Ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Stephen Goforth
In a guilt culture you know you are good or bad by what your conscience feels. In a shame culture you know you are good or bad by what your community says about you, by whether it honors or excludes you. In a guilt culture people sometimes feel they do bad things; in a shame culture social exclusion makes people feel they are bad.
David Brooks writing in the New York Times
I think of my work as medicine. -Alice Walker (born Feb. 9, 1944)
*** THE VIRUS
Why aren't kids getting vaccinated?
The Wealthy Are Getting More Vaccinations, Even in Poorer Neighborhoods
Which Covid Vaccine Should You Get? Experts Cite the Effect Against Severe Disease
***RELIGION & THE VIRUS
Scientology Businesses Took in Over 80 Pandemic-Related Loans
'Manage The Best We Can': Latino Church Adapts To New COVID-19 Reality
***RELIGION
What Thomas Jefferson Could Never Understand About Jesus
About one-in-five Americans who have been harassed online say it was because of their religion
Where Does the South End and Christianity Begin? (Opinion)
***RELIGION & CRIME
Man facing felony charges accused of stealing $800k from Grand Rapids church
He Wants His Pastor With Him At His Execution. Alabama Won't Allow It
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
Capitol siege puts spotlight on Christian nationalists
Nebraska priest who said he performed exorcism at U.S. Capitol apologizes, explains actions
A second SBC pastor in Texas called Vice President Kamala Harris 'Jezebel'
***ARTIFACTS & ARCHAEOLOGY
Museum of the Bible returns Artifacts to Egypt
Archaeologists find ruins of early mosque By the Sea of Galilee
***RELIGION & THE LAW
California can't totally ban worship, Supreme Court rules
Nativity scene OK in front of Jackson County Courthouse, federal appeals court rules
***RELIGION & RACIAL ISSUES
Black Lives Matter banner defaced outside University Christian Church in San Diego
Rick Warren apologizes for church video with Asian stereotypes
Southern Baptists Condemn Racist Letter Received by Arlington Pastor
***RELIGION & LITERATURE
Biography explores 'subversive' Christianity of novelist Dorothy Sayers
***DENOMINATIONS
National Cathedral criticized by Episcopalians for inviting Max Lucado to preach despite pastor’s anti-LGBTQ views
***CATHOLIC
Five myths about Catholics ($)
SC’s largest Catholic high school sued for $300M for invasive locker room windows
Biden's Support Of Abortion Rights At Odds With Some Catholic Bishops
***MEGACHURCHES
Hillsong Church hit with $20M in lawsuits for damages, ‘immoral’ acts
The Prosperous Lifestyle of Megachurch pastor John MacArthur--America’s Anti-Prosperity Gospel Preacher
***ISLAM
Uighur camp detainees allege systematic rape
Muslim mother whose son was killed by terrorist wins international peace award
Journalist Noor Tagouri on misrepresentation of Muslims in the media
One year on, Muslim women reflect on wearing the niqab in a mask-wearing world
***OTHER RELIGIOUS GROUPS
Ukrainian Orthodox Church Breaks Away From Russian Influence
Millennial and Gen Z Buddhists created an online forum to explore their identity ($)
California's Punjabi farmers rally behind India protests
Rihanna's call to support Indian farmers, many of them Sikhs quickly embraced by other celebrities
For Latter-day Saints like Andy Reid of Kansas City Chiefs, football and faith go hand in hand
“Keep on growing,” the commencement speakers say. “Don’t go to seed. Let this be a beginning, not an ending.” It is a good theme. Yet a high proportion of the young people who hear the speeches pay no heed, and by the time they are middle-aged they are absolutely mummified. Even some of the people who make the speeches are mummified. Why?
The thing that is really blocking self-development – the individual’s own intricately designed, self-constructed prison, or to put it another way, the individual’s incapacity for self-renewal.
