Sunspots 923

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

Computing: Gizmodo reports that voice actors are in danger of losing compensation for their work, because of artificial intelligence productions.

Environment: Gizmodo reports that California authorities have restricted access to fields of wild California poppies, because of the damage caused by visitors/selfie photographers during the last superbloom (after a rain).

(and Science) According to Gizmodo, some scientists are exploring the possibility of slowing global warming by shooting moon dust into space, to block some of the sun's light.

Politics: (or something) NPR reports that the military shot down an "object" over Alaska. Whatever it was, it doesn't seem to have been as sophisticated as the Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast.

The Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agency has released a report on the use and distribution of guns in the US. It's scary, and indicates that gun violence will increase.

FiveThirtyEight reports that President Biden's Cabinet officers have stayed put longer than is typical -- they must really like their jobs.

Science: A woodpecker, or a family of them, stored 700 pounds of acorns in a chimney, according to NPR.

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

Thanks for reading.

 

Sunspots 827

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

The Arts: Gizmo's Freeware describes a search engine that turns up public domain art, from art museums. See graphic, which comes from the New York Public Library: 

Computing: Gizmodo reports that the National Weather Service's computing structure is in danger of failure, at times when we need it most.

Gizmodo links to a tool that lets you see if your phone number was among those acquired in a massive Facebook data leak. (Mine wasn't, thank God!)

Education: More than half of the US states have names coming from Native American languages.

Environment: Former Environmental Protection Agency head, Scott Pruitt, did his best to cripple the agency's science advisory boards, for example by placing people on them that claimed that air pollution is good for us. The Biden administration is working to reverse the damage.

Gizmodo reports that the cherry blossoms in Japan are blooming earlier than they've bloomed within the past 1200 years.

Politics: The Pacific Standard analyzes gun laws, and finds that you are more likely to be shot in states that have less restrictive gun laws.

FiveThirtyEight discusses media distrust among Republicans.

And FiveThirtyEight tells us why, after losing the senate and the white house, Republicans aren't looking to change anything.

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

Thanks for looking! 

Sunspots 745

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

Christianity: Relevant takes on the Prosperity Gospel.

Finance: Catherine Rampell discusses the effects of the Trump administration rolling back regulations, and the President's remarks about businesses that are hurt by his tariffs really suffering from bad management.

Politics: FiveThirtyEight has studied crowd size at political events, and found that polls are a better predictor than crowd size.

NPR reports that the Department of Education has been making it almost impossible for teachers to get the loan forgiveness they were promised, if they went into teaching.

NPR analyzes the likely results of the Electoral College in the 2020 presidential election.

Catherine Rampell tells us that the Trump administration has been, and is, waging a war on children, and gives us details.

Gizmodo reports on yet another survey that indicates that all Americans, including gun owners, are in favor of stricter background checks, red flag laws, and the like.

Science: Ars Technica reports that a company that genetically engineered a bull so that he wouldn't have horns also, unwittingly, placed some bacterial and plasmid genes in the bull. Thanks to one of my brothers for the information on this.

Gizmodo reports on research about what causes someone to be left-handed.

The Scientist reports on research into how bar-headed geese can fly over Everest, in spite of the low oxygen at such a high altitude.

Sports: FiveThirtyEight thinks that the NFL pre-season should be eliminated, or seriously changed.

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

Sunspots 743

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to

someone else:

Christianity: A Relevant writer asks if Christians should participate in partisan politics.
(and Computing) A Christianity Today writer believes that reading the Bible digitally is not as good for us as reading a physical Bible.


Computing: (and Christianity) E. Stephen Burnett warns that reading a pirated e-book is stealing.

Education: Grammarphobia tells us how to punctuate a question, or a series of questions within a sentence. (Example: Do you think it will rain? snow? be windy? today? -- that example needs fixing.)

Finance: FiveThirtyEight says that economists are bad at predicting recessions.

History: NPR examines President Truman's attempt to purchase Greenland.

Politics: (And Christianity) A Relevant writer tries to explain recent tweets by President Trump, in which he probably didn't (but who knows) call himself the chosen king, and imply that he is related to the Second Coming, or something.

FiveThirtyEight finds that red flag laws might actually cut down on mass shootings.

Science: The Scientist reports that bacteria have been found, living over 2 kilometers below the surface.

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

Thanks for looking!

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 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 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)

Sunspots 666

Yes, I know that the number 666 may have some special significance. But, in this case, it is being

used because it comes after 665, and, I hope, before 667. We'll see what happens next week.


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

Christianity: A report on the death of Billy Graham, from National Public Radio. Also, reflections on Graham's life, in Christianity Today. Sojourners has a timeline of Graham's life.

Weekend Fisher discusses penitence.


Computing: Gizmodo reports on the possibilities of artificial intelligence being used for bad purposes.

