Linkfest

As the blog gets back up and running, it's time to reboot some of its old features. Today I bring you Linkfest, where I share some of the favorite things I've come across lately as I wander the web.

The Huffington Post wrote a rather obnoxious article recently called "Turning 30: 30  Things Every Woman Should Have and Know." A Boston blogger called their list "oudated, sexist, heterosexist [and] materialistic" and wrote her own, much better, version. Read it here.

Anyone who listens to Radiolab probably wants to be friends with Jad Abumrad and/or Robert Krulwich in the worst kind of way. While I love both men with a magnitude that is inappropriate for strangers, I am most endlessly enchanted by Krulwich's voice and his childlike curiosity about humans, science and how the two fit together. He keeps a blog which sometimes overlaps with the show's content, but generally features any cool, science- y things my fake friend Robert comes across. Here are two of my favorite recent posts. This one, "Books So Good You Want To Become Them" features the Best Animated Short from last year and is a must-see for book lovers everywhere. Or take a look at this one, where a high school math genius explains why stars are the coolest.

I worked on a cookstove project in Panama, so it's interesting to read about a new study highlighting the challenges of promoting them in the developing world.

And now for something more materialistic, I love this blog Frugal Fashionistas. I'm still a bit challenged when it comes to putting an outfit together, but this blog shows you budget alternatives for celebrity outfits, piece by piece.

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.

Another edition of "Stuff You Should Know"

I was originally going to do a SYSK post because I read that some rando dude in Utah found dinosaur prints in the land behind his house. But apparently, that was a false report, so I can't write about that anymore. And thank God, because what the hell? Dinosaur footprints? I suppose these things can happen in Germany, but I don't think the Mormons in Utah should be forced to deal with such scientific wonders as dinosaurs. And certainly not dinosaurs who risk breaking their prehistoric purity pledges with risque dancing. (Just kidding, Mormons are actually OK with dancing. But I think some others really need to think about putting the fun back in fundamentalism.) In other freaky-ass science news, Furbys are actually real. And lastly, you all can rest easy, because scientists have mapped the genome for those adorable woolly mammoths. True story: a few months ago, I was driving home and saw a tractor off in the distance, with piles of dark hay piled up in the back of it. But I couldn't make it all out right away, so given its relative shape, and the fact I am mostly blind, my actual thought was "That's a woolly mammoth." Who thinks that?

Since I got off on a religious tangent, let's look at this web site: IveScrewedUp.com. Not much information on the site, but it seems to be run by a church based in Florida, and offers people an anonymous outlet to confess their various indiscretions. A lot of them relate to sex, masturbation, porn, and other things that are likely to make one feel guilt-ridden. But some are of a much more upsetting nature:

I love my best friend and have not told my boyfriend. I killed my son after a so called friend got me drunk. I don't like my ex but her boyfriend I do like. I love my family but sometimes wish my grandfather would pass because he is so hard on me,I am jealous over my brother because he gets all the attention. I feel worthless. I might leave my boyfriend to have a life and a family with my best friend.

That's a lot to process. Interesting how this person murdered their child, but then gets carried away with more pressing matters, such as grandfather issues, and sibling rivalry?

And:

I am in love with my teacher who is 30 years old... I'm also cheating on my boyfriend with 4 other guys. Not to mention, my mom doesn't know I'm dating at all. My father would kill me if he found out. I started dating at age 9. The first guy I dated was a year older than me. I also dated his brother and his cousin. I have gone out with several guys up to 5 years older than me.

Four others? I suppose that is deserving of some type of recognition.

But it's not at all bad. Let's close with a story of rehabilitation and triumph:

I was a peeping tom. I don't do that any more.