Every Wednesday I post a handful of articles, blog posts, videos, columns, books or anything I find interesting and worth your time. Ranging from thought-provoking to funny to ridiculous, most are things I stumbled upon in the past week. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading along!
"Short Read" = 10 minutes or less. Consequently, "Long Read" = 10 Minutes or longer.
#1 - Li'l Donald - newyorker.com (Short Read)
A humorous sketch that imagines "The Donald" as an 11 year-old arguing with his math teacher. A creative and amusing piece that illustrates Trump's ability to side-step through questions. Maybe my favorite quote, "Do I know the answer? Lady, I am super-smart. My I.Q. is, like, many multiples of the square root of a hundred and forty-four. Beyond anything you have seen in this grammar school, believe me." I found it a pretty entertaining read, hope you do as well!
#2 - Letter from Birmingham Jail - MLKDay (Long Read)
On Monday we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr Day, clearly an important holiday to reflect on the work of one of the most formative men in our country's history. For the past few years, on MLK Day, I have read through, Letter from Birmingham Jail, to reflect and be challenged by King's convictions and dedication to justice. On Monday, I posted 5 quotes from the letter that I find to be both challenging and inspiring. However, I recommend that you read it in its' entirety. It is a powerful and eloquent defense of King's non-violent resistance and pursuit of justice.
#3 - Netflix's Making a Murderer Exposes Flaws that go far Beyond Steven Avery's Trial - vox.com (Long Read - Spoiler Alert)
I don't believe I am the only one who has been enthralled with Netflix's new true crime series, Making a Murderer. If you are unfamiliar or have been avoiding the internet, in documentary fashion, the series follows the murder trial of Steven Avery, a man who after serving 18 years in prison, was exonerated of an attempted murder and rape he didn't commit. Shortly after his release he was arrested for the murder of a different women by the same police force who previously had wrongfully convicted him. Not wanting to give any spoilers away, it is definitely fascinating. This article highlights how the series exposes a major flaw in our justice system. Worth the read if you've watched the series, but also if you haven't seen the show (spoiler alert in the article).
#4 - Obama's Plea to 'Fix Our Politics' Leaves Both Sides Looking Inward - nytimes.com (Short Read)
Last Tuesday, President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address and deviating from traditional SOTU format focused on unfinished business facing our country. What I found most compelling was his admission of regret for failing to unify Democrats and Republicans. "It's one of the few regrets of my presidency," Obama admits, "that the rancour and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better." I appreciate the President's honesty in this failure. I believe Americans are tired of this growing division in Washington which is slowly breaking our political system. However, with a tinge of hope, after the SOTU, the NY Times cites members from both parties admitting their contribution to this division. Certainly it won't be fixed over night, but it is refreshing to hear politicians admit their fault. Here's to hoping for change!
#5 - Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee w/ Stephen Colbert (17 Minute Video)
If you haven't seen Jerry Seinfeld's series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, I highly recommend it. As the title suggests, each episode is a brief interview over coffee. If you are a fan of Seinfeld and Colbert, than obviously you will enjoy this episode, I found it to be pretty entertaining!