i do love aviyah! but, i also want to stay me. (see grups* article below.) every week, i will try to post an entry with interesting articles i've read lately, including the internet links and a short synopsis of the article.
the article profiles grups*, a social group of thirtysomethings that wrestle with alternative ideas of adulthood and parenthood. how do we stay independent? how do we keep our passion? how do we reconcile our maturity with our individuality? how do we grow older and stay progressive?
deng chen was sent to america by his parents when he was 14 years old. his parents borrowed money from loan sharks in china to pay "snakeheads", or smugglers, to sneak chen into the states. chen struggled to survive, traveling up and down the eastern seaboard working in chinese food restaurants. in many ways, he is an american teenager: he struggles to understand society, his parents, and himself. the article explores two high profile contemporary issues: debt and immigration.
deputy editor david plotz is reading through the hebrew bible and commenting on interesting and obscure ideas and stories. plotz completed hebrew school as a child, but he explains that he is reading the stories as an unfamiliar and "unobservant" jewish adult. he was horrified by the story of dinah at a family bar mitzvah and dismayed that he had not heard the story before. his commentary follows a long jewish tradition of reading inside and outside the scripture, but his "newbie" insights and ideas are very interesting. what do they have in common with older readings? where do they diverge?
the past year, there has been a large debate over the integrity of wikipedia.org subject entries. wikipedia is an open source online encyclopedia created and managed by users. the convergence and collaboration of user knowledge and research has helped wikipedia develop a massive store of information. however, critics maintain that online entries can be changed and corrupted too quickly to be consistent or reliable. for example, a past entry for john sigenthaler, sr. charged that he conspired to assassinate former president john f. kennedy, jr. the entry was fraudulent and it was removed; however, it was posted on the website for 4 months. wikipedia.org has responded by creating a list of permanently and semi-permanently monitored articles. all proposed changes for these articles will be reviewed by assigned editors.
thomas freidman is consistently the most insightful and most interesting journalist i read. he is progressive and pragmatic, honest and diplomatic, realistic and hopeful. here, freidman writes that the untied states can continue our extraordinary expansion if we understand the central issue facing us today: energy. he explains that we are currently funding both sides of the war on terror: our own military and oil-rich autocratic governments that fund or foment terrorism. in the past, he explains that "green" has been derided as flimsy, hippy, and liberal. yet, he maintains that energy independence is patriotism: "green," he said recently, "is the new "red,white, and blue."
honorable mention:
(for sick video of dwade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2UvqxqKLfw)
point:
the article reviews the new policy statement on breastfeeding by the american academy of pediatrics. research increasingly shows the broad benefits for breastfed babies and nursing mothers. for example, research indicates that breastfeeding may decrease likelihood of infections and diseases, including breast cancer. policy reform is also credited with dramatic decreases in infant mortality in the developing world.
counter-point:
the author concedes that breastfeeding is most beneficial for mother and child. however, he seriously questions the expansive conclusions of singular research studies. he explains that research on humans is inherently limited. while we can draw significant correlations, we cannot assuredly prove causation.
Aviyah is the most adorable Baby born in Late May that i have seen!! We miss her here. Does she ask about us? Tell her, she comes in we'll go to the White Sox if she's allowed!
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