Weekly Reading: A Racist Repents, North Korean "Art", Pressure Points, and Fasting

Hold on, before you “give up something for Lent”
A good thoughtful post from my old Pastor in DC on the nature and history of fasting--especially as it's tied in to Easter.

All-but-forgotten artist Trotter brought into the limelight in new film ‘Many Beautiful Things’

The Study-Abroad Solution How to Open the American Mind
Foreign Affairs only lets you read one article a month...but if you go to the link and CTRL+Print the article before scrolling down, the whole article will come up in print preview--then you just save it as a PDF.

North Korea's biggest export? Giant statues. To African dictators.
Their art studio has a website here.  You are welcome.  OH, and the site also has a link to the handcrafted posters here.  Unbelievably these are all serious posters.  Seeing them reminded me of the Orphan Master's Son--a phenomenal novel by Adam Johnson.

Let’s Sweat More in Training for the World Championship

A ruthless defender of apartheid now seeks forgiveness
Powerful and unbelievable story of reconciliation, forgiveness is South Africa.  In this story's case, one of the most evil men in South Africa repents and gets down on his knees and washes the feet of a black man.

Know These Pressure Points that Can Relieve Stress

Of Penises, Presidents and Polygamy

Of Penises and Presidents

You can't make this stuff up.  Incredible article by Max Fisher today in the Atlantic that recaps and analyzes the ongoing controversy over the extracurricular activities of South Africa's president Jacob Zuma (married 6 times, currently has 4 wives).  

Below are two of the images at the center of the controversy in South Africa.  Fisher's article is excellent because he delves into the country's history and points to key points that explain the outrage and inflammation.  

Here's a key paragraph from Fisher's article:

" This is a remarkably touchy issue for both whites and blacks in South Africa. Though Apartheid is over, some of its economic and political legacies are not: a recent New York Times article from Cape Town, "In a Divided City, Many Blacks See Echoes of White Superiority," glimpses at the still-remaining barriers between the two racial groups. With Nelson Mandeal's quest for racial equality and harmony still very much a work in progress, it's understandable that black citizens can be sensitive about perceived reinforcements, as in these controversial artworks, of the old racial order."

You should also follow Fisher on twitter at @max_fisher

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/how-the-presidents-penis-got-in-the-middle-of-south-africas-thorny-racial-politics/259748/