Last year I did a series of posts on my little obsession with books. You can read them HERE, HERE, and HERE. In one of those posts, I shared what books I read by mid-January. As the year is coming to a close, it's time to share the entire 2012 reading list.
I would say, it's been a great year! 19 books! Unfortunately, I made almost zero progress on my list of half-read books, maybe that's my first New Year's resolution for 2013.
3. HOW KARZAI COULD MAKE HIMSELF A HERO - A good reminder that Afghanistan has elections coming up in 2014, and just how good we have it here in the U.S. If your looking for some good Middle East blogs check out the Al Monitor's list of Top 35 Middle East Blogs.
I came across this website Reconsitution2012. It takes the entire debate and using algoriths and code, breaks it down into stats, key phrases, mood in the debate. Check out the video -
Prior to the debate the NYTimes published an article "THE DEBATABLE WORLD" highlighting some of the important nuances of foreign policy which are inevitable lost in a stark, public debate.
Next up...third party candidates. Let's expand our options!
With the final debate coming up tonight, I find myself continuing to ponder the candidates, their values, their propaganda, and (for us in California) the myriad of propositions I have to vote on. I am going to attempt to post here more frequently this week, so if there are any questions your pondering, or musings you have let me know! Let's put our heads together and have a virtual discussion!!
Prop 35 - The CASE ACT - It is an anti-trafficking proposition, which up until about an hour ago I was 100% behind. Then (in a small spat of sleeplessness last night) I came across a blog (NO ON PROPOSITION 35 - THE CAE ACT), curated by lawyers, and anti-trafficking advocates who are against it. Imagine my surprise! Even if you aren't living in CA, and voting on this, it's interesting to read. It lays out two distinctly different world views on how to combat trafficking, and if the emphasis should be on the criminalization and punishment or on the recovery of the victim. I'm personally on the fence.
The second article I read this weekend was "THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO OBAMA" on CNN.com. Initially I hesitated to post this, it seems controversial and a bit divisive. However, I think there are a couple of really thought provoking points, which are worth keeping in mind when thinking about our current President and his faith. We white protestant christians tend to think of our faith in a very white way. The article (about half way through) gives the reader a quick less on the "black liberation theology" and the Social Gospel movement. He says, "This is the first time we're hearing the Social Gospel from the perspective of the black church from the Oval Office. It makes it warmer, more emotive, more communal...There is less fear of linking the Social Gospel with the stories of the Bible, especially the stories of Exodus and Jesus' healings." He goes on to say, "The emphasis on community uplift - not individual attainment - may strike some Americans as socialist. But the emphasis on community is part of [Dr.] King's "Beloved Community...When I listen to Obama I don't hear communism, I hear the Beloved Community, but a lot of white American's don't hear that because they never sat in those churches and heard it over and over again. It's the whole theology that motivated MLK and the civil rights movement."
Regardless of what you believe and where you fall on the political spectrum, I think the glimpse into the world view and foundation of President Obama's faith is one to pause and take note of. What is it that shapes your world view/faith/political position?
1. In 1956, a gentleman played on a game show called "I've Got a Secret." Wanna guess his secret?
Click HERE to watch the video and find out. It will blow your mind.
5. The 1906 earthquake here in San Francisco is still something people talk about. A local photographer took the original photos from the earthquake and combined them with photos of the current day San Francisco. It's a great composite of old and new. Click HERE to see the photos.
I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." S. Grellet
3. Some politics - If you missed the VP debate earlier this week CBS has done us all a favor and put the entier debate online. You can see it here. In addition, PBS has some great resources - THE CHOICE 2012 & THE FRONTLINE INTERVIEWS. Speaking of PBS, since Mitt publicly said he'd stop funding them, there's been a firestorm of information and public outcry. I loved the visual nature of this one, "PBS IS AMERICA'S LARGEST CLASSROOM"
This is my first year voting in a California election, and while I feel confident in my ability to learn about candidates and their values and ambitions, California propositions are a whole other animal. I'm less confident in the information out there, and in the transparency of what I'm reading, or even in finding out what all the propositions are before the election. It is daunting.
