This week, I noticed something awesome about this new series of posts: with the weekly post looming, I find myself clicking ever more interesting articles to read on the train / in line for groceries / when I need a break at work. It’s quite motivating to know that I’m going to share whatever it is I’m reading. You probably don’t care that I clicked through a slideshow of 12 celebrity couples in full-on PDA mode (because yes, I did). But if I read a promising article about the planned renovations for Chicago’s Union Station, a terminal near and dear to my heart these days, I can’t wait to share it with you!
A couple videos caught my attention, mainly because everyone and their sister was sharing them across social media. You see something crop up enough and you finally click over. This primer on the Syrian refugee crisis is a few months old now, but holds new relevancy following the events in Paris and the shameful response of several American politicians. In lighter fare, with Adele returning to her rightful place as the Queen of all Pop Culture (sorry, Bey) this week, she’s taking all the attention in stride, killing it on Saturday Night Live and impersonating herself in a BBC audition with her biggest fans.
I spent a commute to, from and back to work reading through this profile of a former Westboro Baptist Church member who launched the hateful cult onto social media, a move that would ultimately be the window through which she discovered the outside world and left the organization. I don’t make enough time for long reads like this, but I should, and after this riveting profile I hope I do.
A story dominating local news in the last few weeks was the senseless murder of a nine-year-old boy, Tyshawn Lee. I haven’t been able to pay a lot of attention to it because it’s just too heartbreaking. But this profile of the kind-hearted souls who prepared Tyshawn for his wake and funeral is incredibly touching. Though he is gone much too soon, Tyshawn was – and is – loved.
Over the last few weeks, the Mormon church’s stance on gay marriage has come under fire as they’ve essentially determined that all children of same-sex unions shall be excommunicated. My exposure to the church has varied over the years, from personal friendships to living in Salt Lake City for several months; it’s enough that the news is unsettling and sad – to me and about 1,500 members of the church, too.
My new favorite thing to do is take the train out to see family and friends in the far reaches of the great state of Illinois, and on those train rides my favorite thing to do is cue up a movie on iTunes. My new laptop doesn’t have a disc drive, so I suppose it makes sense to join the rest of the world in their digital viewing habits. But I digress…I rented CARTEL LAND last week and holy crap is that an amazing documentary. Listen to the filmmaker talk about the lengths he went to in order to get the shots he needed.
