winnie’s wise words
/If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear. - Winnie the Pooh
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Articles of Interest about Religion - Sept 27
/***RELIGION
Why the share of Americans who said they didn’t associate with any established religion has doubled
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/atheism-fastest-growing-religion-us/598843/
Who’s an evangelical and who gets to decide? (opinion)
https://religionnews.com/2019/09/23/whos-an-evangelical-and-who-gets-to-decide/
Evangelical Has Lost Its Meaning (sub. req’ed)
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/the-end-of-evangelical/598423/
The Occult Remedy the Puritans Embraced
https://daily.jstor.org/the-occult-remedy-the-puritans-embraced/
The mysteries of "God Friended Me"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-mysteries-of-god-friended-me-brandon-micheal-hall/
Why Christians reject Kanye West’s ‘Jesus Is King,’ Sunday Service
https://nypost.com/2019/09/27/why-christians-reject-kanye-wests-jesus-is-king-sunday-service/
Court rules that Michigan must work with faith-based adoption and foster agencies
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
White evangelicals love Trump and aren't confused about why (opinion)
The private Christian school Karen Pence teaches at is embroiled in an alleged hate crime
***RELIGION & MONEY
Tithing Over Text Is Now a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry
Why so many non-religious Europeans pay church taxes
https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/09/12/why-so-many-non-religious-europeans-pay-church-taxes
***RELIGION & FILM
'Sister Aimee': Film Review
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/sister-aimee-review-124312
***CATHOLIC
Arson at 3 Catholic churches serving Hispanics in El Paso probed by FBI, reward set
The gambler and the social-media junkie
/The analogy between the gambler and the social-media junkie is hard to avoid. Tristan Harris, Google’s former design ethicist, calls your smartphone “The Slot Machine in Your Pocket”. Most smartphone apps use “intermittent variable rewards” to keep users hooked. Because rewards are variable, they are uncertain: you have to pull the lever to see what you are going to get. Adam Alter adds that, with the invention of the like button, users are gambling every time they post.
Every post is a lot cast for the contemporary equivalent of the God of Everything. What we are really asking for when we post a status is a verdict. In telling the machine something about ourselves, whatever else we are trying to achieve, we are asking for judgment.
Richard Seymour, The Twittering Machine
Articles of Interest about Literature, Journalism, Writing & Languages – Sept 25
/***JOURNALISM
FBI arrests Army soldier who allegedly discussed plans to bomb major American news network
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-arrests-army-soldier-allegedly-discussed-plans-bomb/story
Remembering Cokie Roberts, Who Forged A Path For Female Journalists
Growing hostility’ between student media and administrators – Investigative Reporting Workshop
https://investigativereportingworkshop.org/news/growing-hostility-between-student-media-and-administrators/
Nonprofit news outlets aren’t relying as heavily on foundations — but journalism philanthropy continues to grow
Someone Is Doxing Hong Kong Protesters And Journalists — And China Wants Them To Keep Going
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rosalindadams/hong-kong-doxing-protesters-china-encourage
***FAKE NEWS
Google has released a giant database of deepfakes to help fight deepfakes
https://www.technologyreview.com/f/614426/google-has-released-a-giant-database-of-deepfakes-to-help-fight-deepfakes/
Anti-vax movement targets Maine law on vaccine exemptions
https://www.axios.com/anti-vaccine-movement-targets-maine-ffdffe55-adaf-4aa4-b700-6e61f3b6117e.html
***GRAMMAR
Pope Francis criticises overuse of adjectives
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/24/pope-francis-criticises-overuse-of-adjectives
A grammar nerd gently dismantles those arguments for rejecting the new ‘they’
Does Influencer Grammar Matter?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/18/style/influencer-grammar-watchdog-accounts-southeast-asia.html
***WRITING & READING
Physical books still outsell e-books — and here's why
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/physical-books-still-outsell-e-books-and-heres-why.html
1,000-page sentence is hard work all around
It's Banned Books Week. Here are the 11 most challenged books last year
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/22/us/banned-books-week-2019-trnd/index.html
***LANGUAGE
Why Your Mom Uses Emojis All Wrong 🙃
https://www.motherjones.com/media/2019/09/gretchen-mcculloch-because-internet/
Study shows facial features track with intonation of words
https://phys.org/news/2019-09-facial-features-track-intonation-words.html
***LITERATURE
When Milton met Shakespeare: poet's notes on Bard appear to have been found
***POETRY
A vending machine that pops out poems! Positively precious
One of Elizabeth Warren's strategists is longlisted for the National Book Award in Poetry
Teaching poetry at a correctional facility through the lens of parenting a teen son
Poem: Small Kindnesses
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/magazine/poem-small-kindnesses.html
***THE BUSINESS OF MEDIA
Broadcast Radio Under Threat from Perfect Storm of New Tech
FCC loses in court, judges say agency would fail “intro statistics class”
***SOCIAL MEDIA: TIKTOK
How TikTok Holds Our Attention
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/30/how-tiktok-holds-our-attention
Revealed: how TikTok censors videos that do not please Beijing
The Complete Beginner’s Guide to TikTok
https://medium.com/@mattprd/how-tiktok-is-changing-the-world-and-youre-missing-it-fa283338649a
***PRIVACY & SECURITY
People Are Looking At Your LinkedIn Profile. They Might Be Chinese Spies
Brain Privacy
How to Say No
/In a research study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, 120 students were split into two different groups. The difference between these two groups was saying “I can't” compared to “I don't.”
