News & Ideas

Friday’s News & Ideas - 4/12/2019

  • Georgetown students support reparations
  • Arrest in black church arsons
  • Leadership at institutions facing change
  • Friends as wedding officiants
  • How can entrepreneurs fund their dreams?
  • Tolkien & power

Georgetown students vote in favor of paying reparations to descendants of the slaves who made the school possible
CNN: Georgetown University might not be here today if the Maryland Society of Jesuits who oversaw the school hadn't sold 272 slaves.

Arrest made in Louisiana black church arsons
NPR: Police have arrested the son of a Louisiana sheriff's deputy as a suspect in connection with three historically black churches that were torched in recent days. The governor said: “These were evil acts.”

An ousted dean returns
Inside Higher Ed: Western Kentucky reinstated the dean its now ex-provost forced out last week. What does the saga say about academic leadership, especially at institutions facing change?

Why more couples are getting married by a friend
The Atlantic: Many couples are forgoing religious norms and traditional vows for wedding ceremonies they feel are more individualized, more intimate, and maybe even more fun.

How entrepreneurs can turn lead into gold
Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge: Innovative about creating new products, entrepreneurs often lose imagination when it comes to funding their dreams. What alternatives exist beyond friends and family?

The Spark

What Tolkien teaches us about power
JRR Tolkien shows us that the only people who can be trusted with great power are those who don’t really want it -- or who do, but have the moral strength to reject it. Even then, it’s touch-and-go, the burden of responsibility taking a terrible toll on the reluctant bearer.

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