{"id":6859,"date":"2022-04-01T17:35:21","date_gmt":"2022-04-02T01:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=6859"},"modified":"2022-04-01T17:35:21","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T01:35:21","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-344","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2022\/04\/01\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-344","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 344"},"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 volume 344, and 344 is the 8th <a href=\"https:\/\/mathworld.wolfram.com\/OctahedralNumber.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/mathworld.wolfram.com\/OctahedralNumber.html\">octahedral number<\/a>.<\/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\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thegospelcoalition.org\/article\/christianity-not-bad\/\" target=\"_blank\">No, Christianity Is Not as Bad as You Think<\/a> (Josh Howerton, The Gospel Coalition): \u201cIn addition to having flaws and sins, churches also have an Enemy whose primary weapon is lies.\u2026 Satan tries to deconstruct the church Jesus is constructing (Matt. 16:18) by leveraging her faults to slander her with plausible false narratives. And that is exactly what we find: a wide and growing gap between cultural narratives <em>about<\/em> Christianity and the reality <em>of<\/em> Christianity.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/iai.tv\/articles\/the-truth-about-nuclear-deterrence-auid-2078\" target=\"_blank\">The truth about nuclear deterrence <\/a>(Hebert Lin, Institute of Art and Ideas): \u201c\u2026 it presumes all nuclear powers recognize their ultimate self-interest in avoiding nuclear war, since nuclear war would lead to devastation for both sides. But this neat picture becomes very messy very quickly when one realizes that nations have other goals in addition to that of avoiding nuclear war.\u201d The author is a professor at Stanford. Recommended by an alumnus.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/13\/opinion\/berkeley-enrollment-climate-crisis.html\" target=\"_blank\">Government Is Flailing, in Part Because Liberals Hobbled It<\/a> (Ezra Klein, New York Times): \u201c..one generation\u2019s solutions have become the next generation\u2019s problems. Processes meant to promote citizen involvement have themselves been captured by corporate interests and rich NIMBYs. Laws meant to ensure that government considers the consequences of its actions have made it too difficult for government to act consequentially.\u201d This is quite good. This is not an angry partisan piece \u2014 Klein is himself a liberal engaging in public reflection.<\/li><li>Some articles about transgenderism:<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/naturalselections.substack.com\/p\/iamawoman?r=83qgf&amp;s=w&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web\" target=\"_blank\">I Am a Woman (And a Biologist)<\/a> (Heather Heying, Substack): \u201cJust as pineapples are not apples, transwomen are not women. Because transwomen are male.\u201d A short&nbsp;piece.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-10625997\/Hospital-said-rape-single-sex-ward-not-possible-revealing-one-patient-trans.html\" target=\"_blank\">Hospital told police a woman who complained she was raped that only other women were present on the single-sex ward \u2014 before admitting after a YEAR that one was trans<\/a> (Laurence Dollimore, Daily Mail): \u201cWhen police were called to the unnamed hospital in England, they were allegedly told by staff that \u2018there was no male\u2019 on the single-sex ward, \u2018therefore the rape could not have happened\u2019. But almost 12 months later, they revealed one of the patients had been&nbsp;trans.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/frenchpress.thedispatch.com\/p\/what-do-we-do-when-people-are-equal?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo1MDY3OTQ0MywiXyI6Ing5alM4IiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ3Nzk4NjEwLCJleHAiOjE2NDc4MDIyMTAsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yMTc2NSIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.MmbHJJ7hWYV4cvY8X_c3FfR6VGxWwV3AN_6epJu52cg&amp;s=r\" target=\"_blank\">What Do We Do When People Are Equal, But Not Alike?<\/a> (David French, The Dispatch): \u201cLia Thomas and other trans individuals are human beings created in the image of God. They are \u2018created equal,\u2019 but they are not created the same in all meaningful respects as the women they compete against or share locker rooms with. Our nation and culture can respect their dignity and protect their rights without denying the distinctions that really do make a difference.\u201d Recommended by a student. This is a very gentle essay, much gentler than I expected.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/marginalrevolution.com\/marginalrevolution\/2022\/03\/what-operation-warp-speed-did-didnt-and-cant-do.html?utm_source=feedly&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=what-operation-warp-speed-did-didnt-and-cant-do\" target=\"_blank\">What Operation Warp Speed Did, Didn\u2019t and Can\u2019t Do<\/a> (Alex Tabarrok, Marginal Revolution): \u201cFirst, it\u2019s important to understand that OWS <em>did not<\/em> create any scientific innovations or discoveries. The innovative mRNA vaccines are rightly lauded but all of the key scientific ideas behind mRNA as a delivery mechanism long predate Operation Warp Speed. The scientific advances were the result of many decades of work, some of it supported by university and government funding and also a significant fraction by large private investments in firms such as Moderna and BioNTech. It was BioNTech recall that hired Katalin Karik\u00f3 (and many other mRNA researchers) when she couldn\u2019t get university or government funding. Since OWS created no new scientific breakthroughs there isn\u2019t much to learn from OWS about the efficacy of large scale programs for that purpose.