One group was told that each time they were faced with a temptation, they would tell themselves “I can't do X.” For example, when tempted with ice cream, they would say, “I can't eat ice cream.”
When the second group was faced with a temptation, they were told to say “I don't do X.” For example, when tempted with ice cream, they would say, “I don't eat ice cream.”
After repeating these phrases, each student answered a set of questions unrelated to the study. Once they finished answering their questions, the students went to hand in their answer sheet, thinking that the study was over. In reality, it was just beginning. As each student walked out of the room and handed in their answer sheet, they were offered a complimentary treat. The student could choose between a chocolate candy bar or a granola health bar.
As the student walked away, the researcher would mark their snack choice on the answer sheet. The students who told themselves “I can't eat X” chose to eat the chocolate candy bar 61% of the time. Meanwhile, the students who told themselves “I don't eat X” chose to eat the chocolate candy bars only 36% of the time. This simple change in terminology significantly improved the odds that each person would make a more healthy food choice.
Articles of Interest about Higher Ed - Sept 23
/***HIGHER ED
Higher education's existential crisis
https://www.axios.com/colleges-universities-crisis-e437549e-b5ad-4e6c-8bab-f32db1065d14.html
The University Of Texas’ Secret Strategy to keep out Black Students
Springfield Technical Community College warns of lead contamination on quad
2019 Survey of Admissions Leaders: The Pressure Grows
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/admissions-directors-face-growing-pressure
Trump-era labor board wants to make it that much harder for graduate students on private college campuses to form unions
Why colleges are struggling to graduate more teachers
https://www.educationdive.com/news/why-colleges-are-struggling-to-graduate-more-teachers/563131/
***HIGHER ED & FINANCES
The rise of corporate colleges
https://www.axios.com/corporate-colleges-workforce-training-33831fbb-2d21-4683-8dab-8b2424bff439.html
***HIGHER ED & THE LAW
8 religion-related cases to watch when the Supreme Court is back in session
***THE COST OF COLLEGE
For-profit middlemen may be driving up the cost of online higher education
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/for-profit-middlemen-may-be-driving-up-the-cost-of-online-higher-education-2019-09-19
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Minot State professor responds to backlash over image of Trump
Emory investigates 2 new cases of faculty using racial slur in class
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Chicago Bans Wheaton College Students From Evangelizing in Park, Students Sue
Christian activist group demands criminal probe of Jerry Falwell Jr.
***RESEARCH
Peer Review Survey 2019
https://senseaboutscience.org/activities/peer-review-survey-2019/
‘There is a problem’: Australia’s top scientist Alan Finkel pushes to eradicate bad science
How do different stakeholders – authors, editors, readers, publishers, the public – value peer review quality?”
