Today our family is visiting the Ark Encounter. I haven't seen it in person yet, but I hear it's big. {grin}
It's a bit of a drive and I don't have a lot of time for chit-chat so on to this week's links!
Learning
- Old Books, Disagreements, Loving People by Dawn at ladydusk. Much wisdom here. (My quick tips: read widely and deeply and keep discussing everything.)
- 3 Ways to Teach Math That Might Actually Work by Jennifer Doverspike at The Federalist. I don't necessarily agree with the entire thing, but some of it resonated with me. I am a Words person, so I understand about having a literature rich environment. I want to do something similar with Math, but I need a lot of advice on how to arrive there.
- Related: 'Not a Math Person': How to Remove Obstacles to Learning Math by Katrina Schwartz.
- And one more: The Math Revolution: A Group of American Teens Are Excelling at Advanced Math by Peg Tyre at The An
Living
- Our Abortion Culture Steals the Grief of Miscarriage by Constance Hull. August 17 is always a day that reminds me of who is not here in our family. I think it may be too strong to say that the abortion debate "steals" our discussions about miscarriage, but it certainly complicates the issue.
- How Porn Creates Angry Men by Gary Thomas. Posts like this are ot easy to read, but they are necessary in our times.
- The Saddest Thing About Living in Our Playdate Society by Jennifer White. I know we've talked about these issues before, and I guess we're going to keep right on talking about them. Because things have changed since we were kids, and some of those changes are for the better but many aren't. Regardless, there's no going back.
- 6 Tips for Staying Sane on Facebook This Election Season by Jayme Metzgar at The Federalist. My tips: use the "block" button liberally on specific posts, not specific people. You can tell Facebook not to show you anything from whatever sites push your buttons. And here's a tip for both sides: no one ever changed their minds based on a meme. EVER. In the history of the world. So STOP. IT. (How do we think that works, exactly? "Well, I was going to vote for him / her, but that manipulated image with a bright font and bad grammar convinced me not to...")
- Two related posts, both by John Daniel Davidson and both inspired somewhat inspired by a book I haven't read yet (but I want to: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance). 1: The Plight Of The White Working Class Isn’t Economic, It’s Cultural and 2: The White Working Class Needs Cultural Renewal, Not Empty Promises. I live in an area of the US where heroin / opiate addiction is through the roof (just this week there were over 30 overdoses in only one night). It has more than touched our church. It is destroying our communities. It is not OK and there is not a simple fix, no matter what your political persuasion. And the addiction problem is just one strand of a set of difficulties.
Loving
- Just two Trump adjacent posts (yes, I'm tired of it too): What Trump's Primary Vote Numbers Really Mean by Justine Sanders. (I suppose I can comfort myself that more people voted for someone else than for him, except it's not really much comfort at this point.) And the schadenfreude is strong with this one: The Great Ann Coulter Immigration Bamboozle by Heather Wilhelm. (There are some political commentators, if we can include Coulter in that group, that owe the country profound apologies for this election season. But I won't hold my breath. Good for ratings is not the same thing as good for the country. Or good at all, for that matter.)
- My snarky self enjoyed this one: Pack It In Everybody, We Used Up the Earth by Robert Tracinski at The Federalist. There was also a related post about how having lots of kids is good for the earth but I somehow lost track of it.
- I appreciated this look from Trevin Wax at a familiar story: 3 Ways 'The Blind Men and the Elephant' Story Backfires.
- Norm MacDonald was our favorite SNL cast member back in the day (and certainly the best 'Weekend Update' host) so this caught my eye: Will somebody please give Norm Macdonald another TV show? by Geoff Edgers. It's a long but interesting read, if you're interested in show biz or comedians. (Please note: I am not endorsing anything Macdonald has ever said or done, whether in character or out.)
- This is also long but fascinating: The Death of Flair: As Friday's Goes Minimalist, What Happens to the Antiques? Ever wondered about all that stuff on the walls at Cracker Barrel and T.G.I Friday's? This will tell you more than you ever thought to ask.
On Living Unabridged this week: two great giveaways you won't want to miss!
- Audio Drama: The Dragon and the Raven (There will be two winners of this fantastic new radio drama!)
- 52 Family Game Nights: Tiger Stripes (My daughter's game is now available but we're also giving away one copy!)
What caught your eye this week?
