Ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Stephen Goforth
The human understanding, once it has adopted an opinion, collects any instances that conform it, and though the contrary instances may be more numerous and more weighty, it either does not notice them or else rejects them, in order that this opinion will remain unshaken.
Francis Bacon, born: Jan. 22, 1561
If Shakespeare and Hamlet could ever meet, it must be Shakespeare’s doing. Hamlet could initiate nothing.. Shakespeare could, in principle, make himself appear as Author within the play, and write a dialogue between Hamlet and himself. The “Shakespeare” within the play would of course be at once Shakespeare and one of Shakespeare’s creatures. It would bear some analogy to Incarnation.
CS Lewis, Surprised by Joy
I began to see that I, and the people I know, are most winsome in all our intimate relations when we are unconsciously being ourselves with other people and accepting them just as they are without trying to manipulate or change them in any way.
Keith Miller, A Taste of New Wine
***HIGHER ED
Liberal Arts Pay Off in the Long Run https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/14/long-term-look-return-investment-reveals-positive-indicators-liberal-arts
Hasty Departure for Head of Calif.'s New Online College https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/14/leader-californias-new-online-community-college-resigns-after-less-year
UC Berkeley ordered to repay millions to teaching assistants https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-01-15/uc-berkeley-ordered-to-repay-millions-to-teaching-assistants
Colleges face increasing demand to produce more and better sports webcasts https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/aztecs/story/2020-01-16/college-sports-webcasts-san-diego-state-usd-ucsd-plnu-csusm
***HIGHER ED & FINANCE
For-Profit school turns students’ dreams into nightmares of debt https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-12/video-symphony-student-debt-nightmares
College Admissions Scandal: Dad Allegedly Deducted Bribe From His Taxes https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/college-admissions-scandal-john-wilson-taxes
***TEACHING
Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/01/12/us/texas-vs-california-history-textbooks.html
Author describes her book on first-generation students https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/15/author-discusses-her-new-book-first-generation-students
***ACADEMIC LIFE
College fires professor for joking on Facebook that Iran should make a list of U.S. targets to bomb https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/09/professor-fired-iran-post-babson-college-asheen-phansey/4425515002/
This Prof Makes Students Follow Him on Twitter for Better Grades https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/y3mvpb/university-of-toronto-professor-mitchell-huynh-makes-students-follow-him-on-twitter-for-better-grades
University professor allegedly stole $185,000 in funds spent on adult entertainment venues, sports bars https://abcnews.go.com/US/university-professor-allegedly-stole-185000-funds-spent-adult/story
'Teacher of the Year' kneels during anthem at college football championship attended by Trump https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/teacher-year-kneels-anthem-college-football-championship-attended/story?id=68326303
Clemson English Lecturers Make $20K Less Than Peers https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/01/17/clemson-english-lecturers-make-20k-less-peers
Chinese scientist Li Ning gets 12 years in prison for embezzling US $4.3 million of government funds https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3044556/chinese-scientist-li-ning-gets-12-years-prison-embezzling-us43
Ex-Stony Brook prof pleads guilty to swiping cancer research grants https://nypost.com/2020/01/14/ex-stony-brook-prof-pleads-guilty-to-swiping-200k-of-cancer-research-funds/
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Church board forgives $4 million Morris Brown College debt https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/church-board-forgives-million-morris-brown-college-debt/OGJpJ03GMrhG4sdp5HFpqO/
Non-Traditional Seminary Students Are Changing the Church https://www.christianitytoday.com/partners/higher-education/non-traditional-seminary-students-are-changing-church.html
Methodist split could be good news for colleges struggling with church affiliation and anti-LGBT policies https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/09/proposed-split-united-methodist-church-over-lgbt-issues-welcomed-methodist-college
Melania Trump named Woman of Distinction by Christian University https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/477350-melania-trump-named-woman-of-distinction-by-palm-beach-atlantic
Mid-America Christian University launching esports athletics program https://kfor.com/2020/01/08/mid-america-christian-university-launching-esports-athletics-program/
Evangel University President to retire https://news.ag.org/News/President-Taylor-Announces-Planned-Retirement-from-Evangel
