Links to Go (August 27, 2014)

From peyote to sex: Religious liberty fight recast

“Things have changed dramatically in the last 20 years,” said Michael Moreland, vice dean and professor at Villanova University Law School. “Back then, the Catholic Church wasn’t very often in the position of needing exemptions.”


Self-Segregation: Why It’s So Hard for Whites to Understand Ferguson

Overall, the social networks of whites are a remarkable 91 percent white.* White American social networks are only one percent black, one percent Hispanic, one percent Asian or Pacific Islander, one percent mixed race, and one percent other race. In fact, fully three-quarters (75 percent) of whites have entirely white social networks without any minority presence. This level of social-network racial homogeneity among whites is significantly higher than among black Americans (65 percent) or Hispanic Americans (46 percent).


The Importance of Perspective

Unless both African-Americans and police officers acknowledge that they both share the blame in the wrong perspectives that has been created, we are destined to have tragic results. It is not the responsibility of law enforcement to change the way African-Americans view police officers. This is a job for the African-American community.
Similarly, the African-American community won’t change the way white police officers view African-American males. Police departments have to do that. Until both are willing to share some of the blame, they won’t be willing to share the necessary responsibility to bring about necessary change.


Social Media and the ‘Spiral of Silence’

An informed citizenry depends on people’s exposure to information on important political issues and on their willingness to discuss these issues with those around them. The rise of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, has introduced new spaces where political discussion and debate can take place. This report explores the degree to which social media affects a long-established human attribute—that those who think they hold minority opinions often self-censor, failing to speak out for fear of ostracism or ridicule. It is called the “spiral of silence.”


The Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and You

The distance between me and God’s revelation is the distance between me and my Bible. I should prayerfully ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my biblical study, but not ask Him for new revelation independent of it.
Don’t misunderstand. I believe that the Holy Spirit leads me and illuminates me every day. All I am saying is that I must weigh my subjective sense of what the Spirit is saying against the teachings of the Book which He inspired.


The best lesson from Fantasy Football’s success

In neither case is the fan on the field, getting concussed or making the big decisions. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that our feeling of ownership, of us-ness, is shifting. We want celebrities and brands and teams that do more than merely put on a show. In addition to the show, people want to believe that they own part of it.


Those Free AOL CDs Were a Campaign for Web Domination. It Worked.

Jan Brandt is a legend in the world of marketing. She singlehandedly led the famous AOL “carpet-bombing” campaign that put millions of AOL trial discs and CDs in everything from magazines to popcorn boxes to banks. In the most recent episode of the Internet History Podcast, I spoke to Jan about this famous campaign, how the strategy developed and the analytics and data that went into it. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of portions of our conversation.


British diplomats apologize for tweets marking 1814 burning of White House with BBQ, cake

The apologies were prompted after the British Embassy posted a picture Sunday of Patrick Davis, deputy British ambassador to the United States, with a caption saying he was participating in “the anniversary of burning of the White House with a BBQ.”
The picture was followed by another, about an hour later, that showed a White House replica atop a sheet cake, flanked by sparklers. The caption said: “Commemorating the 200th anniversary of burning the White House. Only sparklers this time!”


Ice Bucket Challenge Video on Facebook Leads Police to Wanted Man

In addition to the charge of parole violation, Morris will also face new charges that include resisting arrest, assault of an officer, criminal mischief, and suspicion of criminal impersonation. Morris is currently being held in the Douglas County jail on a $40,000 bond. Of course, if Morris had simply donated $100 to the ALS Association, he may have evaded police custody for a longer period of time.


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