Sunspots 965

A Conversation article discusses dietary supplements, with some warnings. 

Another Conversation article tells us about synthetic human embryos.

A Grist report suggests that we are now occasionally experiencing category 6 hurricanes.

A Conversation writer examines the ethnic and national diversity among the Israeli defense forces.

Joel Duff pleads with Christian leaders who routinely post material, opinions, copied from others without checking -- the equivalent of posting material from the tabloids on sale at supermarket checkout areas, he says.

Gizmodo warns us that Mac computers are vulnerable to viruses.

A Conversation writer discusses having relationships with artificial intelligences.

Caitlin Clark has set a record for points scored over a career in women's basketball, according to NPR and multiple other sources. She's not a ball hog -- she recently made her 1000th assist. The all-time record for either sex, set by Pete Maravich over 50 years ago, is likely the next record Clark will break.

Sunspots 924

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

Christianity: Philip Yancey, one of my favorite authors, has Parkinson's. He reflects on that situation for Christianity Today.

Computing: Gizmodo reports that an artificial intelligence managed to pass a qualifying medical exam.

Education: Grammarphobia explains why the letter W is called "double U," rather than "double V."

Environment: Gizmodo  reports on breakdown of plastic waste, in oceans, by sunlight and bacteria.

A Conversation writer says that truck crashes involving hazardous material are more common than train wrecks of that type. Train wrecks just get more headlines.

Finances: (or something) Gizmodo reports on a large study of changing from a 5-day to 4-day work week.:

Health: The Scientist tells us that syphilis cases are on the rise.

Politics: FiveThirtyEight discusses four factions of House Democrats.

NPR reports (and other outlets also report) that Fox News on-line personalities knew that there was no evidence that the 2020 election had been "stolen," but acted as if their was.

A The Conversation writer discusses the clothing worn by First Ladies.

Politico describes what happened when far right people took control of county government in a Michigan district.

Sports: A basketball that doesn't need (or can't) be blown up has been developed.

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

Thanks for reading.

 

Sunspots 896

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

Christianity: Ken Schenck writes about what the Bible says about gender and sex.

Education: A Conversation post on why there is a teacher shortage.

Food: (and Science) Gizmodo reports on developments in lab-grown fish sticks.

Health: (or something) Gizmodo reports that a surgery-performing robot is about to be tested in the International Space Station.

Gizmodo reports that UPS drivers are enduring dangerous heat. There's no A/C  in the trucks, and the rear part of the trucks (where most of the packages are) can get really hot.

Science: A Conversation writer tells us about coyotes in urban environments.

SciTechDaily reports that human genes have been transferred to yeast cells, and apparently work just fine.

Sports: C. Vivian Stringer, first African-American college coach to win 1000 games, has retired.

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

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 875

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

Environment: (and politics) Gizmodo reports on a strange coal-favoring speech by the governor of West Virginia, whose family owns some coal mines. Among other things, he cast doubt on the idea of climate change, but said that God would give us time to alleviate it. Let's hope so.

Finances: Gizmodo explains the price of oil and gas.

Health: Gizmodo reports that regular alcohol use, even in small quantities, is associated with shrinking of the brain.

Humor: (or something) ListVerse tells us some interesting facts about the "rock, paper, scissors" game.

Politics: (or something) Gizmodo reports that smart guns (which require some sort of ID before they can be used) are becoming more acceptable.

NPR reports that Congress has passed legislation that would strengthen the postal service, in bipartisan fashion.

Science: Gizmodo reports on a way to stop murder hornets from migrating away from where they are now: attract the males into traps, using insect sex hormones.

The Scientist reports that some mongolian rodents can, and do, modify their environment, making them more safe.

Gizmodo reports on a fossil mammal from the San Diego area that had saber teeth, but wasn't a member of the cat family.

Sports: FiveThirtyEight analyzes the effect of moving the 3-point line back, in women's college basketball.

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 863

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

The Arts: Relevant says that Denzel Washington, as a movie director, starts each work day with prayer. Good for him!

Christianity: Relevant reports on various city ordinances prohibiting feeding the homeless, or making it difficult to do so.

Christianity Today reports on a study that found that (surprise!) people stay away from church when it rains, and also commit more crimes when it rains, and they aren't in church.

Environment: Gizmodo reports that some bacteria seem to be breaking down plastics in the ocean, for food.

Finances: NPR reports that people living in mobile home parks are having their homes taken away, and that US government agencies are facilitating this process.