Proposed rule focuses on faith-based colleges, religious liberty and free speech https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/17/proposed-rule-focuses-faith-based-colleges-religious-liberty-and-free-speech
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS IN COURT
Second Expelled Student Sues Fuller for LGBT Discrimination https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/january/fuller-lawsuit-lgbt-brittsan-maxon-becket.html
Students kicked out of Evangelical seminary for being in gay ‘marriage’ sue for discrimination https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/students-kicked-out-of-evangelical-seminary-for-being-in-gay-marriage-sue-for-discrimination
***LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Liberty University 'unsafe' environment for graduation, some Lynchburg parents and students claim https://www.whsv.com/content/news/567017931.html
Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. 'pretty sure’ he’ll call for civil disobedience in response to Virginia Democrats’ gun control measures https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2020/01/15/liberty-president-jerry-falwell-jr-pretty-sure-hell-call-for-civil-disobedience-in-response-to-virginia-democrats-gun-control-measures/
Liberty’s Falkirk Center Has an Extremely Concerning Mission Statement https://relevantmagazine.com/current/libertys-falkirk-center-has-an-extremely-concerning-mission-statement/
***RESEARCH
Russian journals retract more than 800 papers after ‘bombshell’ investigation https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/russian-journals-retract-more-800-papers-after-bombshell-investigation
The push for interdisciplinary teams can lead to fake collaborations https://www.natureindex.com/news-blog/push-interdisciplinary-teams-science-research-can-lead-fake-collaborations
How the increasing reliance on metrics to evaluate scholarly publications has produced new forms of academic fraud and misconduct. https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/gaming-metrics
Teaching research ethics better https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/teaching-research-ethics-better/article30526185.ece
Estimating the prevalence of transparency and reproducibility-related research practices in psychology https://osf.io/preprints/metaarxiv/9sz2y/
Checklist for publication integrity before misconduct https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03959-6
The extent and drivers of gender imbalance in neuroscience reference lists https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.01.03.894378v1
***STUDENT LIFE
The University of Maine's College Republicans chapter's "America First" politics and controversial social media posts have alienated some members and prompted its faculty adviser to quit https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/07/maine-college-republican-group-moves-right-alienating-some-members
2 teenage snowboarders lost in B.C.'s backcountry burned homework to stay warm https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/snowboarders-rescue-whitewater-nelson-homework-1.5417097
Self-care workbook https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aiB0mDKDVl_qGqF6DJClGhBJz-8slJuz/view
Esports Posts Its First $1 Billion Year https://www.npr.org/2020/01/08/794704377/esports-posts-its-first-1-billion-year
Millennials aren't buying fine china — and they don't want to inherit it, either https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-china-millennials-inherit-1.4539104
New businesses focused on the marketing rights to the name, image and likeness of college athletes are emerging https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/14/market-rights-college-athletes-name-image-likeness-emerging
***STUDENTS IN COURT
St. Paul College student who threatened violence on Facebook when he couldn’t find classroom sentenced to probation https://www.twincities.com/2020/01/09/st-paul-college-student-who-threatened-violence-on-facebook-when-he-couldnt-find-classroom-sentenced-to-probation
Iowa State sidewalk chalk policy is being challenged in federal court as a violation of students' free speech rights https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/09/iowa-state-university-policies-stifle-free-speech-lawsuit-says
***TEXTBOOKS
Textbooks are pricey. So students are getting creative. As they return for spring semester, they’re doing what they can to avoid paying big bucks for books https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/textbooks-keep-getting-pricier-so-students-are-getting-creative/2020/01/17/4e1306b8-30b9-11ea-91fd-82d4e04a3fac_story.html
New program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo automatically charges students for textbooks unless they opt-out https://mustangnews.net/new-program-automatically-charges-students-for-textbooks-unless-they-opt-out/
With each step along the wrong road it becomes increasingly difficult for (travelers) to admit that they are on the wrong road, often only because they have to admit that they must go back to the first wrong turn, and must accept this fact that they have wasted energy and time.
