{"id":6963,"date":"2022-07-15T21:18:22","date_gmt":"2022-07-16T05:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=6963"},"modified":"2022-07-15T21:18:22","modified_gmt":"2022-07-16T05:18:22","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-359","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2022\/07\/15\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-359","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 359"},"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>359 is the 72nd prime number, and is also what is known as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Safe_and_Sophie_Germain_primes\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Safe_and_Sophie_Germain_primes\">a Sophie Germain prime<\/a> because if you double it and add 1 the result (719) is also&nbsp;prime.<\/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 href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MattSmethurst\/status\/1547643814428299264\">Is Faith The Enemy of Science?<\/a> (Glen Scrivener, Twitter): <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MattSmethurst\/status\/1547643814428299264\"><\/a> a good 90 second video<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/07\/08\/opinion\/prayer-supreme-court-football.html?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email\" target=\"_blank\">I Don\u2019t Want to See a High School Football Coach Praying at the 50-Yard Line<\/a> (Anne Lamott, New York Times): \u201cHow do people like me who believe entirely in science and reason also believe that prayer can heal and restore? Well, I\u2019ve seen it happen a thousand times in my own inconsequential life. God seems like a total showoff to me, if perhaps unnecessarily cryptic.\u201d This is a fascinating  op-ed.<\/li><li>On masculinity:<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/frenchpress.thedispatch.com\/p\/against-the-extremism-of-the-american?utm_medium=email\" target=\"_blank\">Against the Extremism of the American Masculinity Debate<\/a> (David French, The Dispatch): \u201cWhile there are many millions of men and boys who do quite well in our country, the vast majority of our nation\u2019s young men are falling behind their female peers. I quoted this statistic in my last newsletter, but it\u2019s worth quoting again: Men account for 70 percent of the decline in enrollment in American colleges and universities.\u201d<\/li><li>So Jordan Peterson posted a video message to the Church. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=e7ytLpO7mj0&amp;feature=emb_imp_woyt\">Message to the Christian Churches<\/a> (Jordan Peterson, YouTube: eleven minutes. It\u2019s generated thoughts:<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/church-where-are-the-men\/\" target=\"_blank\">Church: Where Are The Men<\/a>? (Rod Dreher, The American Conservative): \u201cPeterson means it literally when he complains here that most churches offer nothing for young men. Men feel unwanted in these feminized precincts, and there is often nothing much to attract or hold them to congregational life.\u201d This post is LONG and ventures deeper into church history than I expected it&nbsp;to.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/relevantmagazine.com\/current\/buzzworthy\/jordan-petersons-message-to-christian-churches-is-nonsense\/\" target=\"_blank\">Jordan Peterson\u2019s \u201cMessage to Christian Churches\u201d Is Nonsense<\/a> (Tyler Huckabee, Relevant): \u201cHe\u2019s found an audience and that\u2019s fine, but when Peterson steers outside of his lane, you can tell. And on Wednesday, Peterson veered well outside of his lane with this \u2018Message to Christian Churches.\u2019 It is ridiculous.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/thinktheology.co.uk\/blog\/article\/crossing_the_jordan\" target=\"_blank\">Crossing the Jordan<\/a> (Matthew Hosier, ThinkTheology): \u201cThere is much about this message that I find salutary and invigorating. As I say, it made me laugh and cry and cheer. Although, without clarity about the atoning work of Christ on the cross, without a proper notion of grace, Peterson\u2019s appeal represents only a robust Pelagianism and is therefore insufficient to deal with our most fundamental problem. Pelagianism does not offer a solution to the problem of original sin; at best it can ameliorate the symptoms, not cure the disease.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/7\/12\/23204950\/bmw-subscriptions-microtransactions-heated-seats-feature\" target=\"_blank\">Book Review: The Man From The Future<\/a> (Astral Codex Ten, Scott Alexander): \u201c\u2026after a lifetime of culturally-Jewish atheism, he wished to be baptized. His daughter attributed her father\u2019s \u2018change of heart\u2019 to Pascal\u2019s Wager: the idea that even a very small probability of gaining a better afterlife is worth the relatively trivial cost of a deathbed conversion. Even as his powers deserted him, John von Neumann remained a game theorist to the end.\u201d Fascinating throughout.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dispatch.com\/story\/news\/2022\/07\/13\/columbus-man-charged-rape-10-year-old-led-abortion-in-indiana\/10046625002\/\" target=\"_blank\">Arrest made in rape of Ohio girl that led to Indiana abortion drawing international attention<\/a> (Bethany Bruner, Monroe Trombly, Tony Cook, The Columbus Dispatch): \u201cA Columbus man has been charged with impregnating a 10-year-old Ohio girl, whose travel to Indiana to seek an abortion led to international attention following the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to overturn Roe v Wade and activation of Ohio\u2019s abortion law.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/in-depth\/470690\/whose-breath-are-you-breathing\" target=\"_blank\">Whose breath are you breathing?<\/a> (Farah Hancock, Radio New Zealand): \u201cAt 5737ppm, the equivalent of one in every seven breaths I took on the bus was air other people had breathed out. I texted a friend: \u2018OMG, the readings are so high I may as well let the other passengers lick my face!\u2019 I was being a little gross, because even according to a scientist, it is a little gross. \u2018You can think of it as spit particles, tiny spit particles are what you are breathing in,\u2019 says University of Auckland aerosol chemist Dr Joel Rindelaub. \u2018It\u2019s breath backwash that gets people infected.\u2019&nbsp;\u201d<ul><li>First, \u201cbreath backwash\u201d is a magnificent term. Kudos. Second, I\u2019m pretty sure the math is more complicated than the article makes it seem. I would nonetheless love seeing CO2 meters in public places.