Year End 2016 Miscellania

Random stuff clogging up my Firefox blogger--when I get to 15 open tabs, it's probably time to move some URLs over here.

Echo Chambers on Campus

Not good, says Nick Kristoff

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-of-echo-chambers-on-campus.html?_r=2

Another Danger

...that of "white evangelical nostalgia."

www.evangelicalsforsocialaction.org/faith-and-public-life/the-dangers-of-white-evangelical-nostalgia/

Greater Gender Divide in Toys

Ah, yes, more negative news about current cultural trends.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/toys-are-more-divided-by-gender-now-than-they-were-50-years-ago/383556/?utm_source=atlfb

No War on Christmas

Ah there is some good news.

http://www.russellmoore.com/2016/12/16/signposts-war-christmas/

But, Maybe a "Faith" Problem in Democratic Party

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/12/democrats-have-a-religion-problem/510761/?utm_source=atlfb

How to "Get What You Want"--by Wanting What You Get

This is a wonderful post, even if it is "sponsored." Thrivent has been pushing the book in their magazine, and I'm about ready to order a copy, if this sample is at all representative.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/december-web-only/how-to-be-at-peace-and-get-what-you-want.html?utm_source=gallireport&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=13336937&utm_content=486442131&utm_campaign=email

 And Then There Is Preschool...

Some problems of the current academization of this stage of schooling:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/01/the-new-preschool-is-crushing-kids/419139/?utm_source=atlfb

12/10/16 Highlights

This is a real hodge podge of things that are clogging up my computer while I hold them for reference.

Obama at 2011 Prayer Breakfast
Facebook brought this up from one of my old posts; still good comments.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/19/remarks-president-easter-prayer-breakfast

Evangelicals--Beware of Your Attacks on Media

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/12/08/evangelicals-your-attacks-on-the-media-are-getting-dangerous/?utm_term=.e276733e3c38

An Old Clip Imagining the "future" that is now the past

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1p6fmPzoJk

Churches Involved in Fighting Poverty

www.christianitytoday.com/local-church/2016/november/these-churches-fought-domestic-poverty-with-gospel.html?share=wk1QMSGZZCM3%2bqL86euiJUKI0eKk9YzR

Climate Change and the Insurance Industry

Some interesting Facebook posts today related to the impact of climate change on the insurance industry.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/07/climate-change-threatens-ability-insurers-manage-risk?utm_content=buffer606b5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

The FB post that led me here:

John Mulholland

An interesting gift of Shalom from the insurance industry -
apparently, the insurance industry is about to become a major prompt for climate science and climate change literacy !!!
Business people might not listen to scientists, but they do pay very close attention to people involved in their bottom line.
"... The analysis [just published] , by a coalition of the world’s biggest insurers, concluded that the “protection gap” – the difference between the costs of natural disasters and the amount insured – has quadrupled to $100bn (£79bn) a year since the 1980s. ...
http://www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/…/insurance-leaders-warn-protecti…
"... The ClimateWise coalition of 29 insurers, including Allianz, Aon, Aviva, Lloyd’s, Prudential, Swiss Re and Zurich, conclude that the industry must use more of its $30tn of investments to help fund increased resilience of society to floods, storms and heatwaves. ...
In August, "... Aviva, Aegon and Amlin issued a joint statement urging leaders to build on previous commitments and end [fossil fuel] subsidies within four years ...
"The three insurers manage $1.2tn (£916.9tn) in assets. Aviva’s CEO, Mark Wilson, said: “Climate change in particular represents the mother of all risks – to business and to society as a whole. And that risk is magnified by the way in which fossil fuel subsidies distort the energy market. These subsidies are simply unsustainable.” ...

...and this:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/30/leading-insurers-tell-g20-to-stop-funding-fossil-fuels-by-2020

...and a link to an ebook on hurricanes that fits in with all this:

https://pielkeclimatesci.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/b-11.pdf

12/5/16 Highlights

Another affordable housing link to start off, this one on the myth that affordable housing hurts home values nearby:

https://www.trulia.com/blog/trends/low-income-housing/?utm_content=buffer38ab4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

More on Evicted

Matthew Desmond's book continues to receive much well-deserved attention, and this column from Nicholas Kristof is an example:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/07/opinion/so-little-to-ask-for-a-home.html

Rural housing issues and the opioid epidemic

Interesting perspective:

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/12/how-the-opioid-epidemic-is-an-infrastructure-issue/511538/?utm_source=SFFB

Just a fun map

As an "art project," this was drawn up to show what the country might look like if the states were evenly divided by population (at the time of the 2010 census):

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58809/us-map-redrawn-50-states-equal-population

Inclusionary Zoning and More on ITCFG Topics

Problems with affordable housing

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2015/09/chicago-developers-are-pushing-back-against-affordable-housing-rules/403042/

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/11/in-search-of-answers-on-gentrification/506267/?utm_source=SFFB

Maybe it's stagnant income rather than rising housing costs:

http://www.startribune.com/counterpoint-gentrification-isn-t-the-rental-problem-poverty-is/403874986/?ref=nl&om_rid=AALNYM&om_mid=_BYQYEnB8xYFA3F


The following deals with possible land trusts as a solution:

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2015/07/affordable-housing-always/397751/


Suburban Poverty

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/11/rising-suburban-poverty-is-a-bipartisan-problem/506918/?utm_source=SFFB

Localizing Affordable Housing

http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/11/29/localizing-affordable-housing?utm_content=buffer00ebb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer


General References to consider:

http://www.nhc.org/inclusivity-research