{"id":7005,"date":"2022-09-09T12:57:53","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T20:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7005"},"modified":"2022-09-09T12:57:53","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T20:57:53","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-367","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2022\/09\/09\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-367","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 367"},"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 367<sup>th<\/sup> installment, notable because 367 is a prime number and also the largest number whose square is composed of strictly increasing digits: 367<sup>2<\/sup>&nbsp;= 134689.<\/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:\/\/thedispatch.com\/p\/socialism-nationalism-and-tolkien\" target=\"_blank\">Socialism, Nationalism, and Tolkien<\/a>&nbsp;(Alec Dent, The Dispatch): \u201cIn our time of unprecedented wealth and safety, the once-defeated foe of illiberalism has made a reappearence.\u2026 due largely to a lack of appreciation for how good we have things right now, a lack of understanding of how we got here, and a lack of understanding of how a radical overhaul of society would alter the world as we know&nbsp;it.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/thebaffler.com\/latest\/the-despotism-of-isaias-afewerki-de-waal?utm_source%3Drss-feed%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dfeed\" target=\"_blank\">The Despotism of Isaias Afewerki<\/a>&nbsp;(Alex de Waal, The Baffler): \u201c\u2026fighters protested the decision that they should continue to serve without pay for two more years. A group of disabled veterans marched\u2014there\u2019s no verb that conveys the determined collective motion of their wheelchairs, artificial limbs, and sticks\u2014towards the capital to demand their pensions. They were shot at with live ammunition. Some were killed, others were arrested and disappeared.\u201d<ul><li>I\u2019d heard before that Eritrea was worse than North Korea in some ways, but this article really drove it home.&nbsp;Wow.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/why-people-are-losing-faith-in-public-institutions\/\" target=\"_blank\">Why People Are Losing Faith In Public Institutions<\/a>&nbsp;(Rod Dreher, The American Conservative): \u201c\u2026if you relied on the Post to tell you about the world you actually live in, it would not have occurred to you that there is any other side to the library story than the virtuous pink-haired queer librarian and her allies versus the mob of bigots. If you are on the Left, isn\u2019t it in your interest to understand why people are so upset, even if you don\u2019t agree with them? Isn\u2019t it in your interest to at least think about why the people of a town would rather defund their library rather than see it used in this&nbsp;way?\u201d&nbsp;<ul><li>This one is wild and Dreher, as they say, has the receipts.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.undergroundthomist.org\/can-an-atheist-be-a-moral-realist\" target=\"_blank\">Can an Atheist Be a Moral Realist?<\/a>&nbsp;(J. Budziszewski, personal blog): \u201c\u2026I can\u2019t see how you can be an atheist and a moral realist at the same time. It is like eating a cake and still having it. If naturalism is true, then aren\u2019t we just meat bags full of water with no dignity? My friend says I am caricaturing his position. Am I missing something, or is&nbsp;he?\u201d<ul><li>This is well argued. The author is a professor of government and philosophy at the University of&nbsp;Texas.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2022\/09\/01\/michael-gerson-evangelical-christian-maga-democracy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Trump should fill Christians with rage. How come he doesn\u2019t<\/a>? (Michael Gerson, Washington Post): \u201cI know that people inspired by [Jesus] have done great things in the past \u2014 building hospitals for the poor, improving the rights of women and children, militating against slavery, caring for the mentally disabled, working for a merciful welfare state, fighting prejudice, improving global health. But precisely because these things have happened, it is difficult for me to comprehend why so many American evangelicals have rejected the splendor and romance of their calling and settled for the cultural and political resentments of the hard&nbsp;right.\u201d<ul><li>Long and a bit rambly, nonetheless interesting.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/thecritic.co.uk\/publishing-needs-jk-rowling-to-be-a-monster\/\" target=\"_blank\">Publishing needs JK Rowling to be a monster<\/a>&nbsp;(Victoria Smith, The Critic Magazine): \u201cThe trouble with JK Rowling is that she has done nothing wrong. Back in 2020, she wrote a carefully worded, compassionate piece about sex and gender.