{"id":6866,"date":"2022-04-15T19:05:01","date_gmt":"2022-04-16T03:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=6866"},"modified":"2022-04-15T19:05:01","modified_gmt":"2022-04-16T03:05:01","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-346","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2022\/04\/15\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-346","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 346"},"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, volume 346, is the 5<sup>th<\/sup> <a href=\"https:\/\/mathworld.wolfram.com\/FranelNumber.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/mathworld.wolfram.com\/FranelNumber.html\">Franel 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>Spiritually uplifting:<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/article\/2022\/05\/fire-upon-the-earth\" target=\"_blank\">Fire Upon The Earth<\/a> (Charles Chaput, First Things): \u201cToo many people who claim to be Christian simply don\u2019t know Jesus Christ. They don\u2019t really believe in the gospel. They feel embarrassed by their religion and out of step with the times. They may keep their religion for its comfort value, or adjust it to fit their doubts. It doesn\u2019t reshape their lives, because it isn\u2019t real. And because it isn\u2019t real, it has no transforming effect on their behavior, no social force, and few public consequences. Their faith, whatever it once was, is now dead.\u201d THIS IS STRAIGHT FIRE. The excerpt does not do it justice.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C-mGoIqBvTM&amp;t=35s\" target=\"_blank\">The Man On The Middle Cross<\/a> (Alistair Begg, YouTube): one and a half minutes.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8gx6_rGLz20\" target=\"_blank\">It\u2019s Friday\u2026 But Sunday\u2019s a Coming!<\/a> (YouTube): three and a half minutes<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/perception-near-death-20335\/\" target=\"_blank\">Recalled Experiences Surrounding Death: More Than Hallucinations?<\/a> (Neuroscience News): \u201cThe recalled experiences surrounding death are not consistent with hallucinations, illusions or psychedelic drug induced experiences, according to several previously published studies. Instead, they follow a specific narrative arc involving a perception of: (a) separation from the body with a heightened, vast sense of consciousness and recognition of death; (b) travel to a destination; \u00a9 a meaningful and purposeful review of life, involving a critical analysis of all actions, intentions and thoughts towards others; a perception of (d) being in a place that feels like \u201chome\u201d, and (e) a return back to life.\u201d The original research: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/nyas.14740\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/nyas.14740<\/a><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2022\/05\/social-media-democracy-trust-babel\/629369\/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=share\" target=\"_blank\">Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid<\/a> (Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic): \u201cThe story of Babel is the best metaphor I have found for what happened to America in the 2010s, and for the fractured country we now inhabit. Something went terribly wrong, very suddenly. We are disoriented, unable to speak the same language or recognize the same truth. We are cut off from one another and from the past.\u201d This is quite good. Haidt is a social psychologist at NYU and is someone who seems to be faith-adjacent: he\u2019s near Christianity but not there&nbsp;yet.<\/li><li>LGBTQ related<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2022\/04\/11\/i-was-too-young-to-decide-about-transgender-surgery-at-nineteen\/\" target=\"_blank\">What I wish I\u2019d known when I was 19 and had sex reassignment surgery<\/a> (Corinna Cohn, Washington Post): \u201cSurgery unshackled me from my body\u2019s urges, but the destruction of my gonads introduced a different type of bondage. From the day of my surgery, I became a medical patient and will remain one for the rest of my life.\u201d I am impressed that the Washington Post published this&nbsp;op-ed.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/04\/13\/opinion\/transgender-culture-war.html\" target=\"_blank\">How to Make Sense of the New L.G.B.T.Q. Culture War<\/a> (Ross Douthat, New York Times): \u201cIf conservatives had predicted just before Obergefell v. Hodges that soon a fifth of young adults would identify as L.G.B.T.Q., prominent voices would deploy terms like \u2018pregnant person\u2019 and \u2018menstruator\u2019 in place of \u2018woman,\u2019 and natal males would be winning women\u2019s track and swimming competitions, they would have been treated as hysterics.