articles of interest about the virus, journalism, fakes, social media & more

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***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?

Researchers: some patients who recover from COVID-19 may have only short-lived immunity to reinfection

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

How the Macalester College student newspaper advocated for racial justice by examining its school’s history  

***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 

Federal judge in Oregon upholds record $925 million damages verdict in unlawful recorded robocall case

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

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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

Forgive release and be free

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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

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***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

Colleges and universities across US halt in-person classes and begin campus monitoring after rising coronavirus cases

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 ($)

Chaos On Campus

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

San Diego State begins fall semester hoping to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks that are hitting other universities

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

UConn revokes campus housing to several students while investigating ‘unapproved gathering’ in residence hall 

***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

University of Dayton switches to remote learning for the first week of classes; increases another level

***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

Arizona State Regents sue Facebook, anonymous owner behind Instagram account claiming to host 'ASU covid parties 

***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

Jerry Falwell Jr. says his wife had an affair with the Florida 'pool boy,' claims they were being blackmailed

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  

Approx 40% of researchers admitted having committed at least one of the nine listed forms of scientific misconduct

Jeffrey Epstein’s Harvard Connections Show How Money Can Distort Research” 

New academic journal only publishes 'unsurprising' research rejected by others

A UC San Diego doctor…violated a litany of university policies while developing and researching his experimental brain treatment…”

***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

Demonstrators took to the streets near Loyola University in Chicago demanding the school cut ties with the city’s police

Will Shame Make Students Stop Socializing?

Distance learning tips

A billionaire who vowed to pay off student loans for an entire college graduating class is said to be facing a criminal tax probe

Biden holds 52-point lead over Trump among college students

***STUDENTS MEDIA

Notre Dame student paper editorial: Don’t make us write obituaries

Univ of Maryland student paper editorial: When there’s a COVID-19 outbreak at UMD, blame the administration

***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT

Two women say they were raped by a college football player; the allegations were shared at the time with at least two coaches and an administrator — the school does not appear to have investigated 

Increase your confidence and determination by self-distancing 

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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

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***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

Coronavirus can survive on plastic, metal surfaces, but does it matter? The chance of transmission through inanimate surfaces is very small.

***AFTER THE VIRUS 

Researchers discovered the strongest evidence yet that overcoming the coronavirus grants immunity from reinfection  

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

A preacher with sneakers coming soon to TBN: Steven Furtick to replace Kenneth Copeland, says network 

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)

An evangelical Christian musician who once prayed with Trump is hosting worship concerts across the US in defiance of pandemic orders

***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

Universal Beliefs

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The generic nature of human beings and the ordered nature of the world in which we live tend to evoke very similar beliefs in all of us, which we have called universal beliefs. They include:

1. adherence to a law of noncontratidiction,

2. belief in a an external world of orderly processes,

3. belief in the existence of other persons who share our world and with whom we communicate and live,

4. and belief in also in some ultimate reality with which we must eventually reckon.

Beliefs such as these are a practical necessity if we are to think and function at all.

Arthur Holmes, Contours of a World View

The Best Advice I Ever Got.. Mohomed El-Erian

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I remember asking my father, Why do we need four newspapers? He said to me, “Unless you read different points of view, your mind will eventually close, and you’ll become a prisoner to a certain point of view that you’ll never question.” There’s a tendency to operate in a comfort zone and to want to read what is familiar to them. But if you are just used to following one person or one newspaper, you will miss the big shifts.

Mohomed El-Erian, Pimco, quoted in Fortune Magazine

Articles of interest about the virus & higher ed - August 17

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***THE VIRUS

Forty percent of U.S. Covid-19 tests come back too late to be clinically meaningful, data show

Boston refused to close schools during 1918 flu pandemic. Children died ($)

***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS

The Ground Is Shifting For Colleges And Students As Covid-19 Spikes

Managing Pandemic Health Risks on College Campuses ($)

UGA posts — then removes — COVID-19 sex advice

One model projected about 75 COVID-19 deaths at Georgia Tech  

Colleges look to apps that screen for virus symptoms and trace contacts

***THE FALL SEMESTER 

Faculty at Pa. state universities are nervous, even terrified about teaching in-person fall classes

False Advertising and the In-Person Experience (opinion) 

