Selections from my Virtual Library: March 2014

This is the third installment of my virtual library, a year-long project to expand my personal literacy and knowledge base. This past month I haven't been as disciplined with my reading, so there is a slight lessening of sources.

Rookie:

The Art of Waiting: A great piece on why we all need stop fearing the artistic process.

The Atlantic:

Redlining for the 21st Century: Though redlining seems like a thing of the past, the age of the Internet has brought it back. A warning to all apartment shoppers.

International Women's Day: Mothers and Daughters: A great photo essay that looks at educational desires of mothers and daughters.

In Grief, Try Personal Rituals: All I have to say about this piece is that it's important.

The Toxins That Threaten Our Brain: Absolutely terrifying. Even though it's a very lengthy read, it's very much worth it because we are exposed to so many neurotoxins every day.

The Over-Protected Kid: Essentially, we need to let kids mess around more and this crazy, awesome playground accomplishes that in a safe, constructive manner.

Another Bloomberg Editor Explains Why He Has Resigned, Over Its China Coverage: If, in fact, Bloomberg is avoiding certain stories because of fear of losing sales in China, it would be a huge strike against them. This is an incredibly messy issue that should have some interesting developments to watch.

Star Wars and the 4 Ways Science Fiction Handles Race: I haven't read very much about this issue, but it's definitely something to look at in the coming years of new releases.

New York Times:

Casting Shadows on a Fanciful World: My token Wes Anderson article of the month. I love the photo slideshow of the miniatures in this and the quotes from Dafoe and Fiennes.

The New Yorker:

Sacred and Profane: I have mixed feelings about Malcolm Gladwell, but I am fascinated with religious radicals, especially in contemporary society.

Yes, Book Editors Edit: In short, editors deserve respect and are an important part of the writing and publishing processes.

A.V. Club:

The Bleak State of American Fiction: This is directly connected to the above link as it delves more into the actually contents of the argument. Yes, fiction is still valuable, but as the public we need to voice that opinion. 

NPR:

The '60s Are Gone, But Psychedelic Research Trip Continues: Ah yes, the opening scenes of Pineapple Express continue.

How The Cost Of College Went From Affordable To Sky-High: Any college student or soon-to-be college student should be required to read this. 

What Do Jay Z And Shakespeare Have In Common? Swagger: I love any and all modern connections to my main man Shakes.

In The Face Of Disaster, Pritzker Winner Shigeru Ban Designs Solutions: I think architecture is fascinating, and this piece would interest anyone that likes art, design, structure, or problem-solving.

Listening To The Echoes Of Creation: This is so over my head, but it is something I hope I can understand at some point in the near future.

In Arizona, Citizens Keep Close Eye On Immigration Checkpoint: Citizens monitoring their own government, very interesting.

Slate:

This Is What Finding Love Online Looks Like: Another photo essay that captures more than one generation's use of online dating sites.

What’s the Best Way to Execute Someone?: There are so many issues with the death penalty, but this is one of the most alarming.

McSweeney's:

Kafka's Joke Book: Kafka is my homeboy.

Medium:

Two Approaches to Watch in Remedial Education Innovation: Remedial courses in the college world are important and Florida's law is somewhat terrifying whereas California's law makes much more sense in my mind.

Palm Reading For Millenials: A fun little cartoon that a lot of my friends and I can relate to.

How to never forget anything ever again: I still really want to be someone that can recite a bunch of quotes offhand, general statistics, even just specific names. This seems like an easy and fun way to start on that goal.

BBC:

Why climate change is bad news for India tea producers: As an avid tea drinker, this upsets me.

Black Death skeletons unearthed by Crossrail project: Wouldn't be so cool if these were the bones that have the original strain?!

The radical readers of San Francisco: The Beat Generation is one of my favorite literary movements, and I think it is so great that City Lights has expanded so much.

The Best of 2013: Thought Catalog Articles

My 2013 Best of Thought Catalog

After I began reading Thought Catalog when I clicked on a tweeted link early last fall, I have read it pretty much religiously. When I saw Matt Saccaro’s piece, I was reminded of all of the TC articles I’d saved in a bookmarks folder entitled “Thought Catalog library.” I really appreciate TC’s mission statement, which can be found in the previously linked articles, because it reminds me that the site isn’t just representative of a yuppy, millennial population and their problems. The list below surely does not convey the scope of the rhetoric and style the site presents, but the below articles are just a few of my favorites picked from my Thought Catalog library and organized by month.

January:

1. I'm a Liberal Who Believes in God: I'm a liberal who doesn't know how they feel about the idea of God. Very informative.
2. Why Does Everything Have to Involve Drinking?: Pre-college reading.

