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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Sunspots 758


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


The Arts (and Education): NPR reports that Carroll Spinney, who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch from the beginning of Sesame Street until a year or so ago, has died.

Christianity: (and politics) There is an attempt, in Congress, to pass legislation that would protect the rights of homosexuals, and also the rights of Christian organizations and small businesses.

(and science) BioLogos reports that one of this year's Nobel laureates in Chemistry is a believing Christian.
 
Humor: (or something) Listverse describes the 10 best board games ever created.


Politics: Another way in which the Department of Education is hindering, not helping, students with disabilities, and Congress is not happy, according to NPR.

Science: Listverse has a compilation of arguments used to prove that evolution is false. None of these arguments do that.

NPR reports on a comet that has apparently come from another solar system.

NPR also reports on a fascinating Dubna, Russia-Oak Ridge, TN scientific collaboration that resulted in the production of six short-live atoms of a new element, Tennessine. There is one mistake in the report: "Element 117 fits in a column of the periodic table filled with compounds called halogens - fluorine, chlorine, bromine." It should have been "elements called halogens."

And NPR reports that fresh-water mussels are dying, and on why this matters.

Gizmodo reports on using wood as the basis of optical fibers.

Gizmodo also reports on a newly discovered widow spider, which lays purple eggs.

The Scientist reports that it is now possible to store instructions for replicating the object in the object itself. A related application might be to store information on how a medical device or implant was made in the device or implant, itself. This sort of study may be coming close to creating a new kind of life.

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

4 comments:

chuck said...

If you combine non-profits, small business and religious organizations the law as it's written would deny protections to about 55% of working people in the country.

Also in some states, where the only adoption agencies are non-profit religious organizations who contract with the state, it would mean that the state would defacto being saying that lgbtq people can not adopt. This would mostly apply in the south.

This act is a compromise between no rights and rights for half of working age people. But that generally is a bad idea.

If churches want to discriminate, it is short sighted and their right. But non-profits and small businesses shouldn't. Particularly when there are whole non-profit industries that operate as wings as of the government.

Sun and Shield said...

Thanks for the information. I don't think this has a chance of passage, anyway.

chuck said...

No chance of passage, just think that description of "There is an attempt, in Congress, to pass legislation that would protect the rights of homosexuals, and also the rights of Christian organizations and small businesses," is off.

The description of more along the lines of "There is an attempt, in Congress, to pass legislation that would protect the rights of some homosexuals, and also the rights of all Christian organizations and small businesses," is off.

Sun and Shield said...

I guess you are right. Thanks.