Erich Fromm, The Heart of Man
If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you. -Muhammad Ali (born Jan. 17, 1942)
I believe God made me for a purpose.. and when I run I feel His pleasure. –Eric Liddell, Olympic Gold Medalist, born Jan. 16, 1902
A conspiracy theory is an attempt to force a story on a set of disparate, though often distantly related facts and observations. But the real world is not a narrative, not a clever mystery to be unraveled by amateur detectives. Every baroque edifice of conspiracy rests upon a foundational belief that there is a singular truth that diligent investigation will reveal, even if the shape of that truth branches and swirls in an infinite fractal. What this mindset cannot accept is that there may be many simple truths for many disturbing facts.
Jacob Bacharach writing in The Outline
We learn more from looking for the answer to the question than we do from learning the answer itself. -Lloyd Alexander
***LITERATURE
Revisiting American Short Stories Selected by John Updike https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/books/review/revisiting-american-short-stories-selected-by-john-updike.html
South American Literature’s Master of Malaise https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/books/review/juan-carlos-onetti.html
My Accidental Journey to Mr. Darcy’s Estate https://www.thecut.com/2019/12/journey-pride-and-prejudice-colin-firth.html
The importance of postcolonial literature https://dailytimes.com.pk/534227/the-importance-of-postcolonial-literature-daily-times/
The Most Anticipated Books of 2020, According to GoodReads https://fortune.com/2020/01/06/most-anticipated-best-new-books-2020-goodreads/
Elizabeth Wurtzel, ‘Prozac Nation’ author who spurred a memoir boom, dies at 52 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/elizabeth-wurtzel-prozac-nation-author-who-spurred-a-memoir-boom-dies-at-52/2020/01/07/fc1a040e-2fcf-11ea-91fd-82d4e04a3fac_story.html
How Jane Austen’s unfinished novel ‘Sanditon’ became a TV show https://nypost.com/2020/01/10/how-jane-austens-unfinished-novel-sanditon-became-a-tv-show/
100 Best Books by Black Female Authors, 1850 - Present https://zora.medium.com/100-best-books-by-black-women-authors-zora-canon-46b3492bdded
***WRITING & READING
Racism Scandal In The Romance Writing Industry https://www.npr.org/2020/01/04/793572217/racism-scandal-in-the-romance-writing-industry
Romance Writers Of America Leadership Resign https://www.npr.org/2020/01/09/795002052/romance-writers-of-america-leadership-resigns
***GRAMMAR
In an age of shifting attitudes about gender identity, ‘they’ was the word of the decade https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/1/9/21058633/nonbinary-gender-identity-my-pronouns-american-dialect-society-linguistics-they-conversation
The idiots’s guide to the apostrophe http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/gene-weingarten-pickin-up-where-the-apostrophe-protection-society-left-off/2020/01/02/e7479cca-1b8a-11ea-87f7-f2e91143c60d_story.html
***JOURNALISM
Prescription for Journalists: Less Time Studying Twitter, More Time Studying Math https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/prescription-for-journalists/
Roundup of 2019 Tips for Reporting, Press regulator & Ombudsman news https://www.imediaethics.org/roundup-of-2019-tips-for-reporting-press-regulator-ombudsman-news/
We're entering a new golden age of China journalism https://www.axios.com/journalism-china-media-5caac2b6-ad6b-45b8-9154-9f94c8369fb1.html
News coverage gets geo-fragmented https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/01/news-coverage-gets-geo-fragmented/
ProPublica Outlines Lessons from 3-Year Collaborative Journalism Project https://nonprofitquarterly.org/propublica-outlines-lessons-from-3-year-collaborative-journalism-project/
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman: My computer was hacked to 'download child pornography https://thehill.com/homenews/media/477482-paul-krugman-my-computer-was-hacked-to-download-child-pornography
7 Tips For Covering Horrific Events At Houses Of Worship — And Treating Victims Right https://religionunplugged.com/news/2020/1/10/weekend-plug-in-top-journalists-offer-advice-covering-horrific-events-at-houses-of-worship
Article or Ad: Teen Vogue removes glowing Facebook story without explanation. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/01/08/article-or-ad-teen-vogue-removes-glowing-facebook-story-without-explanation/
6 examples of newsroom-library collaborations https://ijnet.org/en/story/6-examples-newsroom-library-collaborations
***MEDIA & THE LAW
10 Major Media Lawsuits from 2019 https://www.imediaethics.org/10-major-media-lawsuits-from-2019/