\u201d Interesting throughout.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/glukianoff\/status\/1507394040140083203\" target=\"_blank\">Thread about cancel culture<\/a> (Greg Lukianoff, Twitter): \u201cWe tracked 563 attempts to get scholars canceled since 2015 \u2014 including 283 just since 2020. Nearly 2\/3 were successful, resulting in sanction, &amp; 1\u2011in\u20115 resulted in termination (that includes 30 tenured professors!).\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mitadmissions.org\/blogs\/entry\/we-are-reinstating-our-sat-act-requirement-for-future-admissions-cycles\/\" target=\"_blank\">We are reinstating our SAT\/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles<\/a> (Stu Schmill, MIT Admissions): \u201c\u2026standardized tests also help us identify academically prepared, socioeconomically disadvantaged students who could not otherwise demonstrate readiness\u2060 because they do not attend schools that offer advanced coursework, cannot afford expensive enrichment opportunities, cannot expect lengthy letters of recommendation from their overburdened teachers, or are otherwise hampered by educational inequalities.\u2060\u201d Recommended by an alumnus.<\/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\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/your-sin-definitely-not-a-big-deal-and-you-shouldnt-bother-trying-to-change---oped-by-satan\/\" target=\"_blank\">You\u2019re Perfect Just The Way You Are: Op-Ed By Satan<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/textsfromsuperheroes.com\/post\/680018023211565056\/texts-from-superheroes-facebook-twitter-patreon\" target=\"_blank\">Batmobile<\/a> (Texts From Superheroes)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/dilbert.com\/strip\/2022-03-18\" target=\"_blank\">What\u2019s The Worst That Could Happen?<\/a> (Dilbert)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/dilbert.com\/strip\/2022-03-17\" target=\"_blank\">Ethics vs Morals<\/a> (Dilbert)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/xkcd.com\/2598\/\" target=\"_blank\">Graphic Designers<\/a> (xkcd)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomics.com\/pearlsbeforeswine\/2022\/03\/28\" target=\"_blank\">Some People Love Dogs<\/a> (Pearls Before Swine)<\/li><li>This is a cool website: it produces a simple road map for any given city. Here\u2019s the Stanford one: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/anvaka.github.io\/city-roads\/?q=stanford%2C%20ca&amp;areaId=3601546085\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/anvaka.github.io\/city-roads\/?q=stanford%2C%20ca&amp;areaId=3601546085<\/a><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/17\/science\/australian-magpies-clever.html\" target=\"_blank\">Australia\u2019s Clever Birds Did Not Consent to This Science Experiment<\/a> (Anthony Ham, New York Times): \u201cIn a remarkable act of cooperation, the magpie wearing the tracker remained still while the other magpie worked at the harness with its beak. Within 20 minutes, the helping magpie had found the only weak point \u2014 a single clasp, barely a millimeter long \u2014 and snipped it with its beak. Dr. Potvin and her team later saw different magpies removing harnesses from two other birds outfitted with them. The scientists took six months to reach this point. Within three days, the magpies had removed all five devices.\u201d<\/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 rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2019\/08\/an-epidemic-of-disbelief\/592807\/\" target=\"_blank\">An Epidemic of Disbelief<\/a> (Barbara Bradley Hagerty, The Atlantic): \u201cHistorically, investigators had assumed that someone who assaults a stranger by the railroad tracks is nothing like the man who assaults his co\u2010worker or his girlfriend. But it turns out that the space between acquaintance rape and stranger rape is not a wall, but a plaza. When Cleveland investigators uploaded the DNA from the acquaintance\u2010rape kits, they were surprised by how often the results also matched DNA from unsolved stranger rapes. The task force identified dozens of mystery rapists this way.\u201d Infuriating and highly recommended. First shared in <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2019\/07\/19\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-211\" target=\"_blank\">volume 211<\/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>344 is the 8th octahedral number<\/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":"344: the eighth octahedral number. Interesting links to carry you through the weekend. 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":[124,240,152,160,113,312,117],"class_list":["post-6859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-elite-colleges","tag-free-speech","tag-how-the-church-is-perceived","tag-lgbtq","tag-nuclear-weapons","tag-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1MD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6859","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=6859"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6860,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6859\/revisions\/6860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}