Politics: The Coal miners' union thinks Joe Manchin should have supported the Build Back Better bill, according to Gizmodo.

Pornography (There are no photos of pornography in the article(s)) linked here): Relevant writes about Billie Eilish, who was addicted to pornography as a child, and discusses women being addicted to pornography.

Science: Gizmodo reports that scientists have had some success in transplanting a pig's organ into a human.

NPR reports that a large eagle from Asia has been flying around North America for nearly a year.

Sports: FiveThirtyEight reports on new ways of tracking all sorts of data during basketball games.

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 826

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

The Arts: J.  R. R. Tolkien was not only a writer, he was an artist.

Computing: Relevant lets us know whether we've become an internet troll.

Science: Gizmodo reports on research that indicates that octopi may dream.

Gizmodo reports on how easy it is to make people believe they remember something that never happened.

The Scientist reports on a gene transfer from a plant to an insect. It happened a long time ago.

Sports: FiveThirtyEight discusses the lack of black coaches in major college men's basketball.

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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 785

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to

someone else:

Christianity:The head of the Southern Baptist Convention made a speech praising diversity in his denomination, but pointed out that there was a lot of room for improvement, according to Christianity Today.

Relevant reports on a poll, which says that about one-fourth of Americans see President Trump as a man of faith.

Christianity Today goes back to the topic of Christians and conspiracy theories.

Computing: Gizmodo reports that Twitter recently deleted 170,000 accounts, because they were pumping out propaganda for the Chinese government. Apparently, however, not many people were paying attention.

Gizmo's Freeware points to a site with all sorts of free calendars.


Environment: Gizmodo reports that sea otter populations, in the Pacific Northwest, should be encouraged to increase.

Health: NPR reports that some experts believe that COVID-19 may be around for a long time.\
So does Gizmodo.

History: (or something) Listverse discusses some conspiracy theories that refuse to die.

Science: Science magazine reports that scientists have put various cell parts together to make an artificial system that carries out photosynthesis.

Sports: FiveThirtyEight says that Maya Moore, who left the WNBA of her own accord, to pursue social justice (overturning the conviction of an innocent man), gave up more than any other athlete gave up for a cause. (I have learned, from a reliable source, that Ms. Moore has been appointed head coach of the men's basketball team at a small college.)


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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 780

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

Christianity: BioLogos discusses "Christian" conspiracy theories, about COVID-19.

Education: Grammarphobia tells us why we say "fourteen," instead of "onety-four."

Grammarphobia also gives us the history of the words "butt" and "buttock," and explains their relationship.
Health: CNN asks what things will be like if we don't develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and reminds us that there are some serious infectious diseases without vaccines, and not for lack of trying. (Think AIDS, for one.)

Gizmodo points out that taking temperatures is not a fool-proof way of checking for COVID-19 infection.

You may (or may not) have seen the Plandemic video. Here is a documented story from lifehacker debunking it, and another from  National Public Radio, doing the same. Here is a report from the Snopes web site.

Politics: (or something) FiveThirtyEight says that the recent jobs report, bad as it is, doesn't really cover all the people who are out of work.

Gizmodo reports that there is considerable overlap between COVID-19 misinformation and climate change denial.

Sixty Minutes reports that the Trump administration terminated a virus research grant for no good reason.

FiveThirtyEight has studied voting by mail, and finds considerable variety in how it's used. There's no particular advantage to either party.

Science: NPR reports that a black hole, about 1,000 light-years away, has been found.

The Ryugu asteroid has been photographed from very close, like on the asteroid, and the results are remarkable.

Sports: Gizmodo reports on a basketball backboard and hoop that adjusts its position so that almost all shots go through the hoop.

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

Sunspots 769

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to

someone else:

Christianity: Christianity Today discusses polyamory among professing Christians.


Christianity Today also has a good article on why the Old Testament continues to be important.

CT has also posted information on 20 African-American heroes and heroines of faith.

Computing: (and Politics) Gizmodo reports that Twitter has taken action against some pro-Bloomberg accounts, for publishing pro-Bloomberg spam.
  Humor: (and Computing) A Gizmodo writer has found women's pants with pockets large enough to hold a smartphone.


Politics: (And Christianity) Russell Moore, head of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has been an outspoken critic of President Trump. Authorities in the church are apparently going to study the question of whether Moore's positions have hurt the denomination financially, according to Relevant. In a later post, Relevant reports that the ERLC board has instructed Moore not to comply with such an inquiry, at least not at present.

