{"id":7600,"date":"2025-01-03T19:35:05","date_gmt":"2025-01-04T03:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7600"},"modified":"2025-01-03T19:35:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-04T03:35:05","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-485","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/01\/03\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-485","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 485"},"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><br><br>    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>In this first email of 2025, I\u2019d like to pass along an alumnus\u2019s observation that 2025 is equal to 1<sup>3<\/sup> + 2<sup>3<\/sup> + 3<sup>3<\/sup> + 4<sup>3<\/sup> + 5<sup>3<\/sup> + 6<sup>3<\/sup> + 7<sup>3<\/sup> + 8<sup>3<\/sup> + 9<sup>3<\/sup> which is also equal to (1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9)<sup>2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even cooler, he pointed out that 2025 equals (20+25)<sup>(20\/(2*5))<\/sup>  or just (20+25)<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Numbers do fun things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list simple-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/how-intellectuals-found-god-ayaan-hirsi-ali-peter-thiel-jordan-peterson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Intellectuals Found God<\/a> (Peter Savodnik, The Free Press): \u201cInstead of smirking at religion, some of our most important philosophers, novelists, and public intellectuals are now reassessing their contempt for it. They are wondering if they might have missed something.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.astralcodexten.com\/p\/h5n1-much-more-than-you-wanted-to\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">H5N1: Much More Than You Wanted To Know<\/a> (Scott Alexander, Astral Codex Ten): \u201cI conclude that the most plausible estimate for the chance of an H5N1 pandemic in the next year is <strong>5%<\/strong>.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pretty much exactly how much I wanted to know and explained well. Reassuring.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sashachapin.substack.com\/p\/how-to-like-everything-more\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to like everything more<\/a> (Sasha Chapin, Substack): \u201cIn my experience, high-level enjoyment, like a sport, is composed of many interlocking micro-skills that must be trained individually, but which reinforce each&nbsp;other.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/walkingtheworld.substack.com\/p\/america-the-beautiful\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">America, the beautiful<\/a> (Chris Arnade, Substack): \u201cWe are an ideal for a large portion of the world, and while that ideal isn\u2019t always a reality that we live up to, very few people come here, then turn around and go back, because with enough dedication, you can create your own form of fulfillment here. The US is a vast federation of micro communities and micro cultures, all bound together by the belief, however tentative and nebulous, in the American Dream.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A frequent critic of America explains why he loves it nonetheless.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/africa\/africa-has-entered-a-new-era-of-war-c6171d8e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Africa Has Entered a New Era of War<\/a> (Gabriele Steinhauser, Andrew Barnett and Emma Brown, Wall Street Journal): \u201cAfrica is now experiencing more conflicts than at any point since at least 1946, according to data collected by Uppsala University in Sweden and analyzed by Norway\u2019s Peace Research Institute Oslo. This year alone, experts at the two institutes have identified 28 state-based conflicts across 16 of the continent\u2019s 54 countries, more than in any other region in the world and double the count just a decade and a half ago. That tally doesn\u2019t include conflicts that don\u2019t involve government forces, for instance between different communities, and whose number has also doubled since&nbsp;2010.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vastly underreported in America. If you ask most Americans what wars are raging right now they\u2019d be able to identify Russia\/Ukraine and Israel\/Hamas and not much else. But there\u2019s a lot else. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia\u2019s summary<\/a> puts the current tally at 19 full-blown wars, 20 significant conflicts and 15 skirmishes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/listeningtothesirens.substack.com\/p\/can-you-cancel-a-country\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Can You Cancel a Country<\/a>? (Russ Roberts, Substack): \u201cThe fans of settler colonialism love hating Israel because Israel is so young. You can\u2019t return America to 1619, say. In America, there are over 325 million settlers and only 7 million Native Americans. Decolonizing the United States is unimaginable. So is decolonizing Israel, really. But it\u2019s more imaginable than the United States. The defenders of Israel see Israel as the tip of the sword fighting against terrorism and Jihadism. For the those who use the settler colonialism lens, Hamas is the tip of the sword against settler colonialism.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Roberts is an economist, a fellow at Stanford\u2019s Hoover Institution, and the president of Shalem College in Jerusalem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/27\/science\/biomass-garbage-construction.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mU4.nLP8.0nhjOF5B3hIr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A Century of Human Detritus, Visualized<\/a> (Dennis Overbye, New York Times): \u201c&nbsp;\u2018The website enables many comparisons that, once seen, can no longer be unseen,\u2019 he said. For instance, humans outweigh wild animals 10 to 1, a fact that surprised Dr. M\u00e9nard. (\u2018In my experience, most people expect the opposite.\u2019) But we weigh only half as much as the livestock herds we maintain to eat. Perhaps more ominously, humans use 100 times their own mass in plastic.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unlocked. Also, you can see the interactive visualization at <a href=\"https:\/\/biocubes.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/biocubes.net\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/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=\"wp-block-list simple-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomics.com\/pearlsbeforeswine\/2025\/01\/03\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Prayer Emoji<\/a> (Pearls Before Swine)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/disney-announces-live-action-remake-of-animated-remake-of-live-action-remake-of-animated-remake-of-live-action-remake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Disney Announces Live-Action Remake Of Animated Remake Of Live-Action Remake Of Animated Remake Of Live-Action Remake<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.surfer.com\/news\/100-foot-wave-possibly-surfed-mavericks-alo-slebir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">100-Foot Wave Surfed at Maverick\u2019s? Potentially.<\/a> (Dashel Pierson, Surfer): \u201cNevertheless, there\u2019s a new contender for the Guinness World Record of \u2018Largest Wave Surfed,\u2019 as tossed into the ring by Alessandro \u2018Alo\u2019 Slebir with his monster ride at Maverick\u2019s from December 23rd, 2024. It\u2019s speculated, potentially, that Alo\u2019s wave measured 108 feet. And that would smash the current record held by Sebastian Steudtner and his 86-footer at Nazar\u00e9, Portugal in&nbsp;2020.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Maverick\u2019s is, of course, at nearby Santa Cruz. Here\u2019s a two-minute news segment about it: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hnTyMBJEEHM&amp;list=LL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Santa Cruz man rides potential record wave<\/a> (NBC Bay&nbsp;Area)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/lost-veggietales-episode-discovered-where-david-brings-king-saul-200-severed-pickle-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lost VeggieTales Episode Discovered Where David Brings King Saul 200 Severed Pickle Tips<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n<\/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. In this first email of 2025, I\u2019d like to pass along an alumnus\u2019s observation that 2025 is equal to \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/01\/03\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-485\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 485\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":"","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":[266,168,160,148,275,247],"class_list":["post-7600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-africa","tag-america","tag-how-the-church-is-perceived","tag-israel","tag-pandemic","tag-wisdom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1YA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7600","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=7600"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7602,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7600\/revisions\/7602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}