Weekly Reading List [4.27.12]

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)

2. MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD MP SEEKS TO ABOLISH FEMALE RIGHTS AND ENFORCE FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION & CHILD BRIDES: WILL SAUDI ARABIA SET AN AGE LIMIT FOR MARRIAGE- Child brides and FGM are two issues always near and dear to my heart. I hope in both cases to see women and children's rights upheld.

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.

4. PUPPY LOVE

Weekly Reading List [4.13.12]

1. 2ND DEGREE MURDER CHARGE IN SHOOTING & GEORGE ZIMMERMAN ARREST: PROOF THAT THE SYSTEM WORKED FOR FAILED? - I know this is a sensitive subject, and it makes all of us feel defensive, sad, frustrated. But we need to talk about it. So it's number 1 this week. Treyvon Martin.

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.

4. THE BROKEN "BUY ONE GIVE THREE MODEL": THREE WAYS TO SAVE TOMS SHOES - I have to admit. I'm a fan of Toms Shoes. I like their style. I like that people are trying to do good. However, this article raises some great long-term sustainability points.

5. WHAT AMERICA BUYS & PRICES ARE PEOPLE: A SHORT HISTORY OF WORKING AND SPENDING MONEY - I thought it was very eye opening to see how spending habits have changed since 1949 and 2011. I also found the info-graphics and charts in both articles enlightening.

*This time next week, we'll be homeowners!*

Loves...

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)

Weekly Reading List [4.6.12]

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.

*Happy Easter*

Weekly Reading List [3.30.12]

1. NIGER'S COMPLICATED HUNGER CRISIS - We're all aware of the hunger crisis in Somalia earlier this year. While that seems to have improved marginally, it seems another famine is just around the corner.

2. SO MUCH FOR U.S. FOOD ASSISTANCE TO NORTH KOREA & BORN IN THE GULAG - I was saddened to hear that the U.S. is pulling its food drop to North Korea. I understand, it's complicated. And it sounds like the "lead day" agreement was far from a solid agreement to begin with. Their suffering, still pains me. Also, the second article is about a young man who grew up in one of North Korea's notorious labor camps. I very eye opening look into what that kind of oppression and abuse can do to a man. [beware, it is graphic to read].

3. THE TANK DETOURNED - I love the creativity in this article. The authors give a brief history of the tank (especially in Syria) and then explore what it might be like if we repurposed the tank as...an ambulance. Something that saves, rather than something that kills. I LOVE IT!

4. MINIMALISSIMO - Over the past year, I've been exposed to design. Maybe inundated is a better word. I work for a design company, and am always getting emails with artistis, styles, the latest technology device or new packaging design. Because of this, I've started to notice I prefer certain styles to others. I'm a bit of a minimalist. I like things with lots of white space, simple elegant design, less is more. This blog has some great amazing minimalist design ideas, applied to everything from homes, to dishes, etc.

5. PERPETUAL OCEAN - A friend shared this video with me, and I love it! If I could blow it up on my computer and just let it play, I would. Its so interesting to watch the ocean currents swirl around and mix with other currents.

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday everyone! To get the week off right, I thought a bit of humor was in order. Check out this video or celebrities reading tweets about themselves. Which one is your favorite?

Weekly Reading List [3.23.12]

1. GOOGLE BOOKS HELPS REVEAL HOW WORDS COME AND GO & NGRAM VIEWER - This is a great article about how the digitization of books has helped scientists discover how words come and go in society. It has helped reveal patterns in language throughout history. For example, "in Hebrew there was a five-fold increase in word births around 1917 when the Balfour Declaration laid the foundation for modern Israel and revived Hebrew as a spoken language." You can also go to the Ngram Viewer and type in two words and see how they've progressed through history.

2. DON'T HIRE THIS MAN - Jeffrey Sachs is known throughout the development sector for his high profile work. I had been hearing that he was up for nomination of the next President of the World Bank. This is a very interesting article about how he could be a poor candidate, in terms of stretching the World Bank away from historical aid and moving towards empowering local individuals to change their own community. In light of the criticisms of Invisible Children and the "white man's guilt" this is a great article highlighting how markets and local entrepreneurs are making greater changes than aid.

3. THE WHITE SAVIOR COMPLEX & KONY2012 AND THE PROSPECTS FOR CHANGE- It is no secret that I have a more critical view of the KONY2012 campaign. I follow a novelist Teju Cole on twitter (@tejucole). In the first article, he has been openly critical of what he calls the "White Savior Industrial Complex" (essential the West, feeling like it has all the answers, and can swoop in and solve complex, culturally sensitive problems). He starts the article with some of his recent tweets, but keep reading. It's a thought provoking article, even if you disagree.

In the second article, there was a quote at the end that particularly resonated with me "If the film were actually about change, it might have addressed its own paradox: that trying yet again to end a military conflict with more of the same sort of military engagement will probably cost too many civilian lives. Alas, there is no real resolution offered here, only publicity. And realizing consciousness would be great if coupled with long-term informed attention rather than a mainly U.S.-based buzz.

4. 4 WAYS THAT CHINESE BUSINESSES ARE REDEFINING CUSTOMER SERVICE & HOW WHOLE FOODS BECAME THE LUXURY BRAND OF MILLENNIALS - A few weeks ago J. and I had dinner with friends and the conversation rolled around to customer service and how at least here in San Francisco, people are craving more customer service oriented/small town feel experiences. No longer do we want to live in anonymity, shopping in huge stores void of flavor and culture. I thought these were two great articles about changes happening in the world of marketing and brand.

*Who is seeing the Hunger Games this weekend?!?*