inspiring others
/If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. -John Quincy Adams (born: July 11, 1767)
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Let us not cease
/Let us not cease to do the utmost, that we may incessantly go forward in the way of the Lord; and let us not despair of the smallness of our accomplishments. -John Calvin (Born: July 10, 1509)
Difficult experiences early in life
/Having difficult experiences early in life is less important than whether we’ve found a way to make sense of how those experiences have affected us. -Daniel J. Siegel
How to Identify Adaptable People
/How can you determine whether a job candidate is willing to constantly revise their understanding and reconsider problems they thought they'd already solved?" Ask: “Tell me about a goal you didn't manage to achieve. What happened? What did you do as a result?"
Most candidates will take responsibility for failing. (People who don't are people you definitely don't want to hire.) Good candidates don't place the blame on other people or on outside factors. They recognize that few things go perfectly, and a key ingredient of success is having the ability to adjust.
Smart people take responsibility. And they also learn key lessons from the experience, especially about themselves. They see failure as training. That means they can describe, in detail what perspectives, skills, and expertise they gained from that training. And they can admit where they were wrong -- and how they were willing and even eager to change their minds.
Jeff Haden writing in Inc.
Articles of Interest about the virus & higher ed - July 7
/***THE VIRUS
Face masks vs. face shields: What should we be wearing?
The race to develop RNA-based vaccine ($)
***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS
New Report: How The Coronavirus Pandemic Affected College Enrollments In The Spring
A Reckoning In Higher Education: Will There Be Campus Life After Covid-19?
***THE FALL SEMESTER
What Will College Be Like in the Fall?
Colleges Plan to Reopen Campuses, but for Just Some Students at a Time
A Shift to Online Classes this Fall Could Lead to a Retention Crisis
Colleges Gear Up for an Uncertain Fall Semester Online
Ethical challenges loom over decisions to resume in-person college classes
Universities Reverse Campus Reopening Plans Amidst Covid-19 Spike
There is no safe way to reopen colleges this fall ($)
Local Communities Should Sue to Keep University Campuses Closed (opinion)
A COVID-19 outbreak on UW’s Greek Row hints at how hard it may be to open colleges this fall
'How the hell are we going to do this?' The panic over reopening schools
Colleges are racing to create 'a new sense of normalcy.' Will new rules, COVID-19 testing be enough?
***FALL COLLEGE SPORTS
Texas College will forego intercollegiate athletics in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic
'Not a stretch': Reality dictates Covid-19 may hit college football programs
Unable to afford coronavirus testing, some colleges are canceling football season
***COLLEGE FINANCE
***HIGHER ED
International students may need to leave US if their universities transition to online-only learning
College Leaders Have the Wrong Incentives
3 Colleges to Acquire U of Bridgeport
University of Maryland, College Park No Longer Under Warning for Lack of Transparency
***HIGHER ED & HACKERS
Ransomware is now your biggest online security nightmare. And it's about to get worse
How hackers extorted $1.14m from University of California, San Francisco
***HIGHER ED IN COURT
CUNY faculty union sues system, saying adjunct cuts violate CARES Act
Steps Colleges and Universities Should Take to Avoid Future Litigation Over Tuition and Fees
***TEACHING
Seven Things That Worked in My Online Class
Are History Textbooks Worth Using Anymore? Maybe Not, Some Teachers Say - EdSurge News
Cornell researchers: in-person semester safer than online one
'We shouldn't go back to lectures': why future students will learn online
***ACADEMIC LIFE: GEORGIA TECH
Georgia Tech Professors Revolt Over Reopening, Say Current Plan Threatens Lives Of Students, Staff
'A Nightmare': Georgia Tech Faculty Push Back Against In-Person Reopening Plans
Georgia Tech won't require students to wear masks on campus. Faculty aren't happy.
***ACADEMIC LIFE
UVA professor, supporters question role of race in decision to deny tenure
Faculty from at least 15 colleges and universities in Virginia sign petition surrounding reopening
Mounting Faculty Concerns About the Fall Semester
A Problem for College in the Fall: Reluctant Professors ($)
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Baylor acknowledges historic ties to slavery
Cedarville University Trustees Resign as Board Reinstates President after Investigation
Wheaton College Chaplain Fired For Inappropriate Comments
***RESEARCH
Rush to publication – What do we have to lose?