February:

1. Some Times You've Thought About Death: Who doesn't? These musings stick with you. 

March:

1. Why Your Work Disappoints You: Great thought behind Ira Glass's important thoughts on the gap between work and taste that can be listened to here
2. What the Frack is Fracking?: I wanted to know more about the process of fracking and its effects on the environment

1. A Universe-Wide Mandate: On The Quality Of Lyrics Websites: Amazing satire and highly relevant.

April:

1. 20 Signs You're Sleep Deprived: A bit of light reading before college begins.
2. Pinterest Is About Your Current And Future Self: So true. What else makes 16 year old girls start planning their barn weddings?
3. The 10 Commandments Of The American Religion: Provides a different view of some things Americans hold sacred and is backed up by provocative statistics.

May:

1. So I’m A Teacher Now…: A different perspective from a new teacher, but needed and eye-opening.
2. Why The Arrested Development Of Its Critics Arrests The Development Of ‘Arrested Development’: A response to everyone complaining that the new style of the 4th season AD episodes was odd. At least there's a 4th season, jeez!

June:

1. 19 Quotes For Your Existential Crisis: Always handy. I'm almost 19 for goodness sakes!

July:

1. Maybe You Don’t Deserve To Be Happy: Everyone needs to think about whether they actually deserve happiness. 
2. 24 Books You’ve Probably Never Heard Of But Will Change Your Life: I always need a new list of books to tackle and these often forgotten gems seem great. 

August:

1. There’s A Lot More To Reading Than Just Reading: Cheesy, not as well-written as some of the other articles on this list, but it makes me happy because I know how the writer feels.

September:

1. How to Keep A Library Of (Physical) Books: Perfect timing as this month was when I began cultivating my personal library. Also, it justifies that $72 I spent in one trip at a used bookstore in Lincoln Square.
2. Everything I Learned In College Was A Lie: Funny, but relevant especially to Liberal Arts students.
3. Warning: This Video Of Joseph-Gordon Levitt Will Give You A Sexual Heart Attack: No shame.
4. 35 Breathtaking Photos That Will Make You Fall In Love With Chicago: I love saying that I live in this city now. 35 more reasons to add to the list.

October:

1. 22 Things You Need To Realize While You Still Have The Chance To Change Them: These are basically The Golden Rule, expanded and for teenagers to centenarians.
2. 29 Awesome Modern Romantic Comedies That Don’t Insult Your Intelligence: I need something to tell me what to watch when I have an emotional 2 AM Twizzler binge that is somewhat satisfying.
3. The Complete Guide For Traveling In New England: I wanted to go to school in New England, of course I'm going to have this on my list.
4. What It Means To Be A Critic: After becoming friends with a handful of film majors, I've come to really enjoy the critical analysis of film. This is a sort of critic-ception: how do we critique critics and why?
5. Do It Girl, Make The Move!: The feel-good article for the month. Girl power attitude replenished.
6. College? It’s The Best Years Of Your Life, Right?: This helped ease the "Why am I feeling so awful?" fears I was having at the time. 
7. The 5 Best Surprise Rolling Stone Articles: I get Rolling Stone in the mail. It's usually a crapshoot writing-wise. These are highly informative. Read them!
8. 17 Photos That Prove That Marlon Brando Was The Hottest Person In The History Of Hot People: Even though my first foray into Brando-ville was Apocalypse Now, I recently watched On the Waterfront and I got butterflies. 
9. 23 Terrible Movies So Bad You Absolutely Have To Watch Them: Must have for movie nights.
10. The Only True Happiness Is What We Share When We’re Most Uncool: Awesome. 

November:

1. 7 Famous Thinkers, Presented As Doge: Doge gets me every time, so I love the intellectual spin on it.
2. 9 Mind-Expanding Books Of Philosophy That Are Actually Readable (A Guide To Practical Philosophy): Since I probably won't get to take a non-education related philosophy course (wooo Ed majors), I want to read more philosophy outside of class that is actually digestible without a professor
3. The 30 Most Epic Zingers From Famous People Throughout History: The nerd within me laughs.

December:

1. The Lost Art Of The Mix CD: I love making people mix CDs, so of course I find myself liking this piece.
2. If You Were A Sentence Written In The English Language: Another cheesy one, but it makes me grin like an idiot. 
3. Cancer Has A Way Of Deleting Everything You Could Say: The connection to this is strong. 
4. What Writer's Block Would Look Like If It Were Described on WebMD: Now that I've started to write more, this describes my evenings completely.
5. What You Should Do the Next Time You Hate-Read Something Online: A message to everyone that complains about BuzzFeed.
6. 15 Reasons Why Everyone Should Read More: Friendly reminder that reading makes you a better person in all categories.
7. The Notecard System: The Key for Remembering, Organizing, and Using Everything You Read: Perfect article for my New Year's resolution to keep my notes more organized.
8. My Interview With The World's Youngest Ibogaine Provider: Fascinating article about a controversial new drug that interrupts opiate addiction.