Read the Weekly Roundup: January 27

By Justin D. Long, ed.

Perspective, Insight, Context, Analysis

New events among the unreached

#1Religion: Bangladesh: To secular Bangladeshis, textbook changes are a harbinger
… Islamic religious scholars demanded removal of 17 poems/stories deemed atheistic.

China: The rise of empty-nest youth (young people who live alone).
… 12.45% of households were one-person in 2015, up from 8.3% in 2008.

China: ‘sees grim situation in relations with Taiwan this year.’
… tightening relations between China, West could impact workers there, entrance visas
… another angle: A US-China investor ponders what’s coming, as relations grow chilly.
… and, China deports 30 S Korean nationals (most missionaries working w/N Koreans)
… possibly retaliation for US-Korea THAAD plans. Definitely visa regulations tightening.

Ethiopia: Ethnic nationalism and the Gondar protests.
… ‘analysis of the rising ethnic nationalism among the historically powerful Amhara’

Gambia: Ex-Pres. Jammeh has left the country. The story in detail.
… but not before embezzling cash and cars.

India: the 3rd month of India’s cash shortage begins to bite.
… many losing jobs: no cash to pay them.

India: Compassion International pulling out of India due to government interference.
… told can no longer receive funding from outside the subcontinent, ends 48 years of work.
… I know anecdotally of several other agencies, NGOs having to pull out too.

Jordan: Why Jordan struggles to draw tourists. Or, maybe it’s not.
… tourism is important to the nation, contributing 6 to 20% to Jordan’s GDP.

Nigeria: ‘has seen an uptick in violent activities of nomadic Fulani herdsmen’
… ‘pastoral conflicts accounted for more deaths than Boko Haram in 2016’

N Korea: High-ranking defector believes people will rise against government.
… says elite are ‘outwardly expressing discontent’ as info trickles into ‘isolated country’
… I have my doubts any popular uprising will successfully happen any time soon.

Russia: US missionary might get anti-missionary law overturned.
… or at least ‘looked at’ or ‘adjusted.’ Maybe: P>10%,<50%?

Sudan: Don’t let Sudan off the hook: the atrocities have not ended.
… the violence in Darfur and the Nuba Mountains continues to this day.

Syria: Iran, Russia, Turkey agree to enforce cease-fire, don’t say how.
… Neither Syria nor rebels sign the agreement; first day ‘descends into quarreling’
… After 4 years of fighting, Aleppo ‘haunted by violence and death’. 5:09, BBC Video.

Thailand: red vs. black in dress: Chinese New Year tradition vs. mourning for the King

Turkey: Erdogan campaigns for vote to boost powers.
… strengthen president, scrap PM position, keep him in office until 2029.
… expected to announce date of constitutional referendum ‘this week’

USA: a temporary ban on most refugees, visas from Syria+6 countries expected.
… may contain an exception for religious minorities fleeing persecution.

USA: How Black and White Christians do discipleship differently.

New Data

McKinsey: Global migration’s impact and opportunity: a report.

Wilson Center: Africa: Year in Review 2016. PDF: 35pp.

China: ending of 1-child sees births rise “but not enough”

India: CSF Indian Christian Persecution Report, 2016.

India: largest # of poor in the world, as well as largest # who have escaped poverty.

The busiest airports in the world (and woes of expanding Mumbai airport)
… 1 Atlanta, 2 Beijing, 3 Tokyo, 4 Heathrow, 5 Hong Kong, 6 Shanghai, 7 Jakarta, 8 Delhi.

CFR Special Report, South Sudan: Ending South Sudan’s Civil War.
… 61 page PDF, much detail on the meltdown in S Sudan, causes, effects, implications

Longer reads

Iran: “Women rebuilding the future of the church.” Open Doors: 17pp.
… women are ‘central’ to the spread of the Gospel in Iran.

Stetzer, Ed. “Evangelicals, we cannot let alternative facts drive U.S. refugee policy.”

Thornton, Grace. “The missions force is incomplete without single people.”

Harper, Sarah. How population change will transform the world.

Shi, Si. China: giving up pork and other cross-cultural challenges.
… # of Chinese missionaries est. 250-500. But…
… 85-90% estimated to abandon dream a few months after arriving in target country.
… ‘inadequate cultural and language training has been cited as cause of attrition.’
… fortunately new changes ‘bode well for the Chinese mission sending movements.’

Lifehacking, Tactics, Skills, Rules

Chu, Charles. “The myth of the risk-taker: how to actually make it big.”
… (1) do not die (eliminate risk of ruin); (2) win more than you lose.

Pioneer Mission Startups, Strategy

Frost, Nick. “Optimize sales team workflow by reducing cognitive strain…”
… great piece on the cognitive strain, lost time of multitasking
… each person should focus on one thing at a time as much as possible
… view CPM, DMM, church growth as analogous to a sales pipeline to apply lessons
… can’t necessarily use same tools, could similar tools/processes be developed in context?

UPG Profiles, Travelogues, Stories

China: unraveling Chinese Internet memes: skinny blue mushrooms, melon-eaters, more.
… and, nice longread from New York Times: ‘Inside the world’s largest trek’ (CNY)
… and, photos of train stations overflowing with travelers for CNY
… and, retiree creates ice sculptures to greet Spring Festival in Jilin. Check out the rooster.

Thailand: Reefers, rogues and regulations.
… the fourth largest seafood export industry in the world, but most of it’s illegal.

Ethiopia: ‘is it finally the next big thing in Africa travel?’
… written back in July. And then there were the tensions and unrest last year.

Futuristics/Technology

#Security: Malwarebytes on how 2017 will (again) be the year of Ransomware.
… $1 billion a year crime in 2016. Targeted attacks will become the norm. Agencies hit?

#AI: 80% of IT jobs can be replaced by automation.

#AI: Sergey Brin: the future of AI and Google. 34:00 video.

#IoT: The Internet of Things 2017 report.

#Medicine: Printed human body parts could soon be available for transplant.

#Mobile: China: over 731 million Internet users…
… 95% of usage via mobile smartphones.

#Mobile: Americans who get news on mobile device: up to 72% today.
… and, in fact, GenX spends more time on social media than Millennials.

#Power: China builds world’s largest solar farm

#Robots: anything can be automated, even fashion modelsv.

#Shopping: Amazon captures 50% of all online spending in the USA.
… 50% of US households on Amazon Prime, 50% of shopping searches start on Amazon.
… Stands to grow: in 5 years, 20% of US $3.6 trillion retail will be online, Amazon 66%

Quotable

Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties. ~C.S. Lewis.

How well we communicate is determined not by how well we say things but how well we are understood. ~Andy Grove

If it doesn’t get scheduled, it doesn’t get done. ~Chris Ducker

If you wait for inspiration to write you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter. ~Dan Poynter

If Christians worshipped only when they felt like it, there would be precious little worship. ~Eugene Peterson

Connectedness increases your capacity. ~Dr. Henry Cloud

Busyness kills kindness. -Jon Weece

Justin Long, a missionary researcher serving with Beyond (a Missio Nexus member) provides the Weekly Roundup. Sign up to get it every week or visit his daily blog: justinlong.org. Member organizations can provide content to the Missio Nexus website. See how by clicking here.

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