{"id":4663,"date":"2017-08-25T15:28:54","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T23:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=4663"},"modified":"2017-08-25T15:28:54","modified_gmt":"2017-08-25T23:28:54","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-115","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2017\/08\/25\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-115","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 115"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my way.<\/p>\n

Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n
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  1. The Most Shortsighted Attack on Free Speech in Modern U.S. History<\/a> (Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic): \u201cUnder a legal regime where hate speech was not<\/i> considered free speech, Trump and Sessions could likely punish words used by members of Antifa and<\/i> Black Lives Matter. Do you think he\u2019d police their speech more or less vigorously than white supremacists?\u201d<\/li>\n
  2. Everyone\u2019s Suspicious of Atheists \u2014 Even Other Atheists<\/a> (Thomas MacMillan, NY Mag): \u201cAccording to a new study published last week in Nature<\/i>, people all over the world connect immorality with atheism. In fact, the moral prejudice against atheists is so strong that it holds even in countries like the Netherlands, where most people aren\u2019t religious. Even atheists themselves, according to the study, are inclined to see nonbelievers as more wicked than the faithful.\u201d The Nature <\/i>paper is Global evidence of extreme intuitive moral prejudice against atheists<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  3. I Won\u2019t Make Jesus Bow Down to Xi Jinping<\/a> (Derek Lam, New York Times): \u201cOf Hong Kong\u2019s six major religions, five are already firmly under the control of the Chinese Communist Party. Judging by recent events, the party is very close to completing its mission of bringing Christianity under its thumb.\u201d<\/li>\n
  4. The Drive For Perfect Children Gets A Little Scary<\/a> (Tyler Cowen, Bloomberg View): \u201cIf you could directly alter your kids\u2019 genetic profile, what would you want? It\u2019s hard to know how the social debate would turn out after years of back and forth, but I was dismayed to read one recent research paper by psychologists Rachel M. Latham and Sophie von Stumm. The descriptive title of that work, based on survey evidence, is \u2018Mothers want extraversion over conscientiousness or intelligence for their children.\u2019 Upon reflection, maybe that isn\u2019t so surprising, because parents presumably want children who are fun to spend time with.\u201d<\/li>\n
  5. Mathematical mystery of ancient Babylonian clay tablet solved<\/a> (Phys.org): \u201cPlimpton 322 predates Hipparchus by more than 1000 years,\u201d says Dr Wildberger. \u201cIt opens up new possibilities not just for modern mathematics research, but also for mathematics education. With Plimpton 322 we see a simpler, more accurate trigonometry that has clear advantages over our own.\u201d The academic paper is Plimpton 322 is Babylonian exact sexagesimal trigonometry<\/a> (Historia Mathematica). Another reminder that our ancestors were pretty clever.<\/li>\n
  6. Robert E. Lee opposed Confederate monuments<\/a> (Lisa Desjardins, PBS NewsHour):  \u201cBut while he was alive, Lee stressed his belief that the country should move past the war. He swore allegiance to the Union and publicly decried southern separatism, whether militant or symbolic.\u201d<\/li>\n
  7. This Is How Sexism Works in Silicon Valley  My lawsuit failed. Others won\u2019t. <\/a>(Ellan Pao, The Cut): \u201cBefore suing, I\u2019d consulted other women who had sued big, powerful companies over harassment and discrimination, and they all gave me pretty much the same advice: \u2018Don\u2019t do it.\u2019 One woman told me, \u2018It\u2019s a complete mismatch of resources. They don\u2019t fight fair. Even if you win, it will destroy your reputation.\u2019\u201d<\/li>\n
  8. James Kennedy Ministries Sues SPLC over Hate Map<\/a> (Kate Shellnut, Christianity Today): see also Politico\u2019s June article Has a Civil Rights Stalwart Lost Its Way?<\/a> (short answer: yes, yes it has)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Things Glen Found Amusing<\/h3>\n