Monday Links for 6.1.2015

Some of the more interesting stories I read in the past week....

Bernie Sanders Campaign Kick-off Speech - Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders made it official this past week, kicking off his campaign for President.  His chances are very slight, particularly with the juggernaut Hillary Clinton is within the Democratic Party.  But I'm fascinated to see what impact Sanders can have as almost a de-facto third party, representing the very progressive wing of the Democratic Party.  Sanders, and to a lesser extent, Rand Paul in the Republican party, if they gain enough early support, have the ability, without winning the nomination, to make some platform changes.  Should be interesting to watch over the next 18 months.

Being a Better Online Reader - I've linked before to articles discussing the different way people read - online versus text.  What this article discusses, and what I've read elsewhere, is that at least for many people, reading comprehension increases when reading physical books/paper, as opposed to the digital word.  Some of this has to do with formatting, and some has to with the role that tactility has in how our brain processes what we read.  Personally, I do find that if I am not careful, I do tend to skim when reading things on a computer screen or tablet (and even my e-ink Kindle) (this is part of the reason why I still print off cases and statutes when doing research for work).  In any event, interesting article.

America's Days as a Global Superpower Are Numbered. Now What? - timely piece for me considering I just finished Fareed Zakaria's The Post-American World last week.  This piece from The Nation hits on many of the same points - not all of this has to do with an actual American decline, as opposed to rise of other economies and powers - Russia, China, India, Iran, Brazil, etc.  This piece tends to suggest that the overextending of American military forces around the planet is a major cause of America decline.  While this is a concern, the U.S., for all of its spending on military and defense, still spends an appropriate amount of its GDP on such expenses; though such could change quickly.  The drawback from this article is that it focuses primarily on foreign policy (for understandable reasons), but in so doing, neglects or fails to discuss the impact domestic policies and politics may have in the decline of America's standing worldwide.

Chinese Democracy Isn't Inevitable - speaking of the "rise of the rest," interesting piece on the internal dynamics of political evolution in China.  It is often assumed that as a country "modernizes" as a result of globalization, that democracy naturally must follow.  This article suggests, at least in China's case, that may not be absolutely necessary, depending on how things evolve between the current regime and the citizenry.  The article was an interesting insight into parts of the political culture of China, and a reminder of how a nation's unique history and culture has an impact on its future course that is too often underestimated.

What Good is Thinking About Death - another piece from The Atlantic, this time discussing philosophies surrounding how we view death, its impacts on how we live.  Gives some good food for thought, and contains many things I've pondered from time to time.  I'm not a stoic, in either the traditional or modern sense of the term, but I related well to parts of this discussion.  I try to be very aware, from a day to day basis, of mortality - I think it helps balance me to understand what are big problems, what are little problems, and keep that all important perspective about the circumstances of one's life.  As I like to say, you have 60, 70, 80, 90 years (if you're really lucky) on a rock orbiting a really big star within a massive galaxy within an even more massive universe; make the most of it.  In that vein, a little BBC piece on how long life will survive on planet Earth.

Scenes from Underground - not an article, but a series of pictures from The Atlantic regarding scenes from caves, tunnels, and other underground environs from around the world.  I just found the photographs to be interesting.

Let Me Think About It: On Recommending Books - on a certain level, I could relate to this piece from the Millions about the pressure when someone asks you for a book recommendation.  I love reading, and I love to share that passion; but being aware of that results in a little bit of self-consciousness when someone asks for a recommendation (that they expect the book to be amazing because it comes from a person who reads a lot).  Whether such is actually true doesn't matter, because sometimes that feeling, for me, makes me feel incredibly pressured (I'm not as "afflicted" by this as the author of the piece, who essentially was unable to make a recommendation when asked).  I work to get past that, understanding that one recommends books they find compelling, and must trust that the recipient of a recommendation understands that when a person likes (and thus recommends) a book, it often says more about the person than the book.  That said, I will pass on this summer reading list from Vox, and state that I do agree that the following books are very worth reads...Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel; The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot; and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.