Links – Marilyn R. Gardner

It’s felt like a long week! With a weekend – that ‘oh so favorite time for the middle class’ – comes our weekend wrap-up.

On Malnutrition and World Hunger: This is a big topic for me. I feel it in my gut and several times a week read a blurb or article on malnutrition in the developing world. The question asked in the linked article is whether fortified rice can be a game-changer in the fight against malnutrition. The irony of course is that I now live in a country where our biggest health problem is obesity….that’s a hard one. Read Cambodia: The Game Changer Against Malnutrition and let us know what you think of the issue and the article!

On hate: – There’s disagreement….and then there’s hate. Is it possible to disagree with someone and yet not hate them? Absolutely. But what I often hear about President Obama is pure venomous hate. Is this racially motivated? It’s a hard question – it’s an important question. Take a look at this article and see what you think – Hating President Obama (in Jesus’s Name). “But it is possible to disagree and challenge with respect. And if you can’t conjure up respect, you can at least disagree and challenge without being hateful.” from the article.

On College Costs: As a mom of 5 this is a soapbox topic for me – college costs and school loans. Here’s one man’s take on how to get what he affectionately calls his 10 K-B.A. The comments are all over the map in this one so don’t read too far! But what do you think of college costs and the dilemma of higher education? Weigh in through the comments after you read My Valuable, Cheap College Degree.

On Saying Goodbye to Adult Children: The GypsyNesters are a couple that are living an unconventional and wonderful empty nest life — instead of pining for the days with kids, they are embracing a life of adventure as ’empty nesters’. This article is a great look at saying goodbye to adult children. Take a look at Post-Parting Depression: Saying Goodbye to My Adult Kids and see what you think.

On Downton Abbey: What if the episode were Facebook updates? Take a look at this hilarious Facebook recap of Season 3, Episode 1.

Most interesting comments on the blog: These came from Cab Driver Conversations. Turns out that there are many of you who have had interesting conversations with cab drivers. Two links below are from a reader who blogs at Outasiteoutamind. I love these two stories!

1. http://outtasiteouttamind.com/2012/02/15/global-litter/
2. http://outtasiteouttamind.com/2012/11/05/on-american-progress/

On the same article Pari commented “We all have a little drama, many short stories and at least a novel in each of our lives.” If you haven’t had an opportunity, take a look at the comments on the article. They are proof that the readers of CAB are amazing!

On my bedside table: Oops! No changes from last week! First They Killed My Father and Crime and Punishment call out to me by day and by night!

I’d also love to know what have you been reading. Feel free to share and link in the comments and with that, Have a great day!

Study in Malawi Links Microbes to Malnutrition Deaths (voanews.com)

It’s Saturday so grab a hot drink, sit in your most favorite spot, and spend time reading and relaxing!

On the woman behind Roe v. Wade: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Jane Roe. I found this an interesting look behind the curtain. Every law suit has a person with a story behind it. Norma, the woman who is ‘Jane Roe’, has an interesting story and a bit of it is told in this article.

On Egypt: The second anniversary of Egypt’s Uprising was yesterday. There was a massive demonstration in Tahrir Square with police and anti-Morsi protesters but otherwise, a country that occupied everyone’s thoughts and all the media spots two years ago remained almost off the radar. That seemed sad to me. In the midst of this I read a blog post from January 7th (Coptic Christmas and Epiphany) written by a friend of ours. It will give you a perspective you won’t hear in other places. Take a look at A Remarkable Sign of Hope During Christmas in Egypt by Ramez Atallah.

On Grace: The Lesson of Grace in Teaching is an essay written by a Professor of Mathematics, Frances Su. The essay is the text of a talk he gave. If you’ve followed this week’s posts, you’ll know that I’ve needed Grace. My favorite quote from the article:

The Lesson of GRACE:

Your accomplishments are NOT what make you a worthy human being
You learn this lesson when someone shows you GRACE: good things you didn’t earn or deserve, but you’re getting them anyway.

On What I’m Reading: First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers is a memoir from a Cambodian woman that covers 5 years of her life. For fifteen plus years I’ve worked with the Cambodian population in Massachusetts, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. I remember a few years ago sitting with one of my Cambodian colleagues over lunch, asking her about the Khmer Rouge and her journey from Cambodia to Lynn, Massachusetts. Her story had my throat catching and I wanted to weep. This memoir is long overdue for me and while I’m partially dreading it, it’s important that I read it. And yes, Crime and Punishment is still on my bedside table……