https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2019/09/12/ask-the-chefs-peer-review-quality/
Understanding peer review: My first 12 months as a journal editor
https://www.editage.com/insights/understanding-peer-review-my-first-12-months-as-a-journal-editor
Giving Credit: Gender and the hidden labour behind academic prestige
Misconduct is more frequent among the papers retracted from lower impact journals”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0213911119301529
***STUDENT LIFE
Two white students are charged with assaulting a black student
Growing Number of Colleges let Students pick their Names
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/09/17/growing-number-colleges-let-students-pick-their-names
1 in 4 Youths Has Vaped. Will State Bans Do Anything?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/17/us/vaping-states-regulation.html
College voter turnout rate more than doubled in 2018
34 Things Lazy College Students Will Probably Appreciate
https://www.buzzfeed.com/racheldunkel/things-lazy-college-students-will-probably-appreciate
***SEXUAL ASSAULT
Association of college administrators that deal with campus sexual assaults prompts controversy
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/09/17/new-statement-title-ix-association-draws-controversy
Optimists live longer
/Here’s a good reason to turn that frown upside down: Optimistic people live as much as 15% longer than pessimists, according to a new study spanning thousands of people and 3 decades. After controlling for health conditions, behaviors like diet and exercise, and other demographic information, the scientists were able to show that the most optimistic women (top 25%) lived an average of 14.9% longer than their more pessimistic peers. For the men the results were a bit less dramatic: The most optimistic of the bunch lived 10.9% longer than their peers, on average, the team reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
David Shultz writing in Science Magazine
Articles of Interest about Religion - Sept 21
/***RELIGION
Ancient mosaic found near Sea of Galilee depicts Jesus' loaves and fishes miracle
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/ancient-mosaic-jesus-galilee-intl-scli/index.html
Virginia pastors lead Bible study at Confederate monument: reinterpret the statues as idols meant to prop up the false religion of white supremacy
The Seminary Flourished on Slave Labor: Now It’s Planning to Pay Reparations
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/us/virginia-seminary-reparations.html
California Church Leaders Lured Homeless Into Forced Labor, U.S. Says
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/11/us/california-church-homeless-panhandling.html
Pastor and Mental Health Advocate Jarrid Wilson Dies by Suicide
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
For evangelicals, Trump’s blasphemy is not a deterrent
The Christian Right Is Helping Drive Liberals Away From Religion
***RELIGION & THE LAW
Federal judge supports student's right to hand out valentines with Bible messages at Wisconsin technical college
Arkansas Supreme Court, Attorney General, continue to tangle with pastor/judge
Pastor of ‘Flying Spaghetti Monster’ Church Prays at Gov’t Meeting, Thanks to Court Ruling
***CATHOLIC
Catholics on the Slow Road to Schism
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/14/opinion/sunday/the-slow-road-to-catholic-schism.html
Why Pope Francis struggles in Africa
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2019/09/07/why-pope-francis-struggles-in-africa
Court reinstates lawsuit against Catholic hospital for refusing transgender patient's surgery
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-09-18/hiltzik-catholic-hospital-discrimination-case
China/Vatican agreement may signal lessening of religious tension
***MEGACHURCHES
Willow Creek’s troubles can be found in its word cloud
https://religionnews.com/2019/09/19/willow-creeks-troubles-can-be-found-in-its-word-cloud/
L.A. Judge Drops Fines Against 2 Prosecutors in Child Rape Case Against Mexican Church Leader
Ohio megachurch on sale for $8M months after some congregants stop giving over pastor’s affairs
***RELIGION & LGBTQ ISSUES
United Methodists float plans to split denomination after LGBTQ vote
Man claims Oklahoma church members held him down and punched him while praying away homosexuality
New York City Is Ending a Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy: Here’s Why
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/nyregion/conversion-therapy-ban-nyc.html
Conversion therapy linked to distress in transgender people
the difference
/The problem we all face in strategy, and in life, is that each of us is unique and has a unique personality. Our circumstances are also unique; no situation ever really repeats itself. But most often we are barely aware of what makes us different – in other words, of who we really are. Our ideas come from books, teachers, all kinds of unseen influence. We respond to events routinely and mechanically instead of trying to understand their differences. In our dealings with other people, too, we are easily infected by their tempo and mood. All this creates a kind of fog. We fail to see events for what they are; we do not know ourselves.
Your task as a strategist is simple: to see the differences between yourself and other people, to understand yourself, your side, and the enemy as well as you can, to get more perspective on events, to know things for what they are.
Robert Greene, The 33 Strategies of War
A healthy attitude
/A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier. -Tom Stoppard
Articles of Interest about Literature, Journalism, Writing & Languages - Sept 18
/***JOURNALISM
Who pays for local news in the U.S.?
