Articles of interest about the virus (& religion)

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***THE VIRUS 

Governors are starting to close their borders. The implications are staggering.

The Pandemic Has Led to a Huge, Global Drop in Air Pollution

Simulating an epidemic (video)

Cities after coronavirus: how Covid-19 could radically alter urban life 

Citing virus, EPA has stopped enforcing environmental laws

Federal health agencies block journalists' access to COVID-19 experts & information

Surging Traffic Is Slowing Down Our Internet 

Mayor urges citizens to stay home in explicit online rant 

“This is a white-collar quarantine." How the pandemic is magnifying America’s class divide.

The Week's Best Quarantine Memes, Ranked 

 

***THE VIRUS & YOUR JOB

What To Do If You Lose Your Job Due To The Coronavirus Outbreak 

You can’t get fired for having the coronavirus, but your boss can take your temperature  


***STOPPING THE VIRUS

Do you wear contact lenses? You should switch to glasses to stop spreading the virus

Homemade face masks: Why they may not protect you from coronavirus

Can You Catch Coronavirus From Your Shoes?

 Now Is the Time to Take Care of Your Lungs. Here’s How. 

 

***COPING DURING THE VIRUS 

Why We Turn to Gardening in Times of Crisis 

'Call Your Friends': The Importance Of Maintaining Friendships During The Pandemic  

 

***HACKERS

Hackers Trick Thousands Into Downloading Dangerous ‘Google Chrome Update

Hackers hijacking home routers to direct people to malicious coronavirus app

 

***FRAUD

How shadowy social media groups are spreading myths and conspiracy about coronavirus    

When Coronavirus Misinformation Goes Viral

 

***RELIGION & THE VIRUS

Rabbi who rescued 56 families from the Nazis dies of coronavirus 

Nearly 3 dozen who attended Arkansas church event test positive for coronavirus

Trump's Bible teacher says gays among those to blame for COVID-19 

US Christian leaders criticise Trump's Easter coronavirus deadline 

Pastors from Europe Tell North America: Get Ready Now

Coronavirus: 'I'm stuck in isolation with my homophobic parents' 

Virginia Pastor/Musician who called media reaction to Coronavirus  “Mass Hysetria” dies from Coronavirus 

A White House faith adviser is under fire for appearing to suggest coronavirus is due to God’s wrath over homosexuality, environmentalism 

Trump wants ‘packed churches’ on Easter. Pastors expect their doors to be shut.

The Road to Coronavirus Hell Was Paved by Evangelicals (opinion) 

Megachurch in LA refuses social distancing, Pastor says God will heal 

***ZOOM

Religious communities are offering baptism by Zoom - such innovation has deep historical roots 

Trolls exploit Zoom privacy settings as app gains popularity during lockdown

Zoom is giving Facebook your personal information without telling you

The two Zoom features you need to know about for video conferences 

How to change your Zoom background just like everyone else is doing right now

***RELIGION

The Vatican museums have free virtual tours, including one where you can see the Sistine Chapel

As offerings dwindle, some churches fear for their future

Miley Cyrus Explains to Hailey Bieber Why She Left the Church 

Students Are Scrambling After Universities Close. Churches Can Help. 

ECFA Names New President 

How Corrie ten Boom’s 'The Hiding Place' Earned its Place in the Evangelical Canon  

 

***RELIGION & THE LAW 

Caught between gender equality and religious liberty (opinion) 

Virginia Gov. quotes Scripture, pleads with Fallwell to close Liberty University 

Together

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“No man is an island,” John Donne wrote in 1624, as he lay ill with a persistent fever, fearing death. “Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” In the solitude and delirium imposed by his illness, his connection to all others became manifest. Americans have always viewed the communitarian ethos with some ambivalence; our founding ideals are rooted in a rebellion against authority and duty, and reverence for individual liberty. Epidemics, Anne Applebaum recently pointed out in The Atlantic, “have a way of revealing underlying truths about the societies they impact.” This one has caught us in a moment of profound weakness. Faith in science, government, media, and all our institutions has badly eroded, and we are deeply divided politically and culturally, viewing each other as enemy tribes, not countrymen. The coronavirus cares nothing for these distinctions; it is a reminder that our separateness is an illusion. We Americans, and all of humanity, are at war with a common foe. We can only defeat it together.

