Teen spends summer refurbishing computers, donating them to students in need
/#GOODNEWS
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
provocation
/Men need no other provocation to enmity than that they find themselves excelled.
Universal Beliefs
/The generic nature of human beings and the ordered nature of the world in which we live tend to evoke very similar beliefs in all of us, which we have called universal beliefs. They include:
1. adherence to a law of noncontratidiction,
2. belief in a an external world of orderly processes,
3. belief in the existence of other persons who share our world and with whom we communicate and live,
4. and belief in also in some ultimate reality with which we must eventually reckon.
Beliefs such as these are a practical necessity if we are to think and function at all.
Arthur Holmes, Contours of a World View
it cannot be done
/The man who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the man doing it. -Chinese Proverb
The Best Advice I Ever Got.. Mohomed El-Erian
/I remember asking my father, Why do we need four newspapers? He said to me, “Unless you read different points of view, your mind will eventually close, and you’ll become a prisoner to a certain point of view that you’ll never question.” There’s a tendency to operate in a comfort zone and to want to read what is familiar to them. But if you are just used to following one person or one newspaper, you will miss the big shifts.
Mohomed El-Erian, Pimco, quoted in Fortune Magazine
the game
/The man who has no problems to solve is out of the game. -Elbert Hubbard
Articles of interest about the virus & higher ed - August 17
/***THE VIRUS
Forty percent of U.S. Covid-19 tests come back too late to be clinically meaningful, data show
Boston refused to close schools during 1918 flu pandemic. Children died ($)
***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS
The Ground Is Shifting For Colleges And Students As Covid-19 Spikes
Managing Pandemic Health Risks on College Campuses ($)
UGA posts — then removes — COVID-19 sex advice
One model projected about 75 COVID-19 deaths at Georgia Tech
Colleges look to apps that screen for virus symptoms and trace contacts
***THE FALL SEMESTER
Faculty at Pa. state universities are nervous, even terrified about teaching in-person fall classes
False Advertising and the In-Person Experience (opinion)
Some U.S. colleges stick to in-person reopening in pandemic despite doubts, pushback
RAs told not to speak to media as students return amidst coronavirus pandemic
***THE FALL SEMESTER AT SPECIFIC SCHOOLS
The University of North Carolina reports 4th COVID-19 cluster among students
Sorority House at Oklahoma State University Reports 23 New Coronavirus Cases
Villanova University threatens to send students home after large gathering
Columbia University nixes plans for in-person classes this fall
New Mexico State University system plans leadership restructuring at three community colleges
A sneak peek at DeSales University’s campus as it reopens with COVID-19 in mind
Portland State University to Disarm Campus Officers this fall
***K-12
Lack of broadband access a problem being pushed to the forefront for school districts
Why Parents, With ‘No Good Choice’ This School Year, Are Blaming One Another
How to handle 'mask bullying' when kids go back to school
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Why I am not sending my kids back to school
Parents and teachers clash at Georgia school board meeting after viral hallway photo
Girl Sees Mom Get Killed While Attending Class On Zoom
About 74% of NYC Students Opt for In-School Learning
***HIGHER ED ENROLLMENTS
Community colleges have a tough year on enrollments
How The Coronavirus Has Upended College Admissions
***HIGHER ED & SPORTS
Moody’s says Colleges could be on the hook to cover sports debt
Nine Oklahoma Sooners test positive for COVID-19 after returning from break
Kamala Harris and top Dems float college athlete pay as virus rages
'Like the Titanic': NCAA's experts warn of coronavirus spread in college football
Cardiac Inflammation the Next Virus Hurdle for College Leaders
***COLLEGE FINANCE
As Colleges Move Classes Online, Families Rebel Against the Cost
Proposed Merger Blurs Lines between For-Profit Colleges and Public Universities
Kamala Harris Has Battled For-Profit Colleges
As Pandemic Hits Colleges' Finances, Small Town May Be Affected Too
Public colleges hide donors who seek to influence students. Will COVID-19 make it worse?
A Beginner's Guide to Getting an Education Without Going to College
***HUMANITIES
How Universities Are Increasing The Utility Of The Humanities
***HIGHER ED IN COURT
Former student sues Shippensburg Univ, claims female supervisor pressed for 'threesome'
Fighting University reopening plans in court
***TEACHING ONLINE
Cheating Checker ProctorU Confirms Hack Into its Servers Leaked 444,000 Records
2 professors say Nebraska college refused remote teaching
*** ADMINISTRATORS
U of Chicago President to Step Down
No-Confidence Vote at City Colleges of Chicago
Former Texas Southern University assistant dean accused of stealing money from school
Fisk University president placed on leave after allegations
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Christian Colleges Ask: Would God Want Us to Reopen? ($)
COVID tips for Christian colleges
Bethany College welcoming new faculty
Evangelical Christian colleges take steps to address racial justice after criticism
Alabama Christian College cancels remaining fall non-conference games
***NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame sees spike in COVID-19 cases after early reopening of campus
Notre Dame President issues apology for failing to social distance with students
***RESEARCH
What happens to serial scientific fraudsters after they’re discovered?