Joel Edmund Anderson asks us to not be hyper-partisan, in any direction.

Science: The Scientist reports on recent discoveries in human anatomy. You would think that we already knew all there is to know about our structure. Not so. For example, there's a bone that I don't think you have heard of.

The Scientist also reports on the use of artificial intelligence to discover new antibiotics.

NPR reports on the terrible locust plague in Africa.

NPR, and other outlets, report that Katherine Johnson, one of the African-American mathematicians who worked on the manned space program, has died. (The movie, Hidden Figures, was based on the critical work of these women.)

Sports: Sabrina Ionescu, who plays basketball for Oregon, had quite a day on February 24th. She was one of the speakers at the memorial service for Kobe Bryant, and also became the only college basketball player, male or female, to score 2000+ career points, give out 1000+ assists, and collect 1000+ rebounds. She got the qualifying rebound on the 24th, against Stanford.

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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 765

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

Christianity: (and Sports) A "prophet" has apparently claimed that, if the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl, it will be an important sign of Christ's return, or something, according to Relevant.

Relevant also has an article on the difference between praise and worship.


(or something) Relevant also reports that President Trump's spiritual advisor prayed that "satanic pregnancies" would miscarry. What?!


Computing: NPR tells us how to avoid having a smartphone hacked.

Gizmo's Freeware tells how to add a webpage address to a smartphone's home screen.


Environment: The Trump administration has taken steps to drastically change water protection regulations, making it easier for some polluters to pollute, according to Gizmodo.
Politics: The New York Times has an article discussing the different challenges facing the two main parties. Basic conclusion: Democrats have to stay close to the center if they want to win. I thank one of my sons-in-law for a link to the article.

Science: Listverse tells us 10 things our body has or does, that you probably didn't know about. Sample: we give off light.


Sports: Maya Moore, one of the best WNBA players ever, has put her career on hold to work for the release of a man she believes was imprisoned unjustly.

FiveThirtyEight says that there will probably never be another Kobe Bryant -- he took shot s that aren't taken now.

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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 763

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


Christianity: (and Politics) Relevant discusses the reaction to a recent Christianity Today editorial calling for the removal of President Trump.

Health: The Scientist reports that there has been a large increase in alcohol-related deaths, in the US.

The Scientist also reports that exposure to soil may help our immune systems.

Humor: (and romance) Relevant reports on a dating site that requires agreement with a doctrinal statement. (A Calvinist one)

Politics: NPR reports on a Pew poll that indicates that most people in other countries don't trust President Trump.

Christianity Today reports that 41 governors have certified that their states want to continue to accept refugees.

FiveThirtyEight reports on polling - we are ambiguous about what's been happening with Iran.

Science: Gizmodo reports on a new species of mantis, which impales its prey on spikes on its legs.

Gizmodo also reports on 5 newly discovered species of birds. This report has a couple of photos. The Scientist also reports on Indonesian birds, but mentions 10 new species.

Gizmodo also reports on the development of "robots" made from living frog embryo cells. These things can do various tasks, and, eventually, might be used to clear clogged blood vessels, and do other  medical jobs.

NPR reports on frigate birds, which can use clouds (!) to stay aloft for weeks at a time.

Sports: Congratulations to Vince Carter, who began playing in the NBA in the 1990s, and is still playing in the 2020s, as reported by FiveThirtyEight. 

(and race) FiveThirtyEight reports on the scarcity of non-white pro football coaches.

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

Listverse tells us some popular and interesting misconceptions about colors.

Thanks for looking!

Basketball, character and race relations: Bob Cousy and Bill Russell

One of my daughters got me The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, and What Matters in the End, by Gary Pomerantz, for Christmas. It's a fine book. If you don't recognize the names of Bob Cousy or Bill Russell, this probably won't interest you. But I did recognize them. Cousy and Russell were parts of what arguably was the greatest dynasty in professional sports -- the Boston Celtics, who won 11 NBA championships while one or both of these men were on the team, from 1956-1969. (They have won more since then.) Russell was part of all of these 11 championship teams. Cousy retired in 1963. Both men are still alive. Cousy is 90, and, apparently, still has a good mind -- much of the book was based on interviews with him by the author. Russell is 84, and perhaps not sound mentally -- Pomerantz says that his children went to court to get control of his finances.