William Falk writing in The Week magazine

Love and Death

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Love is a reminder of our own mortality. When a friend or member of our family dies, we are vividly impressed by the fact that life is evanescent and irretrievable. But there is also a deeper sense of its meaningful possibilities and an impetus to risk ourselves in taking the leap. Some -perhaps most - human beings never know deep love until they experience, at someone's death, the preciousness of friendship, devotion, loyalty. Abraham Maslow is profoundly right when he wonders whether we could love passionately if we knew we'd never die

Rollo May, Love and Will

Articles of Interest about the virus and its impact on your job, lit, teaching, & journalism

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***THE VIRUS 

Coronavirus is a Waffle House 'Index Red': Restaurant chain shutters 418 stores 

How Do You Make a Will During the Coronavirus Lockdown? 

Kansas official: Pandemic isn’t a problem here because there are few Chinese people   

10 Misconceptions About the 1918 Flu, the ‘Greatest Pandemic in History’ 

Defying State Closure Mandates, Some Religious Private Schools Fight to Stay Open During Coronavirus Spread 

How Long Will Schools Need To Stay Closed? A Pandemic Expert Weighs In 

UC San Diego 'inundated' with gifts after it asks for equipment, money to fight coronavirus 

When Language Goes Viral during a Pandemic 

 

***VIRUS FAKES & FRAUDS 

The Ibuprofen Debate Reveals the Danger of Covid-19 Rumors 

Coronavirus crisis brings wave of scams 

How Wikipedia Prevents the Spread of Coronavirus Misinformation 

 

***THE VIRUS & YOUR JOB

My employer is denying routine remote working requests 

Are you an 'essential' worker? Here's what that means 

Law You Can Use: Coronavirus and your job 

 

***THE VIRUS & WORKING FROM HOME

How to keep your internet from slowing to a crawl while working from home 

Can you be fired for working from home? 

Why Does My Work Laptop Have Slower Wifi Than My Other Devices? 

 

***TEACHING ONLINE

Zoom’s A Lifeline During COVID-19: This Is Why It’s Also A Privacy Risk 

Flood of Online Learning Resources Overwhelms Teachers 

Should I use Zoom or FaceTime? Here’s how to decide

Adjusting expectations, avoiding tech overload and teaching effectively online in the wake of COVID-19: Advice from an eLearning expert  

Babbel makes its language learning app free for all US students 

Coronavirus: Add 'Zoom-bombing' to the stresses overwhelming schools  

 

***JOURNALISM 

News Publishers Deemed “Essential” Businesses During Pandemic 

50 Must Read websites and newsletters for journalists and students interested in the media, tech and communications 

How newsrooms are preparing for coronavirus while also covering it 

 Resources to help reporters cover coronavirus

San Diego Magazine Laid Off Nearly Entire Staff 

Do news sites have an ethical duty to remove paywalls on coronavirus coverage? 

Coronavirus news is America's new national pastime  

Student journalists are continuing to cover their colleges and surrounding communities 

The FBI Has Limited Public Records Requests During The Coronavirus Pandemic 

 

***STUDENT MEDIA

Student Journalists Are Still Reporting on Coronavirus After Schools Shut Down 

How to access the information you need to cover mental illness at your school 

Their college year upended, Gen Z journalists keep breaking news on Coronavirus

***SOCIAL MEDIA 

Instagram adds video chat to help people stay connected   

TikTok Told Moderators: Suppress Posts by the “Ugly” and Poor

In Largest Study Yet, Pandemic Fuels WhatsApp, Social Media, TV 

 

***LIT & POETRY 

How Emily Dickinson Wrestled with Darwinism

Famous Lines of Poetry Revised for the Age of Coronavirus (McSweeney’s)