John Gardner, Self-Renewal
Our Nation's motto - 'In God We Trust' - was not chosen lightly. It reflects a basic recognition that there is a divine authority in the universe to which this nation owes homage. -Ronald Reagan (Born: Feb. 6, 1911)
***COVID-19
Study reveals extent of Covid vaccine side-effects
Study: Young COVID Survivors Can Get Reinfected
CDC finds heightened COVID-19 risk for LGBTQ, calls for more data gathering
***HIGHER ED & COVID
Colleges Add More In-Person Classes For Spring, Amid High Risk Of Coronavirus Spread
Can colleges make students get Covid vaccines? Here’s what experts say
San Rafael school trustee was vaccinated at educators ‘free-for-all’
***COVID AT SPECIFIC SCHOOLS
New variant leads to stay-at-home order at U of Michigan
Lake Forest College COVID-19 outbreak fueled by dorm gatherings involving men's hockey team, school president says
***SPRING PLANS
Tracking Colleges' Spring-Reopening Plans ($)
***LAYOFFS & FURLOUGHS
Western Wyoming Community College Trustees approve layoffs, benefit reductions
University of Virginia announces athletic department layoffs
***COLLEGE FINANCES
University of Nevada could face significant budget cuts under proposed state budget
California private colleges could get reprieve tied to transfer students
Facing mounting debt, Laurentian University files for creditor protection
St. Petersburg College trustees reject contract in blow to adjuncts
Oregon State gets $50 million to renovate the football stadium
***HIGHER ED
Many colleges outside the top ones -- public and private alike -- are not having a good year in admissions
Are Graduate Programs Pressing Pause — or Pulling the Plug? ($)
The future of theological education (podcast)
Old Dominion Violated Disability Law, DOJ Finds
***HUMANITIES
University of Vermont faculty and students hold teach-in to protest cuts in humanities courses
***HIGHER ED IN COURT
Justice Department drops discrimination lawsuit against Yale University
Grand Canyon University files lawsuit against U.S. Department of Education
Pitt sues former wrestling coach, claims he manufactured discrimination lawsuit
Northwestern sues robot maker over patents ($)
***ACADEMIC LIFE
MIT Professor Gang Chen Charged With Millions In Grant Fraud, Hiding China Ties
Two Professors Say They Were Fired for Speaking Out about Collin College's COVID-19 Plans
Purdue professor tossed $100 Trump bill, pointed gun at bar patrons after political argument
Univ of Central Florida fires professor at center of controversial tweets for 'classroom misconduct’
Collin College Pushes Out Another Professor
North Texas Professor sues university, coworkers, students amidst accusations of racism
***ADMINISTRATORS
Northern Kentucky University announces new provost
Skipping search, University of Iowa names interim provost to become permanent
Mercyhurst University President Steps Down
St. Edward’s University welcomes new university president
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Liberty University's interim president apologizes for unmasked snowball fight
Meet Belmont University’s New President
Faculty and staff at Michigan Christian college raise eyebrows after receiving some of the first COVID-19 vaccines
Coach at a Christian University resigned after being accused of making racist statements
California Lutheran University donor redirects his multimillion-dollar gift to support students
Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan, is putting more than $15 million into a shooting-facilities
Southwest Baptist University Trustees Deny Tenure or Promotion to Several Faculty Members
***RESEARCH
Paper That Claimed Closed Schools Cost Lives Gets Correction
Risk of being scooped drives scientists to shoddy methods
In a copy-and-paste world, plagiarism can still do long-lasting damage
How to Protect the Credibility of Articles Published in Predatory Journals
Former Texas postdoc earns 10-year federal funding ban for faking authors and papers to boost metrics
Publishers Still Don’t Prioritize Researchers
Citing Software in Scholarly Publishing to Improve Reproducibility, Reuse, and Credit
Researchers are embracing visual tools to give fair credit for work on papers
Communicating Expectations: Developing a Rubric for Peer Reviewers
***STUDENT LIFE
2 ACU fraternities suspended while university investigates hazing allegations NEWS
Student Who Joined Capitol Mob Faces Federal Charges
A college student made big bucks off GameStop stock. Now he's using it to donate video games to a children's hospital
Penn State Black Caucus calls on PSU to investigate 51 who ‘ambushed’ Zoom call with white supremacist language, symbols
University Of Florida Student Uncovers Tomb Of Brazilian Abolitionist, 'Sea Dragon'
After five decades, UC Davis student newspaper secures right to select its own leadership
***STUDENTS IN COURT
University of North Carolina settles lawsuit with student newspaper over open meetings law violaions
University of Tennessee student sues school, claims she was nearly expelled for her social media posts
***FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS
University of Iowa dean apologizes to conservative students, staff2
University of Illinois settles suit with free speech group
***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT
Harvard University Apologizes to Scholar Who Endured Harassment
George Washington Student Leader Resigns Amid Sexual Assault Allegations
Stakes high for Iowa, athletic director in Title IX lawsuit: Experts say swimmers have a good case
