Suggested Internet Reading

You guys might remember that I had my first child recently. She turns 4 months old today. 🙂 What a ride it’s been so far! Thankfully mostly good – she’s a very healthy and happy baby.

There are so many opinion articles now a days and often you will see them about parenting in some way or another. I just want to say here as a little PSA that everyone’s experience is different. I know, duh. But it’s true and it’s ok. It’s cool that people write about their experience and maybe some of them are even trying to tout their method as the best, but ultimately you just have to roll your eyes at it all. The experience of having a little you (or your spouse) is the coolest part and it’s so individualistic that it’s insane.

Do what works and makes sense for YOU in YOUR situation. Then you’ll be happy and baby will be happy and the world will continue to spin.

Here are some fun (ha!) articles from the past month or so. Enjoy!

Contain and Amplify (NY Times) – Thomas L. Friedman might be one of the leading scholars on the Middle East at this time. I don’t know, I don’t follow these things very much. But he always has something very interesting to say about the current events there, so you can’t discredit that. “The fighting has laid bare just how much the last 60 years of predatory leadership in that region failed at human development and citizenship building. The whole Arab world package, with its artificially straight-line borders, was held together by oil and brute force. In the wreckage, people are falling back on the only identities they think might keep them safe: tribe and sect.”

Making Computer Science More Inviting: A Look at What Works (NY Times) – I wish I had been as smart as Sonja Khan, featured in this article. She took a Computer Science class, did well, and turned it into her major. Now she’s pursuing a Master’s degree and landed a Facebook summer internship. But what’s more, the work she is doing and studying is SO COOL and important in this day and age! I loved my Computer Science class in college and honestly got one of the highest grades in the class (a huge lecture hall of about 100 people). Even though I enjoyed it, I thought that Computer Science was for the super geeky. I was going to work in business and be a BOSS. Well, we all see how well that worked out… haha

Inside Obama’s Stealth Startup (Fast Company) – Along the same lines of Computer Science, did you guys hear about how Obama is beefing up the nation’s technology? I loved reading this article about it.

New York’s Big Move to Help Former Convicts Build Better Lives (GOOD) – This is super good news for New York City and for the nation! The Fair Chance Act was passed which prevents employers from reviewing an applicant’s criminal background until after the hiring offer has been made. A person’s criminal history should not be a determinant in most jobs! If the justice system works like it’s supposed to and the delinquent serves his or her time, then we need to give them the best chance possible to rebuild their life. That starts with giving them the open opportunity to find a good job.

Chomsky Blasts ‘American Sniper’ and the Media that Glorifies it (Alternet) – I have to say that I agree with Noam Chomsky’s viewpoint here. War is not pretty, but we are really fighting an uphill battle against “terrorism.” There will always be people with extreme thoughts because humans have the capacity for higher thinking and imagination. We can try to kill as many of “them” as possible, but it will never be enough. It will never end ideologically. It’s the crux of this world, which religion in general has propagated. Instead of fueling patriotism and celebrating people who have killed in cold blood over a hundred persons, we should work to create an acceptance of cultures and differences around the world. Instead of isolationism, which we have created for ourselves, we need to promote internationalism. I know, this will never happen because we have dug ourselves so deep into a hole. But I still don’t think that more war is the answer.

Jim Jefferies U.S. Gun Control Live Standup (Youtube) – Love this Aussie! He gives great points for why the U.S. needs to implement stricter gun control laws.

Obama’s Twitter Debut, @POTUS, Attracts Hate-Filled Posts (NY Times) – This makes me pretty sick to my stomach. Why do people treat Obama as if he were Hitler? The amount of personal hate people have for this guy is astonishing and seriously appalling. We Americans should be ashamed of ourselves, either for personally having these terrible thoughts about our President or for having to stand next to others who feel this way. Disgusting.