Poetry can be the bridge that connects us during these difficult times  

Articles of interest about the virus (& higher ed) - March 25

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***THE VIRUS 

How to Handle Packages During the Coronavirus Pandemic  

The toilet paper calculator  

Coronavirus Sets the Stage for Hacking Mayhem

The psychological toll of coronavirus coverage

The Doctor Who Helped Defeat Smallpox Explains What's Coming

***WORKING DURING THE VIRUS

People Are Looping Videos to Fake Paying Attention in Zoom Meetings  

How To Work From Home Most Chaotically

What Employees Need to Know Amid the Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak 

***HIGHER ED

Department of Education Issues Guidance on Students with Disabilities, Privacy During COVID-19 Pandemic  

North Carolina College Investigates Use of Force by Officers

Small colleges were already on the brink. Now, coronavirus threatens their existence 

***TEACHING DURING THE VIRUS

Google and YouTube Launch Remote Learning Tools for Parents and Teachers

15 Moments That Perfectly And Hilariously Capture Online Classes In The Time Of The Coronavirus

From Zoom University to the Zoom Party 

All of Poynter's courses are now free

***ACADEMIC LIFE 

Working from home during COVID-19 proves challenging for faculty members 

MIT puts professor on leave over new revelations about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein as it issues anticipated report

MLA members discuss professors' ethical responsibilities for training graduate students, as some propose shifts in admissions practices

The Move to Online College is Hitting Adjunct Professors the Hardest

University of Memphis instructor dies in Wisconsin from COVID-19 Complications 

What happens when the anonymity of campus sexual harassment probes is weaponized against a professor? 

Will the coronavirus kill off the ‘dinosaur’ world of academic publishing?  

***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS  

Liberty University students returning to campus dorms amid coronavirus shutdowns 

Christian Colleges Should Interact With World, Not Oppose It (opinion) 

How Christian higher education responded to a pandemic 

Students sue to stop Christian university from merging with art college in Tennessee

***STUDENT LIFE

As campus closures strain low-income students, undergrads at over a dozen universities have started large "mutual aid" networks and fundraisers to defray costs

Study abroad students caught by international border closures 

Students Are Scrambling After Universities Close. Churches Can Help   

Casting Doubt

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A lot of people still think of propaganda as the art of making lies sound truthful, but...they want to make truthfulness an irrelevant category. It’s not about proving something, it’s about casting doubt. Most political ideologies have not been about casting doubt — they’ve claimed to be telling the truth about the way the world is or should be. But this new propaganda is different. Putin isn’t selling a wonderful communist future. He’s saying, we live in a dark world, the truth is unknowable, the truth is always subjective, you never know what it is, and you, the little guy, will never be able to make sense of it all — so you need to follow a strong leader.

Sean Illing & Peter Pomerantsev in a Vox  interview 

 

Articles of Interest about the virus (and higher ed) - March 19

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***THE VIRUS

How to Not Completely Hate the People You’re Quarantined With 

10 misconceptions about the 1918 flu, the 'greatest pandemic in history' 

Federal government in talks with tech groups to use phone location data to track coronavirus 

Inside the Pro-Trump Facebook Group Where First Responders Call Coronavirus a Hoax 

The Trump Administration Drove Him Back to China, Where He Invented a Fast Coronavirus Test 

Israeli Gov using phone tracking to alert people potentially exposed to the coronavirus

***FALSE INFO ABOUT  THE VIRUS 

National Enquirer blasted for coronavirus ‘cures’ fake news 

CVS sent false coronavirus information to staff 

Coronavirus in Africa: Facebook, Twitter fight misinformation 

***THE VIRUS & HIGHER ED

The Dept of Ed issues new guidelines to ensure internet accessibility for students with disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic 

The Dept of Ed issues new guidelines on accreditation in the time of the pandemic 

Amid Coronavirus, Some College Students Have Nowhere To Go 

What Is a College Education in the Time of Coronavirus?

