Weekend Reads 7/11/20

Was Trump’s Mount Rushmore Speech Divisive?

But the conservative reflex to resist accusations of racism is worse than misguided in this instance. It does real harm to the conservative cause. Why? Because in this case the accusation is not false. It’s blatantly, obviously true.

Look Up! Astronomer Says July Skies Are Brimming With Planets, Constellations

If you can plan to get out of the city, the annual Perseid meteor shower in August is a chance to witness something spectacular. Although meteor showers are “fickle beasts” that are tough to predict, Perseid is looking to be the best shower of the year, he says.

Hey Hey, Ho Ho White Jesus Has to Go… But The Issue is More Complicated Than You Think

The continued depiction of Jesus as a “white male” of Western European heritage is problematic not only for historical reasons but also for explicit and implicit connections between conceptions of the divine and racial whiteness. For those reasons it would be wise, if not morally just, if Christians of all backgrounds began the important work of removing and replacing depictions of Jesus as a white man with more historically accurate representations—or with no representations at all.

Toxic hand sanitizers have blinded and killed adults and children, FDA warns

But drinking isn’t the only way methanol causes severe harms. Inhaling or absorbing methanol through the skin can lead to the same systemic effects seen from ingestion. Those can manifest as nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system, or death, the FDA notes.