August 11 Highlights

More on Economic Class Issues

Is it the Trump follower phenomenom or is it Hillbilly Elegy, or both? Whatever the source, issues surrounding those limited by their economic class in the US are becoming more discussed. For example, this:

Today, less privileged white Americans are considered to be in crisis, and the language of sociologists and pathologists predominates. Charles Murray’s Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960–2010 was published in 2012, and Robert D. Putnam’s Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis came out last year. From opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, they made the case that social breakdown among low-income whites was starting to mimic trends that had begun decades earlier among African Americans: Rates of out-of-wedlock births and male joblessness were rising sharply. Then came the stories about a surge in opiate addiction among white Americans, alongside shocking reports of rising mortality rates (including by suicide) among middle-aged whites. And then, of course, came the 2016 presidential campaign. The question was suddenly no longer why Democrats struggled to appeal to regular Americans. It was why so many regular Americans were drawn to a man like Donald Trump.

For more, here is the full article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/09/the-original-underclass/492731/

This is loosely related, by looking at land use for cities:

https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/black-lives-matter-policy-agenda-city-playbook

Now, two more on the way both Trump and Clinton are generally ignoring the poor this campaign season:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/us/politics/trump-clinton-poverty.html?emc=edit_th_20160812&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=33343369&_r=0

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/08/nobody-wants-talk-about-p-word

Inequities in education also arise with economic disparity. This article focuses on one problem many poor kids have, the lack of clean clothes to attend school.

 http://www.scarymommy.com/whirlpool-care-counts-improves-attendance-in-schools/?utm_source=FB

Democrats for Life

Here is a group that is little known and, as the article says, pretty lonely. Still, they should not be ignored.

http://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-07-25/the-loneliness-of-the-pro-life-democrat

Best Non-fiction from the Past Year?

So how better to really expand the time on the internet than to use my own collection of worthwhile sites to include yet another! This could keep me tied to the screen nonstop for a week or more.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/08/slightly-more-than-100-exceptional-works-of-journalism/490622/?utm_source=atlfb

Genesis--Science and Faith

A couple of helpful reviews of John H. Walton's books on "the lost world" of Genesis and Adam and Eve.

https://bobonbooks.com/2016/08/11/review-the-lost-world-of-genesis-one/

https://bobonbooks.com/2016/01/07/review-the-lost-world-of-adam-and-eve/

Rochester and Transparency

Lots of things happening related to the many changes coming to our area and how "insiders" may be making decisions not really beneficial to the broader population. One summary suggestion:

http://cngv2.dmcbeam.org/olmsted-county-community-health/plomino_documents/6d82a511a5484c7a98d5f4b9ba7c9e5c?fb_action_ids=10210324203081381&fb_action_types=og.comments

Shakespeare for Kids (and maybe this grandma)

As someone who still doesn't really appreciate Shakespeare, this might be something I need to consider for myself, not just for the grandchildren.

http://simplehomeschool.net/hooked-on-shakespeare/

Not Trump

I keep trying to avoid posting anything more on FB about the presidential campaign but I just can't. Here is a "keeper" of a summary about why Christians really MUST NOT vote for Trump.

http://samuelwhitefield.com/1811/four-issues-to-consider-before-you-support-trump-what-is-really-at-stake#_ftn10

Inclusionary Zoning

Good summary of positive use of this tool:

http://uli.org/press-release/economics-inclusionary-zoning/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=pressrelease&utm_campaign=inclusionaryzoning

And more on Granny Pods

As of September 1, these will be legal in MN if the municipalities agree, so we can expect much more on them.

http://tinyhometour.com/2016/06/08/granny-pods-are-now-an-option-in-minnesota/

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/08/11/minnesota-granny-pods-portable-housing-elderly


A History Lesson

Very long but important NY Times article (actually, the entire NY Times Magazine this week) on the background of the current Middle East make up:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/11/magazine/isis-middle-east-arab-spring-fractured-lands.html?_r=1

August 12 Thoughts to Ponder

Didn't make it through a week without running over the 250 character limit on labels, so I just decided to start a new post.

How Our Christian Relationships Should Be Carried Out

Richard Mouw and Tim LeHaye would never be considered in the same political or theological camps, but this piece written after LeHaye's death last week shows how we all need to treat fellow believers (and more!) even when we are not in full agreement.

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2016/08/every-day-an-armageddon

Trump and Evangelicals

This is an article I want to have at my fingertips to respond to some Christian friends who still can't stay away from Trump. Just trying to stay away from posting any more "political stuff" on FB if at all possible.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/08/evangelical-christians-trump-bill-clinton-apology/495224/

White Poverty

Finally, perhaps, attention is being paid to a group of Americans that has been too often ignored. A couple of current articles:


http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/01/white-working-class-poverty/424341/?utm_source=atlfb

This one analyzes some of the things that stand out in the better-than-the-US Costa Rican health trends:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/01/the-poorest-americans-die-younger-than-the-poorest-costa-ricans/422319/?utm_source=atlfb

...and poverty in general, or why concern for the middle class should not ignore concern for the poor:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/08/15/to-clinton-and-trump-its-all-about-the-middle-class-to-jesus-its-about-the-poor/

Still another article on this topic, including this comment:

"Many people who find themselves living hand-to-mouth without a permanent address don’t identify as poor or even homeless. They may have lost their home to foreclosure. They may have been evicted from their apartment. Creditors may have seized their bank accounts and garnished their wages. They may be living in a car or RV. And they may be scraping by on very little income even though they work a great deal. But they don’t see themselves as poor. Instead, they imagine they’re still middle class folks who have been robbed of their proper place in society. Their instinct is not to fight for the poor because those are “other people.” To admit that you’re poor in America is to include yourself in a class of people who are deemed unworthy and irrelevant."

http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/8/15/what-does-suburban-poverty-look-like?utm_content=buffer497d3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

...and a link within this site:

http://www.strongtowns.org/suburban-poverty

...and Elder Poverty

We have not designed our suburbs for those who grow old and have limited transportation resources

http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/8/12/how-suburban-poverty-effects-seniors?utm_content=buffera3b36&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer


Later Start Time for Schools

Timely (pun intended?) article for the ITCFG Education Action Group fall planning:

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/08/why-school-should-start-later/401489/?utm_source=atlfb

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p0806-school-sleep.html

(and an older, somewhat relate article on the role of sports in US schools)

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/

Community Schools

Another idea for community schools? Laundry onsite. Whirlpool is a strong business partner in disaster response, so this seems to carry out the corporate philosophy too.

http://www.scarymommy.com/whirlpool-care-counts-improves-attendance-in-schools/?utm_source=FB


Affordable Housing

Something to consider for the overall mix of options for "affordable housing"

http://urbanland.uli.org/development-business/u-s-congress-approves-less-restrictive-fha-condo-financing-program/?utm_source=mm&utm_medium=link&utm_content=081516ul&utm_campaign=magazine

This outlines a side effect of cities that become too "elite" in their housing and overall population makeup.

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/08/a-palo-alto-planning-commissioner-leaves-town-and-starts-a-furor/495983/?utm_source=SFFB


When Quitting Soccer Is a Moral Dilemma

One more thing for Christian parents to consider in raising their kids.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/when-quitting-soccer-is-a-moral-dilemma