{"id":7002,"date":"2022-09-02T18:24:45","date_gmt":"2022-09-03T02:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7002"},"modified":"2022-09-02T18:24:45","modified_gmt":"2022-09-03T02:24:45","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-366","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2022\/09\/02\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-366","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 366"},"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 366<sup>th<\/sup> of these missives, which is not only the number of days in a leap year but also &nbsp;8<sup>2<\/sup>&nbsp;+ 9<sup>2&nbsp;<\/sup>+ 10<sup>2<\/sup>+ 11<sup>2<\/sup>.<\/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.plough.com\/en\/topics\/justice\/culture-of-life\/no-promises\" target=\"_blank\">No Promises<\/a>&nbsp;(Eve Tushnet, Plough): \u201cIn confession you do not seek primarily moral improvement but reconciliation with God. The confessional is less a classroom and more a trysting place. In my own life, my best current understanding of what I\u2019m doing is not that I\u2019ve turned away from drunkenness and to abstinence; abstinence is an absence. It\u2019s slightly more true to say that I am turning from drunkenness to sobriety: a path of peace. But it is most true to say that I hope to turn from drunkenness to Christ. And this in all things: not from vice to virtue but from vice to&nbsp;God.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/humans-are-all-more-closely-related-than-we-commonly-think\/\" target=\"_blank\">Humans Are All More Closely Related Than We Commonly Think<\/a>&nbsp;(Scott Hershberger, Scientific American): \u201c\u2026our most recent common ancestor&nbsp;probably lived no earlier than 1400 B.C.and possibly as recently as A.D. 55. In the time of Egypt\u2019s Queen Nefertiti, someone from whom we are all descended was likely alive somewhere in the world. Go back a bit further, and you reach a date when our family trees share not just one ancestor in common but&nbsp;<em>every<\/em>&nbsp;ancestor in common.\u2026 somewhere between 5300 and 2200 B.C.,according to Rohde\u2019s calculations.\u201d<ul><li>If only there was an ancient and holy book which attested something similar\u2026<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/claremontreviewofbooks.com\/why-are-we-in-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\">Why Are We in Ukraine?<\/a>&nbsp;(Christopher Caldwell, Claremont Review of Books): \u201cThe attempt to isolate Russia from the American world system has had a striking unintended consequence\u2014the possible founding of an&nbsp;<em>alternative<\/em>&nbsp;world system that would draw power away from the existing one. Twenty years ago, under George W. Bush, the United States removed the Iraqi deterrent from Iran\u2019s neighborhood, transforming Iran overnight into a regional power. This year, under Joe Biden, the United States has made China a gift of Russia\u2019s exportable food and mineral resources. We are displaying an outright genius for identifying our most dangerous military adversary and solving its most pressing strategic challenge.\u201d<ul><li>In related news, these two articles by Rod Dreher are the clearest things I\u2019ve seen highlighting the problems Europe is facing as a result of the Ukrainian war. Scary&nbsp;times.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/neronian-ruling-class-fiddles-while-west-burns\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/neronian-ruling-class-fiddles-while-west-burns\/\">Neronian Ruling Class Fiddles While West Burns<\/a> (Rod Dreher, The American Conservative): \u201cAs rich as the West is, it can\u2019t keep its people warm in the winter by burning cash. And so, European households are now being forced to ask if freezing in the dark for Ukraine is something they really want to do. This is not going to happen to Americans \u2014 but you should think about how you would react if this were you, and your elderly parents, and your kids. Yes, Putin is an SOB, but this is the real&nbsp;world.\u201d<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/can-you-heat-europe-with-von-der-leyens-hot-air\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/can-you-heat-europe-with-von-der-leyens-hot-air\/\">Can You Heat Europe With Von Der Leyen\u2019s Hot Air?<\/a> (Rod Dreher, The American Conservative): \u201cTo be clear: Putin was wicked to invade Ukraine, and I wish Russia would lose that war. But Russia is not losing that war; the West is. It is unspeakably arrogant for Ursula von der Leyen to say Putin is not being cricket to use economics as a weapon of war, when she and the group of nations she leads have spent the last six months doing&nbsp;<em>exactly the same thing&nbsp;<\/em>to Russia, only without much effect. Russia, obviously, has the better hand \u2014 and it\u2019s playing it. Again: we are ruled by fools who prefer sunny ideological dreams to cold reality \u2026 of the sort that\u2019s going to hit European homes and businesses very hard by January.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mercatus.org\/publications\/submarine-cables-and-container-shipments-two-immediate-risks-if-china-invades-taiwan\" target=\"_blank\">Submarine Cables and Container Shipments: Two Immediate Risks to the US Economy if China Invades Taiwan<\/a>&nbsp;(Christine McDaniel&nbsp;and&nbsp;Weifeng Zhong, Mercatus): \u201cThe potential effects of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan on the US economy are far greater than those of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Container shipments to and from major ports in the region, as well as digital flows, would be at direct risk. China and Taiwan are also major suppliers and consumers for US major trading partners around the globe from Japan and Germany to Saudi Arabia. The effects of a crisis or blockade would be felt by every major economy, which, in turn, would produce additional negative effects for the US economy.