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/12/who-pays-for-local-news-in-the-u-s/
Online news in the U.S.: Key facts
A Diversity Bully at the Society of Professional Journalists Convention (opinion)
https://journoterrorist.com/2019/09/16/diversity-bully/
CNN Beats Journalist's Copyright Suit Over Gilda Radner Documentary https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/cnn-beats-journalists-copyright-suit-gilda-radner-documentary-1240286
***JOURNALISM & GOOGLE
Google Says a Change in Its Algorithm Will Highlight ‘Original Reporting’
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/business/media/google-algorithm-original-reporting.html
New Google rules aim to boost original reporting in search results
***STUDENT MEDIA
Here’s why writing on a college paper is so much harder than you think
http://cuchimes.com/09/2019/college-paper-struggles/
We Must Save Independent Student Newsrooms
First-year on importance of college newspaper, journalism
www.the-college-reporter.com/2019/09/16/first-year-on-importance-of-college-newspaper-journalism/
***FAKE NEWS
I create fake videos. Here’s why people believe even the obvious ones
A Historical Look At Vaccine Skepticism
https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2019/09/13/a-historical-look-at-vaccine-skepticism/
Online Dating in a World of Deepfakes
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/online-dating-in-a-world-of-deepfakes/
***SOCIAL MEDIA
TikTok's Beijing roots fuel censorship suspicion as it builds a huge US Audience
The machine always wins: what drives our addiction to social media
A new class of apps can use machine intelligence to determine if your text conversations are imbued with hidden romantic sparks
https://www.wired.com/story/ai-apps-texting-flirting-romance/
I Faked My Way as an Instagram Poet, and It Went Bizarrely
Well https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/zmjmj3/instagram-poetry-become-successful-scam
I Was Caroline Calloway: Seven years after I met the infamous Instagram star, I’m ready to tell my side of the story
https://www.thecut.com/2019/09/the-story-of-caroline-calloway-and-her-ghostwriter-natalie.html
How To Be Authentic About Faking Your Instagram Photos
***WRITING & READING
13 Glaring Grammar Mistakes in the U.S. Constitution
https://www.rd.com/culture/mistakes-in-constitution/
The Best Apps to Conquer Your 'Read Later' List
https://lifehacker.com/the-best-tools-for-conquering-your-massive-read-later-l-1838097178
***LANGUAGE
New Words That You Should Add To Your Vocabulary
https://www.sadanduseless.com/exceptional-words-dictionary/#more-77418
The Life Changing Linguistics of… Nigerian Scam Emails
https://daily.jstor.org/the-life-changing-linguistics-of-nigerian-scam-emails/
Merriam Webster adds more than 530 new words and phrases to its dictionary
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/new-words-in-the-dictionary
***LITERATURE
How Latinx Literature Gave Me A Sense Of Place
https://www.bustle.com/p/how-latinx-literature-gave-me-a-sense-of-place-18737659
Literature spawns professor's love for science
How a Dying Man Wrote a Timeless Novel - The New York
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/17/books/review/lampedusa-steven-price.html
Extraordinary claims (require extraordinary evidence)
/For some people, the less likely an explanation, the more likely they are to believe it. Take flat-Earth believers. Their claim rests on the idea that all the pilots, astronomers, geologists, physicists, and GPS engineers in the world are intentionally coordinating to mislead the public about the shape of the planet. From a prior odds perspective, the likelihood of a plot so enormous and intricate coming together out of all other conceivable possibilities is vanishingly small. But bizarrely, any demonstration of counterevidence, no matter how strong, just seems to cement their worldview further.
