Life is
/Life is in the climb. -Toby Mckeehan
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Shadows from the Past
/Feelings in relationships as we now understand them run on a double track. We react and relate to another person not only on the basis of how we consciously experience that person, but also on the basis of our unconscious experience in reference to our past relationships with significant people in infancy and childhood - particularly parents and other family members. We tend to displace our feelings and attitudes from these past figures onto people in the present, especially if someone has features similar to a person in the past.
An individual may, therefore, evoke intense feelings in us - strong attraction or strong aversion - totally inappropriate to our knowledge of or experience with that person. This process may, to varying degrees, influence our choice of a friend, roommate, spouse, or employer.
We all have the experience of seeing someone we have never met who evokes in us strong feelings. According to the theory of transference, this occurs because something about that person - the gait, the tilt of the head, a laugh or some other feature - recalls a significant figure in our early childhood. Sometimes a spouse or a superior we work under will provoke in us a reaction far more intense than the circumstances warrant. A gesture or tone of voice may reactivate early negative feelings we experienced toward an important childhood figure.
Armand Nicholi, The Question of God
Love Consists
/Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Articles of interest about religion and the virus - June 24
/***THE VIRUS
Is it safe to use a public bathroom during coronavirus?
What a Negative COVID-19 Test Really Means
When to Wear a Mask and When You Can Skip It
What happens when employees refuse to return to the office over concerns of the pandemic
Top Five Employment Law Liabilities Facing Employers Post-Pandemic
***RELIGION & THE VIRUS
Researchers creating national database of religious response to COVID-19
White Evangelicals’ Coronavirus Concerns Are Fading Faster
Ready to go back to church? 10 things to consider before heading to worship
***RELIGION & RACISM
Evangelical scholars sign statement condemning racism as 'contrary to Scripture'
Atlanta pastor who suggested slavery was a 'blessing' to white people apologize
Evangelicals perfected cancel culture. Now it’s coming for them
What the Bible Has to Say About the George Floyd Protests (opinion)
Mississippi Baptists: Removing Confederate Flag Emblem Is a ‘Moral Obligation’
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
Trump allies see a mounting threat: Biden’s rising evangelical support
How the Head of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Came Around to Trump
White evangelicals fled Trump during George Floyd protests, according to new analysis
‘Christian Nationalists’ and Their Critics
Millions of Americans Believe Donald Trump Is Fighting Literal Demons
Trump Rally Fills Megachurch With Young Conservatives
***RELIGION & THE LAW
Gay Rights Ruling Complicates Trump Effort to Keep Evangelicals
Conservative Christians See ‘Seismic Implications’ in Supreme Court Ruling
***SATANISM
U.S. Soldier Linked to Satanic Neo-Nazi Group Allegedly Plotted 'Murderous Ambush' on His Own Unit
Order of Nine Angles: What is this obscure Nazi Satanist group?
***MEGACHURCHES
Comment by Atlanta megachurch pastor on race shows how difficult such dialogues can be
***RELIGION & BOOKS
Book, 'Jesus And John Wayne,' Explores What It Means To Be A Christian Man
Starbucks to open its first sign language store in Japan
/#GOODNEWS
Starbucks Coffee is opening its first store in Japan with baristas who know sign language. The store will open on Saturday in Kunitachi, a city in the western part of Tokyo. Nearly the entire staff of 25 is deaf. This will be the fifth "signing store" for the company Others are located in Malaysia, the US and China. Read more here.(image from Starbucks)
Keep Asking Questions
/A few years ago, I got a call (on my communication device) from a Pittsburgh author named Chip Walter. He was co-writing a book with William Shatner (a.k.a Kirk) about how scientific breakthroughs first imagined on Star Trek foreshadowed today’s technological advances. Captain Kirk wanted to visit my virtual reality lab at Carnegie Mellon. Shatner stayed for three hours and asked tons of questions. A colleague later said to me: “He just kept asking and asking. He doesn’t seem to get it.” But I was hugely impressed. Kirk, I mean, Shatner was the ultimate example of a man who knew what he didn’t know, was perfectly willing to admit it, and didn’t want to leave until he understood. That’s heroic to me. I wish every grad student had that attitude.
Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Recent data science articles - June 23
/How much data is enough in predictive analytics?
The first universal language for quantum computers
A dozen Python tips and tricks for writing better code
Five steps for building and deploying a deep learning neural network
5 Tips for Novice Freelance Data Scientists
3D modeling based on a single input stream of images
Why some say simulated statistics is the new holy grail
Knowledge isn’t power...
/Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied. – Dale Carnegie
The Risk of Independence
/All life itself represents a risk, and the more lovingly we live our lives the more risks we take. Of the thousands, maybe even millions, of risks we can take in a lifetime the greatest is the risk of growing up. Growing up is the act of stepping from childhood into adulthood. Actually it is more of a fearful leap than a step, and it is a leap that many people never really take in their lifetimes. Though they may outwardly appear to be adults, even successful adults, perhaps the majority of “grown-ups” remain until their death psychological children who have never truly separated themselves from their parents and the power that their parents have over them.
M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled
Articles of Interest about Higher Ed - June 21
/***THE FALL SEMESTER
New Jersey Reveals Plan to Reopen Colleges, Universities Amid Coronavirus
Expecting Students to Play It Safe if Colleges Reopen Is a Fantasy
Here’s how Florida’s large universities are planning to reopen
Harvard Tells Faculty Most Teaching This Fall Will Likely Be Online
Virginia colleges and universities can reopen this fall – if they have a plan
Going online due to COVID-19 this fall could hurt colleges' future
***COLLEGE FINANCE
Universities brace for a permanent wave of closures as coronavirus pushes schools to brink
Facing financial peril, University of Alaska moves to cut academic programs and administrative costs
‘It Breaks My Heart’: San Francisco Art Institute Faculty Speak Out Amid Epic Upheaval
Universities gamble on tuition freezes, hope students will stay and finances won't dive
***HIGHER ED
College life will never be the same. This media company is documenting the change
More Colleges Making Standardized Test Scores Optional For Upcoming School Year
Harvard, other top colleges are ditching required admission tests over COVID-19
Congress Needs to Prevent a Flight From College (opinion)
***HIGHER ED & RACIAL ISSUES
Author discusses his new book on "why talk is not enough to fix racial inequality at universities"
University of Virginia changes athletics logo over links to slavery
College football coach’s $1.1 million buyout epitomizes ridiculous trend
***TEACHING ONLINE
For Online Learning, Business Has Never Been Better
What We’re Learning About Online Learning
Blended Learning is the ‘New Normal’ and Here’s Why
New study argues that the class-size debate needs a lot more nuance
The Difficulties of Teaching a "Hybrid" Class
***ONLINE CHEATING
CUNY professors uncover ‘scandalous’ level of cheating in final exams
University of Calgary accuses 14 students of sharing answers online
Why most plagiarism checkers can’t cope with shady academic writings
University cheating might be up — but don't just blame students
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Harvard professor indicted for allegedly making false statements about secret work in Wuhan
'One Tree Hill' Stars Ask Fans to Help Fire N.C. Professor
***CHRISTAN SCHOOLS
Fuller Celebrates Supreme Court Ruling on DACA
Northwest Nazarene, College of Idaho modify schedules for students this fall
University of San Diego Announces New Data Science Program
Seattle Pacific Univ welcomes new provost
Former Cedarville Student: I was told, “It was a stupid decision to go to the ER for being suicidal”
LGBTQ Rights v. Religious Liberties
***CHRISTAN SCHOOLS & RACIAL ISSUES
New Hope Christian College denies its cross has racist origins
University of Mobile dean under fire for racially insensitive social media post
Moody Apologizes Over Historical Blackface Photos
***WHEATON
Dr. Karen An-Hwei Lee Appointed Provost at Wheaton College
Wheaton College suspends test score requirement
Wheaton College's Christian gap year program
***LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Top Liberty University basketball player set to transfer due to "racial insensitivities"
Black Liberty University alums rebuke Jerry Falwell after blackface tweet
Liberty University’s Director of Diversity Retention Resigns
Falwell apologizes for tweet that included racist photo
***RESEARCH
The clinical research industry is a mess that needs cleaning up
’It’s like the guy went crazy with Photoshop,’ said one expert in scientific image manipulation
Reform retractions to make them more transparent
Why Psychology Departments Should Abolish Involuntary Participant Pools
***RESEARCHING THE VIRUS
Rush to Publish Risks Undermining COVID-19 Research
Covid-19 studies based on flawed Surgisphere data force medical journals to review processes
Rush to publish coronavirus data creates academic ‘storm’ ($)
How fast can a vaccine be made? (Video)
***STUDENT LIFE
Professor on leave after demanding first-year student should 'anglicize' her name
LSU Profs Want To Drop Students For 'Hate Speech' - Washington Free Beacon
Colleges are canceling study abroad for the fall. What does this mean for students?
***STUDENTS IN COURT
Student files lawsuit against Baylor University due to COVID-19 closure
Lauren McCluskey's Parents File Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against The University Of Utah
***FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS
How a 1935 Florida-Ole Miss game sparked a free speech debate
Alabama free speech law affecting public colleges and universities goes into effect July 1
Appellate court hears Arkansas State free-speech case
***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT
Community colleges burdened by new Title IX regulations
Landmark Supreme Court ruling could redefine Title IX
What happened at Lehigh University to trigger a Clery Act investigation?
