A great post related to the exploding heroin addiction problem in the United States. Turns out addiction is less pronounced and powerful when people are in community. People crave relationships...we were made for them.
Cool little video about a Malagasy stunt bike rider named Dada up in Nosy Be.
A preacher's journey toward an expansive understanding of pro-life the grew from one focused on protecting the unborn to also protecting life in general through gun control. Personally, I tend to agree that protecting the unborn goes hand in hand with fighting gun violence from a consistency aspect.
While we're reading about the value of life, this is a sober account of what the aftermath of a missile strike looks like for civilians. So often, the actuality of these events are masked behind passive headlines--it's important to remember that a person's value is independent of their country of origin and that government's relationship to another.
An intriguing and frightening glimpse into the seedy underworld of Japan's crime world. The depth to which the photographer seems to have been lulled into its pull speaks to families' power--he glosses over the deleterious aspects of their existence quickly--ignoring the implications of prostitution, bribery and corruption.
I will just give you the rule: "If an argument crosses over from anger to contempt, it needs to stop immediately."
This is a bit
more of Moyo's "Dead Aid" redux...foreign aid comes in so many shapes and flavors it is quite difficult to quantify on a purely economic/quantitative basis. For example, you can't really quantify the economic effect of 15 million mosquito nets for example. On the other end of the spectrum sometimes those nets are used by fishermen instead...the best aspect that the author highlights is the difficult of quantifying aid since so many of the variables are micro (i.e., local) ones.
The third installment of an expected 17 volumes of Hemingway's letters. Hemingway is one of my favorite writers (along with
Salter and
Markham) so this volume will automatically get added to my Amazon wish list. Evidently Hemingway was not as stoic and guarded in his letters as he was in his fiction.
A fascinating look at the poor tired huddled masses that have come to the US from around the world over the past 100 years. Who knew that the largest immigrant population group in South Dakota is Ethiopia...and in PA is China.
For whatever reason I've been coming across a lot of
Libya-Italy articles/literature. Unfortunately, Scego's novel has yet to be translated into English. BUT, I'm currently reading another Italian-Libyan author named Spina's newly-ish translated
The Confines of the Shadow--a century long look at life and colonization in Italy.
In the meantime you can read one of Scega's translated short stories:
Sausages
The age old question. And an article that examines the important question of territorial sovereignty as a function of state legitimacy.
Project cure. I am hard pressed to see a better way to spend $100.
Yeah, the title of the article says it all. Not an impossibility 100 years from now.
A lovely little vignette that captures the special relationship enjoyed by the children of ex-pats and their household help.
CJ Chivers is pretty much the man when it comes to reporting and this is an amazing tribute to him but also to the importance of family.
Quick summary--a ton. If you are an American, South Africa is pretty much the most awesome place to vacation right now. The dollar is super strong--you can live like a prince there. An amazing dinner for two with apps, dinner, dessert, bottle of wine at a nice restaurant will run you maybe $40...it's crazy--why haven't you bought your plane ticket yet.
Beautiful little vignette on Sicily but also father-son relationships.
Can't hate on the good old broil.
Before 1883 the US had over 300 different time zones--who knew? A well-researched cogent argument for ditching the daylight savings system. You can follow her on twitter here.
McConnell is quite simply one of the best reporters in Africa today. If he writes it, I read it--you should too. This is a must read article for senior military leaders and policy-makers alike. Key quote: "It matters because global terrorism and the international ivory trade are distinct problems, requiring different strategies; conflating the two risks undermining the fight against both."
Donald Miller's 'Storyline Blog' is mandatory reading for introverts (I'm a borderline introvert) and I know exactly what he means about a people hangover.
If your church or group sends Christmas shoeboxes abroad to Africa --PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE read this helpful post first.
Great article by the prolific Staviridis. Some great food for thought--I especially liked the idea of integrating the Af-Pak hands cadre across appropriate military planning staffs. And of course, I also appreciation his plug for foreign area officers.
A rather complex wicked problem here in Madagascar. Over 60% of children in Madagascar suffering from stunting--that is to say, chronic and lasting malnutrition that not only affect height but also long-term cognitive ability.
Looks like an interesting new magazine--but unfortunately the only way to read it is to download it as a PDF...not the most user friendly.
Short explanation: crack down on the financial flow from Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
Published this past March, this is THE definitive 'scenesetter' on ISIS and its origins--a terrifying read.
Ezra Klein breaks it down a very complex subject in a digestible manner.
A good historical background on Saudi.
A great read and a challenging article about the dangers of unguided tolerance.
21 Steps is quite thorough BUT not one of them involves checking their facebook/twitter accounts.
This story will blow your mind! I never had any idea about Squanto's incredible path.
A good reminder about preparing ours hearts for Christmas
Born to Run is one of my favorite books and made me fall in love with running.
Fascinating look at what makes a state a state and the wide disparity in Africa.
Such a beautifully written article about language, culture, identity and writing--a piece that will be cherished by every English major.
Terrific geeky article on the history and eclectic path of the English language.
An interesting idea by RZA...truly turning music into art. A better execution might have been to sell it to a museum and that way people would have to physically travel to the museum to listen to the album.
So this dude just got arrested on securities fraud--guess he got what he had coming to him. Guess he can try out his Wu-Tang style in prison, en garde.
Great little vignette on good old Mister Rogers.
Good OSC work being done to consolidate lessons learned from the Ebola crisis in West Africa.
Fascinating article...you likely won't guess the largest constituency buying up land in Africa--you will have to click to find out. While you are clicking, check out two great books below.
I've been on quite a few flights out here where I've spent most of the time praying...that the plane wouldn't fall apart.
Brit Ash Dyke is attempting to become the first person to traverse the world's 4th largest island on foot.
These are the types of articles every American should read. Islam, the Koran and Islamism are too often simplified and then misunderstood by our society at large. On its face, the idea of wearing the 'hijab' in solidarity seems to be a praiseworthy idea but as the author demonstrates running through the Koran, the 'hijab' is used in many muslim cultures to denigrate and control women. And on the other side of the argument, in some cultures wearing the 'hijab' is nearly devoid of any religious connotation.
A beautifully written piece that should be mandatory reading for everyone--especially anyone with a knee-jerk reaction in either direction.
Great book review by
BJ Armstrong that completely sold me on the need for this book to be on every naval officer's bookshelf...filled with highlights.
This is the reading list you wish you were smart enough to tackle. That said, I did find a few books (that I may or may not understand) to add to my wish list (below)
--one of my favorites. I just started it and am adding it to my 