Liv Boeree writing in Vox
Articles of Interest about Higher Ed - Sept 16
/***HIGHER ED
Paul Tough spent the past six years studying higher education: Here are the troubling results
Head of Counseling at Penn Dies in Suicide
Should Colleges End Legacy Admissions? (opinion)
***HIGHER ED & THE LAW
These lawsuits could change the stakes for higher ed
https://www.educationdive.com/news/higher-ed-lawsuits-tracker/561371/
Free Speech Laws Mushroom in Wake of Campus Protests
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/09/16/states-passing-laws-protect-college-students-free-speech
***HIGHER ED & FINANCES
Most public flagship universities are failing to meet the financial needs of low- and middle-income students and are overly subsidizing wealthier students
Department of Justice lifts restriction on capital financing for faith-based historically black colleges
***HUMANITIES
STEM Is Overrated: College is not just job prep, and the job market changes constantly
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/college-not-job-prep/597487/
***TEACHING
Speaking Out Against Student Eval
How Teachers Are Fighting the White Nationalists Brainwashing Their Students
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Threats made against University of San Diego professors
Wittenberg University to Cut Faculty Positions
www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/09/16/wittenberg-university-cut-faculty-positions
***LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Here's a Summary of Jerry Falwell Jr.'s Weird Florida Antics
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/jerry-falwell-jrs-weird-miami-ties-11266159
Liberty University Students React To Falwell Scandal
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/15/761046389/liberty-university-students-react-to-falwell-scandal
Liberty’s Falwell says he’s target of ‘attempted coup’
https://www.apnews.com/01404d7b984b4010b08834459e4813f1
Exclusive: Falwell blasted Liberty student as 'retarded,' police chief as 'half-wit' in emails
Liberty students protest in wake of reports about Falwell
https://www.apnews.com/2af299bb899d4d6e8a65dd20d18a99a8
Jerry Falwell Jr. asks FBI to investigate 'criminal conspiracy' at Liberty University https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/11/us/falwell-liberty-university-conspiracy/index.html
***RESEARCH
Elsevier investigates hundreds of peer reviewers for manipulating citations
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02639-9
Retracting your own paper can lead to a spike in citations
https://www.natureindex.com/news-blog/daniele-fanelli-do-retractions-make-a-difference
Experts question China’s bid to create world-class journals
https://www.natureindex.com/news-blog/experts-question-chinas-bid-create-world-class-journals
Six tips to achieve a highly cited article
Journals are evolving into information platforms
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-019-0667-5
What is replication?
https://osf.io/preprints/metaarxiv/u4g6t
***STUDENT LIFE
Millennials stand out for their technology use, but older generations also embrace digital life
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/09/us-generations-technology-use/
Duke Student Government Senate rejects Christian organization Young Life as chartered student group
The secret student resistance to Hitler TED-Ed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtOKRsF6Rr0
White Colorado State students won't be punished over blackface photo, school says
I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/09/i-wont-buy-my-teenagers-smartphones/597805/
Pitt Tells Student Groups Not to Use Pitt in Their Names
Study: Students at Evangelical Colleges Experience ‘Unique Patterns’ of Spiritual Doubt
***STUDENT LIFE: VAPING
Students with Vaping Injuries tell their stories
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/skbaer/teens-vaping-juul-injury-warning-social-media
What you need to know about Vaping Lung illness
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/health/vaping-lung-illness.html
***SEXUAL ASSAULT
Experts say students are given sufficient training to protect themselves or vulnerable peers from sexual assault
Lawsuit Alleges Ex-Professor Targeted Female Chinese Students
Former Baylor professor sues, accusing university of biased Title IX investigation
the crisis of love
/There is a true story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance of recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was an ideal donor.
“Would you give your blood to Mary?” the doctor asked.
Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, “Sure, for my sister.”
Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room. Mary, pale and thin. Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned.
As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny’s smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube.
With the ordeal almost over, Johnny’s voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence.
“Doctor, when do I die?”
Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he agreed to donate his blood. He thought giving his blood to his sister would mean giving up his life. In that brief moment, he had made his great decision. Johnny faced a “crisis of love”. He won the test and experienced love at the deepest level.