Darkness
/Knowing your darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people -Carl Jung
Keep going
/Keep going in the direction of asking questions. -Alice Walker
religious conviction
/Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. –Blaise Pascal (Born: June 19, 1623)
Articles of interest about the virus, journalism, writing & more – June 19
/***THE VIRUS
A Growing Body Of Research Highlights The Importance Of Wearing Face Masks
Male baldness may increase severe covid-19 risk
This is how the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US higher education system in its weak spot
Is it safer to fly or drive during the pandemic?
The Gender Divide in Mask-Wearing
Researchers Discover People Are Not So Good At Detecting Sick People By Their Coughs
***WORKING FROM HOME
5 habits of people who are especially productive working from home
The Biggest Psychological Experiment in History Is Running Now
***WRITING & READING
Microsoft Office can help you write with inclusive language — here’s how
Why most plagiarism checkers can’t cope with shady academic writings
Do the soaring sales of anti-racism books signal a true cultural shift?
Perceptions of plagiarism by biomedical researchers
***JOURNALISM
The First Amendment protects reporters, too
You Shouldn't Need A Press Badge To Be Safe From Police Violence At Protests
The Police Have Been Spying on Black Reporters and Activists for Years
***THE BUSINESS OF MEDIA
Sinclair Broadcast Group to Launch Headline News Service, Announces 25 New Positions to be Filled
Fox News Argues Viewers Don't Assume Tucker Carlson Reports Facts
***ONE AMERICA NEWS NETWORK
When Fox News disappoints, Trump has a backup: the conspiracy-peddling One America News Network
One America News [OANN], The Network That Spreads Conspiracies to the West Wing
Oklahoma State coach's conservative news network T-shirt could cost him a star player
***STUDENT MEDIA
A High School Journalist Dug Into Suspensions of Black Students. What She Found Won an Award
The Millennial Mental-Health Crisis
***FAKES & FRAUDS
Meet the Propagandists and Conspiracy Theorists Behind the One America News Network
Lateral thinking is classic pseudoscience, derivative and untested
As protests spread, misinformation in Facebook Groups tears small towns apart
Help children distinguish between what’s real and what’s fake
Fake news is fooling more conservatives than liberals. Why?
***SOCIAL MEDIA
How TikTok's 'For You' Algorithm Works
Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook will allow users to turn off political ads
Twitter is testing warnings for users who try to share links to articles they haven't read
Twitter adds ability to record audio in tweets
***LANGUAGE
New study gives insight on effectiveness of language learning apps
Racism definition: Merriam-Webster to make update after request
***LITERATURE
Ernest Hemingway’s Grandson on an Unpublished Story from the Author’s Archive
Book Authors Are Getting Real About How Much They Are Paid
Literary Agents See An Uptick In Writers Submitting Pandemic Stories
Maxine Hong Kingston’s Genre-Defying Life and Work
10 of the best non-fiction science books to read right now
***POETRY
Poetry Foundation Leaders Resign After Criticism Of Their Response To Protests
***PRIVACY & SECURITY
What It’s Like to Get Doxed for Taking a Bike Ride
Zoom responds to privacy backlash by giving all its users end-to-end encryption
Your voice
/Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar. -Edward R. Murrow
Availability Bias
/Have you ever said something like, “I know that [insert a generic statement here] because [insert one single example].” For example, someone might say, “You can’t get fat from drinking beer, because Bob drinks a lot of it, and he’s thin.” If you have, then you’ve suffered from availability bias. You are trying to make sense of the world with limited data.
People naturally tend to base decisions on information that is already available to us or things we hear about often without looking at alternatives that might be useful. As a result, we limit ourselves to a very specific subset of information.
This happens often in the data science world. Data scientists tend to get and work on data that’s easier to obtain rather than looking for data that is harder to gather but might be more useful. We make do with models that we understand and that are available to us in a neat package rather than something more suitable for the problem at hand but much more difficult to come by.
A way to overcome availability bias in data science is to broaden our horizons. Commit to lifelong learning. Read. A lot. About everything. Then read some more. Meet new people. Discuss your work with other data scientists at work or in online forums. Be more open to suggestions about changes that you may have to take in your approach. By opening yourself up to new information and ideas, you can make sure that you’re less likely to work with incomplete information.
Rahul Agarwal writing in Built in
The best advice I ever got
/The advice that sticks out I got from John Door, who in 2001 said, “My advice to you is to have a coach.”
My argument was, How could a coach advise me if I’m the best person in the world at this? But that’s not what a coach does. The coach doesn’t have to play the sport as well as you do. They have to watch you and get you to do your best.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt quoted in Fortune Magazine
The 3.5% Rule
/Can the 3.5% rule change the world? A new study finds nonviolent campaigns were twice as likely to succeed as violent campaigns when they had achieved 3.5% participation during a peak event.
More from the BBC.