Friday, November 1, 2024

College Tuition Is Now Dropping

 The full cost of attending a public college is falling, rather than rising, after you adjust it for inflation, the USA Today website reports today (Nov. 1, 2024). 


The average net price in tuition and fees for an in--state student at a four--year public college has plummeted by 40% in a decade, after inflation, from $4,140 in 2014 --15 --to an estimated $2,480 in 2024--25,according to the College Board. 


The figures represent the average net price of college tuition and fees for a first--time student, after you deduct grants, scholarships, and other discounts and account for inflation. 


The full cost of attending public college is falling, too, although not so swiftly. The net cost of of in--state attendance , including room and board and other expenses, has declined from $23,050 in 2014 to $20,780 in 2024, after factoring in grants and inflation, the College Board found. 


"State governments have been reinvesting in higher education over the last decade,"ater a round of dramatic cuts in the Great Recession era, said Nicholas Hillman, a professor and expert on higher education finance at the University of Wisconsin --Madison. 


Tuition costs also vary widely from state to state. The least expensive state is Florida, the College Board reports, with average tuition and fees of $6,360 for in--state students. The most expensive is Vermont, with an average of $17,490.Nearly every state charges less in 2024 than it did in 2019, after inflation.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

High Court Allows Virginia to Remove Non--Citizens from Voter Rolls

 The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with Virginia, reversing a lower court ruling preventing the state from removing non--citizens from its voter rolls pending the outcome of ongoing litigation, the Christian Post website reports today (Oct. 31, 2024). 


In an order released yesterday, the Supreme Court announced that it had granted a request from the state of Virginia to stay an Oct.25 decision from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruling that the state had violated federal law by removing voters believed to be non--citizens from the voter rolls within 90 days of the 2024 presidential election. 


The stay will remain in effect until a panel of judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Court issues a ruling on the appeal of the district court decision or if  the Supreme Court grants a writ of certiorari to hear the case.

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

First Global Day of Prayer for Media Is "a Remarkable Success"

 The first --ever Global Day of Prayer for Media is being hailed as "a remarkable success" and "a powerful 24--hour live prayer experience" after thousands of Christians around the world engaged in the event on Sunday (Oct. 27),  the Christian Today website reports today (Oct. 30, 2024). 


More than 2,000 people joined in the live--streamed prayer marathon, logging on from over 25 countries -- with the Philippines registering the highest viewership. 


More than 180 women and men involved in media took part in the event, explaining  their role and setting out their passion to share the Christian gospel  through media in all its forms. Each led prayers with many  contributing Bible verses of encouragement. 


Christians in media from countries including the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina took turns to pray for the media landscape. 


There were more than 14,000 page hits on the event website, www.pray for media.com, during the event. 


A spokesperson for Christians in Media UK said the event was "a remarkable success, creating a powerful  24--hour live prayer experience that united viewers and believers from around the world." 

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Five Teens Killed by Guns in NYC in Five Days

 Tea'Arion Mungo loved to dance and sing and write and tell stories , but a gunman's bullet ended all that, the New York Daily News website reports today (Oct.29, 2024). 


In fact, the shooting deaths of five teenagers in five days has shaken New York City, and families mourning their children's unfulfilled promise and shattered dreams. 


Mungo "wanted to work as an electrician," his grandmother Elizabeth Mungo said. 


"It's unbelievable. It's heartbreaking. " said Tenille House, 48, after her neighbor,Clarence Jones, 16, died following an early--morning shooting Oct. 24 on a Harlem street corner. 


"It's just too much as a parent. Nobody wants to get that phone call. No parent should have to bury their child . Anytime your phone rings at 1,2,3 in the morning it's never good news." That call came after young Clarence died that Thursday.


On Friday, a 15--year--old boy was shot and killed in Brooklyn. On Saturday, a 16--year--old Brooklyn boy suffered the same fate. 


