When life buries you
/There were two groups... those who didn't die and those who came back to life. - Ester Perel
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
God had come near
/He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were unmanicured, calloused, and dirty. No silk. No ivory, No hype. No party. No hoopla. Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of star-gazers, there would have no gifts.
For thirty-three years he would feel everything you and I have ever felt. He felt weak. He grew weary. He was afraid of failure. He was susceptible to wooing women. He got colds, burped, and had body odor. His feeling got hurt. His feet got tired. And his head ached.
To think of Jesus in such a light is - well, it seems almost irreverent, doesn't it? It's not something we like to do; it's uncomfortable. It is much easier to keep the humanity out of the incarnation. Clean the manure from around the manger. Wipe the sweat out of his eyes. Pretend he never snored or blew his nose or hit his thumb with a hammer.
He's easier to stomach that way. There is something about keeping him divine that keeps him distant, packaged, predictable. But don't do it. Let him be as human as he intended to be. Let him into the mire and muck of our world.
Max Lucado, God Came Near
Articles of interest about the virus, journalism, fakes, security & more
/***THE VIRUS
California's new virus message: 'Don't share your air'
Where COVID-19 spreads most easily, according to experts
Common childhood vaccine could protect against COVID-19
Vitamin D and coronavirus: Study shows more than 80% of patients were deficient
Does It Matter Which COVID-19 Vaccine You Get?
What You Can Do Post-Vaccine, and When ($)
Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe For Children?
***JOURNALISM
Top 2020 Tools for reporters
How Google sends readers away from local news
Number of journalists murdered for their work more than doubled in 2020
Journalists will learn influencing isn’t easy
***WRITING & READING
Why on Earth Is Someone Stealing Unpublished Book Manuscripts?
Lithub: Our 65 Favorite Books of the Year
Why this forgotten punctuation mark should be revived for 2021
***FAKES & FRAUDS
"Unreliable" news sources got more traction in 2020
Misinformation Amplifiers Target Georgia Senate Races
Tony Robbins claims he saved an employee from COVID-19 - She says in a lawsuit that’s a lie
Nonprofit coalition demands Biden act on misinformation educating the public on misinformation
Top Ten Disinformers – and Top Ten Straight Shooters With The Most Online Engagement
My job reporting on QAnon and coronavirus disinformation has led to daily death threats — but we can’t give up
***ANTI-VAXXERS
Anti-Vaxxers Are Coaching People How to 'Refuse' the COVID Vaccine
The GOP's Fave Anti-Abortion Celebrity Is a COVID Anti-Vaxxer Now
***SOCIAL MEDIA
Why social media hasn’t been able to shut down vaccine misinformation
Facebook will offer new account security options in 2021
Twitter tests 'humanization prompts' in effort to reduce toxic replies
How pastel cookware took over Instagram
***PRIVACY & SECURITY
How to lock your Wi-Fi and protect your home
The Toll Of Conspiracy Theories: A Voting Security Expert Lives In Hiding
Why the Russian hack is so significant, and why it's close to a worst-case scenario
iPhones vulnerable to hacking tool for months, researchers say
A Florida sheriff’s program that claims to identify potential future criminals violates student privacy according to a new report
Who can access your iPhone and Apple accounts?
The data that apps use to track you, according to Apple
***THE SOLARWINDS HACK
Microsoft has discovered yet more SolarWinds malware
What Happens Next with the Massive SolarWinds Hack
Hacked networks will need to be burned 'down to the ground'
Suspected Russian hacking campaign hit over 40 organizations, Microsoft says
Nuclear weapons agency breached amid massive cyber onslaught
The shepherd who didn’t go to the Manger
/Imagine that one of the shepherds telling the story about angels appearing to him in the fields, telling him about the Christ child—but not going to the stable to see the child (Luke 2).
“Grandpa! Tell us the story of the angels again.”
“Well, there I was out in the field … angels appeared.”
“And what was the baby like?”
“Oh, I never went to see the child.”
Hard to imagine, right? The angels’ appearance was just the beginning. How could the shepherd not have gone into the more? How could he have been satisfied with just that first exhilarating experience? He shouldn’t have been. And neither should we.
Stephen Goforth
Gifts to the Christ child
/What did the inn keeper give to Jesus at his birth? What he had, a stable (Luke 2:7).
