Moral excellence
/Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. -Aristotle
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Superforecasters
/They are called “superforecasters” and they make surprisingly accurate predictions about world events. Tara Law writes about these semi-professional forecasters in TIME magazine:
Superforecasters tend to share certain personality traits, including humility, reflectiveness and comfort with numbers. These characteristics might mean that they’re better at putting their ego aside, and are willing to change their minds when challenged with new data or ideas…they may also be more flexible than traditional scientists, because they’re not bound to a particular discipline or approach. Their predictions incorporate research and hard data, but also news reports and gut feelings. They tend to be actively open-minded and curious. They’re in “perpetual beta” mode—always striving to update their beliefs and improve themselves. A willingness to change your mind when presented with new information, contend with your biases, challenge one another’s ideas, and break down problems into specific questions are all desirable qualities in people who make big, important decisions.
articles of interest about the virus, journalism, fakes, social media & more
/***THE VIRUS
Woman may have caught coronavirus in airplane head, researchers say
How superspreading is fueling the pandemic
Does a face mask protect me, or just the people around me?
Should I get the flu shot early this year?
Wearing mask below your nose can make you more vulnerable to COVID-19
***WRITING & READING
There Are Only 37 Possible Stories, According to This 1919 Manual for Screenwriters
Why Nonfiction Book Fact Checking Should Be an Industry Standard
***JOURNALISM
MIT Center for Civic Media Shutting down
AOC takes on NBC, in a lesson in how not to apologize when your publication makes a mistake ($)
USPS Warns Employees Not to Speak to Press
***STUDENT MEDIA
Parties Or Not, UT's Student Newspaper Editor Says, A COVID-19 Outbreak Seems Inevitable
***FAKES & FRAUDS
Trump Says DNC Removed 'Under God' From Pledge of Allegiance in Appeal to Evangelical Christians
Former Trump University student recalls aha moment: 'This is a joke’
QAnon looms behind nationwide rallies and viral #SavetheChildren hashtags
COVID-19 misinformation: How to spot it on your timeline
Facebook algorithm found to 'actively promote' Holocaust denial
Why Would You Fake Having Cancer Online?
***QAnon
The US Senate candidate who took a QAnon pledge
The Republican Embrace of QAnon Goes Far Beyond Trump
QAnon groups hit by Facebook crack down
A playbook for combating QAnon
What is QAnon? A not-so-brief introduction to the conspiracy theory that's eating America
Trump refuses to answer question on whether he supports QAnon conspiracy theory
Trump praises believers in baseless QAnon conspiracy theory
***SOCIAL MEDIA
How TikTok’s Talks With Microsoft Turned Into a Soap Opera ($)
55% of social media users worn out by political posts, discussions
Pew: 73% of Americans believe social media platforms censor political speech
Snapchat experiments with letting users share more content off app
***LITERATURE
Orwell's 'Animal Farm,' Around For Decades, Almost Wasn't Published
Literary world overwhelmed by 600 books to be published on one day
***PRIVACY & SECURITY
A popular fertility app shared data without users’ consent, researchers say ($)
The Secret Service bought phone location data, dodging the need for a warrant
The Cause of Overspending
/Ample market research shows that people who overspend usually do it to feel good or to feel in control, not because they need the items they buy. Slapping down the plastic makes them feel powerful, secure, able to make their way in the world.
So chiding your spouse, or even just stressing the virtues of scrimping and saving, is going to backfire. The more you talk about that stuff, the more your spouse will feel out of control - the same emotion that drives the indulgences in the first place.
A more effective strategy is to encourage your spouse to own the problem. Keep track of what your household spends, weekly or monthly, and ask him or her to review those accounts. Don't say anything else. That way the choice to cut back is under your spouse's control, making it more likely to happen.
If that doesn't work? You know the time has come to get separate bank accounts.
Finally, you might consider lightening up a little. Marriage is one of life's great blessings. If you think the occasional iToy is expensive, wait until you see how much a divorce costs.
Tyler Cowen in Money Magazine
It is not how much we give
/It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving. –Mother Teresa (born: Aug. 26, 1910)
Forgive release and be free
/Forgiveness, of others and one’s self, can be a powerful, life-altering process. It can change the trajectory of a relationship or even one’s life. It is not the only response one can make to being hurt or hurting others, but it is an effective way to manage the inevitable moments of conflict, disappointment, and pain in our lives.
