Is it possible to have a church that both holds to the doctrine of scripture and is open to all? Sounds like the kind of place we’d all like to attend. A church where the doors are open for all, the sermons biblically based with a refreshing twist on the classic stories and no secret code of membership. One church working toward this model is Hillhurst United Church in Calgary, Canada. Check out the story in Christian Century, Biblical, evangelical—and progressive. What do you think? Are they headed in the right direction?
Author: Debra Watkins
Breaking The Code
As demand grows for skilled software designers, so does the market for coding schools. In places like Austin, Texas where there is a concentration of high-tech companies, new coding “bootcamps” are appearing almost daily. This has attracted the attention of the Texas Workforce Commission who is currently stepping up the enforcement of their certification regulations. In the past, coding schools were allowed to operate during the application process without fear of violations, but this may be changing, according to Will Anderson for the Austin Business Journal in his article, Coding schools face increased scrutiny from Texas Workforce Commission. The coding school owners are frustrated with the TWC’s apparent lack of appropriate regulation for their rapidly growing field.
Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn?
Many teenagers are now creating LinkedIn profiles in order to share a more “adult” view of their achievements with colleges and universities during the admissions process. Some question the health of having our children so future-focused, while others make a living teaching students how to tailor these profiles to best showcase their skills and achievements. What do you think? In the current climate of highly competitive college admissions, should you pull out all the stops in an effort to land the college of your dreams?
New Item on the College Admission Checklist: LinkedIn Profile
Truth or Meme?
During this election season especially, the public has employed more and more tools to influence the online political narrative, or so it seems, according to Amanda Hess for the New York Times in, Memes, Myself and I: The Internet Lets Us All Run the Campaign. What a fascinating read and another look into the ways social media continues to inform our views as a nation. Now, if I could just find the perfect Accounting meme to steer clients my way.
Hope For The Urban Worker
But small manufacturers like Marlin are vital if the United States is to narrow the nation’s class divide and build a society that offers greater opportunities for everyone — rich and poor, black and white, high school graduates and Ph.D.s.
Factories such as Marlin Steel who make very specific products, are still providing jobs in the urban setting where there is a great need for employment. As more and more jobs are lost to automation and outsourcing, these smaller companies are making a difference and creating hope in cities across the U.S.
Read more about this current development here: Small Factories Emerge as a Weapon in the Fight Against Poverty. Maybe there truly is a light at the end of the tunnel for those seeking skilled work in urban settings and for the crisis of unemployment in our country.
Pay More Get More
After dismal 2015 customer service reviews with only 16% of stores nationwide meeting their goals in this area, Wal-Mart decide to try an almost unheard of idea in the arena of large discount stores. In early 2016, they increased employee wages across the board and began offering more focused training and streamlined schedules for hourly workers. This new investment has already shown promise in both company loyalty and customer reviews. The profit landscape is still not as sunny, but that’s another story. One where Amazon and Target play key antagonists. For now, have a look around your local Wal-Mart store and see if the good cheer, cleaner restrooms and well stocked shelves have reached your neck of the woods.
How Did Walmart Get Cleaner Stores and Higher Sales? It Paid Its People More
Married or Single?
The statistics show that many more older men are married than older women. Although there is the fact of womens vs. mens longevity, but Paula Span for the New York Times felt this could not be the only reason. What she found was that women, both widowed and divorced were better able to navigate the single life. With already supportive groups of friends, events, book clubs and volunteer jobs, women’s networks helped them blossom. Read more about her fascinating and somewhat familiar findings here, The Gray Gender Gap: Older Women Are Likelier to Go It Alone.
They’re Watching You
We’re nearing the age envisioned in the movie Minority Report. Of course, they were arresting people before they could commit crimes, but remember all of the screens in the stores that would speak to John Anderton, or the directed advertising as he would walk past store windows and on his computer screen?
Companies are harvesting all kinds of information about you through the sites visited on your linked devices, and using it to send targeted advertising. Ever noticed that the ads on your browser change based on your recent searches? Brian X. Chen and Natasha Singer for the New York Times explore this phenomenon more closely in the article, Free Tools to Keep Those Creepy Online Ads From Watching You, as well as offering reviews of four tools that can help maintain your privacy.
Singer Cancels Austin Show Due to Campus Carry
From the beginning of this academic year, the campus carry law has allowed students at the University of Texas with concealed carry licenses to bring their weapons onto campus. Due to this law, folk singer Ray LaMontagne has cancelled his show scheducled for Thursday evening at the Bass Concert Hall. In a Facebook post he stated, “No matter how hard I try to understand the rationale for allowing guns on campus or more broadly, the ‘concealed carry’ law in general, I just cannot in any way support that ideology.” University officials confirmed that the campus carry law would indeed allow students to bring firearms into the concert venue.
College Financial Aid Changes
Proposed changes in the timeline for college financial aid offers will give students more time to weigh their options and make an informed choice about which school is the best fit. Starting this year, families can file FASFA (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as early as Oct. 1st. This gives students more time to compare the affordability of various schools and to gather information about their educational programs, leading to a more informed choice and a better college experience.