Sunspots 869

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

Christianity:  (sort of) Christianity Today on Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s, hypocrisy, and sin.

A church in Oregon has filed a lawsuit, complaining that feeding the hungry and homeless is a right under freedom of religion. (They have been doing that for years.)

Environment:  Gizmodo reports that QAnon followers have attacked a butterfly sanctuary.

ListVerse shows us videos of 10 areas that are, scenically, on a par with the National Parks.

Health: NPR reports that Malawi, and perhaps some other poor countries in Africa, have mostly beaten COVID, and how this has happened.

Politics: Christianity Today reports that Florida's governor DeSantis is taking action to present charitable groups from helping care for migrant children, which action is legal in the US (including Florida).

Science: The Scientist reports that mutation rates of especially important genes are lower than for genes in general.

Gizmodo reports that peat bogs in the UK, which are a source of archaeological material, are being lost to global climate change.

Gizmodo also reports on all-female termite colonies.

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 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!