March 26, 2015

+ Article - "Don't be that Gen-Y Guy" by Jack Otter at Men's Fitness - This should be required reading for every young man or woman entering the work force.  It is also a great reminder for mentors that a society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.  Read it here.

+ Article - "The Unclassified Laws of Etiquette" by Brett and Kate McKay at The Art of Manliness - Our society would be better off if we paid more attention to courteous behavior.  Read more here.

I did not get a chance to do much reading this week, but I have been listening to a lot of great soul and R&B.  Enjoy.  I accept no responsibility for the consequences of the romantic feelings inspired by these songs.

+ Song - "Sugarfoot" by Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears - If you don't dance to this you have no soul.

+ Song - "Call Me" by St. Paul and The Broken Bones - This white boy went to church!

+ Song - "When You're Here" by John Fullbright - So many feelings.

+ Song - "007 (Shanty town)" by Desmond Dekker and the Aces.  Get happy.

+ Song - "Deed I Do" by Ray Charles - Truly a genius.

+ Art - The Kennedys from Shopped Tatoos - Artist Unknown.

March 19, 2015

+ Article - "The Science of Near Death Experiences" by Gideon Lichfield at The Atlantic - When I was in junior high someone gave me a book describing the near death experience of a young man.  The idea has always fascinated me, as I think it does us all, because it is the closest we get this side of the big sleep to knowing what is on the other side.  Read it here.

+Story - "The Grand Voyage" by John Middendorf - When I was young I would page through copies of Climbing Magazine and read about my heroes in the climbing world.  This story stuck with me.  Read it here.

+ Article - "The Biggest Threat to America's Future is...America" by John Cassidy at The New Yorker - I wish everyone in Congress would read this article and take its point to heart.  Scoring political points ahead of crafting good policy is bad for business.  Read it here.

+ Article - "Teaching Doubt" by Lawrence M. Krauss at The New Yorker - Nothing is sacred.  Read it here.

+ List - "Harper's Index" from Harper's Magazine (April 2015) - Don't go witching in India.  Read it here.

+ Article - "The Good News About Obamacare" by John Cassidy at The New Yorker.  Read it here.

+ Article - "Why was a 9th Century Viking Woman Buried with a Ring that says 'for Allah' on it?" by Adam Taylor at The Washington Post.  We need GPS to visit places in our own cities.  Our ancestors traveled vast distances using nothing more than the stars, and it has always amazed me how far people traveled in antiquity.  Read about it here.

+ Art - Kandinsky (1913) - In honor of Mrs. Hulsey.

March 12, 2015

+ Article - "Where the Bodies are Buried" by Patrick Radden Keefe - A fascinating long-form article on "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland.  Read it here.

+ Article - "Report: CIA Has Tried for Years to Break into Apple Gear" by Issie Lapowsky at Wired - I'm not sure if I should feel comforted that my Apple products are secure, or scared that the CIA can't beat the encryption.  Read it here.

+ Article - "Richer and Poorer" by Jill Lepore at The New Yorker - Income inequality is real, and we in the middle class have as much to fear from it as those at the bottom.  Read it here.

+ Articles - "Congress's Poison-Pen Letter to Iran" by Amy Davidson at The New Yorker and "Congress Tries to go Beyond Trolling on Foreign Policy" by Daniel Drezner at The Washington Post - I have no idea what to think about this event.  Our government has been absolutely baffling lately.  Read them here and here.

+ Venn Diagrams - "The Art of War in 7 Charts" created by Jessica Hagy - People have been applying the principals from The Art of War to much more than war for ages.  Seeing the principals in chart form is fascinating.  See them here.

+ Article - "How Parents Create Narcissistic Children" by Lenny Bernstein - I really don't want to mess this up.  Read more here.

+ Article - "12 Examples of Evolution Happening Right Now" by Erin Bodwin at Business Insider.  Recommended by the illustrious Mrs. Hulsey.  It is real and it is happening.  Science.  Read it here.

+ Article - "So When is it Going to Be Time" by Kara Swisher - A look at the open letter written by Google CFO Patrick Pichette regarding his impending retirement.  Do your values drive your decision making?  Read it here.

+ Art - "The Entombment of Christ" (1603-1604) by Caravaggio.

March 5, 2015

Article - "Break-in at Y-12" by Eric Schlosser at The New Yorker - A really interesting story that happened right here at home.  Read it here.

Article - "A Brewing Problem" by James Hamblin at The Atlantic - I actually hesitated to include this article because I do not want to contribute to anyone's sense of guilt.  I go through a lot of K-cups and I'm apparently part of the problem.  Read about it here.

Article - "Why Audiophiles are Paying $1,000 for this Man's Vinyl" by Rene Chun at Wired.  Everything you could ever want to know about why Vinyl sounds so good.  Read it here.

Book - "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy - I realize that this book came out in 1985, but I have read it at least once a year since I first picked it up when I was 26.  Much has been made of this novel and I have nothing new to add to the discussion.  It is difficult, and scary, and beautiful, and funny, and rewarding in a way that is hard to describe.  It takes effort - something I think all great books require.  Buy the paperback here, and travel with it.

Article - "Christian, or Feminist?" by Emma Green at The Atlantic - I don't think anyone in the church is really talking about sexuality and gender in a way that younger generations identify with.  Read more here.

Article - "Netanyahu's Zero-sum Game on Iran" by David Ignatious at The Washington Post - This was certainly the biggest news story this week, and it feels like it was ripped straight from an episode of House of Cards.  Read about it here.

Video - "Love Has no Labels" - Deal with it.  Watch it here.

Art - "Still-life with Dead Game, Fruits, and Vegetables in a Market" (1614) by Frans Snyders.