[enter co-worker]
Fortunately, I have some great co-workers who are just as concerned and interested in this stuff as I am. This morning someone shared a blog outlining Prop 30 and Prop 38. If your a California voter, it's worth a read. Children's education isn't something I really want to choose based on "ennie, meenie, miny, mo"
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
1. Did you know Google has started mapping the ocean! Check out this article - Google Maps Goes Diving, Provides “Seaview” Of Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii and Philippines j.mp/TxZIju. 2. Did you know spiders have clear blood due to a lack of hemoglobin. 3. By gone America - a photo blog of the past 4. This week the U.N. General Assembly is gathering. Here are some of the highlights and commentary
5. In conjunction this week the Clinton Global Initiative hosted it's annual event. Both Obama and Mitt gave speeches. As did Tim Brown (CEO of IDEO) as well as a couple additional colleagues. The video's are worth checking out if your interested in the intersection of development and design.
As of Wednesday Egypt Muslim Brotherhood called for nationwide protests outside mosques on Friday against anti-Islam film. [UPDATE: The Muslim Brotherhood said in an online message Friday morning that it was “canceling” its call for a nationwide protest against the offensive video and would bring only a “symbolic” demonstration to Tahrir Square.] Matt Wahsniedler pointed out that the "focus is on Libya, but should be on Egypt. Libyan government has weak forces and apologized. Morsi/Muslim Brotherhood has a huge military and has called for more protests"
I read that the Muslim Brotherhood (party of the current President) is avidly engaged in double-talk. In English they called the embassy attack "irresponsible" and separately in Arabic called it "Egyptians rising up to support the Prophet"
Did you know that China's Vice President Xi Jinping has been 'absent' for the past 12 days, and has abruptly canceled appointments with various foreign dignitaries who were there to see him (including Secretary of State Hilary Clinton). Check out this article - China silence on Xi Speculation Contrasts with Past Denials
Now that both conventions have come to a close, I thought I'd put up speeches from each conventions major speakers. Let's compare their values, and platforms side by side. Where do you stand? Do you really think that the party you most closely align yourself with will actually be able to fulfill their lofty goals and ambitions? Or are you fed up with all this already?
The Wall Street Journal has also compiled videos of all their speeches and posted them here, in case you'd rather watch them.
Personally, after watching the two conventions, I have to say, I may not agree with the Democratic platform and their views on the role of the government. However, I walked away feeling ridiculously inspired, and uplifted and excited about the future. Their tone was vastly different from the Republican conventions. I should be upfront, I love Joe Biden. It would be hard for me not to like his speech and Obama is just a great orator.
I think in this election (as in the last) presentation and marketing is half the battle. The Republicans are still behind the eight ball (in my opinion) they need to step up the marketing and branding. They can't just shout that Obama is the devil and dragging us down, they need to inspire and light the way. I think Obama may beat them again just with slogans, videos, and genuine use of social media. The Republican convention still seemed 5 years behind the times.
I also couldn't help but notice, that the Republican convention was filled with white caucasians; while the Democratic convention was filled with white's and blacks, and hispanics, and the old and the young. Republicans, need to expand the base. The last census told us that white caucasian american's will be the minority by 2050. If they can't engage the rest of the country they will have no place in politics. Or they will be overrun by extremist groups, which might be worse.
1. @Global_Bearings "[CHART] @NYT US surges ahead of others as arms supplier to developing world; 79% of global total in 2011 - pic.twitter.com/Tks0JKmX"
Here's a link to the full NYT article - www.nytimes.com
2. @danatgu "If your reading FP's #AfricaRising slideshow, just go ahead and read McKinsey's excellent growth report too: bit.ly/Pz8wyN (will download PDF).
Here's a link to the original Foreign Policy article "Lions on the Move"
3. @Washingtonpost "Iran and North Korea sign technological cooperation agreement, deepening ties wapo.st/OIUkWN" & @MicahZenko "US intel officials said they have no evidence Iran's leaders have decided to take the final steps toward a weapon." nyti.ms/TQo42y
4. @blakehounshell "RT @JacksonDiehl: My column today focuses on major foreign policy differences between Obama and Romney wapo.st/OJRygm
5. @sarahkendzior "The Peace Corps has now been kicked out of every Central Asian country except Kyrgyzstan pik.tv/en/news/story...
