Friday's News & Ideas - 5/14/2021

What does the new mask guidance really mean?*
The New York Times: The C.D.C. now says it is safe for fully vaccinated people to take their masks off in most indoor settings. States, cities and businesses were sorting through what to do with the guidance.

Radical rabbi’s followers rise in Israel amid new violence
Associated Press: In the 1980s, Rabbi Meir Kahane’s violent anti-Arab ideology was considered so repugnant that Israel banned him from parliament. Today, his disciples march through the streets, chanting “Death to Arabs” and assaulting any they come across.
Religion News Service: Interfaith efforts strained by Israeli-Palestinian violence

Biden inauguration priest resigns as president of Jesuit university
Religion News Service: The Rev. Kevin O’Brien’s resignation comes about two months after the Jesuits placed him on leave when an investigation of unspecified allegations involving O’Brien was announced.

LGBT health bias protections set to clash with religion shield
Bloomberg Law: New guidance from the Biden administration to protect LGBT people from discrimination in health care is likely to collide with the strongly held religious beliefs of some doctors and the federal law in place to protect them.

Hear a Harlem choir rejoice again*
The New York Times: Using a 3-D model of the sanctuary of Bethel Gospel Assembly, the New York Times created an online experience of choir members singing “It Is Well With My Soul.”

The Spark

Less is more: Why our brains struggle to subtract
When solving problems, humans tend to think about adding something before they think of taking something away -- even when subtracting is the better solution, Nature says. This has implications for everything from institutional red tape to overbusy schedules.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers

Want to get News & Ideas in your inbox every weekday?
Subscribe to our News & Ideas newsletter or receive our RSS feed in your RSS reader.