Cousy was noted for his passing skills. See here for a brief video of Cousy in action. (Russell was number 6 for the Celtics, and many of Cousy's passes went to him.) Thus the title.

The main theme of the book is the relationship between the two stars. Clearly, they respected each other, and played well together. But Russell was stand-offish, to his team, reporters, and fans (he almost never gave autographs). Russell, as an African-American, had experienced prejudice many times. One such occasion was an exhibition game in Kentucky. The hotel coffee shop refused to serve the black players, and they left. Cousy, discussing that event many years later, said that he didn't even remember it, and that he should have gone back to Boston with them. Like many of us, including me, we didn't apply the Golden Rule to African Americans and what they were (and are) going through. Shame on us. Cousy's last pass to Russell was a hand-written apology. Russell didn't respond directly, but he eventually called Cousy.

One of Mr. and Mrs. Cousy's treasured possessions was a clock given them by Russell, for Cousy's retirement.

Russell was, in his time, an articulate and highly intelligent man. He was active in civil rights, sitting in the front row at King's "I have a dream" speech, and present for Obama's inauguration. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by Obama, who told him, at the ceremony, that without Russell, he wouldn't have been there.

Cousy was not a racist, or at least not a textbook case, by any means. After he became coach of his college alma mater, Holy Cross, he told an African American player who was dating his daughter that he would be proud to be his father-in-law. (The couple broke up later.) The Celtics were the first NBA team to put five African-Americans on the floor at once, and the first professional team, in any sport, to have an African-American coach (Russell). Cousy, and the Celtics, probably advanced race relations in Boston, a city with lots of racial prejudice.

It's too bad that Russell and Cousy weren't closer, and there's probably some blame to go to each of them. More important, though, is "what am I doing to reach out to people of different ethnicity?"

Another important idea, not emphasized, is Cousy's loyalty and love to his wife. She eventually became a victim of dementia. Cousy said that if he had to answer the same question from her, six times in ten minutes, he would do it. It wasn't always easy, of course, but he apparently stuck it out. She eventually died.

In their own ways, both men were role models.

The book (I read the e-book) has lots of photos, and plenty of scholarly apparatus, at the end, including an index and documentation. These don't interfere with the narrative.

A good book, about some difficult subjects. Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 709

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

The Arts: Christianity: (and Education) Ken Schenck tells us 10 top reasons for going to a Christian college.

Relevant quotes from Queen Elizabeth's Christmas message, which included some preaching!

(and Science) David Heddle points out a serious problem for young-earth creationists -- how did so many species come about after the flood?


Education: NPR reports that many teachers are using the Harry Potter books in class. The series was published in the US about 20 years ago. (I have posted about the series, which I like, and think kids should be encouraged to read, here and elsewhere.)

Finance: Catherine Rampell says that the Trump administration's recent handling of the financial system is about as competent as if they had been the Keystone Kops.

The Motley Fool on the future of Social Security.

Politics: Catherine Rampell on how President Trump did not stick to agreements before he became President, and doesn't do so now.

Michael Gerson thinks the Wall is not a good idea. He says it's not a Reagan-like idea.

The Associated Press fact-checks the President on the children who have died while in Border Patrol custody, and, of course, he has twisted these facts.

Science: Listverse tells us about 10 strange species of birds, and their habits and appearance.

A clear and understandable guide to what CRISPR is, why it's important, and the possible dangers, in Vox. I thank one of my brothers for bringing this article to my attention.

Sports: I missed Bob Cousy's 90th birthday, in 2018. Here's a video of some of his best basketball passing. Amazing!


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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 701

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to

someone else: 

Christianity: Christianity Today asks if the United Methodist Church has a case against Jeff Sessions, Attorney General.

Education: Grammarphobia on how (mostly English) families got their names.

Ethics: Remember Scott Pruitt, Trump's first head of the Environmental Protection Agency, who was removed after several ethical clouds? Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior is probably going, for similar reasons, according to UnDark. Unfortunately, both of their replacements, or likely replacements, are likely to be more efficient, if that's the right word, at removing environmental protections, than the original appointees.

Food: Relevant reports on how long candy should be stored before discarding it.

NPR reports that immigrating to the US probably causes changes in the gut bacteria, and that this, in turn, may lead to obesity. (The study involved Southeast Asian immigrants.)

Health: Relevant reports on a study that found that over 8,000 children are hospitalized because of gunshots, each year. (More are killed, or are not brought to a hospital.)

Humor: The man who inspired the appearance, and name, of Super Mario, of video game fame, has died, according to NPR.