Something fun...because today feels like a Monday...
@LettersOfNote "In 1970, as Willy Wonka was being filmed, director Mel Stuart sent a fascinating progress report to the producer: bit.ly/T2c0gS
1. Slugfest 2012: The Making of The Atlantic's September cover - As campaigns heat up, I find the marketing side of it all very fascinating. All the propaganda, from both sides, as well as what newspapers and magazines put out to create the drum beat of election season.
This is another great video - combining the video above and the actual observation room with all the engineers and scientists as the landing was happening.
(borrowed from the St. John's weekly newsletter, thanks Fr. Chris for writing it!)
"The Gospel from this past Sunday was the familiar story of the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-21). Jesus goes up on a mountain with his disciples and a large crowd gathers around. Jesus asks Philip where they will buy bread to feed the people. Philip responds that six months wages would not buy enough bread. Andrew says there is a boy in the crowd with five loaves and two fish, adding "but what are they among so many people?" Jesus essentially celebrates a eucharist and the result is left overs. As I said in my sermon, the essential element of the story is the contrast between scarcity and abundance. To Jesus' impulse to feed the people is met with the response, "There isn't enough." It's worth noting that none of the disciples object to feeding the crown, their concern is that their isn't enough money to buy enough food nor enough food to share. How often in our lives do we echo the words of the disciples, "There isn't enough." There isn't enough time or money. We approach things from a position of scarcity, worried that using dwindling resources will lead to failure, so why even try. But Jesus looks at the same resources and decides to be as generous as possible with them. Instead of saying "there isn't enough" Jesus says, "lets share what is at hand" and the result is abundance. Jesus is not motivated by fear but by generous and abundant love."
A key figure in the passage is the boy, whom we presume has come forward to offer his five loaves and two fish. He is the one character who models the generosity to which the passage calls us. The presence of the boy offering his foods calls to mind the line from Mathew 18:3, "unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." In being generous with our time, our money, our patience, our care for others we move from a place of scarcity into the abundance of God."
Thor has taken up a new habit. He likes to sit on your feet. It's kind of nice, keeps the toes warm.
AND we got accepted into puppy kindergarden!! YEA!!!! I know this is a dumb thing to pray about, but we really need an extra hand and it was such a relief to get in. First class is Monday.
Yesterday we went to the vet for the first time. They weighed Thor and he weighs 28lbs!! That's 3lbs more than just a handful of days ago. Wow!
After being at the vets we went to our favorite cafe for breakfast, Thor was so excited by all the activity happening. There were loads of people who wanted to pet him (of coure) and then several cyclists and their bikes. He, in his excitement, ran right into a bike's chain ring. He's had a nice black grease stain on his forehead since. As a result Jay has started calling him "chain ring."
Another cute moment yesterday, was with another local family who we have seen at Cibo before. They are a french family and have the cutest, little toehead of a girl. She is maybe 3, and apparently LOVES animals. Her dad told us that she has already said she wants to be a pet doctor when she grows up. She came right over and put her face against Thor's face and he gave her a huge kiss! She kept coming out to where we were sitting to talk with Thor. She even brought her napkin an laid it over his butt while he was napping. She tucked him in! So adorable.
We've had some difficulty getting Thor to listen to us this weekend. He's not coming when we ask, he's been overly "nippy" when he wants to play. I'm pretty exhausted. We found a puppy kindergarden class close to our home AND in the evenings after work (sad how hard this was to find). I sent our application in yesterday and all weekend I just keep hoping and praying that the class isn't full and that we get in. I personally could really use some support on this journey. I'm sure it will make Thor happier and less confused too.
1. THE VALUE OF TIME - At what rate do you value your time right now? I mean, if you were to quantify what your time is worth in a dollar amount, what would it be and how would that impact your choices? This is a great article by the CEO of a start-up, sharing how he manages and prioritizes based on a monetary value of his time.
2. THE ATHLETE - Howard Schartz and Beverly Ornstein did a photoshoot of Olympic athletes. It's amazing to see the variety of body types, sizes, and shapes.