Cheerleader sues Northwestern, describes harassment by drunk fans
***RACIAL ISSUES ON CAMPUS
Baylor Campus security called on black students gathering in library
Saddleback College gets rid of ‘racist’ mascot
A Northwestern University postdoctoral fellow took his own life after being linked to anonymous anti-Semitic and racist social media posts
University of Tennessee apologizes after faculty member writes racist acronym on whiteboard
***RANSOMWARE
Tips for Preventing Ransomware During Remote Learning
Why schools are vulnerable to ransomware attacks
Baldwin Wallace University target of cyber attack
The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. -M. Scott Peck
***THE VACCINES
Monmouth Poll: 24% of Americans have no plans to get Covid vaccine
Comparing three Covid-19 vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, J&J
Why the Second COVID-19 Shot Feels Worse
'Vaccine tourism': tens of thousands of Americans cross state lines for injections
'No issues': Drinking alcohol won’t affect COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, doctors say
What You Need To Know About The Coronavirus Vaccine And Children
Tech glitches, swamped websites impede US vaccine distribution
Newest vaccine weaker against virus mutations
Are the coronavirus vaccines safe for someone with cancer or dementia? ($)
***COVID-19
A visualization of the pandemic's emotional wave
Younger adults responsible for most of COVID-19 spread
Unmasking the pandemic’s pollution problem
U.S. lagging in key tool against newer variants
Safe ways to return to exercising ($)
Zombie nation: Third of adults walking around in concussion-like daze due to stress, lack of sleep
***JOURNALISM
Don't have time for video? Just pop open the transcript
How Can Journalists Better Serve Immigrant Communities? (opinion)
Journalism and statistics team up to detect corruption in Peru
Times reporter disciplined over alleged slur use ($)
TV news crew threatened with arrest after asking congresswoman a question during town hall meeting
Why journalists in India are under attack
***JOURNALISM HISTORY
Thanks to the Internet Archive, the history of American newspapers is more searchable than ever
Seeing the Pentagon Papers in a New Light
The most inspiring journalism movie — maybe ever ($)
***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM
The job of the future is editor in chief
West Virginia newspaper publisher sues Google, Facebook
***COVID SCAMS
First Draft launches a hub to monitor misinformation about vaccines
Republican Lawmaker Indicted For Allegedly Selling Bogus Covid-19 Treatments
COVID-19 conspiracy theories in China are wildly different than in the U.S.
COVID scams flourish despite efforts of health and law enforcement agencies
Anti-Vaccine Groups Exploit Coincidental Illness to Undermine COVID-19 Vaccinations
***POLITICS & CONSPIRACIES
Trump Taught Teachers Conspiracy Theories. Now They’re Teaching Them To Students.
Trump's rise and fall unified the two most pernicious, racist myths about America
Twitter troll arrested, accused of election interference related to disinformation campaign
***QANON
Belief in QAnon Wavers Slightly Among Adults After Capitol Riots, Inauguration
QAnon and the Cultification of the American Right
Where Have QAnon Supporters Gone?
***SOCIAL MEDIA
Don’t share your COVID-19 vaccination card on social media. Here’s why.
Facebook developing a tool to help advertisers avoid bad news
Social media giants try to lean into the creator economy
***PRIVACY & SECURITY
Privacy survey: Consumers have poor understanding of data privacy yet think they are taking proactive steps | ZDNet
Why You Should Never 'Unsubscribe' From Illicit Spam Emails and Texts
Microsoft tracked a system sending a million malware emails a month. Here's what it discovered
Google’s next big Chrome update will rewrite the rules of the web
This Linux malware is hijacking supercomputers across the globe
The U.S. Spent $2.2 Million on a Cybersecurity System That Wasn’t Implemented — and Might Have Stopped a Major Hack
Here’s a Way to Learn if Facial Recognition Systems Used Your Photos ($)
***LITERATURE
An ambitious project to visually map thousands of books
Untangling the Legacy of The Color Purple
***POETRY
With Sunflowers As Her Guide, Poet Tunes In To Dream Life For Debut Collection
Inauguration star Amanda Gorman to perform at Super Bowl
Poet learned the power of words as a kid
An old joke says that if you torture the data long enough, it will confess. With enough work, you can distort data to make it say what you want it to say.
We all hold some beliefs, and that’s fine. It’s all part of being human. What’s not OK, though, is when we let those beliefs inadvertently come into the way we form our hypotheses.
We can see this tendency in our everyday lives. We often interpret new information in such a way that it becomes compatible with our own beliefs. We read the news on the site that conforms most closely to our beliefs. We talk to people who are like us and hold similar views. We don’t want to get disconcerting evidence because that might lead us to change our worldview, which we might be afraid to do.
One way to fight this bias is to critically examine all your beliefs and try to find disconcerting evidence about each of your theories. By that, I mean actively seeking out evidence by going to places where you don’t normally go, talking to people you don’t normally talk to, and generally keeping an open mind.