\u2026 This is a situation in which the punishment has created the crime and it\u2019s one that is needed by members of the publishing industry who have spent years embracing the arguments of the most extreme trans activists while ignoring those of feminists. They need Rowling to be a monster. Otherwise they might have to respond, not just to what Rowling has written, but to the realities of the movement to which they have pledged allegiance.\u201d<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/news\/2022\/september\/obit-queen-elizabeth-ii-personal-faith-christian-bible.html\" target=\"_blank\">Died: Queen Elizabeth II, British Monarch Who Put Her Trust in God<\/a>&nbsp;(Dudley Delffs, Christianity Today): \u201cThe Queen\u2019s love of the Bible and its gospel message led to her participation in the publication of a special book to commemorate her 90th birthday. Titled&nbsp;<em>The Servant Queen and the King She Serves<\/em>.\u2026 Her Majesty personally wrote the foreword, thanking readers for their prayers and good wishes. \u2018I have been\u2014and remain\u2014very grateful to \u2026 God for His steadfast love. I have indeed seen His faithfulness,\u2019 she wrote. The book was distributed to thousands of churches across the UK and throughout many Commonwealth countries prior to the Queen\u2019s birthday in 2016. The book proved so popular that the Bible Society had to print another 150,000 copies to meet demand.\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:\/\/www.gocomics.com\/pearlsbeforeswine\/2022\/09\/05\" target=\"_blank\">Inflation<\/a>&nbsp;(Pearls Before Swine)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/man-eating-cereal-out-of-flower-vase-wondering-if-he-should-do-dishes\/\" target=\"_blank\">Man Eating Cereal Out Of Flower Vase Wondering If He Should Do Dishes<\/a>&nbsp;(Babylon Bee) \u2014 appropriate for some of you over the summer<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/dilbert.com\/strip\/2022-09-03\" target=\"_blank\">People Who Are Better Than You<\/a>&nbsp;(Dilbert)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/after-second-failed-launch-nasa-decides-to-scrap-artemis-program-and-just-fake-another-moon-landing\/\" target=\"_blank\">After Second Failed Launch, NASA Decides To Scrap Artemis Program And Just Fake Another Moon Landing<\/a>&nbsp;(Babylon Bee)<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/xkcd.com\/2668\/\" target=\"_blank\">Artemis Quote<\/a>&nbsp;(xckd) \u2014 this would be amazing&nbsp;<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=q3LuZeekVX4\" target=\"_blank\">This is the most interesting roof in London.<\/a>&nbsp;(Tom Scott, YouTube): six minutes. The video does not disappoint.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VZAqP_chzfU\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube Tutorials<\/a>&nbsp;(Corey Rodrigues, YouTube): five minutes<\/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:\/\/marginalrevolution.com\/marginalrevolution\/2020\/01\/big-datasmall-bias.html\">Big Data+Small Bias \u00ab Small Data+Zero Bias<\/a> (Alex Tabarrok, Marginal Revolution): \u201cSuppose you want to estimate who will win the 2016 US Presidential election. You ask 2.3 million potential voters whether they are likely to vote for Trump or not. The sample is in all ways demographically representative of the US voting population but potential Trump voters are a tiny bit less likely to answer the question, just .001 less likely to answer (note they don\u2019t lie, they just don\u2019t answer).\u201d I was stunned. From <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2020\/01\/17\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-234\">volume 234<\/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 367th installment, notable because 367 is a prime number and also the largest number whose square \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2022\/09\/09\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-367\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 367\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":"Links to delight, entrance, and inform you. 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":[266,168,124,204,319,317,226,177,117],"class_list":["post-7005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-africa","tag-america","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-atheism","tag-england","tag-eritrea","tag-europe","tag-media","tag-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1OZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7005","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=7005"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7008,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7005\/revisions\/7008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}