April 2, 2015

+ Article - "The Audacity of Talking About Race With the Ku Klux Klan" by Conor Friedersdorf at The Atlantic - Now this is discipleship.  Read it here.

+ Article - "The Nerd Hunter" by Stephen Rodrick at The New Yorker - The lady responsible for my generation's greatest comedy casting.  Read it here.

+ Article - "Born Red" by Evan Osnos at The New Yorker - A profile of China's Xi Jinping.  He leads the world's most populated country and its largest economy.  You should know who he is.  Read about him here.

+ Guidebook - "Leashing the Black Dog" by Brett and Kate McKay at The Art of Manliness - More of us deal with depression than we think and no one really talks about it.  Read about it here.

+ Article - "The War Over Vaping's Health Risks is Getting Dirty" by Danielle Venton at Wired - I do not approve of vaping.  That is all.  Read it here.

+ Website - "SV Delos" - I am currently obsessed with sailing and these people have found a pretty
interesting way to do what they love.  See it here.

+ Article - "Fathers, You Can't Afford a Stay at Home Mom" by Steven Nelms at We Are Glory.  I know I can't afford mine.  Read it here.

+Art? - "Fresh From the Oven" (2015) by Jessica Hagy at Indexed.

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.

February 26, 2015

Article - "Why Everyone Was Wrong with Net Neutrality" by Tim Wu at The New Yorker - This is a huge deal.  Read about it here.

Article - "Xiaomi’s Great New Phone Is a Lot Like an iPhone. Apple Should Take Note" by Marcus Wohlsen at Wired - They need a competitor.  Read it here.

Biography - "The Life of Jack London" by Brett and Kate McKay at The Art of Manliness - I didn't know Jack London was half as interesting as he is.  It is an eleven part series, but totally worth the time.  Read it here.  His credo...

I would rather be ashes than dust! 

I would rather that my spark should burn out 

    in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. 

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom 

    of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. 

The function of man is to live, not to exist. 

I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. 

I shall use my time. 

Article - "The Source of Contentment" by Leo Babauta at Zen Habits.  We all need this reminder.  Read it here.

Maps - "The Religious States of America, in 22 Maps" by Niraj Chokshi at The Washington Post - Recommended by my friend Josh Hill - Find your way here.

Article - "Why Schools are Failing Our Boys" by Jennifer Fink at The Washington Post - Also recommended by Mr. Hill - Are we killing their spirits?  Read it here.

Knowledge - "The Harvard Classics" selected by Charles W. Eliot - I started working my way through these last year, and it is an amazing free collection of the great works.  Read them here.

Art - "Mark" (1979) by Chuck Close.

February 4, 2015

+Lecture - "How School Kills Creativity" by Ken Robinson.  Funny and thought provoking.  Watch it here.

+Article - "U.S. Tax Code Travesty" by John Cassidy of The New Yorker - we are a stupid people sometimes.  Read it here.

+Article - "The Common Core has not Killed Literature" by Meaghan Freeman of The Atlantic - the response to last week's article (here).  Read it here.

+Book - “The Modern Gentleman – A Guide to Essential Manners, Savvy, and Vice” – by Phineas Mollod and Jason Tesauro - I've always loved etiquette manuals for some reason and I think being a gentleman is a dying art.  I gave a copy of this one to all of my groomsman and I think that its both interesting and funny.  Buy it here.

+Office - What's in your drawer?  Read this.

+Article - "Fathering With Intentionality: The Importance of Creating a Family Culture” by Brett and Kate McKay - this article really got me thinking about being intentional in how I go about crafting our family culture.  Read it here.

+Listen - "Ode to Viceroy" by Mac Demarco.  This is just good.

+Art - "The General" by Unknown - In honor of Ground Hog Day.

January 15, 2015

+ Article - "Love is All You Need" by Brett and Kate McKay from the Art of Manliness - insights from the longest longitudinal study on men ever conducted.  A fascinating read on the power of love.  Read it here.

+ Podcast - This American Life "Batman" - an inspiring look at the power of positive expectations, and the damage done when we expect too little.  It has nothing to do with The Caped Crusader.   Listen here.

+ Article - "God is at Work in Your Unremarkable Days" by John Bloom from Desiring God - what was God doing in that incredible expanse of unrecorded time in Genesis?  Read it here.

+ Article - "Satire Lives" by Adam Gopnik from The New Yorker - the right to mock and blaspheme; and the danger of diminishing the sacrifice of those murdered at Charlie Hebdo if we give their actions and art too noble a tint.  Read it here.

+ Book - "I'll Drink to That" by Betty Halbreich - the memoir of Bergdorf Goodman's legendary personal shopper.  Ignore the clothes if you want.  Great observations on materialism, family, vocation, and a part of American life that doesn't exist anymore.  Buy it here or download it for free at your local library.

+ Podcast - Serial - I realize I am late to the party in singing this podcast's praises, but this is a captivating story and is incredibly well produced.  I listened to the entire thing in three days.  Listen here.

+ Quote - "Hot baths, cold champagne, new peas, and old brandy." Sir Winston Churchill on the necessities of life.

+Painting - "The Monk by the Sea" (1808-1810) - by Caspar David Friedrich.