3. SOMALI REFUGEES TOP ONE MILLION MARK, SAYS UN AGENCY - The Somali government was toppled 21 years ago, and the country continues to be devestated by violence and power-plays. As the article says, this is "one of the world's longest and worst refugee crisis."
4. ETHIOPIA ROCKED BY MASSIVE MUSLIM PROTESTS - I find the tension between religious groups throughout Africa, very fascinating. The complex relationships between Christian and Muslim communities in particular, i.e. Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, etc. This article highlights some of the political power playing that happen.
5. JIHADISTS' FIERCE JUSTICE DRIVES THOUSANDS TO FLEE MALI & MALI: AVOIDING ESCALATION - Things are continuing to deteriorate in Mali this week. US counterterrorism groups continue to express concern that Mali is the next haven for terrorists. Great background article by the Crisis Group with foreign policy recommendations.
**Today is the start of Ramadan. My thoughts and prayers are with Muslims around the world. May this be a time of seeking truth, "stimulating the mind, purifying the soul, and sympathizing with those who have not. (via LupeFiasco)**
2. AFTER ATTACKS, KENYAN MUSLIMS GUARD CHRISTIAN CHURCHES & THE WITZ END - My friends Bekah and Jason live in Garissa (the northeast province of Kenya). Last Sunday they were evacuated from their home. The attacks had come too close to home, the police came to the church where they were worshiping and said they had to go. Glad my friends are safe.
I'm sure every pet owner has nicknames for their dog or cat. Jay and I have come up with quite a few, and they are a bit more non-traditional. Our favorite recently is to call Thor "dingis." I should have prefaced that with, we say that with so so so much love.
Today we took dingis to the park, he LOVES it! He got to romp in the grass and run to his little hearts content. There were a few other dogs at the park today. Two little chiwawa type dogs, super high energy ran/sprinted right over to say hi. Thor did great, he's super friendly, loves other dogs. Then there was another dog, an american bulldog, named Einstein. Einstein is deaf, but a super mello loveable dog. Thor did great, so proud.
One of the things he does is, when we go outside. Thor will often sit down mid-walk and sniff the air. He'll sit real still, but you can see his nose is firing. It's pretty cool. We also saw it today at the park, he would be trotting along and all of a sudden get hot on a scent. He's such a smart dog.
Here's a photo of Thor 9 weeks on the left and 11 weeks on the right. You can see how much he's grown in the past 2 weeks. He doesn't really fit under the couch so well, but he sure does try.
Thor will be 11 weeks old on Wednesday! Sometimes it seems like we've had him for weeks and weeks, and then I look at the calendar and realize it hasn't even been two full weeks yet. It puts things in perspective for me. I desperately want him to be perfectly obedient and do exactly what I want. You won't be shocked by this, but he doesn't.
He's got his own little personality. He doesn't like the sun, can't really blame him. He's got so much fur, it must be unbearably hot. He loves to eat mulch and dig in the gardens around our condo. He is a creature of habit. When we walk or go "out" he strongly prefers to walk the same paths, we can even predict exactly where he will hop up from the street to the sidewalk. What an amazing memory he must have to remember these things.
Today, I came back to work after the weekend, and realized how much I was whining about how hard having a puppy is. While it's true that it is more work than I anticipated, it's still an amazing experience. It reminds me of listening to Mum talk about having three small children. She could have called it the terrible two's or she could reframe it and call it the terrific twos (which she did). I can think of this time as terrible, and hard, and exhausting, and think of Thor as stubborn, and misbehaving. Or I can embrace the fact that everyday is something new for him. There's a new smell he HAS to check out. Or a new game that he gets so excited about he goes nuts. I can love him and support him, or I can resent this stage of growth.
So I am going to try and write a little bit regularly about doggie life and what I'm learning. Focus on the amazing journey and his incredible growth and development.
In additional news, today mark's the 1 year anniversary of South Sudan! Congrats to the men and women who fought long and hard for their cessation from Sudan, and continued prayers for your wisdom and fortitude in governing your new country.
Let's be honest, in this day and age, who doesn't struggle to stay on top of their email box(es). One of the fabulous designers I work with, made this awesome flow chart.