On Sunday, a 15--year--old boy was killed with a gun in Brooklyn. And on Monday, an 18--year--old Bronx boy was shot to death. 


The violence that has gripped the city recently has left residents, community leaders, and police scrambling for answers and solutions. 

Monday, October 28, 2024

Food Recalls Have Americans Wondering: Is Our Food Safe?

 McDonald's burgers, eggs, green onions, frozen wafffles. The list of recalled food products in recent  weeks has American consumers worried about the safety of their food, the USA Today website reports today (Oct.28, 2024). 


The products have  been recalled because of concerns over harmful bacteria that may be present. In some cases, the recalls were precautionary, but illnesses and even deaths have been linked to the outbreaks. 


Since a massive recall of Boar's Head deli  meat revealed serious violations of health and safety regulations at one of its plants, new recalls seem to be in the headlines every day.  But experts have said people should not be overly concerned. 


"Although it's always a tragedy when an outbreak causes illness and death, the U.S. food supply is still very safe" , said Martin Bucknavage, a food safety specialist at the Pennsylvania State University Department of Food Science. 


"Certainly, when these issues come up, we all get worried about our food supply, but our food supply is generally safe across the board," Bucknavage told USA Today.


The most extreme case is a deadly listeria outbreak in Boar's Head deli meat linked to a Virginia plant that was first reported in July.  As of late September, 59 people have been hospitalized  and at least 10 have died in cases linked to Boar's Head. 


This month, the Tree House Foods company issued a voluntary recall of its frozen waffles and pancakes after discovering potential listeria contamination, although no reports of illness have been linked to the products. 


McDonald's Quarter Pounder sold in 10 states have been linked to an outbreak of another bacteria, E.coli. One person died and dozens were reported sick, sometimes requiring hospitalization. 


"Just because we have the ability to see disease, that doesn't mean that this disease doesn't happen in other countries.We are just further along in that technological ability to find and track and identify these types of issues compared to other places," Bucknavage said. 

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Pope: Church Must Be a Missionary Church

 Pope Francs said yesterda,y, "The Church cannot risk becoming 'static' but  must continue as a missionary Church that walks with her Lord through the streets of the world," the Cath. News website reports today (Oct. 27, 2024). 


"We cannot remain inert before the questions raised by the women and men today, before the challenges of our time, the urgency of evangelization, and the many wounds that afflict humanity." the pope said in his homily during the closing  Mass for the Synod of Bishops in St. Peter's Basilica yesterday. 


"A sedentary Church , that inadvertently withdraws  from life and confines itself to the margins of reality , is a Church that risks remaining blind and becoming comfortable with its own unease," he said.On Oct. 25, the pope received the final document of the Synod on Synodality approved by more than 350 members of the Synod. The document called for the increased participation  of lay men and women in all levels of Church life, including parishes, dioceses, and in seminaries. 


In his homily, the pope called on the Church not to remain in a state of "blindness" on the issues in the Church and the world, a blindness that can take the form of embracing worldliness, placing a premium on comfort or having a closed heart. 


"We do not need a sedentary and defeatist Church," he said, "but a Church that hears the cry of the world and a Church that gets its hands dirty to serve the Lord."



Saturday, October 26, 2024

First Global Day of Prayer for Media Set for Oct. 27

The first--ever Global Day of Prayer for the Media will take place this Sunday, Oct. 27, the Christian Today website reports today (Oct. 26, 2024). 


Christians who work in and with media in all forms will be joining in an international live--streamed event to be shown on www.prayfor media.com, and on You Tube. 


The event is the brainchild of Co--operation between Christians in Media UK, Christian Media and Art Australia, the Christian Broadcasting Association of New Zealand, and the Hollywood Prayer Network in the U.S. 


In a joint declaration, they say: "Individually, we are organizations passionate about supporting those called to serve in the religious  and secular media, arts and entertainment industries. As Christians of all denominations, we feel called to stand for truth, integrity, and justice in a world crying out for God's love, grace, and compassion."