Teacher finds and turns in backpack full of cash
/#GOODNEWS
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Articles of interest about religion - Sept 4
/***RELIGION & THE VIRUS
COVID-19 Outbreak at Focus on the Family
Hundreds gather at Portland waterfront, without masks, to see controversial worship leader
***SURVEYS ON RELIGION
Half of U.S. Christians say casual sex sometimes or always acceptable
Women Read the Bible More Than Men. Why?
***OUTSIDE THE US
Researchers Find Christians in Iran Approaching 1 Million
Satellite Images Show China's Expansion Of Muslim Detention Camps
Outspoken Atheist, Arrested in Nigeria for Blasphemy, Hasn’t Been Seen Since
***JERRY FALWELL
Liberty announces investigation into Falwell's tenure
Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Departure Brings Relief on Liberty University’s Campus
The Jerry Falwell Jr. scandal, explained
Jerry Falwell Jr.'s fatal miscalculation
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
11,000 sign petition to remove Franklin Graham as charity's CEO after convention prayer
Christian radio show host Punches Protester After White House Speech
Evangelicals are looking for answers online. They’re finding QAnon instead
Political Conventions Show How Religion Is Playing A Role In Campaigns
Evangelical Voters Weigh In On What's At Stake In November's Election
Voter guides show the power and duplicity of American evangelicalism (opinion)
Christian author Eric Metaxas Admits Punching Protester In D.C.
***RELIGION & RACIAL ISSUES
American Christianity’s White-Supremacy Problem
How Black Lives Matter Is Changing the Church
22 experts on religion and race
***CELEBRITIES
Chadwick Boseman: Man of faith in real life, ‘Black Panther’ on screen
***DENOMINATIONS
Former head pastor at Texas Nazarene church indicted on child pornography charges
Northwest Nazarene University holding commencement for 2020 grads this weekend
***CATHOLIC
***MEGACHURCHES
L.A. To Evict Grace Community Church From Parking Lot
Megachurch pastor John MacArthur says there is no pandemic
Pastor John Gray accused of another inappropriate relationship; lawyers say he’s being blackmailed
Making friends
/We picture lovers face to face but friend side by side, their eyes looking ahead. That is why those pathetic people who simply “want friends” can never make any. The very condition of having friends is that we should want something else besides friends. Friendship must be about something, even if it were only an enthusiasm for dominoes or white mice. Those who have nothing can share nothing, those who are going no where can have no fellow-travelers.
CS Lewis, The Four Loves
Second Wind
/Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second. -William James
Bullet-riddled Fighter Planes
/During World War II, researchers from the non-profit research group the Center for Naval Analyses were tasked with a problem. They needed to reinforce the military’s fighter planes at their weakest spots. To accomplish this, they turned to data. They examined every plane that came back from a combat mission and made note of where bullets had hit the aircraft. Based on that information, they recommended that the planes be reinforced at those precise spots.
Do you see any problems with this approach?
The problem, of course, was that they only looked at the planes that returned and not at the planes that didn’t. Of course, data from the planes that had been shot down would almost certainly have been much more useful in determining where fatal damage to a plane was likely to have occurred, as those were the ones that suffered catastrophic damage.
The research team suffered from survivorship bias: they just looked at the data that was available to them without analyzing the larger situation. This is a form of selection bias in which we implicitly filter data based on some arbitrary criteria and then try to make sense out of it without realizing or acknowledging that we’re working with incomplete data.
Rahul Agarwal writing in Built in
7-year-old's tribute to Chadwick Boseman
/#GOODNEWS
Chadwick Boseman helped show people that "Black kids can be heroes, too," 7-year-old Kian Westbrook said CBS News reported.
7-year-old Kian Westbrook and the Avengers holding a memorial for his hero, Black Panther. ♥️ (📷: Twitter/@KingWestbrook7) pic.twitter.com/3xfVfqNPfH
— E! News (@enews) August 30, 2020
addictions
/Most addictions are a result of a lack of connectedness and shame. –Paul Myer
Articles of interest about the virus & higher ed - Aug 31
/***THE VIRUS
Social distancing six feet apart is based on 'outdated science,' scientists say - Study Finds
COVID-19 has changed the way people use their vehicles
Several have been reinfected with Covid-19. Here’s what that means
Exponential growth bias: The numerical error behind Covid-19
Exercise and COVID-19 Can Be a Dangerous Combination: Study
***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS
How Universities Are Tackling The Spread Of COVID-19
College towns growing alarmed over outbreaks among students
Some central Ohio colleges refuse to publicly report COVID cases
Is it safe to go to college? Health experts weigh in
***THE FALL SEMESTER
Running Numbers or Running From Numbers?