Some U.S. colleges stick to in-person reopening in pandemic despite doubts, pushback

RAs told not to speak to media as students return amidst coronavirus pandemic

***THE FALL SEMESTER AT SPECIFIC SCHOOLS

The University of North Carolina reports 4th COVID-19 cluster among students

Sorority House at Oklahoma State University Reports 23 New Coronavirus Cases

Villanova University threatens to send students home after large gathering

Videos posted to social media show a mostly maskless crowd gathered for a party at off-campus housing near Georgia college

Columbia University nixes plans for in-person classes this fall

New Mexico State University system plans leadership restructuring at three community colleges

A sneak peek at DeSales University’s campus as it reopens with COVID-19 in mind

Portland State University to Disarm Campus Officers this fall

***K-12 

The New York Times has compiled a nationwide map (searchable at the link) assessing which counties are ready to reopen school classrooms

Lack of broadband access a problem being pushed to the forefront for school districts

Why Parents, With ‘No Good Choice’ This School Year, Are Blaming One Another

How to handle 'mask bullying' when kids go back to school

Many schools turning to tents

Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Why I am not sending my kids back to school

Parents and teachers clash at Georgia school board meeting after viral hallway photo

Girl Sees Mom Get Killed While Attending Class On Zoom 

About 74% of NYC Students Opt for In-School Learning

 ***HIGHER ED ENROLLMENTS 

Community colleges have a tough year on enrollments

How The Coronavirus Has Upended College Admissions 

***HIGHER ED & SPORTS

Moody’s says Colleges could be on the hook to cover sports debt

Nine Oklahoma Sooners test positive for COVID-19 after returning from break

Kamala Harris and top Dems float college athlete pay as virus rages

'Like the Titanic': NCAA's experts warn of coronavirus spread in college football

Cardiac Inflammation the Next Virus Hurdle for College Leaders

***COLLEGE FINANCE

COVID-19 will hit colleges when students arrive for fall semester. So why open at all? Money is a factor.

As Colleges Move Classes Online, Families Rebel Against the Cost

Proposed Merger Blurs Lines between For-Profit Colleges and Public Universities

Kamala Harris Has Battled For-Profit Colleges

I'm the president of a college Scott Galloway predicted would 'perish' — but he overlooked one important thing

As Pandemic Hits Colleges' Finances, Small Town May Be Affected Too

Public colleges hide donors who seek to influence students. Will COVID-19 make it worse?

A Beginner's Guide to Getting an Education Without Going to College

***HUMANITIES

How Universities Are Increasing The Utility Of The Humanities

***HIGHER ED IN COURT

Former student sues Shippensburg Univ, claims female supervisor pressed for 'threesome'

Fighting University reopening plans in court 

***TEACHING ONLINE

Cheating Checker ProctorU Confirms Hack Into its Servers Leaked 444,000 Records  

2 professors say Nebraska college refused remote teaching

*** ADMINISTRATORS

U of Chicago President to Step Down

No-Confidence Vote at City Colleges of Chicago

Former Texas Southern University assistant dean accused of stealing money from school

Fisk University president placed on leave after allegations 

***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 

Catholic University expects a $50 million hit as Illinois schools lose millions as students stay home 

Christian Colleges Ask: Would God Want Us to Reopen? ($)

COVID tips for Christian colleges

Union University’s scramble to reopen Most Christian colleges can’t afford to stay closed in the fall 

Bethany College welcoming new faculty

As fall classes begin at Notre Dame, campus sees first case of COVID-19 and school president apologizes for social distancing error in group photo

Evangelical Christian colleges take steps to address racial justice after criticism

Alabama Christian College cancels remaining fall non-conference games

***NOTRE DAME 

Notre Dame sees spike in COVID-19 cases after early reopening of campus

Notre Dame President issues apology for failing to social distance with students 

***RESEARCH 

What happens to serial scientific fraudsters after they’re discovered?

