October 2014 Archives
Professors at Old Dominion University find that 6.4% of non-citizens in the US voted in the 2008 elections. Patterico says that would be about 1.4 million votes. The researchers say the number of non-citizen votes could have given the Democrats the 60th seat necessary to pass Obamacare and changed the balance of power in the House. Photo ID blocked 1/4 of non-citizen voters; others might have been deterred had photo ID been more widespread at the time, or had there been tighter checks on registrations. Clinton's Motor Voter Act, and Democrat dominated states allowing illegals to obtain official ID likely facilitated illegal voting.
Mohler: Worldview undergirds culture, enables technological advances to contain disease
"But this should lead Americans, even as we are forewarned, about the fact that an Ebola cases has happened here, this should also lead Americans to be very thankful for a public health apparatus, an entire public health system that is attribute to the achievement of human civilization. And as Christians, we are mindful of the fact that that kind of social system requires a certain worldview to undergird the entire culture. You take away the worldview, you take away the social cohesion, you take away the culture, and that means you also take away the public health system. I for one look at the news coming out of Texas and I am fairly reassured that American health authorities can indeed handle this challenge. If I were elsewhere in the world, I wouldn't have that kind of confidence. And for that reason, we need to recognize that confidence is hard-won; and we also need to remember that it can be quickly lost."
For smart growth, not all density is created equal | Better! Cities & Towns Online
You don't need high-rise apartment complexes to see the environmental benefits of increased density. The 20 to 60 homes-per-acre of historic urban neighborhoods is plenty dense (marginal improvement in environmental parameters declines starting at 20 and disappears above 60 per acre) and is more comfortable for pedestrians and appealing to residents and visitors.
"After extensive study of how humans behave in different kinds of environments, [architect Jan] Gehl has concluded that the most comfortable building height for urban pedestrians is between 12.5 and 25 meters, or about three to six stories.  (See the excellent discussion in Li Teng, Human Scale Development....)  Could that be part of why people love these historic city districts so much?"
The author provides photos of new transit-oriented developments like Fruitvale in Oakland, California, and Bethesda Row in Bethesda, Maryland, that meet these criteria with low-rise buildings.
Why We Neglect Our Bibles | Desiring God | John Piper
"I think I can say from experience, from history, and from the Bible: Every Christian needs more spiritual food than one meal a week. That doesn't work physically; it doesn't work spiritually. Temptations are too relentless. Doubt is too frequent. Satan is too active. Tribulations are too heavy. Conflicts are too many. Emotions are too volatile. Perplexities are too difficult. Faith, hope, and love are too threatened, to think I can deal with these all week long simply from one word I got on Sunday. I can't do it. And I don't think anybody can."
And this, my son, is why you should never be alone with a girl until your wedding night:
"I didn't really feel I'd been violated, though part of me knew I had. I wasn't mad. I wasn't hurt. I didn't want vengeance. I didn't even feel weird around him soon after. I didn't feel much of anything. I certainly didn't feel like I'd been raped. But what had happened the night prior was not consensual sex, and I didn't like it. I wanted the flirting. I wanted the kissing. I wanted the sleepover. But I didn't want to go all the way. And that's very hard to explain to a man who is just as drunk as you are."