A Perfect Time To End Our STEM Obsession: 3 Ideas For Teaching Critical Thinking At Home During (And After) The Coronavirus Pandemic

The virus and religious freedom 

College enrollment officers report concern filling fall classes  

***HIGHER ED FINANCES DURING THE VIRUS

Coronavirus could affect college enrollment and college’s bottom line 

Moody's lowers higher ed outlook to negative amid coronavirus crisis   

Pomona College students Refuse to Leave Campus   

***HIGHER ED

University of Michigan removes provost amid allegations of sexual misconduct 

Palomar College at high risk of insolvency so state assigns fiscal monitor 

Will Shift to Remote Teaching Be Boon or Bane for Online Learning? 

How will for-profit colleges fare in the recession? 

Federal judge dismisses Title IX lawsuit filed against the University of Arizona 

***TEACHING 

As classes move online, some colleges are choosing to go pass/fail to relieve student stress 

Five Ways to Promote Student Autonomy in Online Discussions 

Adobe is Giving Everyone 2 Months of Free Creative Cloud -- Here's How To Get It

***ACADEMIC LIFE 

MIT puts professor on leave over new revelations about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein as it issues anticipated report 

MLA members discuss professors' ethical responsibilities for training graduate students, as some propose shifts in admissions practices. 

***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 

How Christian Colleges Have Been Revising Student Handbooks Since Obergefell  

Christian Colleges Should Interact With World, Not Oppose It (opinion)  

Point Loma grad wins Miss Asia USA, becomes Global Ambassador  

Bob Jones University Regrets Not Telling Victim to Go to Police

***RESEARCH 

Want to do better science? Admit you’re not objective 

Why are hundreds of papers retracted every year? 

Hundreds of scientists have peer-reviewed for predatory journals 

Articles of Interest about religion, the virus, and teaching - March 17

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***THE VIRUS

Coronavirus may drive more high school seniors to in-state public colleges 

Social distancing prevents infections, but it can have unintended consequences

Coronavirus Rumors: Running List Of Fake News, Hoaxes, Disinformation 

***TEACHING DURING THE VIRUS

Welcome to Your Hastily Prepared Online College Course - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency 

Bringing Your Course Online: Resources from MLA 

Suddenly trying to teach humanities courses online? Here's what the experts recommend  

As coronavirus closures force colleges to move students online, ed-tech experts see opportunity -- but also risk 

Zoom videoconferencing is very popular. It has bigger plans

Why College Students Are One Of The Most Affected Groups By COVID-19 Outbreak 

How to Help Students Who Are at Risk of Dropping Out  

As coronavirus closes schools, teachers and families brace for massive experiment in online education 

***RELIGION & THE VIRUS

SoCal Church Offers a Drive-In Mass in Keeping With COVID-19 Guidelines  

Evangelical preacher claims to cure coronavirus through TV  

California mega-church cancels its ‘faith healing’ hospital visits, citing coronavirus

You’d think God could target the problem better by only giving “them” the virus!

Los Angeles Times postpones Festival of Books due to coronavirus 

Churches are closing doors, live streaming services for congregants avoiding coronavirus 

Liberty University Moves Classes Online Despite Falwell's Initial Coronavirus Skepticism  

COVID-19 Forces Hundreds of Bible Study Fellowship Classes Online

Televangelist Attempts To “Heal” Coronavirus Patients Through The TV 

***RELIGION

Anti-gay sign in religious leader’s yard sparks protest outside Bossier City church  

Do Christian Churches Care About the Climate Crisis 

Museum of the Bible's Dead Sea Scrolls are fake, analysis shows  

Did Jack Welch's Evangelical Faith Change the Controversial 'Rock Star' CEO of General Electric? 

***RELIGION AND POLITICS

How a data-backed Christian nationalist machine helped Trump to power 

White Evangelicals See Trump as Fighting for Their Beliefs, Though Many Have Mixed Feelings About His Personal Conduct 

***RELIGION & THE LAW 

Caught between gender equality and religious liberty (opinion) 

Pennsylvania opens grand jury investigation into Jehovah’s Witnesses’ cover-up of child sex abuse 

Texas megachurch pastor pleads guilty to defrauding investors

***DENOMINATIONS

California Southern Baptists to shutter newspaper

The courage and compassion of Catholic activist Dorothy Day  

It's over

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Many people leap to the conclusion that “it is over” means that the life situation has to go. They get divorced. They walk out of the office, never to return. They leave the church. They abandon their education. They leave their country. They do these things, even though all that they were being called on to do was to leave the relation that they had had to these things. Even when the ending is literal, as it is in death, the most important relinquishment is not of the person but of the life.