Forgiveness embraces both the reality of the offence and the empathy and compassion needed to move on. True forgiveness doesn’t shy away from responsibility, recompense or justice. By definition, it recognises that something painful, even wrong, has been done. Simultaneously, forgiveness helps us to embrace something beyond the immediate gut-reaction of anger and pain and the simmering bitterness that can result. Forgiveness encourages a deeper, more compassionate understanding that we are all flawed in our different ways and that we all need to be forgiven at times.
Nathaniel Wade writing in Aeon
Articles of Interest about the virus & higher ed - August 24
/***THE VIRUS
COVID tests are the new party favors
To Test the Dangers of Live Music, These Scientists Put on a Concert ($)
***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS
History will look back on 2020 as a turning point for US universities
Boston Univ Uses F-Bomb In Marketing Slogan To Get Students To Follow COVID-19 Guidelines On Campus
The pandemic hasn’t ended the campus culture wars
The college covid-19 mess: It was all so predictable ($)
***THE FALL SEMESTER
A Yale professor’s stark warning to returning students: Be prepared for deaths
Why reopening poses a damned if you do, damned if you don't dilemma for colleges
Pressure Mounts on In-Person Holdouts
Alabama’s High Stakes Experiment: Reopening Universities as Virus Looms ($)
As Chapel Hill shifts classes online, what’s next for NC State and rest of UNC System?
*** THE FALL SEMESTER AT SPECIFIC SCHOOLS
Georgia Tech has reported over 250 coronavirus cases amid students return to campus
At Oklahoma State University, students' steps are tracked to stop the coronavirus
UGA health faculty on COVID-19 policies and testing: Campus is in ‘grave danger'
Changes are coming to the University of Alabama COVID-19 plan three days into the new semester
Michigan college is tracking students with flawed app--and there's no way to opt out
Shippensburg University announces death of a student over the weekend
13 fraternity members at K-State test positive for COVID-19
Oklahoma choir blasted on social media for footage of an indoor, maskless rehearsal
*** THE FALL SEMESTER: CAMPUS HOUSING
Michigan State University Students See Chaos After School Closes On Campus Housing
***THE FALL SEMESTER: SUSPENSIONS
Syracuse University suspends 23 students after 'incredibly reckless' gathering
ISU: Students who ignore COVID-19 rules could be suspended
17 St. Olaf students suspended, 50 more need quarantine after attending off-campus party
***GOING REMOTE
Notre Dame suspends in-person classes after COVID-19 cases surge following off-campus parties
UNC-Chapel Hill goes to remote learning after 135 COVID-19 cases within week of starting classes
Michigan State University switches fall semester to remote learning, tells students to stay home
***VIRUS TESTING ON CAMPUS
2.2% of Iowa State Students Test Positive for Coronavirus During Move-in
A list of over 1,200 universities and their plans for COVID testing in the fall
***K-12
NC high school switched to online classes because so many staff are under quarantine
Catholic school teacher fired from St. Francis Xavier in Wilmette over COVID-19
Emails Show Georgia School District Asked Students to Disinfect Classrooms for Volunteer Hours
Why New York Teachers Might Have to Strike
Christian private school sets up defense fund to fight Fresno County COVID-19 orders
***HIGHER ED
The Corner That State Universities Have Backed Themselves Into ($)
Ohio University's identity crisis shows the struggles of regional public universities
Google Has Unleashed a Plan to Disrupt the College Degree
Some schools have been hit with cyberattacks that have ground classes to a halt.