The Wikipedia War over Kamala Harris
Why unethical papers should be retracted
How scientists can stop fooling themselves over statistics: P-value issues
Top officials at Russian universities embroiled in plagiarism scandal
***STUDENT LIFE
Suicidal ideation on the rise for college
How to create an A+ space for learning at home
College Move-In Will Be Lonelier and Weirder Than Ever This Year
The Covid-19 College Special: Enroll Now, Get A Free Semester Or Two Later
Some Colleges Offering Free Laptops For Students As Courses Go Virtual
College Tuition Insurance Policies Grow More Popular During Pandemic
UC Santa Cruz Reinstates 41 Graduate Students After Months-Long Strike
***LIABILITY WAIVERS
Some college students returning to campus are being met with liability waivers
Heading off to college? Be prepared to sign a statement ‘voluntarily’ accepting the COVID-19 risk
***COLLEGES & RACIAL ISSUES
Yale 'illegally discriminates' against white and Asian students, Justice Department says
Virginia Tech renames dorms once named after men with racist views
***SEXUAL ASSAULT & HARRASSMENT
When things go wrong
/People need to recognize that life can be unfair, that accidents will happen. None of this is to say that people have to acquiesce to the threats of life, to lie down and not attempt to change anything. There is nothing wrong with positive thinking and the hope that today will go well or that people might repent and treat others better. But (you) should not be shocked and angered when something does go wrong… cultivate the attitude that life is something to work at and that problems are normal. Learning to laugh at normal failures and irritations has been shown to be effective in defusing anger.
Mark Cosgrove, Counseling for Anger
Articles of interest about the virus, journalism, fakes & more – August 16
/***THE VIRUS
Study: 80% of infected people do not spread COVID-19
Herd Immunity Calculator and more
Older Children and the Coronavirus: A New Wrinkle in the Debate ($)
CDC says people who recover from COVID-19 are protected up to 3 months
Judge hands a win to businesses demanding insurance coverage for lost income due to coronavirus
These Covid-19 vaccine candidates could change the way we make vaccines — if they work
COVID-19 symptoms often appear in this order, according to a new study
Novel Coronavirus Has 'Perfect Storm' Of Traits To Trigger Pandemic
13 States Make Contact Tracing Data Public. Here's What They're Learning
Florida sheriff forbids staff, visitors from wearing masks
***THE PANDEMIC OF 1918
People balked at masks in 1918, too. Then the arrests started
***JOURNALISM
Study of journalists’ tweets suggests the “media bubble” is more like a collection of “microbubbles”
Here’s Why Investigative Reporters Need to Know Knowledge Graphs
Outgoing New York Times CEO Mark Thompson thinks there won’t be a print edition in 20 years
***FAKES & FRAUDS
Covid-19 is one of Wikipedia’s biggest challenges ever. Here’s how the site is handling it.
Disinformation campaign for profit: How a network of right-wing sites turns outrage into cash
Contact Tracers Face Mistrust, Lack Of Cooperation
Calling Scammers by their real names
***QANON
QAnon Is Running Amok, and the Time Has Come for Interventions
QAnon groups have millions of members on Facebook, documents show
How QAnon rode the pandemic to new heights — and fueled the viral anti-mask phenomenon
***SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter Hack Apparently Masterminded by Group of Kids as Young as 17
The US is 'looking at' banning TikTok
To Avoid Backlash, Facebook Reportedly Relaxed Fact-Checking Standards on Conservative Pages
***LANGUAGE
Pew poll: Only a slim minority have adopted term ‘Latinx’ ($)
We all speak a language that will go extinct ($)
***LITERATURE
‘George Eliot’ joins 24 female authors making debuts under their real names
43 of the Most Iconic Short Stories in the English Language
***PRIVACY & SECURITY
UK court rules police use of facial recognition was ‘unlawful’
Machines can spot mental health issues—if you hand over your personal data
don't put off being happy
/Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off being happy until some future date. -Dale Carnegie
Officer saves man in wheelchair from being struck by train
/You can read more on the story from ABC-7 here. #GOODNEWS
folks who simply are too dumb
/Many important things are done by folks who simply are too dumb to know they can’t be done.
Best Advice I Ever Got.. Mort Zuckerman
/The best advice I ever got came from one of my professors at the Harvard Business School.
He told a story about how George Bernard Shaw was working as a clerk in a dry-goods store in Dublin, and he decides to give himself three years to go and write plays in London. And if it didn’t work out he could always go back and be a clerk in a dry-goods store.
The way I interpreted his advice was to really do what you love.