Gizmodo also reports that Russia hacked the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Humor: (or, possibly, food) Grammarphobia on whether "fart" is a word that should be used in polite society.


Politics: Gizmodo, and other outlets, report that the Florida state legislature has declared pornography a health risk, but voted not to consider any controls on guns or gun sales, a few days after the latest Florida school mass shooting.

FiveThirtyEight considers the matter of how many people Kim Jong Un has to please, in order to stay in power.

Science: Gizmodo shows video of a male cardinal that's yellow, not red. Amazing!

Earther reports on the new heat records being set in the Arctic.


Thanks for looking!

Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 647

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

Christianity: Christianity Today has published another essay on reaction to the national anthem and the US flag. (The previous two Sunspots each referred to another such essay.)

A Relevant writer says that pursuing physical fitness can be a form of idolatry.

Another Relevant writer asks whether God really wants us to be happy.

Ed Stetzer, in Christianity Today, writes about hypocrisy, and a couple of prominent current hypocrites.


Computing: Wired reports on how to give robots a sense of touch.

Food: Listverse describes some bad things (including dying) that can happen to contestants in eating contest.

National Public Radio reports on trendy (and expensive) non-alcoholic beverages.

Health: Listverse discusses 10 good things that coffee does for you.

History: Listverse describes some amazing accomplishments of self-taught people.

(and Philosophy) The History Blog discusses the story of what happened to the body and head of philosopher Jeremy Bentham. (Here's the Wikipedia article on Bentham.)

Humor: (or something) Listverse describes 10 really strange government agencies, from more than one country.


Politics: FiveThirtyEight says that gun control is about as polarizing issue as there is in the present USA.

Science: (and politics) Scientific American says that Congress has an anti-scientific attitude, and suggests a fix.

NASA will let you send your name to Mars.

NPR reports that a new weed killer is helping some farmers, but harming others.


Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 636

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


The Arts: Speculative Faith complains about the sex in Game of Thrones. (This is one of the reasons, but not the only one, I've never watched it, and that I long ago stopped reading the books.) Relevant also has an article seriously questioning whether Christians should watch Game of Thrones.

Christianity: An article in Relevant, about purity. It also explains why the Jewish Law existed.



Computing: Wired on how to stop receiving notifications of long, and irrelevant, Gmail threads.

Health: FiveThirtyEight tells us that many of us eat too often.

National Public Radio tells us that many drugs are still effective, long after their given expiration dates.

Scientific American argues that increasing taxes on alcohol would reduce violence, including suicide.

Humor: (sort of) Listverse reports on 10 famous entertainers who were told that they had no talent.

(or Science) A video of a song, about the elements of the periodic table.

Politics: Wired tells us that climate change denial threatens our defense capability.

Wired also reports on the Trump for President in 2020 campaign, which has paid (probably legally) over half a million dollars to Trump properties and businesses.

Politifact has a list of fake news sources. It's not all of them!

Christianity Today reports on a survey studying religious practice and belief against gun ownership.

Relevant reports on an evangelical pastor who has been arrested by ICE, for deportation. His wife and two small children are US citizens. Not exactly a "bad hombre."

Science: Listverse describes 10 recently discovered, but unexpected, phenomena in space.



Image source (public domain)

Sunspots 632

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

Christianity: Relevant and Sojourners report that many evangelical organizations are calling for prison and sentencing reform -- there are too many people in prison for too long, and too many of them are African-American. Attorney General Sessions, on the other hand, seems to want to put as many people behind bars as possible, for as long as possible.

An article in Christianity Today argues that most evangelical Christians have either mostly ignored social injustices, or ignored Biblical principles about sex and family matters.


Computing: The Wikipedia is has competition various right-wing on-line encyclopedias, according to Wired.

(sort of) National Public Radio reports that a man has been fined $120,000,000 for placing millions of robocalls, including some to emergency numbers and hospitals.

Education: "Why teachers suck."

History: Listverse discusses 10 things about our history that most of us get wrong.

Politics: Sojourners reports that a broad coalition of Christians is expressing united opposition to the President's budget, and to the House's health-care bill, and warning against what they believe to be coming in the Senate version of this bill. Their chief complaint is that help for the poor would be cut drastically. (Note - budgets submitted by Presidents rarely, if ever, are approved without significant changes.)

Relevant says that it's time for the church to address gun violence.

National Public Radio reports on a survey, which indicates that more than 80% of Americans believe people with mental illness should not be allowed to have guns; background checks should be done for private sales and gun shows; and guns should not be sold to people on no-fly or terror watch lists.

Science: The Anchorage Daily News reports on how killer whales are interfering with fishermen, apparently communicating with each other, and teaching their young in interference techniques.

National Public Radio reports on why different bird species have eggs with different shapes.




Image source (public domain)