Linkfest: Soft News

I've been remiss in blogging this week. Schoolwork picked up and my computer was back to its old troublesome tricks. Here are some things I've read or written(!) to keep you occupied until I come up with an original idea:

This Newsweek article investigates organ trafficking around the world, and most shockingly, at top hospitals in the United States. The good news? Your kidney can fetch a pretty penny. The bad news? ORGAN TRAFFICKING IS TERRIFYING. If breaking the law isn't your style, you could also sell your inner business on Craigslist. (At this rate, if I sell a bunch of my eggs, a kidney, and half my liver, I could make a real dent in paying back Sallie Mae.)

Can you tell that I like health reporting? Campus magazine What the Health allows me the honor of posting about health policy on their blog. This week, I ran off at the mouth about all of the recent food recalls and how the FDA and USDA totes don't care!

Earlier this week, I talked to Chris Myers Asch, co-founder of the U.S. Public Service Academy, for a story for my magazine class. In case you're unfamiliar, he has put forth a propsal to Congress for a four-year civil service academy, which will train students for government work. Tution is free, but graduates will be required to fulfill a five-year committment in the government sector. I think it's a great idea, and will undoubtedly bring more prestige, intellect, and energy to the public sphere. I've been following the Academy for a while, and it's gotten a lot of media attention recently. Keep your eyes peeled.

I have a love-hate relationship with Twitter. Mostly I love it, but there was a time when I was less than convinced about the wonders of the 140-character-or-less networking site. But whenever I stumble upon an awesome Twitter profile, like that of a fake Dr. Tobias Funke of Arrested Development, I fall in love all over again.

Speaking of loving people I don't know, my girl over at Dooce is preggo again. Just another good reason for you to start reading her too. (Hi, Meaghen.)

Paul recently reminded me of the wonderful oral history project, StoryCorps, through which people interview family and friends and ask them to tell a story about their lives. Thousands of stories that would otherwise be lost will be recorded for everyone to hear and stored in the Library of Congress. I heard one on the radio over the winter, in which a popular NPR reporter interviewed his mother. Her story was simple and sweet, but by the end of it, I was weeping behind the wheel of the minivan. Call me a softy, but I hope you find one that touches you too.

In honor of Valentine's Day, the International Herald Tribune is encouraging commenters to write "limericks of love" to their favorite public figures. They write, "Now's your chance to submit a cheering rhyme to a lonely public figure. It can be a sonnet, a love letter, or an ode to Alistair's eyebrows." Y'all know how much I love haikus and penning the occasional epic rhyme. I think it's great fun when papers do things like this.

And hey you, tell me what you've been reading.