David Needham, Close to His Majesty
Articles of Interest about Religion - Sept 12
/***RELIGION
I Escaped the Cult But I Couldn’t Escape the Cult Mentality
https://narratively.com/i-escaped-the-cult-but-i-couldnt-escape-the-cult-mentality/?utm_source=digg
First Woman To Accuse Larry Nassar Reveals She Was Sexually Abused At Church https://www.huffpost.com/entry/first-woman-to-accuse-larry-nassar-sexually-abused-at-church-rachael-denhollander_n_5d765d1be4b0752102304a77
Sexual orientation, psychotherapy and Christian ‘change therapy’ (opinion)
https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2019/09/09/is-there-a-war-on-psychotherapy/
Benny Hinn Renounces His Selling of God’s Blessings: Critics Want More
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/september/benny-hinn-renounces-prosperity-gospel.html
Robot priests can bless you, advise you, and even perform your funeral AI religion is upon us https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/9/9/20851753/ai-religion-robot-priest-mindar-buddhism-christianity
Jury: City Director Forced Religious Views on Employees, Taxpayers Stuck With $300K Verdict
Pastor and ‘former homosexual’ sues Vimeo for censoring conversion therapy videos
Odessa, Texas mass shooting responses tie together evangelical Christians and guns
Church fights to keep its music venue and homeless shelter open
https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/09/05/church-fights-to-keep-its-music-venue-and-homeless-shelter-open/
***RELIGIOUS HISTORY
Medieval Monks Complained About Constant Distractions: Learn How They Worked to Overcome Them www.openculture.com/2019/09/medieval-monks-complained-about-constant-distractions-learn-how-they-worked-to-overcome-them.html
The Current Rewind: The Peters Brothers' anti-rock crusade
https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2019/09/04/the-current-rewind-peters-brothers-impaler-pmrc
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House
Buttigieg says 'reckoning' coming over GOP and Christianity
https://apnews.com/944b897b2cde4211a21971abeda13a09
***ISLAM
Evangelicals Who Distrust Muslims Likely Don’t Know Muslims
***DENOMINATION
The Presbyterian Church Where Believing in God Isn’t Strictly Necessary
Southern Baptist Convention claims no control over local churches. But new rules, lawsuit may test that argument
Baptist church cancels 9/11 anti-Islam event after backlash from legislators, Christian scholars
***MEGACHURCHES
How a Drive-In Megachurch Became a Catholic Cathedral
Southern Baptist megachurch to downsize its campus by 90 percent
https://baptistnews.com/article/southern-baptist-megachurch-to-downsize-its-campus-by-90-percent/
Articles of Interest about Lit, Journalism, Writing & Languages - Sept 10
/***SOCIAL MEDIA
The phone numbers of 419 million Facebook accounts have been leaked
Facebook Dating has launched in the United States
https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/5/20850307/facebook-dating-united-states-launch
Is TikTok a time bomb?
https://www.fastcompany.com/90395898/is-tiktok-a-time-bomb
***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM
Local newspapers are suffering, but they’re still (by far) the most significant journalism producers in their communities
ThinkProgress, the Progressive News Site, Shuts Down
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/business/media/thinkprogress-closing.html
One America News Sues Rachel Maddow, NBC Over "Russian Propaganda" Claim
How an MSNBC Producer Gets Dressed for Work
https://www.thecut.com/2019/09/in-her-shoes-interview-daniela-pierre-bravo.html
***JOURNALISM
EIJ convention’s brand-new Code of Conduct (opinion)
https://journoterrorist.com/2019/09/03/conduct/
News Anchor Files $10M Lawsuit After Sexualized Image of Her Was Used in Dating, Erectile Dysfunction Ads
Why NPR uses the word Queer
https://www.imediaethics.org/why-npr-uses-the-word-queer/
A School for Scandal Is a Haven for Student Journalists
***THE BUSINESS OF MEDIA
Texas Monthly names first ever taco editor
https://www.austin360.com/entertainmentlife/20190910/texas-monthly-names-first-ever-taco-editor
Guide to Native Advertising
https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/native-ads.php
NBC local TV group will no longer use ratings to sell ads
***WRITING & READING
For Many Authors, Celebrity Book Clubs Are A Ticket To Success NPR
Everything About Banned Books In The US
https://www.dailyinfographic.com/us-banned-books
***LANGUAGE
A Rare Universal Pattern in Human Languages
Historic Recordings Revitalize Language For Passamaquoddy Tribal Members
How do we Measure Language Fluency?
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190903-linguistic-fluency-proficiency-second-language-learning
Emojis Have Unsettled Grammar Rules
About one-in-five U.S. adults know someone who goes by a gender-neutral pronoun
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/05/gender-neutral-pronouns/
Why Learn Latin?: 5 Videos Make a Compelling Case That the “Dead Language” Is an “Eternal Language”
www.openculture.com/2019/09/why-learn-latin.html
***ENGLISH
The Easiest Languages for English Speakers to Learn
https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-easiest-languages-to-learn-for-english-speakers
Rise up, rebel, revolt: how the English language betrays class and power
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/06/language-of-division-english-fractured-society
***LITERATURE
Where are all the women in early modern English literature?
