available to work for the next academic year, except, possibly, on a part-time basis. My salary slot has been filled. My wife has already finished her work as a public school teacher. Her slot has, too. We are, in short, retiring.

What, if anything, does the Bible say about retirement? Does retirement violate this, and other, biblical commands to work?

I have found a few web pages on this matter. Here's one that gives some history of retirement as an idea in the U. S., and says that Social Security should be abolished, because it leads to violations of the 4th and 5th commandments. This page points out that Samuel gave a retirement speech, upon the selection of Saul to be king, and he promised to continue the work of prayer for Israel. (1 Samuel 12:23)

Here are a few thoughts:
>Humans are expected to work, and to contribute toward their own support. (There must be exceptions for young children and for infirmity.) This is not only fulfilled by working for pay, but by other work, which may not be paid, but is just as important, such as edifying others, housework, maintenance, and care for those unable to care for themselves.
>For many retired workers, retirement funds are a form of compensation for previous work. However, I don't believe that that entirely relieves retired persons from keeping busy, or from helping others.
>At least some work, of some types, is good for us. Physical effort, in moderation, is good for us.
>Work should be satisfying, at least occasionally. A worker should be able to look back on a good job well done. There is something wrong with a society where some types of work are so disconnected from the final worthwhile product that workers can't get satisfaction out of their work.
>Work should not interfere with being able to worship (not necessarily on Sunday morning).
>The end product of work should be for the good of others. Some lines of work (prostitution, drug dealing, working to cheat others) are morally wrong. There is something terribly wrong with a society where some people can't seem to support themselves without making their bodies into sex objects. There is also something terribly wrong with a society where cutting corners (for example by illegally influencing legislation, violating legitimate regulations, mistreating employees, or cheating customers) is rewarded highly. (I am not sure that some kinds of speculation are really useful work.)
Study and learning are usually useful work.
>There is something fundamentally wrong with a society where the pay of supervisors is two or more orders of magnitude above that of those who are actually producing the product, especially if supervisor pay is not linked to wise management.
>We place too much value on entertainment. Entertainment is legitimate, in moderation, but retirement spent mainly in seeking entertainment is fundamentally wrong, as is a working life aimed at such a retirement. There is something seriously wrong in a society which compensates entertainers so highly, and doesn't compensate many of those who care for relatives at all, and those in caring and protective professions so poorly.
>There is no legitimate retirement from serving God, although the way we serve Him may change with changing circumstances.

I may post some more about this matter in the future. Let me close with an admonishment to younger readers: save for your retirement! It's never too early! I guess that this indicates that I expect, and hope, to find justification for what I have done, namely retired.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Feel free to use it, but not to restrict others from using it.