Weekly Reading: Washington's Study, Rosewood Riches, Ragamuffins, Biblical Iliteracy, Sean Penn and One Important Quesiton

A Well-Organized Study
I don't normally put these articles in any order but when I saw I had this one near the bottom I moved it up to the very top.  MY FAVORITE READ FROM THIS PAST WEEK.  A USNA Classmate has put together a detailed look and program for organizing your digital life.

Madagascar continue de fermer les yeux sur le trafic du bois de rose
Some key quotes for my non-francophone readers regarding rosewood trafficking in Madagascar:
- From one diplomat--The entire world is sick and tired of Madagascar's double talk
- No one can even really measure the amount of natural resources being pillaged by Madagascar's political elite

LEARNING FROM RICH MULLINS – A RAGAMUFFIN AT THE DOOR OF GOD’S MERCY
Will definitely check out this movie from about two years back

Life aboard a hospital ship
Great short article on the great work done by the volunteers at Mercy Ships!

‘Excellent Daughters,’ by Katherine Zoepf
Looks like a very interesting read by someone who worked for years with these women.


 My Last Day as a Surgeon
Ugh, a heart breaking article excerpted from the surgeon's swan song/book.

























We’ve lost our consciousness of the Bible
This article hits the nail on the head as the majority of the news/media establishment no longer has even a modicum of knowledge regarding what many Americans still believe.

Sean Penn is a college freshman’s Che Guevara T-shirt personified
For real though.  Talk about the lack of a moral compass.

Why We Write About War
The short answer: We write to know we are not alone.

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF YOUR LIFE
Such a great post: what do you want so much that you are willing to endure pain to achieve/get it?

Brookings: Foresight Africa--Top Priorities for the Continent in 2016
A good reference and starting point for analysis.

What I Read Last Week: Lonely Rats, the Libya Novel You Never Knew About, BMX in Mada, Blind Hikers and an Age 18 List for Your Kids

The War on Loneliness
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.

A LIBYAN NOVEL YOU SHOULD READ

It was only recently translated from Italian into English.  It's billed as a multi-generational fictional history of Libya beginning from the 1900s in the vein of the epic The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street --one of my favorites.  I just started it and am adding it to my 2015 Reading List.  

A Stage Across the Sea An unjustly-neglected Libyan novelist captured the twisted logic of colonialism, past and present. 
In which a very intelligent writer named Ursula Lindsey lays out exactly why The Confines of the Shadow is such an important book.

DADA | The Malagasy Trialist
Cool little video about a Malagasy stunt bike rider named Dada up in Nosy Be.

The blind hiker who takes on the wilderness
Don't need to say much more than the title.   The hiker described has started a cool charity called The Far Sight Foundation .  He was the first blink hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail--check out his website.

CASH FAMILY “AGE 18 LIST” FOR OUR KIDS
A great post from the Chaplain for Mercy Ships that is here in Madagascar right now.  In it he offers a template to write out your hopes for your children by the time they turn 18.  Working backward from that then gives you an ability to build up those characteristics in your children.