What did the shepherds give? Their praises (Luke 2:21).
What did the “wise men” give? Their worship (Mt 2:11).
What did Mary give? Herself (Luke 1:38).
What have you given to Jesus? He only comes to what’s available.
Stephen Goforth
Neighbors surprise kind UPS driver with emotional 'thank you'
/#GOODNEWS
"It was terribly lonely and he was always the highlight of my day. Mentioning this to a few people and the response I got was all I needed to know I was not alone. … The neighborhood gesture visibly moved Gaskin, who spoke briefly, thanked everyone, and then got back to work."
I’ve never seen
/I’ve never seen where a woman has given birth to a success or to a failure. It’s always either a boy or a girl. -Zig Ziglar
Articles of Interest about religion (and the virus) - Dec 21
/***THE VIRUS
Hospitals Are Still Short on Masks and Other Protective Gear ($)
Hospital CEOs have gotten rich cutting staff and supplies. now they’re not ready for the next wave
What Happens After Receiving A COVID-19 Vaccine?
Millions forced to cancel Christmas as 'new variant' of coronavirus spreads in U.K.
Thinking of gathering indoors? Here's how fast COVID transmission happens.
***RELIGION & THE VIRUS
Televangelist network returns millions in PPP loan after buying private jet
Supreme Court Rejects Kentucky Religious School on Covid Shutdown
Lauren Daigle responds to request to remove her from NYE celebrations over breaking lockdown rules
***RELIGION & GEN Z
Finding common ground with Gen Z (opinion)
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
Will election become a new ‘lost cause’ for evangelical conservatives?
DC church replaces Black Lives Matter banner destroyed by ‘Proud Boys’
Texas Baptist Minister, a Lifelong Republican, Loses License After Endorsing Biden
***RELIGION & RACIAL ISSUES
Black Texas megachurch pastor cuts ties with SBC over seminary presidents’ statement on CRT
***CATHOLIC
Vatican: Coronavirus vaccines 'morally acceptable' for Catholics
Vatican nativity scene: Art teacher defends 2020 nativity scene decried as ugly
***MEGACHURCHES
The Majority of American Megachurches Are Now Multiracial
Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch defends getting $4.4 million in federal PPP loans
Senior Pastor at metro Atlanta mega church has COVID-19, days after attending White House party
Megachurches take huge sums from PPP Funds
***TELEVANGELISTS
Televangelist Kenneth Copeland's Inaccurate Hanukkah Tweet Sparks Condemnation
***MUSLIMS
California appoints its first ever Muslim chaplain to the state legislature
***RELIGION AROUND THE WORLD
Women in many countries face harassment for clothing deemed too religious – or too secular
***CONVERSION THERAPY
Gay conversion therapy: Hundreds of religious leaders call for ban
Rewrite your brain
/Many people believe that their intellectual ability is hardwired from birth, and that failure to meet a learning challenge is an indictment of their native ability. But every time you learn something new, you change the brain-the residue of your experiences is stored. It's true that we start life with the gift of our genes, but it's also true that we become capable through the learning and development of mental models that enable us to reason, solve, and create.
Peter C. Brown and Henry L. Roediger III, Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
Two brands of discontent
/There are two brands of discontent: the brand that merely fosters greed and snarling and back-biting, and the brand that inspires greater and greater effort to reach the desired goal. What is your brand? -BC Forbes
Articles of interest about higher ed - Dec 18
/***THE VIRUS
There are almost no preexisting conditions for COVID-19 that matter remotely as much as age
Debunked COVID-19 myths survive online, despite facts
***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS
4 questions for colleges now that the US has a coronavirus vaccine
University of Kentucky study says a 7-day COVID quarantine may be enough for students
Alabama State using drones to sanitize stadium against COVID-19
American campuses have tallied nearly 400,000 cases of Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic
Campuses Say Their Fall Semesters Were Safe. One Student Felt Anything But.