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/08\/27\/science\/octopus-research-animal-rights.html\" target=\"_blank\">Octopuses Don\u2019t Have Backbones \u2014 or Rights<\/a>&nbsp;(New York Times): \u201c\u2026male blue-ringed octopuses could use touch to&nbsp;recognize&nbsp;females they\u2019d already mated with. After bumping into a former mate, the males fled, perhaps to avoid being eaten. Such research suggests that octopuses and other cephalopods are smart and sensitive.\u201d<ul><li>That\u2019s a funny excerpt. More seriously, I thought this point was quite interesting: \u201cDr. Niemi said critics have pointed out that animal care committees have rarely denied approval to researchers. But in his experience, this is because committees go back and forth with a scientist to revise the plan until it is acceptable.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/08\/30\/us\/navy-seal-training-death.html\" target=\"_blank\">Death in Navy SEAL Training Exposes a Culture of Brutality, Cheating and Drugs<\/a>&nbsp;(Dave Philipps, New York Times): \u201cSailors who enter the program bolstered by steroids and hormones can push harder, recover faster and probably beat out the sailors who are trying to become SEALs while clean, said one senior SEAL leader with multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The inevitable effect, he said, is that a course designed to select the very best will end up selecting only the very best cheaters, and steadily fill the SEAL teams with war fighters who view rules as optional. \u2018What am I going to do with guys like that in a place like Afghanistan?\u2019 said the leader. \u2018A guy who can do 100 pull-ups but can\u2019t make an ethical decision?\u2019&nbsp;\u201d&nbsp;<ul><li>This story has INSANE details.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getreligion.org\/getreligion\/2022\/8\/29\/new-stories-on-new-apostolic-reformation-sean-feucht-keep-assuming-a-conservative-takeover\" target=\"_blank\">New stories on New Apostolic Reformation, Sean Feucht keep assuming a right-wing takeover<\/a>&nbsp;(Julia Duin, GetReligion): \u201c\u2026he doesn\u2019t claim to be a pastor who\u2019s expected to take a quasi-vow of property; he\u2019s a rock musician who does what other entertainers do: Haul in the cash. He just happens to have put a Christian veneer on it all, and he\u2019s doing for conservatives what liberal Hollywood elites have done for the Left for years.&nbsp; If you look at Feucht in that light \u2014 as an astute entertainer who wisely grasped peoples\u2019 anger at church shut-downs in 2020 and exploited it in a series of concerts \u2014 his wealth doesn\u2019t seem as unusual.\u201d<ul><li>I found this piece very interesting. At its best, GetReligion highlights how news stories in major publications get basic facts wrong about religion (especially traditional religions) and miss important insights as a result. This is one of their better pieces in a&nbsp;while.<\/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\" href=\"https:\/\/imgur.com\/gallery\/w7cBKqo\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/imgur.com\/gallery\/w7cBKqo\" target=\"_blank\">Funny Ramadan song<\/a>&nbsp;(Imgur)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomics.com\/pearlsbeforeswine\/2022\/08\/31\" target=\"_blank\">A Guide To Social Media<\/a>&nbsp;(Pearls Before Swine)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/xkcd.com\/2666\/\" target=\"_blank\">Universe Price Tiers<\/a>&nbsp;(xkcd) \u2014 I share this only to point out that free will is in the upgraded packages<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/dilbert.com\/strip\/2022-09-01\" target=\"_blank\">Virus Names<\/a>&nbsp;(Dilbert)<\/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 &nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/dougwils.com\/books-and-culture\/s7-engaging-the-culture\/film-experts-why-christian-movies-are-a-joke.html\" target=\"_blank\">Film Experts: Why Christian Movies Are a Joke<\/a>&nbsp;(Douglas Wilson): \u201cStefan Malarney (Hot Tub Time Machine) made the observation that Christian film makers simply refuse to pick material that is true to life. Andre Caproni (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) agreed, adding that unless we address the human condition with integrity, we are denying something essentially spiritual about ourselves.\u201d For the record, this is satire. From&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2020\/01\/10\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-233\" target=\"_blank\">volume 233<\/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:\/\/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. This is the 366th of these missives, which is not only the number of days in a leap year \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2022\/09\/02\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-366\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 366\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":"More international news than I usually feature in these updates.","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":[124,125,160,207,184,265,310],"class_list":["post-7002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-china","tag-how-the-church-is-perceived","tag-military","tag-russia","tag-taiwan","tag-ukraine"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1OW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7002","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=7002"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7003,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7002\/revisions\/7003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}