Friday Finds, XVII
Happy New Year, my friends. I'm hoping to blog more often this year, starting off with a retrospective on 2019 soon. “Soon.”
And with that...
Why 2020 Is Looking Dangerous for Wine Lovers (Food & Wine)
Take a glance through the comments opposing this tariff on the U.S. Trade Representative’s site. You’ll see that they come from salespeople who are worried their jobs will be impacted, wine store owners who may have to lay off staff, wine importers who are worried that after 20 years in business they’ll be forced to close up shop, servers and staff in restaurants that sell European wines—regular people with jobs whose livelihoods will be thrown into question by a draconian penalty in service to a dispute that has nothing to do with their businesses at all.
If you love wine and don’t feel like an unrelated trade dispute should restrict your freedom to buy the bottles you love best, or simply find the possible cost to American businesses alarming, you should tell the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which is required to accept comments from the public until January 13. Contacting your representative would be a good idea, too. Email your representative here. Comment at the U.S. Trade Representative’s site here.
You're not going to believe what I'm about to tell you (The Oatmeal)
Core beliefs are the beliefs which people cherish the most deeply. They usually develop from childhood and are compounded by life experiences. Core beliefs are inflexible, rigid, and incredibly sensitive to being challenged.
This wonderful comic about how we don't absorb facts and evidence is a wonderful reminder that humans are, first and foremost, an emotional, irrational, and tribal species. Add to that the dramatic impact of all the claims randos on the internet make, and we have the disinformation and misinformation chaos today.
How we re-wire ourselves and future generations to get to facts and truths, along with reputable institutions and government that protect us from deceptive narratives, will be the challenge of the future.
Millennials Are Leaving Religion And Not Coming Back (FiveThirtyEight)
”...[W]e came to see all of this negativity from people who were highly religious and increasingly didn’t want a part in it.” This view is common among young people.
During my waning days practicing Christianity, I would remark that American Christianity would be a better version of itself if two things happened: 1) it dramatically lost political and cultural power, and 2) it liberalized.
I think both things are happening, but not without a bitter fight. See American Evangelicals thoroughly compromising pact with the most un-Christian president ever. Speaking of that...
Trump Should Be Removed from Office (Christianity Today)
To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?
Better late than never, I guess.
The Claim: Drinking Alcohol With a Meal Prevents Food Poisoning (NY Times)
THE FACTS: Recent studies have found that a little alcohol may help ward off heart disease and slow dementia. But an old wives' tale suggests another reason to indulge in a drink or two with dinner: preventing food poisoning.
A few weeks ago, I cooked and ate pork tenderloin that I worried was undercooked. It could've been the case, or my mind may have taken a hold over my body, but I started to feel mildly ill. The thought came to my mind, “What if I just have a few glasses of whiskey? Wouldn't alcohol kill bacteria that cause food-borne illness?”
And thus, I stumbled upon this article from 2005.