Sunspots 818

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

Christianity: Relevant has a good article on who should take care of the poor.

Christianity Today reports that about half of Protestant pastors say that they have heard a conspiracy theory from one or more parishioners. Relevant reports on the same survey, but is not fully satisfied with the methodology of the survey.

Relevant on why we need Black History Month.

Health: NPR reports that a Corona virus variant strain found in Brazil may be able to evade vaccination doses currently in use.

Politics: FiveThirtyEight has posted an analysis of what adherents of QAnon are likely to do now.

Relevant tells us several things (or people) that (or who) are labeled "socialist" really aren't.

Science: The Scientist reports on all the known (so far) variants of the COVID-19 virus.

Tiny chameleons have been discovered in Madagascar, says Gizmodo.

Gizmodo also reports on organisms that could probably survive a nuclear attack. (Humans wouldn't)

(and race) The Wikipedia article on Kizzmekia Corbett, an African-American scientist who played a key role in the development of COVID vaccine.

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

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 513

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:
Christianity: Ken Schenck on what happens at the end. He says that Christians shouldn't argue over the millennium, or absence thereof, because it's mentioned in only one chapter of the Bible, and that chapter is probably highly symbolic. He doesn't know what heaven will be like, but doesn't believe it will be boring.
Literature: Rebecca Luella Miller, of Speculative Faith, writes about violence in (Christian) speculative fiction. As she notes, often Christian writers, publishers and readers don't like overt sex or foul language, but don't seem to have the same abhorrence for violence. Should we? As she points out, there is a lot of violence in Tolkien's works.
Christianity Today compares Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books with reality.
Politics: Election campaigns in the UK are remarkably quiet, and brief, compared to those in the US. National Public Radio tells us why.
NPR also reports on why it's difficult, almost impossible, for the poor to become part of the upper middle class.
NPR says that a Lego fan built Lego representations of the female Supreme Court justices, now and previously. She suggested that the company make it a set for use by (and sale to) others, but they rejected the idea as too political. The article pointed out that the Supreme Court was established, with the idea that it would be above politics.
And NPR lets us know why Congressional, and Presidential, budgets really aren't budgets.
Science:  BBC News reports that scientists have discovered that chameleons use a previously unknown mechanism to change some of their colors. I thank one of my brothers for bringing this to my attention.
NBC (and others) reports on Tonga, a new volcanic island in the Pacific.
NPR reports on research to use cockroaches as guided explorers in dark narrow places.


Image source (public domain)