***SPRING SEMESTER
Arizona State University cancels spring break in effort to slow spread of COVID-19
Worried About College Plans for Spring ($)
***INCOMING STUDENTS
'Losing A Generation': Fall College Enrollment Plummets For First-Year Students
The number of high school graduates who enrolled in college this fall fell by more than 21 percent
***LAYOFFS & FURLOUGHS
University of Evansville admin proposes cutting quarter of the faculty, nixing 17 majors
Univ of Saint Rose to drop 25 academic programs to survive financial stress
Duquesne University proposes full-time faculty cuts amid pandemic, financial uncertainty
***COLLEGES & POLITICS
Education Secretary DeVos Heads For The Exits, Leaving A Legacy Of Turmoil
***HIGHER ED
Big Gifts to Small Colleges From an Unexpected Source ($)
Why Higher Education Is a Prime Target for Cybercriminals
***HIGHER ED IN COURT
Athletes at Black Colleges Sue Over NCAA Rules
***HUMANITIES
The Deeper Dig: What humanities cuts could mean for UVM
***TEACHING
It’s not production quality that counts in educational videos – here's what students value most
114 studies on flipped classrooms show small payoff for big effort
Why You Should Teach Like a Poet ($)
Student Evaluations of Teaching are Not Valid (opinion)
Are MOOCs getting a second wind as colleges look online for gen ed classes?
***ONLINE CHEATING
Use of surveillance software to crack down on exam cheating has unintended consequences
Remote test-taking software is an inaccurate, privacy-invading mess (opinion)
Academic integrity at Zoom University: Stricter measures are not the answer
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Strategies to Avoid Professor Burn Out
UM Fires History Professor Who Criticizes ‘Powerful, Racist Donors’ and ‘Carceral State’
Scholars pledge not to speak at Ole Miss until it reinstates a colleague
When My College Attacked Me, Professional Insurance Saved My Bacon
***ADMINISTRATORS
Chapman University President Daniele Struppa tests positive for COVID-19
New Mexico State University chancellor named to Biden-Harris transition team
McDaniel College taps current provost as its next president
Southwestern College selects alumnus Mark Sanchez as next president
University of North Carolina at Wilmington faculty censure chancellor
Utah State Investigating comments made by president
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Guilford College hits pause on sweeping proposed campus changes
Judson College needs $500K in donations by Dec. 31 to stay open
How Trump Made a Tiny Christian College the Nation’s Biggest Prison Educator
Five years later, Larycia Hawkins’ canceling foreshadowed evangelicals under Trump (opinion)
Northwest Nazarene University students complete fall semester in person
Humanities take a hit at three religious colleges
In final years at Liberty, Falwell spent millions on pro-Trump causes
***RESEARCH
The grad student who found a fatal error that may affect lots of papers
The shoddy statistical analysis in the Texas lawsuit which sought to overturn the 2020 election
Measuring Correlation-to-Causation Exaggeration in Press Releases
Psychology’s replication crisis inspires ecologists to push for more reliable research
South African incentive programme has attracted criticism for encouraging unethical behaviour.
Report: Majority Of Psychological Experiments Conducted In 1970s Just Crimes (satire)
***RETRACTIONS
Patterns of retractions from 1981-2020 : Does a fraud lead to another fraud?
The limits of transparency in dealing with scientific misconduct
***STUDENT MEDIA
The work student journalists are proudest of this year
***STUDENTS IN LEGAL TROUBLE
Federal charges filed against 21 people in 'large-scale' drug ring involving UNC fraternities
US college student jailed for breaking quarantine in Cayman Islands
***STUDENT LIFE
COVID-19 cuts into college students' drinking
Blows to the head of a college volleyball star changed her life
What It's Like To Apply To College In The Pandemic
Students organize protests over Cal State Long Beach's grading system
Utah State Players Opt out of Final Game over President's Comments on Head Coach
***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT
***COLLEGES & RACIAL ISSUES
Trustees vote to drop 'Dixie' from Dixie State University name
A Black Professor’s Colleague Called the Cops on Him. What the School Did Next Made It Much Worse.
UCLA Study Suggests Millennials Show Racial Bias While Looking For Roommates
Seeing Potential
/A New York businessman dropped a dollar into the cup of a man selling pencils and hurriedly stepped aboard the subway train. On second thought, he stepped back off the train, walked over the beggar and took several pencils from the cup. Apologetically, he explained that in his haste he had neglected to pick up his pencils and hoped the man wouldn’t be upset with him. “After all,” he said, “you are a businessman just like myself. You have merchandise to sell and it’s fairly priced.” Then he caught the next train.