CNN confirms a settlement has been reached with Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/07/nick-sandmann-cnn-confirms-settlement-covington-catholic-student/2837478001/
Judge sides with press over University of Wyoming, orders release of records related to president's demotion https://trib.com/news/local/education/judge-sides-with-press-over-university-of-wyoming-orders-release/article_28ef76bd-a59a-5224-bf32-bc01c89ba761.html
Federal Judge Rules California ‘Gig Labor’ Law Applies To Freelance Journalists https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/01/06/ab5-freelance-journalist-exemption-denied/
***THE BUSINESS OF MEDIA
Plight of Newspapers Generates Uncommon Bipartisan Unity https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/technology/google-facebook-newspapers.html
Trump Fans Aim to Buy San Diego’s One America News Network https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2020/01/10/trump-fans-aim-to-buy-san-diegos-one-america-news-network-wsj-says/
CNN Settles a 16-Year-Long Labor Dispute With Broadcast Technicians for record-setting $76 Million https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cnn-agrees-record-76-million-settlement-national-labor-relations-board-1268678
What went wrong with virtual reality? https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50265414
***STUDENT MEDIA
Ruling in favor of UMass Student Newspaper https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2020/01/01/sjc-rules-favor-umass-student-newspaper-editor/KUmVRgblgA8RuLdRltajPP/story.html
Student Newspaper files complaint against Board of Governors over open meetings https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2020/01/dth-lawsuit-0108
***FAKES & FRAUDS
Facebook bans deepfakes in the runup to 2020 election, but ‘shallowfakes’ still allowed https://www.fastcompany.com/90449237/facebook-bans-deepfakes-in-the-runup-to-2020-election-but-shallowfakes-still-allowed
Disinformation For Hire: How A New Breed Of PR Firms Is Selling Lies Online https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/disinformation-for-hire-black-pr-firms
News literacy lessons: How a satirical story about Democrats and Qasem Soleimani was spread as fact. Plus a doctored video of Joe Biden.https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/01/07/news-literacy-lessons-how-satirical-story-about-democrats-qasem-soleimani-was-spread-fact-plus-doctored-video-joe-biden/
Fake text messages about a military draft are being sent to Americans https://www.businessinsider.com/fake-military-draft-text-message-warning-2020-1
“Rated false”: Here’s the most interesting new research on fake news and fact-checking https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/01/rated-false-heres-the-most-interesting-new-research-on-fake-news-and-fact-checking/
Texas school district falls for email scam, hands over $2.3 millionhttps://www.zdnet.com/article/texas-school-district-falls-for-scam-email-hands-over-2-3-million/
***SOCIAL MEDIA
Snapchat quietly acquired AI Factory https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/03/snapchat-quietly-acquired-ai-factory-the-company-behind-its-new-cameos-feature-for-166m/
Twitter will put options to limit replies directly on the compose screen https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/8/21056856/twitter-replies-limit-option-compose-screen-beta-app-features-new-ces-2020
***TIKTOK
What does TikTok offer publishers? https://medium.com/@corinne_podger/what-does-tiktok-offer-publishers-e6ed0a2b0d63
TikTok is the best place on the internet. We should all delete it https://www.cnet.com/news/tiktok-is-the-best-place-on-the-internet-we-should-all-delete-it/
TikTok’s parent company has secretly built a deepfakes maker https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/03/tiktok-deepfakes-face-swap/
***LANGUAGE
Is this the most powerful word in the English language? www.bbc.com/culture/story/20200109-is-this-the-most-powerful-word-in-the-english-language
Where Do Finger Names Come From? https://daily.jstor.org/where-do-finger-names-come-from/
Leonardo da Vinci agreed with Young Thug about celebrity being life's game-changing apex, and he further believed that the rich and powerful, by pursuing land and money, miss the whole point of existence. “How many emperors and how many princes have lived and died and no record of them remains, and they only sought to gain dominions and riches that their fame might be everlasting?”
The internet is a sprawling and anarchic record. In a few decades the internet has swallowed the record, and become coextensive with it. When no trace of something exists online, can it be said to be famous? Inconceivable. Can it be said to even exist? “Pics or it didn't happen” is a stock response to an improbable story told online. To become history, experience must first become pixels.