30 great opening lines in literature
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/30-great-opening-lines-literature/
***POETRY
Former US poet laureate Rita Dove wins $100,000 prize
http://www.startribune.com/former-us-poet-laureate-rita-dove-wins-100-000-prize/559458562/
Poetic Underground: Group therapy through poetry
https://info.umkc.edu/unews/poetic-underground-group-therapy-through-poetry/
Martín Espada, Poet for the People
https://www.wortfm.org/martin-espada-poet-for-the-people/
A murderer wrote poetry for biker magazines. It could be key to solving a 47-year-old cold case
***FILM
Overlooked No More: Alice Guy Blaché, the World’s First Female Filmmaker
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/obituaries/alice-guy-blache-overlooked.html
***INTERNET
Why survey estimates of the number of Americans online don’t always agree
Encouragement
/We appreciate what a person does, but we affirm who a person is. Appreciation comes and goes because it is usually related to something someone accomplishes. Affirmation goes deeper. It is directed to the person himself or herself. While encouragement would encompass both, the rarer of the two is affirmation. To be appreciated, we get the distinct impression that we must earn it by some accomplishment. But affirmation requires no such prerequisite. This mean that even when we don’t earn the right to be appreciated (because we failed to succeed or because we lacked the accomplishment of some goal), we can still be affirmed – indeed, we need it then more than ever. I do not care how influential or secure or mature a person may appear to be, genuine encouragement never fails to help. Most of us need massive doses as we slug it out in the trenches.
Charles Swindoll, Strengthening Your Grip
Articles of Interest about Higher Ed - Sept 9
/***HIGHER ED
Institutions are trying to figure out how to introduce a growing population of older students to their campuses
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/09/03/college-orientations-rise-adult-learners
Why Liberal Arts Is Critical For Building A Successful Business Career
The Rise of the Comfort College
***THE COST OF COLLEGE
What Is the Cost of College Doing to Families?
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/09/college-cost-indebted-zaloom/597181/
Student-loan behemoth tightens its ties to Trump and DeVos
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/09/student-loans-donald-trump-betsy-devos-1712812
The Rise of the Comfort College
***HUMANITIES
New study shines light on what worries journal editors in the arts, humanities and social sciences
Why Liberal Arts Is Critical For Building A Successful Business Career
***TEACHING
1 in 5 college students takes math courses that repeat what they already know
http://theconversation.com/1-in-5-college-students-takes-math-courses-that-repeat-what-they-already-know-117730
Cheating, Inc.: How Writing Papers for American College Students Has Become a Lucrative Profession Overseas
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/us/college-cheating-papers.html
A study says smooth-talking professors can lull students into thinking they've learned more than they actually have
***ACADEMIC LIFE
The true costs of research and publishing
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/true-costs-research-and-publishing
Dozens of NYC college professors feature in national database of pervy
Journals should take action against toxic peer reviews
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
‘Someone’s Gotta Tell the Freakin’ Truth’: Jerry Falwell’s Aides Break Their Silence
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/09/jerry-falwell-liberty-university-loans-227914
Why teach journalism at religious private colleges?
Southern Baptist seminary student accused of rape later committed other crimes, records show
University is not a harder version of high school (and more first-timer advice)
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-university-is-not-a-harder-version-of-high-school-and-more-first/
Baptist College Handbook Authorizes ‘Full Access’ to Students’ Social Media Accounts
Secular Student Alliance has seen growth at religiously affiliated colleges
***STUDENT LIFE
Sorry, Being Born Rich Still Leads to Success More Than Working Hard in School
22 Things They Don't Teach In High School That You Learn Pretty Much Immediately In College
https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/college-high-school-tweets
5 mistakes to avoid when applying for medical school
https://news.elearninginside.com/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-applying-for-medical-school/
The view of people under 30 about Family, God, & Patriotism The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/america-without-family-god-or-patriotism/597382/
LAWSUIT: Campus police said he should’ve been ‘smarter’ than to exercise his First Amendment rights. Now he’s suing.
Record High Marijuana Use and Vaping among College Students
No greatness
/And there is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness and truth. -Leo Tolstoy (born Sept. 9, 1828)
Being ridiculous
/Being ridiculous is one of the best ways to tell the truth. -Nadya Tollokonnikova