2. HOW ONE MAN SWAM TO FREEDOM AND INTO FIGHT AGAINST MODERN-DAY SLAVERY & LOVE 146 - Help put an end to child trafficking - An estimated 27 million people around the world are living as slaves. U.S. officials are saying, "that the world has never been home to more slaves than it is today." The story of Anan is inspiring, he overcame incredible odds, and is still raising awareness about others who are still trapped. If you want to donate money or time to help see other people free check out Love 146, and consider supporting my friend, Noemi, who is raising money to combat trafficking of children.
3. THE ELUSIVE BIG IDEA - "Ideas are rare" In the past, "we sought not just to apprehend the world but to truly comprehend it, which is the primary function of ideas. Great ideas explain the world and one another to us." Today, "we prefer knowing to thinking because knowing has more immediate value." "We have become information narcissists, so uninterested in anything outside ourselves and our friendship circles or in any tidbit we cannot share with those friends that if Marx or Nietzsche were suddenly to appear, blasting his ideas, no one would pay the slightest attention..." "What the future portends is more and more information - Everests of it. There won't be anything we won't know. But there will be no one thinking about it."
3. OBAMA TO PERMIT YOUNG MIGRANTS TO REMAIN IN U.S. & WHY SOME ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AREN'T CELEBRATING OBAMA'S NEW POLICY - This week President Obama made an executive order to allow thousands of children of illegal immigrants to remain in the US. I've read that this could benefit more than 800,000 young people. While it doesn't grant them "permanent legal status, it does clear the way for young illegal immigrants to come out of the shadows." I think this is a great positive way for Obama to set himself apart from the Republican candidates. While also backing them into the corner, where they will not walk away the winner. Oh politics.
This was a big week for us. First our couch was delivered! We have spent weeks sitting on our wooden porch chairs. What a reprieve to have something soft to sit on. Then yesterday our refrigerator was delivered! We've been using a mini fridge that I borrowed from work. The new one is HUGE! Wow. The house is now....complete. Until we start renovations.
1. Starting the weekend of with some poetry by Walt Whitman.
"...this is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people..." (Preface to Leaves of Grass)
"...I say to any man or woman, Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes" (Song of Myself)
2. This week the author of Fahrenheit 451 passed away. I really enjoyed this book, but have to be honest, I never gave much thought to the author. I was impressed with the quotes and stories and interviews that started pouring out with his passing. Here was a man passionate about doing what you love. He said, "Books are smart and brilliant and wise. Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life." A school teacher wrote to several high-profile people and asked them to describe overcoming an obstacle in their life. He used these letters in his class. Ray Bradbury's response is awesome! First, look at his letterhead. I'm in love! He says, "What did I learn? To be myself and only myself and never let others, prejudiced, interfere with my life. Kids, do the same. Be your own self. Love what YOU love!!" There is another letter on Letters of Note from Ray Bradbury. It's a response to a fan who was commenting on the many dangers of robots taking over the world. Ray responds by saying, "P.S. Can't resist commenting on your fears of the Disney robots...Any machine, any robot, is the sum total of the way we use it...I am not afraid of robots. I am afraid of people, people, people...I am afraid of Catholics killing Protestants and vice versa. I am afraid of whites killing blacks and vice versa. I am afraid of young killing old and vice versa...But...robots? God, I love them."
3. Some fun little creative artistic things I've seen this week - Lost Type Co-op - this is a site devoted to artists obsessed with typography and the creation of new types. Nippon Colors - it's all about color. Christian Popsicles - It's a little bit awesome. It's a little bit creepy. And it's a little bit offensive.
It's been a crazy week. It's had some major ups and downs. But it's Saturday, and we're moving on.
1. N.Y. PLANS TO BAN SALE OF BIG SIZES OF SUGARY DRINKS - Bloomberg wants to combat obesity by banning the sale of drinks like the Big Gulp. I can't say I think the Big Gulp is a good idea, but I'm not a fan of a government ban. I think it still holds that you can't legislate morality, it won't change people's hearts, you'll just end up with a lot of rules. It'll be interesting to see if this goes through.
