CHICAGO, IL (January 6, 2017) — Covenanters routinely share links to social media articles and videos that Covenant News Service believes may be of interest to others. Each Friday we post five of them. Following is a sample of those submissions—their inclusion does not represent an endorsement by the Covenant of any views expressed.

Shootings by Toddlers Every Week for Two Years

In response to the post, someone wrote, “Guns don’t kill people. Toddlers kill people.”

At the end of 2015, a news report stated that for every week that year a toddler was responsible for a shooting. This year that terrible trend continued.

From the article: “That means, for the past 104 weeks, there has been at least one toddler somewhere in the US firing a gun and hitting themselves or another person.”

Unnatural Causes: Sick and Dying in Small-Town America

People tend to assume that high levels of drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, and early mortality are primarily issues for urban areas. This series is a reminder that rural areas are suffering too.

From the series description: “Drugs, alcohol, marketing and lax federal oversight are working to defy modern trends of mortality, perhaps most starkly among middle-aged white women,” and “The trend is worse for women in the Southwest, worse still in rural areas, and worst of all for those in the lower middle class.”

Biggest Design Fail of 2017

The Washington Post series highlighting women’s health is excellent. The cover of their magazine highlighting an upcoming Women’s March on Washington was embarrassing.

From the article: “The Washington Post Express illustrated its cover story on the Women’s March on Washington using the Greek sign for Mars—commonly used to represent men—rather than the circle and cross that represents Venus, the traditional symbol for women.”

Post-Election College Paper Grading Rubric

It seems only fair.

From the article: “Because I can no longer claim with any credibility that reading, writing, and critical thinking are essential skills for 21st-century success, I have revised the grading rubric for your papers accordingly. Effective January 20, 2017.”

Doctors Want People to Walk Like Penguins

I suddenly can’t get the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” out of my head.

From the article: “When humans walk normally, body weight is split almost evenly over both legs, which the surgeons say increases the risk of losing one’s balance and falling on slippery surfaces.”