Politics: The Supreme Court is allowing a lawsuit, by some young people (one is 11), against the Federal Government, saying that federal actions and/or inactions related to climate change are depriving them of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Listverse describes nine Senate filibusters, and one in the Texas State Senate.

Politico reports that most Americans want stricter gun laws. That is true of Republicans, too.
White supremacy groups are using video game participation as a recruiting tool, says NPR.


Science: Earther shows us some newly discovered sea slugs. Fabulous photographs!

Gizmodo considers how much dead human skin cell material we take into our bodies.

Sports: Greg Popovich, coach of the San Antonio Spurs, has been with the team for a long time. Every other NBA team has changed coaches during his tenure, usually several times.


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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 687

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

The Arts: (and astronomy) Gizmodo has posted some stunning astronomical photos.

Computing: (and politics) Gizmodo writes about President Trump's charge that whoever broke into the Democratic National Committee's e-mail could be found, if the server involved was available, and his implication that, somehow, the server wasn't provided to the FBI.


Education: Grammarphobia on the use (and misuse) of "should" and "would," in Downton Abbey and elsewhere.

Ethics: A Council on Bioethics, in the UK, has concluded that allowing gene modification, even in germline cells (where the modification may be passed on to future generations, should not be completely prohibited.

Health: The new head of the Environmental Protection (?) Agency has presided over a rollback of coal ash requirements.

New Scientist reports that cell phones do not cause cancer.

(or something) A store to nap in has opened in New York City, according to Relevant.

Politics: FiveThirtyEight looks at the life expectancy of each of the current Supreme Court justices, including the recent nominee.

Gizmodo reports that a Microsoft official says that the Russians have targeted candidates running for office in the 2018 US elections.

Science: Scientific American reports on what we know about planets orbiting other stars. We know a lot more than we did a few years ago, and our solar system is rather odd.

Gizmodo reports that we really don't remember what happened when we were younger than 42 months old, or so, but we often think that we do.

(and politics, unfortunately) FiveThirtyEight tells us what global climate change is doing now. Too much.

Sports: Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks have agreed to a contract for Nowitzki's 21st year with the same team, a record for the National Basketball Association.

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 680

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

The Arts: (Including pornography -- never mind whether it's art or not!) An article in Speculative Faith warns that thinking you are oblivious to pornography and questionable visual stimuli is not a sign of Christian maturity. For part 1 of this series, see here.

Computing: A primer on typography, for those not expert in the selection and use of typefaces.

UnDark debunks the idea of "technology addiction."

Gizmo's Freeware tells us how to delete the conversations we have with digital assistants, such as Alexa.

Gizmodo considers the question of how many social media users are real, and how many are not.


Education: Scientific American debunks the value of so-called "learning styles."

Health: Gizmodo reports on studies of the effect of dietary supplements on heart health, which found that such supplements did not have a positive effect.

Gizmodo also reports that one-fifth of 20-30's deaths in the US are now caused by opioids.

Politics: (or something) Relevant reports that some Liberty University students and staff are working with a producer who is filming something called The Trump Prophecy. It is claimed that this film won't be political, which is hard to imagine.


Sports: FiveThirtyEight analyzed the loss of the Houston Rockets to the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association's western conference final series, seventh game, where the Rockets, usually a good 3-point shooting team, missed 26 3's in a row.

FiveThirtyEight also discusses Kevin Durant's propensity to lose a shoe during an NBA game.

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 677

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

Christianity: Paige Patterson, President of a Southern Baptist seminary, has apologized for some of his past remarks which were less than encouraging to women, according to Christianity Today. (Last week's Sunspots had related links.)

Relevant reports on the question of which year of a marriage is the most difficult.


Computing: (and history) Listverse tells us about 10 pre-1976 hackers, including, among others, Steve Jobs.
  Food: National Public Radio reports on a study that indicates that people from certain regions like dishes from those regions more, when they are reminded of the places first.

Humor: (or something) A truck carrying liquid chocolate spilled the stuff on a highway in Poland, says NPR. (There's a video.)


Politics: FiveThirtyEight discusses the possibility of a Presidential pardon for Michael Cohen.

FiveThirtyEight also discusses the end of Temporary Protection status for immigrants from several countries. About 300,000 people are going to lose this protection, and thousands of their children, who are US citizens, may also be forced to leave the US.

The US Interior Department is considering re-introducing grizzly bears in some parts of the West. Not everyone is happy about this.

