Sunspots 953

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

Christianity: (and Politics) Joel Edmund Anderson is not happy with our habit of picking a verse that seems to back up our position, but ignoring the biblical and cultural context. He points out examples from both major positions -- conservative and progressive.

Computing: Gizmodo reports that children with mobile phones receive a mind-blowing number of notifications each day.

Gizmodo also reports that there's a deepfake, based on the appearance and sound of Tom Hanks, that's being used to sell on-line. Hanks has nothing to do with the fake.

Politics: The Conversation has a post on "conservative" and "liberal" Supreme Court justices -- they aren't easy to categorize.

CBS News tells us about the more than a dozen government shutdowns since 1980.

Science: ScienceAlert discusses dog-like animals in South America (there are four species there), and a new hybrid between a pampas fox (one of them) and a domestic dog.

Gizmodo reports on a study that indicates that, 250 million years from now, the present continents will have merged into one, and that land mass will not be suitable for mammalian life.

And Gizmodo gives us a guide to the solar eclipse coming soon to the western hemisphere.

Gizmodo also reports on a study that indicates that some elephants are considerably better than others at solving puzzles. Gizmodo also reports that some scientists claim that elephants, humans, and bonobos are self-domesticated -- they have become more social and less aggressive towards others of the same species.

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

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 867

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

The Arts: Listverse tells us about 10 literary locations that you can actually visit, in the UK.

Computing: Gizmodo reports that Gettr, a social network that claims not to censor user's posts, is deeply connected to Facebook and Google.

Environment:  Gizmodo has posted a slide show of the 9 worst invading species in the US, including one plant.

Finances: ABC News reports that the 10 richest men in the world doubled their worth during the pandemic, while the rest of us mostly lost worth.

History: NPR reports that authorities may have finally discovered the name of the person who turned in Anne Frank and her sister and parents to the Nazis. For more on Anne Frank, go here.

Humor:  (or something) Lego has released a build-it-yourself globe that can spin, according to Gizmodo.

Politics: According to NPR, the Supreme Court justices aren't getting along very well, and there was a time in the past when they got along even more poorly.

Science: Gizmodo reports on analysis of horse bones from the Middle Ages, that indicates that war horses from that time were smaller than modern horses.

SciTechDaily reports that a huge fish nesting area (60 million nests, from one species, estimated) has been found near Antarctica.

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.

Justice Antonin Scalia - limiting gun rights does not necessarily violate the Constitution

Excerpt from Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller, decided by the US Supreme Court, June 26, 2008

2. Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, concealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment or state analogues. The Court’s opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms. 

Scalia, of course, was known for his adherence to what he perceived as the original language of the Constitution.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 598

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

The Arts: Rebecca Luella Miller, of Speculative Faith, believes that Christians have vacated certain types of media, and, that being the case, it's no wonder that these media seem to be anti-Christian.

Christianity: From the Huffington Post, 12 questions that all Christians, including me, should be asking themselves. (The post is in the framework of asking these questions of Mr. Trump, but the questions are pertinent for all of us.)


Computing: Gizmo's Freeware points to a utility for Windows that will tell you your WiFi password, if you've forgotten it. It will also name your connection for you, if you have forgotten that.

Food: Listverse gives us 10 interesting facts about chewing gum. (I know -- chewing gum isn't actually a food.)

Health: The New York Times reports on access to healthcare in the US. We just don't have the best healthcare in the world, no matter what politicians of both parties may say.

Scientific American reports that blue light, such as is emitted from the screens of various information appliances, prohibits sleep hormones from working effectively. The article mentions a couple of programs that may help to adjust the light emitted by your device(s). I've installed one of these on my tablet.

Humor: (or something) Scientific American reports that telling lies gets easier, the more you do it, and there are neurological changes in the brain that lying causes.
 

Politics: FiveThirtyEight lists 20 times that Donald Trump has threatened to sue someone, or actually has sued them, during his Presidential campaign. The post also points out that Trump has been sued 17 times during the same period.

Benjamin L. Corey reminds us that Roe v. Wade was decided by a 7-2 vote in the U. S. Supreme Court, and that 5 of those 7 were appointed by Republican Presidents. For more on the Supreme Court and abortion, see here.

From a Patheos blogger, "I'm Pro-Life, And I Don't Care About the Supreme Court."

From Sojourners: "Read This Before You Cast a 'Supreme Court' Vote."




Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 414

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

Christianity: Ken Schenck continues his readable and concise series on practical theology with thoughts on "God as All-Powerful."

(and Sports) An opinion piece in USA Today says that Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey were both men of deep faith.

Computing: Gizmo's Freeware has an extensive, annotated, up-to-date (almost) list of the best free Android Apps, for phone and tablet.

Gizmo also has eight tips on how to make your smartphone battery last longer.

Science: (and politics) National Public Radio reports on the issues involved in a Supreme Court case, on whether two human genes, involved in breast cancer, are patentable. NPR also reported on what the Supreme Court justices, and advocates, had to say before the Court.


Image source (public domain)

Regulating guns, by Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court Justice

A lot has, and will be, said about regulating guns, especially in the light of the tragic recent shooting in Connecticut.

I have no wish to get into a debate on that subject. I do wish to inform, by repeating something written by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the Court majority, in District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the Court struck down a District ordinance prohibiting gun use, in 2008 In other words, the Court affirmed the Second Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Many commentators consider Scalia to be the most conservative member of the Court, by which I mean that he is the most reluctant to change what he believes the Constitution and amendments meant to the framers at the time adopted.

Here's part of what Scalia wrote, indicating clearly that the right to bear arms is not an absolute right, in the view of the Court:

 2. Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose:  For example, concealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment or state analogues. The Court’s opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.

I also state the obvious, namely that, for the Christian, the laws of God should override the laws of any nation, even the U. S. Constitution.

It is my understanding that U. S. Supreme Court documents are in the public domain. See here for the Wikipedia article on District of Columbia v. Heller.

Thanks for reading. Be safe, and have a Blessed Christmas.