What I Read last Week: Language Learning, Cobblers, South Sudan and Academics Fear of Actually Being Read

Prison Revolt A former law-and-order conservative takes a lead on criminal-justice reform.

An unlikely story about a sector that sorely needs reform.

A Labor Day look inside a Naval Academy tradition - the cobbler shop 

I've got mad respect for cobblers, much like the disappearing shoeshine stand, they are a dying breed. If you invest in nice dress shoes, a good cobbler is a godsend.  I've had several shoes resoled through the years and I personally preferred them in their repaired state to when I first bought them.  

Everyday Life in a Fragile State
Eye opening read on life in South Sudan.  

Citations are not enough: Academic promotion panels must take into account a scholar’s presence in popular media.
I like the disruption suggestion of making academic literature more relevant...and more widely read.

On Learning & Losing Language: A Reading List
Six fascinating articles on learning languages.