***COLLEGE FINANCE
Public universities are buying the for-profit schools their professors criticize
***HIGHER ED IN COURT
Western Illinois Facing Injunction Against Face-to-Face instruction
***THE COST OF COLLEGE
Why the U of A is not lowering tuition despite the move to online learning
***TEACHING ONLINE
A Flexible Teaching Model: A Seamless Pivot from Face-to-Face to Online Teaching
New Zoom features look to help teachers manage virtual classrooms
Students With Disabilities Struggle To Learn Remotely
5 reasons to let students keep their cameras off during Zoom classes
Twenty Tips for Online Instruction
***RANSOMWARE
University of Utah pays $457,000 to ransomware gang
Top exploits used by ransomware gangs are VPN bugs, but RDP still reigns supreme
University had data protection but it wasn’t used on affected systems
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Faculty of University of Minnesota Duluth's largest college threatens to teach online only
University staff are worried their recorded lectures will be used against them
Iowa State Forces Professor to Lift Ban on Criticism of Black Lives Matter
***COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS
Valencia College President to retire
Campus re-openings are driven by 'political pressure and money,' college president says
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Alumni, Students atChristian college Protest Pence as Commencement Speaker
Christian colleges take steps to address racial justice after criticism ($)
Notre Dame student describes university quarantine experience as "scary," "stressful"
Presbyterian College Apologizes for Supporting Slavery
***LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Falwell’s use of yacht comes under scrutiny
Liberty University names first African American as acting board chairman
Liberty University and Falwell: A bond that's hard to break
***RESEARCH
Jeffrey Epstein’s Harvard Connections Show How Money Can Distort Research”
New academic journal only publishes 'unsurprising' research rejected by others
***STUDENT LIFE
Survey: Many college students lack religious knowledge
1 in 5 college students don't plan to go back this fall
Welcome to College in New York. Now Quarantine ($)
Will students show up at private colleges?
The Student-Blaming Has Begun ($)
Colleges Are Endangering Students Like Me ($)
Confusion reigns as Canada turns away American students
Should students get a discount if they won’t be on campus because of COVID-19?
Bar culture thrives at Alabama colleges despite coronavirus
Will Shame Make Students Stop Socializing?
Biden holds 52-point lead over Trump among college students
***STUDENTS MEDIA
Notre Dame student paper editorial: Don’t make us write obituaries
***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT
Increase your confidence and determination by self-distancing
/Adopting an alter ego is an extreme form of ‘self-distancing’, which involves taking a step back from our immediate feelings to allow us to view a situation more dispassionately.
“Self-distancing gives us a little bit of extra space to think rationally about the situation,” says Rachel White, assistant professor of psychology at Hamilton College in New York State. It allows us to rein in undesirable feelings like anxiety, increases our perseverance on challenging tasks, and boosts our self-control.
In one study, participants were asked to think about a challenging event in the future, such as an important exam, in one of two different ways. The group in the “immersed” condition were told to picture it from the inside, as if they were in the middle of the situation, whereas those in the “distanced” condition were asked to picture it from afar – as if they were a fly on the wall. The differences were striking, with those taking the distanced viewpoint feeling much less anxious about the event, compared to the immersed group. The self-distancing also encouraged greater feelings of self-efficacy – the sense that they could pro-actively cope with the situation and achieve their goal.
Self-distancing seems to enable people to reap these positive effects by leading them to focus on the bigger picture – it’s possible to see events as part of a broader plan rather than getting bogged down in immediate feelings.
David Robson writing for the BBC
Articles of interest about the virus & religion - Aug 22
/***SPREADING THE VIRUS
At least 7 Covid-19 cases in Nebraska tied to the South Dakota motorcycle rally
Study finds children’s role in virus spread may be larger than once thought
Infections are trending upward in Midwestern states ($)
***RISKS OF CATCHING THE VIRUS
The odds of catching Covid-19 on an airplane are slimmer than you think, scientists say
Riskiest to least risky activities during the pandemic, ranked
CDC coronavirus risk guidance: Why surfaces are less of a risk than close contact
***AFTER THE VIRUS
I Had COVID-19, and These Are the Things Nobody Tells You
***FLU & SYMPTOMS
When should I get my flu shot this year? Everything to know about flu season
Coronavirus symptoms tend to begin in a certain order: Fever first, then cough, muscle pain
***RELIGION & THE VIRUS
Hundreds gather at Portland waterfront, without masks, to see controversial worship leader
“Six-foot distance and wearing masks are pagan rituals of satanic worshipers” Mom tells school board
Judge allows Los Angeles megachurch to hold indoor services despite health orders
LA County Asks To Sanction Grace Community Church Up To $20,000
***RELIGION
QAnon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church
Maine man accused of hitting driver with a Bible during car theft attempt
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
America hasn’t always been kind to Catholic presidential candidates (opinion)
***RELIGION & RACIAL ISSUES
"Black and White evangelicals once" talked about ‘racial reconciliation’ (opinion)
***DENOMINATIONS
Despite Racial Tensions, Black Southern Baptist Churches Still on the Rise
PC(USA) shortfall projected: Dealing with the financial fallout of COVID-19
The mark of perfect friendship
/The mark of perfect friendship is not that help will be given when the pinch comes (of course it will) but that having been given, it makes no difference at all. -CS Lewis
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