Weekly Reading: The Plague in Mada, Christianity, Writing at large, Getting Kids into College, Downs PSA, a total eclipse of AFRICOM and Mandatory FAO reading

Doing some catch-up posting after a long weekly reading hiatus. Now that I am back stateside, I hope to bring back this regular column.


The plague, alive and well in Madagascar
Yup--we keep it old school here on the Red Island

Why is Christianity the right religion?
I always enjoy hearing from Ravi Zacharias

From HBR to Mashable: How to Be a Guest Writer on 11 Popular Sites
Great reference doc for budding writerpreneurs!

Olivia Wilde stars in powerful PSA for World Down Syndrome Day
My wonderful uncle Dutch has down syndrome and this PSA is a great one that shows people with down syndrome are not to be pitied.

Advice College Admissions Officers Give Their Own Kids
Storing this one way for ten years from now.  The article contains a wide swath of advice from admissions officers at different universities.

Why the US needs AFRICOM
...and I need you more than ever...it's a total eclipse of the heart!  Sorry, where was I.  Some good soundbites for your next argument.

How Not to Make Disciples (Francis Chan Video)
Chan keeps it real and real funny.

Getting to Si, Ja, Oui, Hai, and Da
This is an incredible read.  I put in on my FAO (Foreign Area Officer) Mandatory Reading List/PQS page for good reason.  The author breaks down the myriad ways negotiations or relationship often break down across different cultures.  Absolutely vital reading for anyone working in cultures outside the US.

Janitor Felt Invisible Until One Changed His Life
Feel good story about common decency amongst the oft-maligned millenial generation.

Weekly Reading: Down Syndrome, Maritime militias, Refugees, Fathers' Love, Netflix Secrets, Pro-Life and BPC primer

In Defense Of Down Syndrome Children...Like My Son
Love this.  Love my Uncle Dutch with down syndrome!

We must allow life in our world that doesn't follow our scripted narrative. We must have the courage to choose that which is good over what is convenient.

Why the rush to rid the world of people like Cade?

TRAILBLAZERS IN WARFIGHTING: THE MARITIME MILITIA OF DANZHOU
If you are a WestPac SWO or PACOM FAO this is mandatory reading.  CIMSEC puts out some great stuff.

City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp by Ben Rawlence
I try to read everything that Tristan McConnell writes.  His review of this book is stuck behind a paywall but I've added the book to my reading list for this year.


President Obama challenges pro-lifers to join March for Life (sort of)
A clever little video that juxtaposes the president's concern for shooting victims (which is admirable) with his support for abortion.  To me, being pro-life means being pro-gun control as well.

Why Every Girl Longs for a Father’s Love
Jut a nice reminder on why being a dad is so important...and why being an intentional dad is so important!

Netflix Has A Ton Of Secret Movie Categories And Here’s How To Access Them
Some cool little hacks to better search for movies on Netflix.  For example, http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/25804 will give you all the military shows that they carry. Rom-Coms are under 5475

Mini Object Lesson: No, There Are Not 100 Eskimo Words for "Snow"
haha, I love a good etymological deep dive!

What Is “Building Partner Capacity?” Issues for Congress
These CRS reports are great.  If there was a Foreign Area Officer PQS, this would be one of the source documents.