2. EDWARDS NOT GUILTY ON ONE COUNT; MISTRIAL ON FIVE OTHERS & CAN JOHN EDWARDS MAKE A COMEBACK? - I have to admit, I didn't follow the trial at all. I think very little of John Edwards and thought for sure, with all the press coverage, there must be some serious basis for the accusations, and surely he would be convicted. Apparently I was wrong. No matter what, as both articles point out, Edwards has lost in the court of public opinion.
4. UN RESOLUTION FOR SYRIAN MASSACRE - There was another attack in Syria earlier this week. The atrocities in Syria are still worse than atrocious, and I, personally, am tired of not being able to do anything, and having other nations stand between life and death for the citizens of Syria. It's just wrong. I saw a tweet relfecting that political posturing "#Clinton says #Russian policy on Syria is going to contribute to a civil war. #UN warns of a looming "catastrophic" conflict there." There was a GREAT cartoon in the economist. Worth checking out!
1. Belgian Congo Pale Ale: Yes the horror! - I'm a little on the fence about this one. A Virgininan brewing company put out a line of brews all named after acts of genocide or other atrocities. As the author summarizes, "At the very least, they've decided to attract attention in one of the most cheap, cynical and distasteful ways I can imagine. At worst -- and, under the circumstances, this is plausible -- they are indeed celebrating genocide."
2. Dear Einstein, Do Scientists Pray? - Great little article from a sixth grade Sunday School class to Einstein and his reply back to them. I was going to share a couple of quotes, and then realized I was about to write nearly his entire letter. So just read it.
3. What would a Greek exit from the eurozone look like? - I've heard rumblings about this for a couple of weeks now. My impression is that the austerity measures imposed by Germany and the rest of the EU are too great for the Greek's to bear, and ultimately may not solve their problem. So what would it look like if Greece left the Eurozone, and what does that mean for other struggling countries, and ultimately for the EU.
5. Explaining Why Minority Births Now Outnumber White Births & Whites Account for Under Half of Births in U.S. - This is not the first time people have talked about the dropping birthrates in U.S. and in Europe. But as the NYTimes article points out "After years of speculation, estimates and projections, the Census Bureau has made it official; White births are no longer a majority in the United States." I have to say, I think this means great things for us. More interracial marriages, an opportunity for us to expand the meaning of the American melting pot. Senior demographer at the Brookings Institution described the shift as a "transformation from a mostly white baby boomer culture to a more globalized multiethnic country."
An amazing speech about protecting women from domestic violence situations.
(Thanks to my friend Nicole, sitting behind Rep. Trey Gowdy, for sharing this).
Someone passed this video around at work. I thought it was so fascinating to hear how these environments designers think about space, it's purposes, how to repurpose things, how to draw people in, and the sense of mystery that they create.
It's been a while since I've done one of these, but better late than never!
1. J.P MORGAN IS EXHIBIT A FOR VOLCKER RULE NEED & J.P MORGAN COLLAPSE: CAN WE REGULATE WALL STREET NOW? & JPMORGAN'S SHOCKING $2 BILLION LOSS - I've been following this since it started breaking yesterday. J.P Morgan is chalking it up to "errors, sloppiness, and bad judgement." The worst part is, as The Week notes, "Wall Street gives tons of cash to pliticians and "money like that speaks louder to policymakers than the interests of everyone who deposits their money in a bank and hopes not to have it wiped out by Wall Street's bad bets." We bank with J.P. Morgan and I've always felt that at least they weren't as shady as Bank of America. But now I'm realizing I may have been duped. Anybody make the jump to a Credit Union? Or am I really just trading one broken system for another?
2. ECHOING OUT OF TEXAS, CHINESE VOICE OF DISSENT FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM - When I worked for the Jubilee Campaign back in 2006 we worked a lot with Bob Fu. He really does have an amazing network, and has been so faithful about raising the voice of the persecuted Church, and human rights activists in China. This is a great article about him and Chen, the blind pro-life activists (ACTIVISTS: CHEN GUANGCHENG FLEES HOUSE ARREST [UPDATED]). I also saw today while reading the WSJ that Chen is still in China, is waiting on China to grant him a visa to the US so he can study here, and that his nephew was arrested shortly after his escape. I would say that the fight isn't over for Chen; fortunately he has Bob Fu and many others on his side.