Rahul Agarwal writing in Built in
The truth is that life is delicious, horrible, charming sweet, bitter…and that is everything. -Anatole France
Some observers have been led to comment on a certain “childlike” or “primitive” quality in creative individuals. They are childlike and primitive in the sense that they have not been trapped by the learned rigidities that immobilize the rest of us. In their chosen field they do not have the brittle knowingness and sophistication of people who think they know all the answers. The advantage of this fluidity is that it permits all kinds of combinations and recombinations of experience with a minimum of rigidity.
One could list a number of other traits that have been ascribed to the creative individual by research workers. Almost all observer have noted a remarkable zeal or dive in creative individuals. They are wholly absorbed in their work.
Anne Roe, in her study of gifted scientists, found that one of their most striking traits was a willingness to work hard and for long hours. The energy they bring to their work is not only intense but sustained. Most of the great creative performances grow out of years of arduous application.
Other observers have commented on the confidence, self-assertiveness or, as one investigator put it, the “sense of destiny” in creative persons. They have faith in their capacity to do the things they want and need to do in the area of their chosen work.
John Gardner, Self-Renewal
#GOODNEWS
Source: Leichhardt Police
An Australian man is being called a hero by police after he saw a toddler fall into the Sydney Harbour and leaped in to save the three-year-old girl from drowning.
Read the story here.
Truth and love are two of the most powerful things in the world; and when they both go together they cannot be easily withstood. -Ralph Cudworth
Exploring photonics instead of conventional electronics for artificial intelligence and neuromorphic computing in order to process data in a faster and more energy-efficient way
DARPA program Blackjack will be working on an orbital mesh network of low-orbit satellites that will create enough computing power to do machine learning in space
A new type of neural network (dubbed “liquid“) helps machine-learning adapt to the variability of data inputs found in real-world systems
Bayesian model averaging: a look at hierarchical modeling
Deep-learning based reverse image search from unstructured data to pull valuable insights for industrial applications
Drones can now be equipped with cybersecurity powered by artificial intelligence
Popular machine learning interview questions (with answers)
New contract procedures to make it easier for small companies to bid on AI uses for the military as Pentagon aims to spread artificial intelligence across military services
The incredible physics behind quantum computing—a simple video explanation
A new IARPA research effort will monitor man-made and natural change with global-scale image processing and machine learning
What is semi-supervised machine learning?
New quantum algorithms finally crack nonlinear equations
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome were told they'd be participating in a study of the benefits of a acupuncture—and one group, which received the treatment from a warm, friendly researcher who asked detailed questions about their lives, did report a marked reduction in symptoms, equivalent to what might result from any drug on the market. Unbeknokwnst to them, the researchers used trick needles that didn’t pierce the skin.
Now here’s the interesting part. The same sham treatment was given to another group of subjects—but performed brusquely, without conversation. The benefits largely disappeared. It was the empathetic exchange between paractictioner and patient. Kaptchuk concluded, that made the difference.
What Kaptchuk demonstrated is what some medical thinkers have begun to call the “care effect”—the idea that the opportunity for patients to feel heard and cared for can improve their health. Scientific or no, alternative practitioners tend to express empathy, to allow for unhurried silences, and to ask what the meaning patients make of their pain. Kaptchuk’s study was a breakthrough: It showed that randomized, controlled trials could measure the effect of caring.
Nathanael Johnson, Writing in Wired magazine
The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. -Samuel Johnson
***COVID
The five-step process that brings vaccines from the manufacturing line into your arm
How the Coronavirus Turns the Body Against Itself ($)
New HBO documentary alleges Chinese coverup of virus ($)
4 reasons we’re seeing these worrying coronavirus variants now
***HIGHER ED & COVID
Stanford study: nearly 50% of colleges saw a spike in COVID cases within two weeks of the start of the fall semester
Biden Orders Up More COVID Guidance for Colleges
***COVID AT SPECIFIC SCHOOLS
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor issues stay-home recommendation due to COVID-19 variant
University of North Carolina students are reporting alleged COVID violations on Instagram
***COLLEGE CUTS
Marquette lays off 39 staffers
This Central Ohio college has cut costs, jobs in order to deal with financial impact of Covid-19
N.J. University Could Cut 26% of Full-Time Faculty Amid Budget Woes
Citing COVID-19, Kansas's state governing board makes it much easier for institutions to suspend or terminate even tenured faculty members.
