Weekend Links 5-11-18

A Friday roundup of interesting stuff from the internet. Here are the articles that caught my attention this week:

Brad Meltzer, best selling author of The Escape Artist has a new book in the works. This time he is delving into non-fiction with the story of the secret plot against George Washington.

A profile of the man who invented book selling as we know it.

This is a terrific look at the geniuses behind the Babylon Bee.

Analytics is pretty commonplace now in Major League Baseball but at the college level it is still a novelty. At UNC they are leading the way in adopting analytics into the game.

Many evangelical leaders have not only been outspoken in their support of President Trump but have gone to great lengths to defend his most egregious behaviors. David French has some very frank words for the President's evangelical backers.

Tim Challies poses an interesting question: is your church Christian or Christianish?

10 things you should know about your smartphone.

Nostalgia alert: 10 Fun Facts About Highlights.

The woman who was the subject of one of the most iconic photos to come out of the Vietnam War shares how she came to Christ. It's a powerful testimony.

Baseball America polled its correspondents to come up with a list of the ten best major league parks (excluding Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodger Stadium as they are in a class of their own).

This is one of the more interesting stories I have run across this week: How a Coney Island sideshow helped to save thousand of babies.

On an almost daily basis there are new reports of scientific studies reported as absolute fact. But there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of such studies. 

As I visit used book stores in my travels I am always on the lookout for vintage cover illustrations. In fact, I believe that book cover illustration is in many ways a lost art. This collection of pulp covers of classic fiction is fantastic. 

Weekend Links 11-24-17

A few articles of interest I found for your weekend perusal:

The recent news cycles have been dominated with stories about sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviors among elected officials, powerful individuals, and political candidates. Especially when it comes to politics the issue can present difficult choices to Christians. Marvin Olasky shares some valuable insight on the message our choices send to future generations.

These news stories have sparked a debate about the so-called Billy Graham rule. This discussion (on Twitter no less) is one of the most interesting and helpful discussions on the subject I have read.

One possible political solution to the problem of unqualified U. S. Senate candidates is a repeal of the 17th Amendment.

Stephen Mansfield helpfully explains why many evangelicals decided to vote for Donald Trump as President. 

Many conservatives who argued in favor of Trump's election used the Supreme Court as an argument for supporting him. David French warns of the dangers of obsessing over the Court.

Related: Senator Ben Sasse warned this week against the dangers of political idolatry.

Last week marked the premiere of the new film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Here's a list of nine other novels for those who are new to her work.

Finally, a 97 year-old World War II veteran shares about his service as a code breaker during the war. It's fascinating stuff.