\u201d This is a strong essay. Highly recommended and worth using up one of your paywall accesses.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/adfmedia.org\/case\/meriwether-v-trustees-shawnee-state-university\" target=\"_blank\">Victory: Shawnee State agrees professors can\u2019t be forced to speak contrary to their beliefs<\/a> (Alliance Defending Freedom): \u201cAs part of the settlement, the university has agreed that Meriwether has the right to choose when to use, or avoid using, titles or pronouns when referring to or addressing students. Significantly, the university agreed Meriwether will never be mandated to use pronouns, including if a student requests pronouns that conflict with his or her biological sex.\u201d In addition, \u201cthe university agreed to pay $400,000 in damages and Meriwether\u2019s attorneys\u2019 fees.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Pandemic related<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.overcomingbias.com\/2022\/04\/the-accuracy-of-authorities.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Accuracy of Authorities<\/a> (Robin Hanson, blog): \u201cThe best estimates of a maximally accurate source would be very frequently updated and follow a random walk, which implies a large amount of backtracking. And authoritative sources like WHO are often said to be our most accurate sources. Even so, such sources do not tend to act this way. They instead update their estimates rarely, and are especially reluctant to issue estimates that seem to backtrack. Why?\u201d There is solid wisdom in this&nbsp;post.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/persons-of-interest\/faith-science-and-francis-collins\" target=\"_blank\">Faith, Science, and Francis Collins<\/a> (Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker): \u201cIn May, 2021, after helping to lead the federal pandemic response for more than a year, during which he woke up most mornings at four-thirty, Collins escaped for a weekend to a rented barn in Loudoun County, Virginia. He brought his guitar and a Bible that he has had for decades; horses and goats kept him company. Collins gazed out at the blue sky and rolling hills. He wrote, prayed, and ultimately decided to leave his post as the director of the N.I.H. Collins told me that he prays not to ask God to change his circumstances, but to ask God what he himself should do.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/bariweiss.substack.com\/p\/a-warning-from-shanghai?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzIyMjQyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo1MTk4MDkxOCwiXyI6Imo1MkRYIiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ5ODkzMTY5LCJleHAiOjE2NDk4OTY3NjksImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yNjAzNDciLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.KIj-O-j7nlNO7n5FgrE23iZTDwzmWf2ZYzaLdCIBTMA&amp;s=r\" target=\"_blank\">A Warning From Shanghai<\/a> (Jay Battacharya, Bari Weiss\u2019s Substack): \u201cYet the soul searching [of the attack on me and other researchers] should have caused among public health officials has largely failed to occur. Instead, the lesson seems to be: Dissent at your own risk. I do not practice medicine\u2014I am a professor specializing in epidemiology and health policy at Stanford Medical School. But many friends who do practice have told me how they have censored their thoughts about Covid lockdowns, vaccines, and recommended treatment to avoid the&nbsp;mob.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/email.mg2.substack.com\/c\/eJxVkstuozAUhp8m7IJsY24LFlWjTEkKbdR00ukG2fgEnICNwJTQp6-TzKaSL_L_n4vk75TMQKX7Oen0YJzrUZi5g0TBNDRgDPTOOEBfSJFgjxBCiSMSKnDkR44cimMP0DLZJKYfwelG3siSGanVNSGOMCJOncQxYEyPnHMIsIeimBHBaMhDwimNA3xvy0YhQZWQwBf0s1bgNEltTDcsvIcFWdvVy7JmvaiZYkoydxj5YFh5dkvdWrez29SwbNi0NDUzS86UArG8lTO1VNXCWxt9BrXwVjBvcEn-zh-kOacnfcm-0zk77ebnx83EvRz913G2303ZKaP54yTZYY2usflp5-en8pLvU2rju9LL5IvcTOKQmpd9dclWqbT6t33f9Gu9549N8--QI3aIx1Qht80jSt_agn-Okfh8oNvVjF7ny_tbuN4-xesnrV__bFum3kPtyIQgQhDFGCNEvcAlrn-MRBBx7Mc0OnIs3NmIies5WFDUVuTX1zh9UjWgXMG-5GD96srrZlhchb3bUUkzF6AYb0DcSZr7PNzYFhUo6O2ciIKZBAcWWYh9EoU4vpOzqH1MEfEi6tjOQtsslfym9QPT7tBv\" target=\"_blank\">The Law that Banned Everything<\/a> (Richard Hanania, Substack): \u201cIf everything is potentially illegal, and government does not have the resources to go after everything, then the government basically has arbitrary power to do whatever it wants under civil rights law.