{"id":6595,"date":"2021-06-04T17:03:04","date_gmt":"2021-06-05T01:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=6595"},"modified":"2021-06-04T17:03:04","modified_gmt":"2021-06-05T01:03:04","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-304","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2021\/06\/04\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-304","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 304"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4396\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"><\/a>     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&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the 304<sup>th<\/sup> installment, an interesting number because it is the sum of consecutive primes. 304 = 41 + 43 + 47 + 53 + 59 +&nbsp;61<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\"><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/direct.mit.edu\/rest\/article\/doi\/10.1162\/rest_a_01024\/98195\/Sinning-in-the-Rain-Weather-Shocks-Church\">Sinning in the Rain: Weather Shocks, Church Attendance and Crime<\/a> (Jonathan Moreno-Medina, The Review of Economics and Statistics): \u201cBased on a panel between 1980 and 2016, I find that one more Sunday with precipitation at the time of church increases yearly drug-related, alcohol-related and white-collar crimes.\u201d Fascinating. The author is a Ph.D. candidate in econ at&nbsp;Duke.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bariweiss.substack.com\/p\/what-happens-when-doctors-cant-speak?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozNzE0NDgyMCwiXyI6Iit4K0luIiwiaWF0IjoxNjIyNzMxMjM1LCJleHAiOjE2MjI3MzQ4MzUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yNjAzNDciLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.Qo4faPBHFQfI8yvlty4qIRO_YrKZVe_Ma9xCvMAAw9k\">America Loses Religion, Somewhat<\/a> (Lyman Stone, National Review): \u201cAmericans today are more likely to be part of a religious community than they were in 1800; the change over time can be characterized neither by a gradual decline from a religiously pristine past nor by the onward march of rational thinking.\u201d<\/li><li>Some thoughts on race in America:<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/frenchpress.thedispatch.com\/p\/when-our-forefathers-fail?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozNjk5NjYxOCwiXyI6ImRqT1kwIiwiaWF0IjoxNjIyMzc5NzY0LCJleHAiOjE2MjIzODMzNjQsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yMTc2NSIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.FW0jXYq2BtHgN5nJaQInfUuCc_ZrHBcDKYIwU_lN9rE\">When Our Forefathers Fail<\/a> (David French, The Dispatch): \u201cHumanity has not transformed its fundamental nature in the last 100 years. A nation full of people no better than us can do great good. A nation full of people no worse than us can commit great evil. Remembering our nation\u2019s virtues helps give us hope. Remembering our sin gives us humility. Remembering both gives us the motivation&nbsp;<em>and<\/em>&nbsp;the inspiration necessary to repair our&nbsp;land.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2021\/05\/td-jakes-pastor-white-evangelicals\/619035\/\">T. D. Jakes on How White Evangelicals Lost Their Way<\/a> (Emma Green, The Atlantic): \u2018Where I\u2019ve tried to focus is on the white pastors who spoke out and tried to say something positive that was misunderstood. And I literally got on the phone with some of them and encouraged them to keep talking. Their immediate reaction was \u201cI got it wrong; I\u2019m not going to broach that subject again. I\u2019m going to stay away from it. I\u2019m just not going to talk about it.\u201d And if we do that, we\u2019ll never get better. We have to keep talking.\u2019 The title is pretty misleading \u2014 that\u2019s definitely not the vibe you pick up from the article itself.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bariweiss.substack.com\/p\/what-happens-when-doctors-cant-speak?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozNzE0NDgyMCwiXyI6Iit4K0luIiwiaWF0IjoxNjIyNzMxMjM1LCJleHAiOjE2MjI3MzQ4MzUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yNjAzNDciLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.Qo4faPBHFQfI8yvlty4qIRO_YrKZVe_Ma9xCvMAAw9k\">What Happens When Doctors Can\u2019t Speak Freely?<\/a> (Katie Herzog, Bari Weiss\u2019 Substack): \u201c\u2018Whole research areas are off-limits,\u2019 he said, adding that some of what is being published in the nation\u2019s top journals is \u2018shoddy as hell.\u2019&nbsp; Here, he was referring in part to a&nbsp;study&nbsp;published last year in the Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences. The study was covered all over the news, with headlines like \u2018Black Newborns More Likely to Die When Looked After by White Doctors\u2019 (CNN), \u2018The Lack of Black Doctors is Killing Black Babies\u2019 (Fortune), and \u2018Black Babies More Likely to Survive when Cared for by Black Doctors\u2019 (The Guardian). Despite these breathless headlines, the study was so&nbsp;methodologically flawed&nbsp;that, according to several of the doctors I spoke with, it\u2019s impossible to extrapolate any conclusions about how the race of the treating doctor impacts patient outcomes at all. And yet very few people were willing to publicly criticize it.