Publishing Journal Articles: Tips for Early-Career Scholars
Why someone wrote a paper called "Dear Reviewer 2: Go F’ Yourself"
The Lancet Editor’s Wild Ride Through the Coronavirus Pandemic
Science needs to look inward to move forward
***RESEARCH & RACE
Racial Inequality in Psychological Research
***STUDENT LIFE
ICE says international students must take in-person classes to remain in the US
Racist Social Media Posts From Students Are Forcing Colleges to Respond
Colleges Rescinding Admissions Offers as Racist Social Media Posts Emerge ($)
Medics who changed history wouldn't get into modern medical schools
College students are preparing to return to campus in the fall. Is it worth it?
***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT
Finding Yourself is not how it works
/“Finding yourself” is not really how it works. You aren’t a ten dollar bill in last year’s winter’s coat pocket. You are also not lost. Your true self is right there, buried under cultural conditioning, other people’s opinions, and inaccurate conclusions you drew as a kid that became your beliefs about who you are. “Finding yourself” is actually returning to yourself. An unlearning, an excavation, a remembering who you were before the world got its hands on you.
Emily McDowell
Articles of interest about the virus, journalism, writing, fakes & more - July 5
/***THE VIRUS
Treating COVID-19: What We Know Now
How California Went From Coronavirus Success to Hotspot
What autopsies reveal about coronavirus ($)
***THE VIRUS & WEARING MASKS
Does wearing a mask pose any health risks?
Coronavirus question: Is a mask effective when you wear it just below your nose?
Can face masks lower oxygen levels or weaken the immune system? Here's what health experts say
The Science of Mask-Wearing Hasn’t Changed. So Why Have Our Expectations?
***WRITING & READING
U.S. Copyright Office Creates New Registration Process for Online Authors
Confederate monument enthusiasts targeted my store—and it comically backfired
‘Irregardless’ is too a word; you just don’t understand dictionaries
Are the police trying to stop you from taking that cell phone video?
***JOURNALISM & RACE
AP changes writing style to capitalize ‘b’ in Black when referring to race
Black Journalists Weigh In On A Newsroom Reckoning
Black, Hispanic, white Americans feel misunderstood by media for different reasons
***JOURNALISM
Science by press release: When the story gets ahead of the science
BuzzFeed News Fires Senior Reporter for Plagiarism
US Judge Slaps Virginia Clerks With $2 Million Fee Award in First Amendment Case
Journalists believe news and opinion are separate, but readers can't tell the difference
One America News Has Support of Trump, But Not Cable Companies
Las Vegas police plan $280 an hour fee for body cam footage. Critics say that violates law
***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM
IRE Executive Committee resigns, paving way for new election of board officers
Bowing to pressure, Google says it will pay publishers for news
Warner Media to Sell Atlanta’s CNN Center, Sidesteps Threat of Impending Layoffs
A quarter of all U.S. newspapers have died in 15 years, a new UNC news deserts study found
***FAKES & FRAUDS
How conspiracy theories emerge – and how their storylines fall apart
‘Covid Parties’ Are Not a Thing
‘PizzaGate’ Conspiracy Theory Thrives Anew in the TikTok Era
Bringing fact check information to Google Images
Man Says He Was Falsely Arrested After Facial Recognition Mistake
***THE Q-Anon CONSPIRACIES
Down the rabbit hole: how QAnon conspiracies thrive on Facebook
***SOCIAL MEDIA
'Facebook Groups Are Destroying America': Researcher On Misinformation Spread Online
The rise of social media (Video)
Facebook improperly gave users' data to third-party developers, again
TikTok and Other Apps Are Secretly Reading Your Clipboard
***LANGUAGE
The world’s weirdest languages
The Most Mispronounced Word in the World
***LITERATURE
Lose yourself in the places that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien
Men who stole rare books from Carnegie Library sentenced to home confinement
***PRIVACY & SECURITY
How to make sure Google automatically deletes your data on a regular basis
Apple Is Outing Apps That Snoop on Your Personal Information
***PRODUCING MEDIA
Adobe wants users to uninstall Flash Player by the end of the year
Here are the tools and technology journalists are using to tell the coronavirus story
NYU’s First Amendment Watch Releases “A Citizen’s Guide to Recording Police”
Bus Driver Inspired by His Students Graduates from College with Hopes of Becoming Teacher
/#GOODNEWS
“Just talking with them a little bit about history … it inspired me, especially hearing them say, ‘You should be my teacher.'”