\u201d This was an absolutely fascinating interview. The interviewee is a law professor at the University of San&nbsp;Diego.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/stanforddaily.com\/2022\/04\/13\/from-the-community-a-primer-on-the-stanford-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\">A primer on the Stanford budget<\/a> (Tim Mackenzie,  Stanford Daily) \u201c\u2026 this year\u2019s operating budget says \u2018the buffers serve as a financial reserve in the event of an earthquake or other disaster.\u2019 In other words, Stanford has nearly $4 billion in a rainy-day fund. In the 2019\u20132020 budget, the last pre-COVID budget, Tier I and Tier II Buffers stood at $1.4 billion and $1.0 billion, respectively. The buffers actually grew by more than a billion dollars during the ongoing pandemic. Meanwhile, hundreds of workers were laid off and subcontracted workers went months without promised pay. Apparently, a global pandemic does not reach the threshold of \u2018earthquake or other disaster\u2019 required to utilize financial reserves to resist changes in university operations when challenged with market uncertainty.\u201d Recommended by a student.<\/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:\/\/dilbert.com\/strip\/2022-04-10\" target=\"_blank\">Finding A Time To Meet<\/a> (Dilbert)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/email.mg1.substack.com\/c\/eJwlUMtuxCAM_JrlGAHhEQ4c2kr9jYiAN0UlEIHTbfr1JbuS5YfssT3jHcJa6mn30pBcbsZzB5vh0RIgQiVHgzrHYNXEleF0IsFSzb1eSGzzvQJsLiZL9mNJ0TuMJV_Tk2Gcki8rQCwdJLXWQnIpDAtGBcmAjsv9bsTrpjtChOzBwg_Us2QgyX4h7u02vt34Zzd8xOubwZetV-_n34fDnjR0eLSeMEkpl5qOzEg-aaOYItFyyjkVTDApR06HcdCTnCTzixKBexPcTdBtZUM7lr7Jf1_rSbUuQWsuh1pSiY5PfWq9WD7bnejc43bkiOcM2S0JgsV6AMGXjE9F5hUy1C5vmB1apoQx8vLamBfnLpJkWjGuBOn3Q-mobF3D6pIvAX4R8j9nrohc\" target=\"_blank\">The Byzantine Scotist on Twitter<\/a> (Twitter): \u201cDonald Trump is not a historical figure but is actually a compilation of 4 distinct sources. A thread\u201d Recommended by a student. This is actually genius, and the more you know about JEDP and similar theories the funnier it is. Worth reading if you\u2019ve ever had a professor tell you that the Pentateuch is unreliable.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/roman-soldier-in-charge-of-guarding-tomb-of-a-troublemaking-jewish-carpenter-looking-forward-to-an-uneventful-weekend\/\" target=\"_blank\">Roman Soldier Assigned To Guard Tomb Of Some Jewish Carpenter Looking Forward To Uneventful Weekend<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/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 For the classic selection next week: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/slatestarcodex.com\/2019\/07\/29\/against-against-billionaire-philanthropy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Against Against Billionaire Philanthropy<\/a> (Scott Alexander, Slate Star Codex): \u201cI worry the movement against billionaire charity is on track to damage charity a whole lot more than it damages billionaires.\u201d This is a very interesting essay, and he has a follow\u2010up,<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/slatestarcodex.com\/2019\/08\/07\/highlights-from-the-comments-on-billionaire-philanthropy\/\" target=\"_blank\"> Highlights From The Comments on Billionaire Philanthropy<\/a>, which thoughtfully responds to criticisms. Highly recommended. First shared in <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2019\/08\/09\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-213\" target=\"_blank\">volume 213<\/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>strong articles this week \u2014 more recommended than normal<\/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":"I found stronger than normal articles this week. Highly recommended for your perusal.","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":[168,124,170,289,120,113,275,135],"class_list":["post-6866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-america","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-devotional","tag-easter","tag-famous-christians","tag-lgbtq","tag-pandemic","tag-stanford"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1MK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6866","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=6866"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6869,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6866\/revisions\/6869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}