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2022\/07\/how-universities-weaponize-freshman-orientation\/\" target=\"_blank\">How Universities Weaponize Freshman Orientation<\/a> (Abigail Anthony, National Review): \u201cIdeally, freshman orientation should be a procedural, social assimilation to familiarize students with the resources the university offers and how to access them. However, Princeton University undertook a mission to present incoming students with sexual, moral, and political guidance, wholly omitting widely held perspectives and effectively insulating progressive views from intellectual trial. Moreover, attendance at these events was compulsory, thus constituting an ideological hazing.\u201d<\/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:\/\/tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com\/2014\/01\/all-lines-in-this-checkerboard-pattern.html\" target=\"_blank\">The lines in this checkerboard pattern are straight<\/a> (Akiyoshi Kitaoka\u2019s work on some random blog)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarside.com\/2022\/07\/11\/4\" target=\"_blank\">Turnabout<\/a> (The Far&nbsp;Side)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/loadingartist.com\/comic\/down-memory-lame\/\" target=\"_blank\">Down Memory Lame<\/a> (Loading Artist) \u2014 relatable<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7Lr9Y5CW5DM\" target=\"_blank\">Humans Will Believe Anything They Hear<\/a> (Bengt Washburn, YouTube): six minutes. Recommended by an alumnus. It sounded familiar so I searched the archives and saw I shared it back in <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2021\/07\/16\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-310\" target=\"_blank\">volume 310<\/a>. It was definitely worth watching again!<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/eat-the-rich-popsicles-elon-musk-jeff-bezos-mschf\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cEat the Rich\u201d ice cream truck sells $10 popsicles shaped like Bezos, Musk, others<\/a> (Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News): \u201cAn artists\u2019 collective in Brooklyn is selling popsicles shaped like billionaires including Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos with the tagline \u2018Eat the Rich.\u2019 But the $10 price tag on the frozen treats has some people pointing out the irony of criticizing the world\u2019s wealthiest while engaging in \u2018peak capitalism.\u2019&nbsp;\u201d Warning: autoplays unrelated videos.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/7\/12\/23204950\/bmw-subscriptions-microtransactions-heated-seats-feature\" target=\"_blank\">BMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions for $18 a month<\/a> (James Vincent, The Verge): \u201cCarmakers have always charged customers more money for high-end features, of course, but the dynamic is very different when software, rather than hardware, is the limiting factor. Charging more for high-end features feels different when you already own them In the case of heated seats, for example, BMW owners already have all the necessary components, but BMW has simply placed a software block on their functionality that buyers then have to pay to remove.\u201d Recommended by an alumnus. This actually probably belongs up in the serious category because it\u2019s an omen of the future.<\/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:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/366\/6466\/eaau5141\" target=\"_blank\">The Church, intensive kinship, and global psychological variation<\/a> (Schulz et al, Science): \u201c\u2026we propose that the Western Church (i.e., the branch of Christianity that evolved into the Roman Catholic Church) transformed European kinship structures during the Middle Ages and that this transformation was a key factor behind a shift towards a WEIRDer psychology.\u201d At the time I first shared it I said, \u201cThis is really interesting if it holds up.\u201d I did a quick literature church and the result seems to be holding. First shared in <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2019\/11\/08\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-226\" target=\"_blank\">volume 226<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Related:<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harvardmagazine.com\/2019\/11\/can-the-catholic-church-help-explain-western-psychology\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Can the Catholic Church Help Explain Western Psychology?<\/a> (Drew Pendergrass, Harvard Magazine) \u2014 a non-academic summary of the research.<\/li><li>Related: a<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mobile.twitter.com\/tage_rai\/status\/1192537590353629185\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Twitter thread from Tage Rai<\/a>, a postdoc at&nbsp;MIT<\/li><li>Related: the<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/marginalrevolution.com\/marginalrevolution\/2019\/11\/did-the-medieval-church-make-us-weird.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> comments at Marginal Revolution<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\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:\/\/theglendavis.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/category\/links\">view the archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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. 359 is the 72nd prime number, and is also what is known as a Sophie Germain prime because if \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2022\/07\/15\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-359\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 359\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/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 for interested people.","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":[121,124,240,195,160,297,275],"class_list":["post-6963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-abortion","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-elite-colleges","tag-gender","tag-how-the-church-is-perceived","tag-masculinity","tag-pandemic"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1Oj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6963","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=6963"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6967,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6963\/revisions\/6967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}