William Bridges, The Way of Transitions

Articles of Interest about Lit, Journ, Writing & Lang (plus the virus) – March 15

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***THE VIRUS

A list of disinfectants and wipes to protect against spread of the coronavirus 

The most ridiculous ways companies are trying to profit from the coronavirus outbreak  

What Does “Exponential Growth” Mean? 

Apple Confirms That Cleaning Your Phone With a Disinfectant Wipe Is Totally Fine  

 

***EDUCATION & THE VIRUS

If you are going online, the #1 question is not 'what tech?', the #1 question is 'how will you support your most struggling students?'

How to Make College Decisions When Campuses Are Closed  

Amazon Educational Resources  

Your college closed early because of coronavirus. You might not get your money back

Liberty students react to decision to continue in-person classes 

What will happen to college food service and custodial workers when campuses are empty? 

As Coronavirus Fears Close Classes, Some Kids Are Left Behind

Why I stopped using my university-licensed Zoom account (Twitter thread)

 ***WORKING REMOTE 

How to hide your messy room for a Zoom video conference  

Not all tech employees can work from home 

Resources for teaching production courses online in case of emergency  

What are my rights if I stay home and miss work because of coronavirus? 

 

***GIVE ME SOMETHING TO DO 

List of Live Streaming Concerts 

19 Bizarre Wikipedia Pages You'll Want To Read Next Time You're Bored 

Making a Plan When Planning Is Impossible 

 

***WRITING & READING

Do Authors Write Where They Know? 

The era of fake writing is upon us

Top 10 Writing and Grammar Mistakes That Even Published Authors Make

Oprah admits to 'not looking for Latinx writers' as American Dirt controversy continues

 

***JOURNALISM 

18 journalism work-from-home tips

Illinois Gov’s office pressures newspaper to unpublish news story on progressive tax 

Journalists May Get Reprieve From California Contractor Law   

IPI launches new protocol for newsrooms to address online harassment 

A guideline for inclusion in sports and the wider media industry 

 

***STUDENT MEDIA 

Change to Clery investigation process helps student journalists get information faster 

Sacramento State's new campus media policy called unconstitutional 

Retraction and apology for racist op-ed illustration choice 

High school students fill gap in coverage of their Minneapolis neighborhood through community-driven newspaper 

Article Retraction: “Sexual harassment in English Department” at Mills College

***FAKES & FRAUDS

Elite Hackers Are Using Coronavirus Emails to Set Traps

The Nigerian prince scam is still fooling people. Here’s why

***LANGUAGE

From Uptalk to Vocal Fry, Women Are Prolific Language Innovators (podcast) 

 

***LITERATURE

Pete Buttigieg’s favorite author would maybe hate Pete Buttigieg

How to support your local indie bookstore without leaving your house 

 

***POETRY

Broadway Is Closed. Write Poems Instead 

Pulitzer Prize-Winning N. Scott Momaday Talks About His New Collection Of Poetry 

In Defense of Poetic Nonsense 

John Carey: ‘In my teens I fancied myself as a poet’ 

Poetry Challenge: Paint A Picture With Words 

 

***PRIVACY & SECURITY  

Why so many Americans don’t talk about money 

Google tracked his bike ride past a burglarized home. That made him a suspect.

Finding God in the Next Person

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Gandhi—who did not have a good track record as a family man—is reported to have said, “If you don’t find God in the very next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further.” I would add, ‘If you don’t find God in the person who forgets to put the toilet seat down or brings home a disastrous report card or violates the 11:00 p.m. curfew, it is a waste of time looking for God further.” Families are social entities, but more importantly they are spiritual communities.

Margaret Guenther, The Practice of Prayer