The best index to a person's character
/The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back. –Abigail Van Buren (born July 4, 1918)
Boy Raises More Than $1 Million For Hospital That Saved His Life
/Tony Hudgell, a 5-year-old boy with prosthetic legs, walked six miles to raise money for a London hospital that saved his life. He lost his legs as an infant due to abuse. #GOODNEWS
The Right Man for the Job
/His writing talents were never in doubt. Certainly not after he authored a well-written pamphlet called A Summary View of the Rights of British America. However, the tall red-headed, Virginian was so quiet during debates that some questioned his strength. The real power of that critically important Congress of 1776 was John Adams of Massachusetts. His bull-necked honesty and enthusiastic zeal made him a power center in that legislative body. It was natural that Adams be a principal choice to prepare the key policy paper on the future of the 13 colonies. Three others joined him to form a committee: Ben Franklin, a Connecticut merchant and a New York lawyer. Another man was added to give place to the importance of Virginia. When the committee met to do its work, it was naturally expected that John Adams would be the primary architect of the writing. But Adam suggested instead that the quiet Virginian draw up the first draft for the committee’s consideration. “I’m too obnoxious,” he said. So, almost by accident, the new man had the job. “I turned to neither book nor pamphlet while writing,” he said. He first draft was received without change by the committee and approved later by the entire Congress. Written almost by chance by just the right man…Thomas Jefferson. And the document— the Declaration of Independence
living forwards
/Life must be lived forwards, however, it can only be understood backwards. –Soren Kierkegaard
You Have Your Truth, I have Mine
/Some people.. maintain that morality is not dependent on the society but rather the individual. “Morality is in the eye of the beholder.” They treat morality like taste or aesthetic judgments, person relative.
On the basis of (moral) subjectivism Adolf Hitler and serial murderer Ted Bundy could be considered as a moral as Gandhi, as long as each lived by his own standards, whatever those might be.
Although many students say they espouse subjectivism, there is evidence that it conflicts with other of their moral views. They typically condemn Hitler as an evil man for his genocidal policies. A contradiction seems to exist between subjectivism and the very concept of morality.
Louis Pojman, Ethical Theory
True Friendship
/True friendship is the least jealous of loves. Two friends delight to be joined by a third.. for in this love “to divide is not to take away”. -CS Lewis
Articles of Interest about the virus & higher ed - June 29
/***THE VIRUS
This simple model shows the importance of wearing masks and social distancing
This chart shows link between restaurant spending and new virus cases
Scientists just beginning to understand the many health problems caused by COVID-19
How Iceland Beat the Coronavirus
Covid-19: Scientists uncover the reason why people lose their sense of smell
Why Some Nursing Homes Are Devastated By COVID-19 While Others Remain Untouched
What To Look For In A Face Mask, According To Science
CDC expands list of who's most at risk for the coronavirus
Is It Safer to Fly or Drive This Summer? 5 Health Experts Weigh In.
***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS
Colleges say campuses can reopen safely. Students and faculty aren’t convinced.
‘We Could Be Feeling This for the Next Decade’: Virus Hits College Towns
New coronavirus health concern as colleges reopen: Contaminated water sitting in pipes
At One Flagship, Coronavirus Cases Surge Even in the Midst of Summer
Wealthier colleges can offer more protection from COVID-19 than cash-strapped peers
***THE FALL SEMESTER
A Message from Your University’s Vice President for Magical Thinking
A tale of two liberal arts Colleges taking different paths in the fall
Univ of Chicago Professors Will Individually Choose Whether to Hold In-Person Classes Fall Quarter
This college is welcoming freshmen to campus this fall — but most older students will stay home
Park University offers discounted 'gap year' online
How COVID-19 has made some colleges question the academic calendar
As Colleges Make Plans For Fall, More Young People Are Getting COVID-19
Moody's Documents Likely Enrollment Effects by State if Students Stay Close to Home Come Fall
UC San Diego To Require Recurring COVID-19 Testing
***CUTS & CLOSURES
The University of Michigan, Flint, has laid off 41% of its nearly 300 lecturers
Boise's Concordia law school to close
Colleges cut academic programs in the face of budget shortfalls due to Covid-19
***HIGHER ED
California University Paid $1.14 Million After Ransomware Attack
College athletics reacts to proposed change of Miss. state flag
Some colleges provide detailed lists of indirect expenses, while others provide nothing.