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/freddiedeboer.substack.com\/p\/the-antisemitism-of-the-diversity?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozNjI2OTAzNiwiXyI6ImZLTkV0IiwiaWF0IjoxNjIyODE4MTk4LCJleHAiOjE2MjI4MjE3OTgsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yOTU5MzciLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.TAyO-DfYr03GQL5T3llZ_Quc5tZ3rTiv820-jXWg1hk\">Those Who Didn\u2019t Make the List<\/a> (Freddie deBoer, Substack): \u201cI absolutely believe that we can theoretically build admissions systems that increase diversity and inclusion, including specifically for Black and Hispanic applicants, without perpetuating other kinds of injustice. I just have zero faith our actually-existing universities and employers will put them together. Why do good when it\u2019s so much easier to appear to be&nbsp;good?\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>COVID perspectives:<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/05\/29\/opinion\/wuhan-lab-leak-theory-covid.html\">Why the Lab Leak Theory Matters<\/a> (Ross Douthat, New York Times): \u201cFirst, to the extent that the United States is engaged in a conflict of propaganda and soft power with the regime in Beijing, there\u2019s a pretty big difference between a world where the Chinese regime can say, <em>We weren\u2019t responsible for Covid but we crushed the virus and the West did not, because we\u2019re strong and they\u2019re decadent<\/em>, and a world where this was basically their Chernobyl except their incompetence and cover-up sickened not just one of their own cities but also the entire globe.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/05\/31\/opinion\/media-lab-leak-theory.html?action=click&amp;module=Opinion&amp;pgtype=Homepage\">Media Groupthink and the Lab-Leak Theory<\/a> (Bret Stephens, New York Times): \u201cIf the lab-leak theory is finally getting the respectful attention it always deserved, it\u2019s mainly because Joe Biden authorized an inquiry and Anthony Fauci admitted to doubts about the natural-origin claim. In other words, the right president and the right public-health expert have blessed a certain line of inquiry. Yet the lab-leak theory, whether or not it turns out to be right, was <em>always<\/em> credible. Even if Tom Cotton believed it.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/news\/2021\/06\/the-lab-leak-theory-inside-the-fight-to-uncover-covid-19s-origins\">The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19\u2019s Origins<\/a> (Katherine Eban, Vanity Fair): \u201cA months long <em>Vanity Fair<\/em> investigation, interviews with more than 40 people, and a review of hundreds of pages of U.S. government documents, including internal memos, meeting minutes, and email correspondence, found that conflicts of interest, stemming in part from large government grants supporting controversial virology research, hampered the U.S. investigation into COVID-19\u2019s origin at every step. In one State Department meeting, officials seeking to demand transparency from the Chinese government say they were explicitly told by colleagues not to explore the Wuhan Institute of Virology\u2019s gain-of-function research, because it would bring unwelcome attention to U.S. government funding of it.\u201d Long, detailed.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2021\/05\/a-dangerous-state-of-affairs\/\">A Dangerous State of Affairs<\/a> (Kevin Williamson, National Review): \u201cIn Dallas, a recent class for those seeking a license to carry was well attended in spite of the fact that Texas is about to implement \u2018constitutional carry,\u2019 under which no license would be required to carry a firearm that the carrier is legally eligible to own. Middle-aged African Americans made up almost exactly one half of that class. Black buyers account for about one in five of the guns sold nationwide in recent years, and Hispanic buyers a similar share. And about one in five buyers last year were first-time buyers.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/richardhanania.substack.com\/p\/woke-institutions-is-just-civil-rights?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTkzNjkzNiwicG9zdF9pZCI6MzYwMDcwMzksIl8iOiI3VjNCVCIsImlhdCI6MTYyMjU2NTM5NCwiZXhwIjoxNjIyNTY4OTk0LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItOTgxMDIiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.R7PkcMp5jB9E5TJ_Xo4v61rrytnNPN8rvD5ed6tk01U\">Woke Institutions is Just Civil Rights Law<\/a> (Richard Hanania, Substack): \u201cThe US seems to elect some of the most conservative politicians in the Western world, but has perhaps the wokest institutions. Civil rights law makes all major institutions subject to the will of left-wing bureaucrats, activists, and judges at the expense of normal citizens.