Science: Gizmodo points out that our, er, butts, are unique among animals, and asks several experts to tell us why this is so.

Sports: Pau Gasol, National Basketball Association future hall of famer, on why the NBA should hire women head coaches. (As of this writing, Becky Hammon, assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs, is under consideration for such a job. Gasol has been on her team for a few years.)

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 676

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

Christianity: Paige Patterson, President of a Southern Baptist seminary, is getting heat from some Southern Baptist women over remarks related to sexual roles. Michael Gerson weighs in on this story, and points out how women were highlighted in the New Testament, although it was written in a far more male-dominated society than ours is.

Health: Gizmodo reports on the removal of a 132-pound tumor from a woman.

(and politics) Gizmodo reports that President Trump has appointed Dr. Mehmet Oz to a health advisory council. Gizmodo is not happy with this, and tells why.

Humor: (or something) Speeded-up construction of a big Star Wars Lego object.


Politics: Last week, the chaplain of the US House was asked to resign, by Speaker Paul Ryan. The chaplain has been restored to office, says Relevant.

Science: Earther reports that the highest-ever recorded temperature in April occurred in Pakistan last month.

Gizmodo reports on the longest straight path on earth, without coming on to land, and the longest straight line path on land.

Gizmodo reports on research indicating that plants can communicate to other plants that they are too close together, or have been touched.

Scientific American discusses the decline of the ability to learn new languages as we get older.

New Scientist, and other outlets, discuss findings that indicate that tourism is a serious contributor to global climate change.

Sports: Becky Hammon is being considered for a head coaching job in the NBA. (She is not the only candidate -- the rest are male.)

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 674

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

Christianity: Relevant cites polls which show that most people in the US, who claim to be Christians, don't read the Bible.

Relevant talks to the head of the Evangelical Environment Network, who has some suggestions as to how to get Christians to see that climate change is real, and is potentially disastrous.

History: FiveThirtyEight considers the questions: "who built the first house?" "what is a house?"

Humor: (not exactly) National Public Radio reports that tumbleweeds have piled up as high as 7 feet in Victorville, California, and it has been difficult to remove them.

Relevant reports that someone decided to make a playable record (the kind that goes round and round) out of breakfast cereal.


Politics: Many former intelligence officers, including those with the highest rank, have petitioned the US Supreme Court to strike down the Trump travel ban, on the grounds that it decreases national security, according to NPR.

Science: Gizmodo reports on a newly-discovered enzyme that breaks down some plastics.

NPR reports on studies that show that tiny ocean animals can cause significant movement of ocean water, and the things that that water carries.

Scientific American (and other outlets) report on a study that indicates that prehistoric humans caused the extinction of many species of large mammals.

Gizmodo reports on ants that break open (and die) to attack invading insects with the goop that comes from their bodies.

And Gizmodo asks some experts "which animal kills the most humans?"

Sports: With the death of head coach Gregg Popovich's wife, and his absence, assistant coach Becky Hammon moved from behind the San Antonio Spurs bench to the front row thereof, and joined acting head coach Ettore Messina, and another assistant coach, in huddles during time-outs. I'm pretty sure that this is a first for women in men's professional sports in the US.

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 671

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

Christianity: A Relevant article discusses the question of whether selfies are selfish.

Stephen Colbert (yes, THAT Stephen Colbert) discusses his faith with Oprah Winfrey.

Education: ListVerse has 10 recommendations for improving the English alphabet. They make sense, but good luck with that.

Ethics: Christianity Today reports on a survey which measures how various groups of Americans feel about lying. Evangelicals are most opposed to several types of "white lies."

Politics: FiveThirtyEight on gun control measures that have recently been enacted, at both state and federal levels.

A Fox News commentator says that President Trump's claims that Amazon pays no taxes, and is hurting the US Postal service, are "absurdly wrong." Gizmodo also comments on these claims by Mr. Trump. National Public Radio reports that the governing board of the postal service cannot make decisions, because it lacks a quorum, mostly because the Trump administration hasn't nominated governors for the post office.

Science: NASA reports that an object from outside out solar system passed through recently.

Scientific American reports on the new human organ, discovered a few days ago. Really.

Gizmodo reports on a study that shows why cracking your knuckles can make popping sounds.

Sports: Scientific American has an article which argues that there really are "hot hands" (streak shooters) in basketball, and other sports, and even non-sport endeavors.

Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)