Virginia Heffernan writing in Wired
We may be up against a stone wall, but we don't have to bloody our heads against it unless we choose to. – William Glasser
We keep on assuming that we know the play. We do not even know whether we are in Act I or Act V. We do not know who are the major and who the minor characters. The Author knows. – CS Lewis
***RELIGION
Is there a 'cosmopolitan' vs. 'populist' evangelical divide? https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/is-there-a-cosmopolitan-vs-populist-evangelical-divide-75700293637
Can this preacher's progressive version of evangelical Christianity catch on with a new generation? https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2020/01/06/can-this-preachers-progressive-version-evangelical-christianity-catch-with-new-generation/
Decolonising Jesus Christ https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/decolonising-jesus-christ-200106160749770.html
Christian Influencer Dale Partridge Shares Inspirational Quotes—But They Weren’t All His https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/january/dale-partridge-plagiarism-real-christianity-social-media-en.html
The curious case of the stolen gospel https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/jan/09/a-scandal-in-oxford-the-curious-case-of-the-stolen-gospel
Scam Lures Speakers to Fake UK Church Conferences https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/january/uk-church-conference-email-scam-big-things-speaker-invites.html
***RELIGION: LOOKING BACK
10 Christian ministry leaders, influencers who died in 2019 https://www.christianpost.com/news/10-christian-ministry-leaders-influencers-who-died-2019.html?page=1
Twelve major religious newsmakers — and stories — from the past decade http://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/12-major-religious-newsmakers--and-stories--from-the-past-decade/2020/01/03/0b58c308-2d8f-11ea-9b60-817cc18cf173_story.html
***RELIGION & VIOLENCE
Year-end violence highlights danger of worshipping https://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Year-end-violence-highlights-danger-of-worshipping-14942994.php
Experts Encourage Layered Approach To Church Security Protocols https://www.npr.org/2020/01/03/793257393/experts-encourage-layered-approach-to-church-security-protocols
Many conservative Christian leaders view actions in Iran as playing a special role during the end of days https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/01/10/iran-tensions-could-fulfill-prophecies-about-end-world-some-religious-teachers-say/
***RELIGION IN CHINA
‘Block the Impact of Religion’: China Sends Muslim Children to Boarding Schools https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/28/world/asia/china-xinjiang-children-boarding-schools.html
China Sentences Christian Leader To 9 Years In Prison https://www.npr.org/2019/12/30/792293186/china-sentences-christian-leader-to-9-years-prison
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
Christianity Today's split with Trump highlights deeper issue in white evangelical America https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-religion/christianity-todays-split-with-trump-highlights-deeper-issue-in-white-evangelical-america-idUSKBN1YX09N
For evangelicals, climate change causes a split between young and old (sub req'd) https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2019/12/28/for-evangelicals-climate-change-causes-split-between-young-and-old-that-could-hurt-republicans/YiUEhdCIE8wlN60kiVR7GK/story.html
Poll: White evangelicals distinct on abortion, LGBT policy
https://apnews.com/8d3eb99934accc2ad795aca0183290a7
Pompeo says God may have sent Trump to save Israel from Iran https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47670717
Anti-Trump Republican Group Takes Aim at 'MAGA Church' in New Video https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-against-trump-maga-church-1481377