3. MEMBER OF AFGHAN PEACE COUNCIL IS ASSASSINATED - Sad news coming out of Afghanistan today. As the article notes, "The fact that he was shot dead in front of his house while he was surrounded by his bodyguards raises a lot of questions."
4. SHANGHAIED - Just an interesting article, an inside (or almost inside) look into China and what's behind the Great Wall.
5. Puppy love - 19 days til Thor (pronounced 'Tor') moves in with us!!
1. ACTIVIST CHEN GUANGCHENG FLEES HOUSE ARREST & ACTIVISTS: BLIND CHINESE LAWYER FLEES HOUSE ARREST & BLIND CHINESE ACTIVIST ESCAPES FROM HOUSE ARREST - Back in 2007, I was working at a small non-profit advocating on behalf of religious minorities. One of the individuals that we were working particularly hard on behalf of was Chen Guangcheng. Chen is a blind, pro-life human rights activist. He was arrested and imprisoned without trial. Recently he was moved to house arrest, but it's been a long 5 years. Yesterday big things started happening. He allegedly escaped house arrest!! My heart lept. Could it be true?! The rumor mill is swirling, he's at the U.S. embassy. He's with friends. "If Chen has made it to the Embassy, then we need to pray that our nation will stand strong and not surrender this brave man back into the hands of torturers. Whatever has happened, we need to pray for Chen's family, as there has been no mention of his wife's whereabouts and his extended family will be threatened by the communist regime" (via The Jubilee Campaign)
3. A COMPLETE GUIDE TO "HIPSTER RACISM" - I've been watching the unfolding of the Trayvon Martin case. According to the Pew Research Group so are a fair number of you. "Developments in the case against George Zimmerman, the man charged in the killing of Trayvon Martin, topped Americans' new interest last week" About a quarter of the public (26%) says they followed developments in the case more closely than any other news" Along with following the news, I've been thinking about race/racism; I thought this was a very interesting article.
2. HOW WILL NORTH KOREA COPE WITH ITS FAILED ROCKET? & LAND OF ROCKETS AND BICYCLES - Yesterday, North Korea launched it's much touted rocket. And it was...a bit anticlimactic. Sounds like it launched for 1+second. Then fell apart into the sea. For all intents and purposes, it failed. But even more than it's failure, one has to wonder what will be the consequences to the citizens of North Korea. As one foreign policy wonk said, "How many North Koreas will starve because of this failed rocket launch?"
3. DESIGNING FOR DEMOCRACY - This is an interesting article about the power of branding and logos in politics. It looks particularly at the recent elections in Myanmar, and how similar all the parties propaganda was. When you read the article, be sure to click all the internal links to see more articles and pictures of the various posters.
J. loves cycling. As a result, I have found myself with a new interest. I really enjoy watching the races and even have my own favorite riders. J. made my day today when he sent me a link to some photos of Mark Cavendish (my favorite rider). Mark is from the U.K. and I love the photographers clash of old world and new in these photos. (Here's a link to the rest of the photos)
It's been a crazy week, so bear with me please. I'm going to try something new. I'm depressed with the world today. So there will be no current events. Just art, blogs, and thoughts. Enjoy.
1. Disruptive Wonder
2. YOUNG MAN & OLD SOUL - This is a blog that J. shared with me this morning. I really like this guys style, it's all very manly. Which is nice to see. I also really really love his profile statement "I am a classic man. I love God, my lady, my passions, friends, family and working with my hands. I'm a blue-collar hard working man and find joy in simple living. I hope this collection brings you encouragement, inspiration, or most importantly, closer to God."
3. THE DIELINE - As part of my job, I source designers to join our company on a project by project basis. It's pretty cool, I get to meet so many amazing people, and the breadth of exposure to various design skills is awesome! This week I've been sourcing a packaging designer. Someone turned me on to this site, with all kinds of packaging content.
4. GARDEN & GUN - Is a southern country magazine. Which I'm sure has you raising your eyebrows. But the design is amazing, and the content is also very intellectual, and more highbrow than you would expect.