The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age (opinion)
A Push for Equitable Assessment
Will More Unemployment Increase Fall College Enrollments?
***HIGHER ED RESIGNATIONS
University of Alaska System President Resigns
USC Dean Resigns After Acknowledging Student Relationship
***RACIAL ISSUES ON CAMPUS
When Free Speech and Racist Speech Collide
Two black scholars say UVA denied them tenure after belittling their work
***HIGHER ED IN COURT
Harvard Law student sues university over tuition prices as classes remain online
More than 60 colleges hit with lawsuits as students demand tuition refunds
We don't owe students refund for switching to online instruction, University of Michigan says
***TEACHING
Using Social Media to Retain and Connect with Students in the Shift to Online Education
Zoom losing to Teams in the video conference race to the top
With Pass-Fail, What’s the Point of Grades?
How did America’s remote-learning experiment really go?
UC Berkeley School of Law to be conducted entirely online in fall 2020
Study: Online College Classes Should Have No More Than 12 Students
What Does Good Classroom Design Look Like in the Age of Social Distancing?
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Who Gets to Teach Remotely? The Decisions Are Getting Personal
Elon professor who researches right-wing extremist groups assaulted in Alamance County
TCU Professor Asked To Teach Remotely Due To Daughter’s High-Risk Condition But Says He Was Denied
Teachers in Fairfax revolt against fall plans, refusing to teach in-person
Concerned for fall semester, UVM faculty union prepares to file labor complaint
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Social media accounts force new discussion about racism and discrimination at Trinity College
Concordia College furloughing 210 full-time employees
NCAA approves Division III membership for Bob Jones University
The Gift within the Quarantine (written by PLNU’s Dean Nelson for the U-T)
***LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Former Liberty University official raises more than $18,000 to help Black employees leave the school
Two Liberty football players transfer, citing insensitivity, incompetence of school leadership
Evangelical Liberty University rattled by its own racial reckoning
***RESEARCH
Duke researchers say all brain activity studies are wrong
Warning over coronavirus and predatory journals
Peer-Reviewed Scientific Journals Don't Really Do Their Job
CU Boulder alleges misconduct for former INSTAAR scientist
Peer-Reviewed Scientific Journals Don't Really Do Their Job
Does tweeting about research attract more citations?
The Pandemic Claims New Victims: Prestigious Medical Journals ($)
***STUDENT LIFE
Northeastern Student Newspaper Calls Out School Administration
16-Year-Old Alexis Loveraz Teaches Math on TikTok to Students All Over the World
Hardin-Simmons University in Texas says student who made racist TikTok 'no longer enrolled'
College waivers and COVID-19 complications (opinion)
Is An MBA Worth It? After Covid-19, Absolutely Not.
Brown accused of fraud by student-athletes whose sports were cut
Universities should support their most vulnerable students to champion education equity (opinion)
College Is Worth It, but Campus Isn't (opinion) ($)
***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT
Institutions Pushing Back Against Removing PIs From Awards, Despite Harassment Findings
Disney Princess theology
/White Christianity suffers from a bad case of Disney Princess theology. As each individual reads Scripture, they see themselves as the princess in every story. They are Esther, never Xerxes or Haman. They are Peter, but never Judas. They are the woman anointing Jesus, never the Pharisees. They are the Jews escaping slavery, never Egypt. For the citizens of the most powerful country in the world, who enslaved both Native and Black people, to see itself as Israel and not Egypt when it is studying Scripture, is a perfect example of Disney princess theology. And it means that as people in power, they have no lens for locating themselves rightly in Scripture or society- and it has made them blind and utterly ill equipped to engage issues of power and injustice. It is some very weak Bible work.
Life is
/Life is in the climb. -Toby Mckeehan
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