Colleges need COVID-19 tests to reopen, scientists say. Some don't have much of a plan
***OUTBREAKS & TESTING AT SPECIFIC SCHOOLS
Hundreds more Colorado College students now in virus quarantine
Temple University suspends in-person classes due to COVID-19 outbreak
Northwestern Univ. announces it won’t have freshmen and sophomores on campus
Coronavirus outbreaks identified at 4 sororities at Kansas State University
San Diego State University students gather without masks as COVID-19 infections rise
University of Alabama orders faculty to keep quiet about outbreak
University of Notre Dame changes 'battle plan' after rise in COVID-19 cases
USC reports ‘alarming increase’ in COVID-19 cases
The Ohio State Univer. suspends 228 students for violating pandemic precautions before classes begin
***LAYOFFS & FURLOUGHS
Adrian College to eliminate humanities departments, faculty jobs
Colleges Turn to More Furloughs: Clemson, Winthrop, Portland, Tufts, And Nebraska
***K-12
Iowa has a new 'Don't ask, don't tell,' —it could allow COVID-19 to run roughshod at schools
***HIGHER ED & RACIAL ISSUES
Troy University to rename Hall for John Lewis
Some Christian schools are finally grappling with their racist past and segregated present
Columbia taking slave-owning doctor’s name off campus dorm
Faculty say higher education, research is ‘rife’ with discrimination
***HIGHER ED
Texas launching digital textbook repository for college students
Elite U.S. Schools Face a Rude Awakening With Asian Students Staying Away ($)
***HUMANITIES
***THE COST OF COLLEGE
A New Study Investigates Why College Tuition Is So Expensive
***CYBER ATTACKS
College of the Desert website is having issues for users due to malware attack
Cybersecurity Is Increasingly Challenging for Academia
***TEACHING ONLINE
Ed Dept. Issues Final Distance Learning Rule
How to Maintain FERPA Compliance remotely
The prisoner’s dilemma: To cheat or not in online classes?
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Yale Professor Jed Rubenfeld Suspended for Sexual Harassment
***ADMINISTRATORS
UC Berkeley chancellor calls reopening amid crises ‘hardest situation I’ve ever encountered’ ($)
COVID-19 thrusts college presidents in the hot seat
Frontline workers protest University reopening at UI President’s house
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Mike Pence won't speak at Wisconsin Lutheran College commencement
Notre Dame distances from Lou Holtz comments that Joe Biden is 'Catholic in name only'
Samford University President Retiring Next Year
400 Point Loma Nazarene University Alumni Denounce Fellow Grad Natalie Harp’s RNC Speech
***LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
She was the aggressor’: Former Liberty student alleges sexual encounter with Becki Falwell
***RESEARCH
Open is not forever: a study of vanished open access journals
Responsibility of Medical Journals in Addressing Racism in Health Care
***STUDENT LIFE
Empty US college campuses are making it harder for students to vote
College students' mental health worst-hit by COVID lockdown: Study
The Pandemic Is Making College Students Question the Price of Their Education ($)
'Nomophobia': 9 In 10 College Students Battle Fear Of Being Without Smartphone
Stanford to bar students on leaves of absence from VSOs despite remote learning
2 Ohio University Students Plead Guilty in Fraternity Hazing Death
***STUDENT MEDIA
Guidance on creating a policy about reporting in-person during COVID-19
During chaotic university reopenings, student newspapers are holding the powerful accountable
Student media sounds alarm on unsafe university reopenings
***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT
Minnesota Settles With Student in Alleged Gang-Rape Case
California’s ill-advised attempt to circumvent new Title IX rules
Systems not just goals
/Every Olympian wants to win a gold medal. Every candidate wants to get the job. And if successful and unsuccessful people share the same goals, then the goal cannot be what differentiates the winners from the losers. It was only when they implemented a system of continuous small improvements that they achieved a different outcome.
Imagine you have a messy room and you set a goal to clean it. If you summon the energy to tidy up, then you will have a clean room—for now. But if you maintain the same sloppy, pack-rat habits that led to a messy room in the first place, soon you’ll be looking at a new pile of clutter and hoping for another burst of motivation. You’re left chasing the same outcome because you never changed the system behind it. You treated a symptom without addressing the cause.
James Clear, Atomic Habits
Rational people
/Rational people don’t risk what they have and need for what they don’t have and don’t need. -Warren Buffett (Born: Aug. 30, 1930)
Moral excellence
/Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. -Aristotle
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