Mort Zuckerman, US News & World Report
Quoted in Fortune Magazine
Articles of interest about the virus & religion – August 12
/***THE VIRUS
Coronavirus may spread much farther than 6 feet in indoor spaces with poor ventilation
Experts Predict What Life Will Be Like After A COVID-19 Vaccine
Certain face masks may be worse than no mask at all, preliminary Duke study finds
Why does COVID-19 strike some and not others? Fauci sees an answer in new study
Singers Can Be Coronavirus Superspreaders, Say Experts
Performative masculinity is making American men sick (opinion)
***RELIGION & THE VIRUS
Judge issues order shutting down church crowded unmasked indoor services
Kenneth Copeland holding in-person event for more than 2,000
Almost 100 people in Ohio were infected with coronavirus after man attended church service
Hundreds gather at Portland waterfront, without masks, to see controversial worship leader
Dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark? Only at the Science-Free Creation Museum
***RELIGION
US Capitol to install statue of Rev. Billy Graham
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
How Megachurches Spent Coronavirus Relief Funds
Viral Video of Portland Protesters ‘Burning Bibles’ Was Actually Russian Propaganda
Lincoln Project Joins Evangelicals In Anti-Trump Push
Trump, at risk of losing white evangelicals, attacks Biden on God
Franklin Graham announces national prayer march in Washington
***RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
Hundreds of Positions Eliminated at Evangelical Colleges and Universities
Board of evangelical Liberty University names interim leader while Jerry Falwell Jr. on leave
***RELIGION & RACIAL ISSUES
The Theological Roots of White Supremacy
A Look at Christian Nationalism, Donald Trump and White Evangelicals ($)
***RELIGION IN COURT
Faith-Based Foster Care Waiver Fight Proceeds in South Carolina
***NAZARENE
Nazarene youth pastor and 11-year-old boy drown at church outing
Nazarene Pastor Arrested For Allegedly Transporting Child Pornography
***CATHOLIC
Catholic Churches Drop Hymns After Accusations Against Composer
A man with no enemies
/A man with no enemies is a man with no character. -Paul Newman
Ability and Achievement
/Ability does not guarantee achievement, nor is achievement proportional to ability. So it is important to always keep in mind the other term in the equation – the role of chance. -Leonard Mlodinow
Articles of interest about higher ed & the virus - August 10
/***THE VIRUS
How widespread is COVID-19 in children? A look at the latest data as schools reopen
Front-Line Federal Workers Sue For Hazard Pay
Americans are moving around too much and taking coronavirus with them, expert says
***MASKS
Scientists tested 14 types of masks — here are the ones that worked and didn’t
‘Mask mouth’ is a seriously stinky side effect of wearing masks
***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS
Covid-19 will be painful for universities, but also bring change
Private colleges eye COVID-19 liability, testing concerns
***THE FALL SEMESTER
No parties, no trips: Colleges set COVID-19 rules for fall
California colleges to reopen with limited classes, dorm life
California colleges scramble to open lacking state rules
***COLLEGE SPORTS
MAC becomes the first FBS conference to cancel its football season
***FALL PLANS AT SPECIFIC SCHOOLS
20% Of Harvard’s First-Year Class Has Deferred
Howard joins Johns Hopkins, other schools in online semester
As Bay Area universities change plans for a coronavirus-affected fall, students scramble
Alabama revises campus reentry form after concerns it waived legal rights
What one Colorado college learned trying to run safe in-person classes this summer
University of Kentucky testing entire student body ahead of return to campus
***K-12
“Not what I signed up for”: COVID-19 has Colorado teachers considering quitting
***HIGHER ED
FBI Encourages Campus Police to Participate in the National Use-of-Force Data Collection Program
The Corporations Devouring American Colleges
***COLLEGE FINANCE
Colleges spent recklessly, and the bill has come due
Colleges Face Financial Crisis As They Struggle To Operate In A Pandemic
Colleges weigh fiscal impact of virus as fall nears
More States Are Looking at Consolidating Their Public Colleges. Does It Work? ($)
Some UA faculty alarmed by plan to buy for-profit school; Harm to university's reputation feared
***TEACHING ONLINE
It’s OK to let students keep their video off while you teach online. I promise
Another problem with shifting education online: A rise in cheating
Software that monitors students during tests perpetuates inequality and violates their privacy
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Lecturer Who Tweeted About Police Won't Teach
Lehigh University to pay $200,000 to settle allegations related to ex-professor’s NASA fraud
First They Came for Adjuncts, Now They’ll Come for Tenure ($)
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
BYU students start petition to bring university back to ‘Christ-centered education’
How Jerry Falwell Jr. Lost His Liberty Flock ($)
Falwell Placed on Leave From Liberty
***RESEARCH
Authorship and justice: Credit and responsibility
***SCIENCE
The Science Sleuth Holding Fraudulent Research Accountable
Five better ways to assess science
How to be an ethical scientist
***STUDENT LIFE
College students launch free online tutoring service to help stressed parents during pandemic
Student sues BYU, saying move to online classes offered ‘subpar’ education
Why these students fought back against their university’s COVID-19 program
Stanford graduate students question university's coronavirus policies as campus move-ins begin
***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT
Cape Elizabeth student dedicates court victory to friend, mentor
University releases 15 sexual assault records following four-year lawsuit
Morehouse College seeks dismissal of sexual harassment lawsuit
Dartmouth student ends hunger strike over school's handling of sexual misconduct claims
University releases 15 sexual assault records following four-year lawsuit
wiser today
/A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than yesterday. -Jonathan Swift