***COLLEGE FINANCES
The Heavy Cost of an Empty Campus ($)
Colleges and universities won't easily shrug off pandemic's impact (opinion)
***HIGHER ED
DoD's hacking for defense taps college brainpower
What Some Colleges learned from their Revamped Academic Calendar ($)
Biden's Education Department looks to ditch accreditor of seemingly fake school
New Ranking System: Swarthmore, Amherst Top The 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges
***APPLICATIONS
Colgate University sees applications soar more than 100%, setting new record
UC schools experience a record number of applications
***HIGHER ED IN COURT
Student in Viral Zoom Bathroom Video Loses Bid to Sue University
Student Lawsuits in the Wake of COVID-19 – A Recent Victory for One College
***TEACHING
Want Smarter Kids? Teach Music, Not Coding, According to MIT
10 Ways to Tackle Linguistic Bias in Our Classrooms
Survey: How bad was the fall semester on teaching?
When your professor is dead, but teaches anyway
*** CHEATING
University will stop using controversial remote-testing software following student outcry
University of Oregon Students cheat with online learning service, professors hope to identify users
This $12 Billion Company Is Getting Rich Off Students Cheating
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Facebook bans Christian prof. from platform for opposing Biden’s transgender military policy
Study: For Full-Time College Faculty, Inflation-Adjusted Salaries Up Only 9.5% Since 1970
Is This Law Professor Really a Homicidal Threat? ($)
***ACADEMICS RETIRING
Report: The University of North Carolina at Greensboro theater professor retires amid misconduct allegations
Penn professor retires after controversy over Nazi rhetoric, Nazi salute used at virtual conference
Now-Retired Law Professor John Eastman Says His Words at Trump’s ‘Save America’ Rally Did Not Incite U.S. Capitol Siege
***ACADEMICS IN COURT
A North Texas professor sues for defamation, challenging claims of racism in music theory
Second professor from DePaul’s College of Communication files racial discrimination lawsuit
***ADMINISTRATORS
Congressman & Texas Christian University trustee faces faculty vote over objection to Biden’s win
North Idaho College Board Chair Asked to Resign Over Alleged Abusive Behavior
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Another institution in the Lutheran college system to close: Concordia New York
Teaching the Holocaust at a Christian College
Lee University To Inaugurate 17th President
Baylor recurring lecturer tweets controversial message
***RESEARCH
Journal editor suspects paper mills behind rash of withdrawn manuscripts
Publisher retracting 68 articles
Overburdening of peer reviewer
***STUDENT LIFE
Online students’ mental health more likely to suffer
Survey: Most Students Willing to Be Vaccinated
Recent Grads Are Being Lured Into ‘Indentured Servitude’ by a Coding Bootcamp
UC Santa Cruz grad student sues university, saying she was clubbed by police during protest
Students at Queen’s University are buying degrees that they aren’t earning
***STUDENT MEDIA
How student newsrooms can set a framework for requests to update old stories
Baylor newspaper apologizes after calling professor's criticism of Biden's LGBT order 'transphobic'
Coach K calls Duke student reporter and apologizes after tense exchange in press conference
Canadian student journalist fired for Catholic views charges discrimination
***SEXUAL ASSAULT & DISCRIMINATION
College Students Are Filing Record Number of Lawsuits to Fight Sex Discrimination in Athletics
Improving how colleges respond to sexual assault on campus is one of President Biden's top priorities
***RACIAL ISSUES ON CAMPUS
When Anti-racist Manifestos Become Anti-racist Wrecking Balls
Islamic group files appeal to decision to dismiss case against Scottsdale professor
Johns Hopkins University investigates TA’s tweet about failing a Zionist student
More Colleges Remove Offensive Names, Symbols
Texas A&M officials say moving Sul Ross statue is no longer an option, but students say the university never made that clear
Proposed Dixie State University name change evokes emotional debate
It is probably impossible to love any human being simply 'too much.' We may love him too much in proportion to our love for God; but it is the smallness of our love for God, not the greatness of our love for the man, that constitutes the inordinacy.
But even this must be refined upon. Otherwise we shall trouble some who are very much on the right road but alarmed because they cannot feel towards God so warm a sensible emotion as they feel for the earthly Beloved. It is much to be wished--at least I think so--that we all, at all times, could. We must pray that this gift should be given us. But the question whether we are loving God or the earthly Beloved "more" is not, so far as concerns our Christian duty, a question about the comparative intensity of the two feelings. The real question is, which (when the alternative comes) do you serve, or choose, to put first? To which claim does your will, in the last resort, yield?
CS Lewis, The Four Loves
A true friend stabs you in the front -Oscar Wilde
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