The Wikipedia War over Kamala Harris

Why unethical papers should be retracted

How scientists can stop fooling themselves over statistics: P-value issues

Top officials at Russian universities embroiled in plagiarism scandal

***STUDENT LIFE

Suicidal ideation on the rise for college

How to create an A+ space for learning at home

College Move-In Will Be Lonelier and Weirder Than Ever This Year

The Covid-19 College Special: Enroll Now, Get A Free Semester Or Two Later 

Some Colleges Offering Free Laptops For Students As Courses Go Virtual

College Tuition Insurance Policies Grow More Popular During Pandemic

UC Santa Cruz Reinstates 41 Graduate Students After Months-Long Strike

College-bound, but detoured 

***LIABILITY WAIVERS

Some college students returning to campus are being met with liability waivers

Heading off to college? Be prepared to sign a statement ‘voluntarily’ accepting the COVID-19 risk 

***COLLEGES & RACIAL ISSUES

Racism: In the US, evangelical Christian colleges take steps to address racial justice after criticism

Yale 'illegally discriminates' against white and Asian students, Justice Department says

Virginia Tech renames dorms once named after men with racist views

***SEXUAL ASSAULT & HARRASSMENT

Federal judge refuses to block campus sexual assault rules

UW schools navigate new, controversial Title IX changes

When things go wrong

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People need to recognize that life can be unfair, that accidents will happen. None of this is to say that people have to acquiesce to the threats of life, to lie down and not attempt to change anything. There is nothing wrong with positive thinking and the hope that today will go well or that people might repent and treat others better. But (you) should not be shocked and angered when something does go wrong… cultivate the attitude that life is something to work at and that problems are normal. Learning to laugh at normal failures and irritations has been shown to be effective in defusing anger.

Mark Cosgrove, Counseling for Anger

Articles of interest about the virus, journalism, fakes & more – August 16

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***THE VIRUS

Study: 80% of infected people do not spread COVID-19

Herd Immunity Calculator and more

Older Children and the Coronavirus: A New Wrinkle in the Debate ($)

CDC says people who recover from COVID-19 are protected up to 3 months 

Judge hands a win to businesses demanding insurance coverage for lost income due to coronavirus

These Covid-19 vaccine candidates could change the way we make vaccines — if they work

COVID-19 symptoms often appear in this order, according to a new study

Novel Coronavirus Has 'Perfect Storm' Of Traits To Trigger Pandemic

13 States Make Contact Tracing Data Public. Here's What They're Learning

Florida sheriff forbids staff, visitors from wearing masks 

***THE PANDEMIC OF 1918

People balked at masks in 1918, too. Then the arrests started

This "Do's and Don't's" List From the 1918 Pandemic Proves We've Learned Absolutely Nothing in 100 Years

***JOURNALISM

Study of journalists’ tweets suggests the “media bubble” is more like a collection of “microbubbles”

Here’s Why Investigative Reporters Need to Know Knowledge Graphs

Former Tribune Publishing CEO to take helm of McClatchy when that newspaper chain emerges from bankruptcy 

Outgoing New York Times CEO Mark Thompson thinks there won’t be a print edition in 20 years

***FAKES & FRAUDS

Covid-19 is one of Wikipedia’s biggest challenges ever. Here’s how the site is handling it.

Madonna keeps making controversial covid-19 claims, calling a misinformation-spreading doctor her ‘hero’ 

Disinformation campaign for profit: How a network of right-wing sites turns outrage into cash 

Contact Tracers Face Mistrust, Lack Of Cooperation

Calling Scammers by their real names

***QANON 

QAnon Is Running Amok, and the Time Has Come for Interventions

QAnon groups have millions of members on Facebook, documents show

How QAnon rode the pandemic to new heights — and fueled the viral anti-mask phenomenon

***SOCIAL MEDIA  

Twitter Hack Apparently Masterminded by Group of Kids as Young as 17

The US is 'looking at' banning TikTok 

To Avoid Backlash, Facebook Reportedly Relaxed Fact-Checking Standards on Conservative Pages 

***LANGUAGE 

Pew poll: Only a slim minority have adopted term ‘Latinx’ ($)

We all speak a language that will go extinct ($)

***LITERATURE 

‘George Eliot’ joins 24 female authors making debuts under their real names

Kamala Harris favorite books

43 of the Most Iconic Short Stories in the English Language

***PRIVACY & SECURITY 

UK court rules police use of facial recognition was ‘unlawful’ 

Machines can spot mental health issues—if you hand over your personal data