At a social function a few months later, a neatly-dressed salesman stepped up to the businessman and introduced himself. “You probably don’t remember me and I don’t know your name, but I will never forget you. You are the man who game me back my self-respect. I was a “beggar” selling pencils until you came along and told me I was a businessman.”
The greatest good we can do for anyone is not to share our wealth with them, but rather to reveal their own wealth to them.
Zig Ziglar, See You at the Top
Jackson He becomes 1st Chinese-born player to score TD in FBS history
/#GOODNEWS
😈 JACKSON HE FOR SIX 🔱
— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) December 12, 2020
THE FIRST CHINESE BORN PLAYER TO SCORE A TOUCHDOWN IN FBS HISTORY.
🎥 https://t.co/HMaplp5m7s pic.twitter.com/KKMatXBT1u
Read more about the accomplishment here.
Articles of interest about the virus, media, fakes, & more - Dec 17
/***THE VIRUS
Oxygen-Detecting Devices Give Misleading Readings In People With Dark Skin
Christmas during a Pandemic: The United States in December 1918
ICU Workers Are Quitting Due To Crushing Stress From COVID-19 Surge
***THE VACCINES
What Dippin' Dots can teach us about vaccine logistics
I'm In a High-Risk Group for COVID-19. How Do I Get Vaccinated Early?
First came news of a vaccine—now come the scams
The ingredients in Pfizer’s vaccine
Should Companies Require Employees to Take the Vaccine? ($)
Why Paying People to Be Vaccinated Could Backfire ($)
What Scientists Think Of Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine
***MEDIA
Facebook Is Developing A Tool To Summarize Articles
Spotify Inks Deal to Stream NPR Podcasts Worldwide
Why news publishers are eagerly bundling their subscriptions with brands
Scoop: Rolling Stone, Billboard and Vibe merge business sides amid DOJ probe
***WRITING & READING
Books Are Really Easy to Wrap ($)
Gmail gets a huge upgrade for editing Word, Excel and PowerPoint attachments
***FAKES & FRAUDS
The evangelical-Catholic alliance becomes a conspiracy theory carnival
From Voter Fraud to Vaccine Lies: Misinformation Peddlers Shift Gears
Latest Deepfake Controversy Raises Legal And Ethical Questions In Music Industry
Behind the scenes with PolitiFact and its choice for ‘Lie of the Year’
How Disinformation Spreads, And Why It's So Hard To Combat
***VACCINE DISINFORMATION
The ‘Terrorgram’ Plot by Neo-Nazis to Seduce Anti-Vaxxers
***SOCIAL MEDIA
FTC orders social media to provide info on how they collect and use personal data
Twitter is shutting down Periscope in 2021 because it costs too much to run
Why can’t the social networks stop fake accounts? ($)
Social media served as an important outlet for Black Americans in 2020
Twitter wants to get into your Snapchat and Instagram stories
***PRIVACY & SECURITY
SolarWinds hackers have a clever way to bypass multi factor authentication
Amazon’s new health band is the most invasive tech we’ve ever tested
***LITERATURE
A video game based on Orwell's Animal Farm
How Should Racial Slurs in Literature Be Handled in the Classroom?
One stands
/There are an infinity of angles at which one falls. Only one at which one stands. -GK Chesterton
Varieties of Bitterness
/Why do we accept bitter feelings? Why do we nourish acidic emotions and slowly allow them to eat away our attitudes, motives, and even our spirits? The bitters come in so many varieties.
There’s the I’ve-been-used-and-abused brand of bitterness that lets us stew in our own anger juices. It grows when we have no opportunity to vent these hostilities against the person who has hurt us. As a substitute, we take it out on ourselves.
There’s the everyone’s-against-me-nobody-cares kind of bitterness that grow into a full-blown martyr complex. Complete with self-pity and all the extras.
Bitterness can form from a sense of I’ve-been-neglected-forgotten-and-overlooked-a routine especially real when someone feels trapped in the house all day long with whining toddlers, endless chores, and a spouse who is out all day what appears to be an endless fascinating world.
Or it may be the blind, curse-it-all-I’d-rather-be-dead bitterness that follows tragedy, grief, or failure. We withdraw into ourselves in despair.
Our world is infested these bitters and unless we build a support system externally and internally we may find them all too often corrupting our palates so the whole of life tastes bitter.