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li><li>I read two surprisingly complementary articles about abortion this&nbsp;week:<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/harvardlawreview.org\/2021\/06\/abortion-as-an-instrument-of-eugenics\/\">Abortion as an Instrument of Eugenics<\/a> (Michael Stokes Paulsen, Harvard Law Review): \u201cIf the intuition of the wrongness of trait-selection abortion has moral salience \u2014 the intuition that it is simply wrong to kill a fetus for reasons of race, sex, or disability \u2014 it is because of the implicit recognition of the humanity of the fetus. If killing a fetus because she is female (or Black, or disabled) is thought horrible, it can only be because the human fetus is thought to possess moral status as human \u2014 because <em>\u2018it<\/em>\u2019 is a baby girl or a baby boy, a member of the human family.\u201d The author is a law professor at the University of St. Thomas. The article itself is very long. Unless you are in law school, reading the introduction, section IV, and the conclusion is probably enough.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tortoisemedia.com\/2021\/06\/01\/dawkins-is-wrong-grossly-wrong-about-downs-syndrome\/\">Dawkins is wrong \u2013 grossly wrong \u2013 about Down\u2019s syndrome<\/a> (Simon Barnes, Tortoise): \u201c[Dawkins] is in the position of the brilliant philosopher telling us that the table at which we are sitting does not&nbsp;exist.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less Serious Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\"><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/democrat-pilot-wants-to-crash-plane-at-high-speed-republican-co-pilot-recommends-crashing-at-lower-speed-instead\/\">Democrat Pilot And Republican Co-Pilot Argue Over How Fast They Should Fly Plane Into Ground<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GaANi96Z-Wg\">Luke Aikins No Parachute 25,000 Feet Airplane Jump Complete Video<\/a> (YouTube): three minutes. He jumped out of an airplane at 25,000 feet with no chute on purpose. WHAT?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting A While&nbsp;Ago<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every week I\u2019ll highlight an older link still worth your consideration. This week we have <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.thegospelcoalition.org\/justintaylor\/2016\/08\/09\/how-can-i-learn-to-receive-and-give-criticism-in-light-of-the-cross\/\">How Can I Learn To Receive \u2013 And Give \u2013 Criticism In Light Of The Cross?<\/a> (Justin Taylor, Gospel Coalition): \u201cA believer is one who identifies with all that God affirms and condemns in Christ\u2019s crucifixion. In other words, in Christ\u2019s cross I agree with God\u2019s <em>judgment<\/em> of me; and in Christ\u2019s cross I agree with God\u2019s <em>justification<\/em> of me. Both have a radical impact on how we take and give criticism.\u201d This is based on a <a href=\"http:\/\/peacemaker-ministries.mybigcommerce.com\/content\/The%20Cross%20and%20Criticism.pdf\">longer article<\/a> (4 page PDF). (first shared in <a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2016\/08\/19\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-63\">volume 63<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This&nbsp;Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors \u201cwho understood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (1 Chron 12:32). In a similar way, we need to become wise people whose faith interacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may continue the tradition of Issachar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agenda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agenda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ideological Turing test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI disagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI understand\u201d) and may at times share articles that have a strong partisan bias simply because I find the article stimulating. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with everything an author says in an article I mention, much less things the author has said in other articles (although if I strongly disagree with something in the article I\u2019ll usually mention it). And to the extent you can discern my opinions, please understand that they are my own and not necessarily those of Chi Alpha or any other organization I may be perceived to represent.\n\nAlso, remember that I\u2019m not reporting news \u2014 I\u2019m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There\u2019s a lot happening in the world that\u2019s not making an appearance here because I haven\u2019t found stimulating articles written about it.\n\nIf this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/\">here<\/a>. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/category\/links\">view the archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>fascinating links \u2014&nbsp;enjoy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Fascinating links this week - enjoy!","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[121,168,259,124,144,275,116,172],"class_list":["post-6595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-abortion","tag-america","tag-antisemitism","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-guns","tag-pandemic","tag-race","tag-racism"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1In","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6595"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6600,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6595\/revisions\/6600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}