***RELIGION IN COURT
Mormon leaders reported a child molester’s confession. Now his wife is suing the church for $9.5 million. - The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/09/wife-sues-mormon-church-after-revealing-husband-sexual-abuse/
Lawsuit says Arkansas Baptist Convention ignored accusations that pastor raped teen https://katv.com/news/local/arkansas-baptist-convention-sued-pastor-accused-of-raping-teen
***RELIGION & THE ARTS
A comedy group was firebombed for its portrayal of ‘gay Jesus.’ Netflix has now been ordered to remove the movie https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/09/brazil-comedy-group-firebombed-gay-jesus-judge-rules-netflix-remove-movie/
Bible art project at University of Southern Maine draws attraction, controversy https://www.wmtw.com/article/bible-art-project-at-usm-draws-attraction-controversy/30394879#
***DENOMINATIONS
United Methodist Church proposes historic split over gay marriage and LGBT clergy https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/03/us/united-methodist-church-split-proposal/index.html
***CATHOLIC
Over 900 clergy accused of child sexual abuse absent from dioceses' lists https://www.axios.com/clergy-child-sexual-assault-catholic-church-priests-31e60adc-aa0e-43e9-9c9e-5107c28cf361.html
Lawsuit: Famed Jesuit abused boy 1,000 times around world https://apnews.com/050df63743e58fe93cf6f1a6f51e8089
Catholic Church Shields $2 Billion in Assets to Limit Abuse Payouts
***MEGACHURCHES
Dallas megachurch leader Lois Evans, wife of pastor Tony Evans, died in Dallas after cancer battle. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-lois-evans-dies-20191230-ohhuib2mfjd5rg5gxwfwn3fu5e-story.html
***CONVERSION THERAPY
Iowa Senate expected to take up bill to ban conversion therapy https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/Iowa-Senate-expected-to-take-up-bill-to-ban-conversion-therapy-566876631.html
Lawmakers introduce bill that would ban controversial conversion therapy in Kentucky https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-legislature/2020/01/09/kentucky-legislature-bill-would-make-conversion-therapy-illegal/4420552002/
Arizona families caught in middle of debate over 'conversion therapy' ban https://www.azfamily.com/news/original_reporting/arizona-families-caught-in-middle-of-debate-over-conversion-therapy/article_c8c3573a-2df5-11ea-a697-77af1343455a.html
Today’s students need universities and colleges that will help them navigate a world where constant changes are the norm and where learning how to adapt is the central problem of living and of citizenship. The idea that the college years should be primarily about potential is not idealistic or naive; it is prescient.
Caitlin Zaloom, Indebted: How Families Make College Work at Any Cost
Action is the antidote to despair. -Joan Baez (born Jan. 9, 1941)
It’s often pragmatically useful to step away from your own fraught ruminations and emotions. Seeing them as drifting leaves can help us gain a certain distance from the heat of our feelings, so as to discern patterns and identify triggers. But after a certain point, mindfulness doesn’t allow you to take responsibility for and analyse such feelings. It’s not much help in sifting through competing explanations for why you might be thinking or feeling a certain way. Nor can it clarify what these thoughts and feelings might reveal about your character. Mindfulness, grounded in anattā, can offer only the platitude: ‘I am not my feelings.’ Its conceptual toolbox doesn’t allow for more confronting statements, such as ‘I am feeling insecure,’ ‘These are my anxious feelings,’ or even ‘I might be a neurotic person.’ Without some ownership of one’s feelings and thoughts, it is difficult to take responsibility for them.
Sahanika Ratnayake writing in Aeon
We forge the chains we wear in life. - Charles Dickens
***HIGHER ED
Recent school ransomware attacks highlight need for ongoing vigilance https://www.educationdive.com/news/recent-school-ransomware-attacks-highlight-need-for-ongoing-vigilance/569710/
College in the U.S. is at a crossroad. Will it increase social mobility or class stratification?