Based on a passage from Gene Van Note’s Building Self-Esteem
Lyft driver's heartfelt video about cashier walking to work leads to generous gift
/#GOODNEWS
@rideshare_chronicles One of my most inspiring moments as a Lyft driver. ##lyft ##uberdriver ##fyp ##inspiring
♬ original sound - David
Read more about what happened next from Good Morning America.
Articles of interest about religion - Dec 15
/***THE VIRUS
A variety of eye issues can sometimes indicate an early coronavirus infection
FireEye confirms SolarWinds supply chain attack
The coronavirus vaccine rollout will be messy. People will have to deal with that.
Infected after 5 minutes, from 20 feet away: South Korea study shows COVID-19's spread indoors
COVID-19 Vaccine's Side Effects Could Complicate Efforts To Vaccinate Health Workers
Overloaded Hospitals Ask COVID-19 Patients With Milder Symptoms To Get Home Treatment
Covid is having a devastating impact on children — and the vaccine won't fix everything
***RELIGION & THE VIRUS
Some workers say religious beliefs bar them from getting vaccinated
What NIH chief Francis Collins wants religious leaders to know about the coronavirus vaccines
Dave Ramsey, Christian personal finance guru, defies COVID-19 to keep staff at desks
Caterers at Dave Ramsey's holiday party told not to wear masks, complaint says
Recent Supreme Court Rulings Encourage Some To Continue In-Person Worshiping
Televangelist Pat Robertson Says God Will Intervene in Overturning Election Results
***RELIGION
What is an "Evangelical?" (video) (opinion)
Christianity Today’s 2021 Book Awards
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
Church vandalism exposes divisions over faith and politics
Pro-Trump Protesters Burn BLM Banners Outside Four Historic DC Churches
Evangelical leader Beth Moore trends on Twitter after calling Trumpism ‘seductive and dangerous’
Biden's Catholic faith will be on full display as the first churchgoing president in decades
In the Attacks on Raphael Warnock’s Preaching, One Old American Tradition Meets Another
Religious right eyes Biden warily after Trump’s good favor
***RELIGION & THE LAW
The Supreme Court Rejects Opportunity to Roll Back Marriage Equality
Critics Say New Trump Rule Gives Contractors More Freedom On Religious Discrimination
Trump eases rules for religious social service providers
The Supreme Court Is Colliding With a Less-Religious America
Megachurch leader raped girl more than 4 decades ago, lawsuit alleges
***RELIGION & RACIAL ISSUES
Chicago Church Leads The Way As It Grapples With Race
More US churches commit to racism-linked reparations
***METHODISTS
Progressive group launches new Methodist denomination
‘Black Lives Matter’ nativity scene draws attention at Claremont Unified Methodist Church
***SOUTHERN BAPTISTS
Black Southern Baptists weigh in on critical race theory critique by officials
Texas church leaves SBC amid scrutiny of pastor's 'outrageous' prior conduct
***CATHOLIC
DOJ probe of Catholic church abuse goes quiet 2 years late
Federal Executions Pit The Trump Administration Against The Catholic Church
***GREEK ORTHODOX
Greek Orthodox Church rules yoga is 'incompatible' with Christianity
***MEGACHURCHES
Megachurch promises to change after Missouri official slams ‘irresponsible’ services
Selena Gomez reportedly quits Hillsong following pastor Carl Lentz's affair
Houston Chronicle Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church got $4.4 million in federal PPP loans
California megachurch says it has a 'biblical mandate' to meet after Supreme Court decision
Hillsong founder responds to megachurch homophobia claims
***MUSLIMS
California has appointed its first ever Muslim chaplain to the state legislature
Justices rule Muslim men can sue FBI agents over no-fly list
Bangladesh Begins Moving Displaced Rohingya Muslims To Remote Island
***RELIGION IN CHINA
Uighurs forced to eat pork as China expands Xinjiang pig farms
China’s Greatest Evangelist Was Expelled from a Liberal Seminary in America
***SEXUAL ISSUES
Scientific journal purges conversion therapy paper published in 1951
Where the growth opportunities lie
/Take special (and more) time to carefully analyze the unexpected results (successes and failures); that's where the growth opportunities lie.
Reconsidering
/The smartest people are constantly revising their understanding, reconsidering a problem they thought they'd already solved. They're open to new points of view, new information, new ideas, contradictions, and challenges to their own way of thinking. -Jeff Bezos