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/college-u-s-crossroads-will-it-increase-social-mobility-or-ncna1109071
These lawsuits could change the stakes for higher ed https://www.educationdive.com/news/higher-ed-lawsuits-tracker/561371/
Community college in New York is betting on partnerships with other countries and local faith organizations to increase its sagging enrollment. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/03/community-college-looks-abroad-and-faith-groups-boost-enrollment
***MINORITIES ON CAMPUS
San Diego State uninvites speaker after anti-Semitism charges https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-24/san-diego-state-university-ava-muhammad-anti-semitism-controversy
I am Harvard Law's first deafblind graduate. Here's what college is like for students with disabilities https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/03/what-college-is-like-for-students-with-disabilities-according-to-a-harvard-grad.html
In a Homecoming Video Meant to Unite Campus, Almost Everyone Was White
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/us/university-of-wisconsin-race-video.html
***HIGHER ED & FREE SPEECH
American campuses can play a vital role in battling censorship of debates about China https://www.thefire.org/american-campuses-can-play-a-vital-role-in-battling-censorship-of-debates-about-china/
Lawsuit: Iowa State University accused of violating free speech rights ahead of Iowa caucuses https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2020/01/03/isu-iowa-state-accused-restricting-free-speech-through-newly-enacted-policies/2799598001/
***TEACHING
A University Professor Said 'Beef' 125 Times During A Macroeconomics Lecture. Here's A Supercut Of It https://digg.com/2019/a-university-professor-said-beef-125-times-during-a-macroeconomics-lecture-heres-a-supercut-of-it
I asked my students to turn in their cell phones and write about living without them https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614934/teenagers-without-cell-phones
Free Textbooks for Law Students https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/03/free-law-textbooks-raise-questions-about-oer
***ACADEMIC LIFE
Professor accused of attempted murder of another professor https://www.gazettenet.com/leverett-attempted-murder-31758189
The “I was prompted to kill my student and lover because someone was accusing me of plagiarism” defense https://au.news.yahoo.com/professor-who-beheaded-young-lover-wants-to-write-a-book-about-it-022942333.html
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Mizzou gives millions to conservative college to end lawsuit over donor’s instructions https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2019/12/hillsdale-college-settles-5-million-lawsuit-with-university-of-missouri.html
Don’t Assume Because A College Is Christian It’s A Safe Place For Your Kid (opinion) https://thefederalist.com/2019/12/26/dont-assume-because-a-college-is-christian-its-a-safe-place-for-your-kid/
A lawsuit at Saint Anselm is centered on the question of powers held by members of the religious order versus those held by the Board of Trustees. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/02/governance-dispute-saint-anselm-college-pits-members-founding-religious-order
***LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Trial delayed for adjunct Liberty Univ. professor accused of filming minors https://www.wfxrtv.com/news/local-news/trial-delayed-for-adjunct-liberty-univ-professor-accused-of-filming-minors/
Texas man files copyright claim against Liberty University https://www.wfxrtv.com/news/local-news/texas-man-files-copyright-claim-against-liberty-univ/
***RESEARCH
How to Be a Statistical Detective https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pmrj.12305
American Psychological Assoc: takedown notices sent to researchers about their own papers published on their own sites https://eiko-fried.com/apa-chief-publishing-officer-ignore-paper-removal-request/
***STUDENT LIFE
The 12-year-old Pursuing Her Passion as a Tattoo Artist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN2xKasrihU&feature=emb_title
Student Asks Professor To Bump His 89.99% To A 90% And She Was Having None Of It
https://www.buzzfeed.com/daniellaemanuel/berkeley-student-professor-grade
Advocates Say Texas Wants To Curb College Students' Political Power https://www.npr.org/2020/01/02/792976335/advocates-say-texas-wants-to-curb-college-students-political-power
Thousands of foreign students in U.S. on student visas may have 'worked' for fake companies https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/thousands-foreign-students-u-s-student-visas-may-have-worked-n1109286
A report reviewing a student sit-in at Johns Hopkins last spring https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/02/hopkins-faculty-investigates-spring-sit
When Applying For College Is Especially Difficult https://www.npr.org/2020/01/05/793722662/when-applying-for-college-is-especially-difficult
Report: Shrinking share of adults thinks college is 'important' https://www.educationdive.com/news/report-shrinking-share-of-adults-thinks-college-is-important/569701/
Since social media can be a quick or easy fix to avoid negative feelings, you can ask yourself the following questions to evaluate what you could be avoiding and may need to address in another way in your life.
· What are you potentially avoiding or using social media to escape from?
· How is being on social media making you feel? Are you comparing yourself to others or using it to judge others? Does it make you feel inadequate?
· Do you rely on social media for your self-esteem? If you only feel good about yourself when your posts gets a lot of likes, this could be you.
According to Dr. Logan Jones, psychologist and founder of NYC Therapy + Wellness, it can be helpful to evaluate this time and choose something more positive and intentional you'd rather fill your time with (like reading, workout out, or spending time with friends IRL).
"The best way to reinforce behavior is to do more of it. So instead of saying, 'I'm not going to do social media', you can say 'I'm working on being more present.' So you want to be affirming healthy, positive things that you're doing," Jones said.
Mercey Livingston writing in c/net
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