Again this Friday, I’d like to direct you to a few things around the blogosphere that caught my eye this past week:
1. I was thrilled to be the featured blog on Barbara Swafford’s Blogging Without a Blog. Barbara did a lovely write-up about my blog and sent lots of new readers my way. If you are new to blogging or an old dog who likes learning new tricks, be sure to stop by Barbara’s terrific site, which she describes as “a blogging classroom on the web.”
2. I was riveted by New York Times reporter Edmund Andrews’ first-hand account of indebtedness in the New York Times Magazine. I’ve read my share of analyses of the current economic crisis, but none have drawn me in quite like this one. This article should be required reading for anyone looking to understand the role played by every day folks like you and me (and our banks!) in bringing about today’s economic downturn.
3. I’m intrigued by a new book reviewed in Slate by first time author Matthew Crawford entitled Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work. In it, the author brings his background in political philosophy to bear in understanding the relative merits of office life vs. having a trade, arguing that only the latter can truly help cultivate a sense of “self.” As someone who loves to think about people’s relationship to their work, I was immediately drawn to this piece.
4. Finally, for all you literary types out there, please stop by my old friend C.M. Mayo’s blog, Madam Mayo. I first met Catherine years ago – down in Mexico City – when she was an economist and I was a political scientist. She was really great at what she did but had the guts to strike out on her own as a fiction writer. Numerous books, articles, and short story collections later, she’s still at it and having a ball. This literary blog is a great resource for aspiring writers, especially those living in the D.C. area.
*****
I will be heading out of town this upcoming week for a family trip to Scotland. See you when I return in June!
May 26, 2009, 8:50 am
Hi Delia,
Thank you so much for the mention. I truly appreciate it. As I was reading your other Friday picks, I see you’ve highlighted some intriguing sites. I’m off to check them out.
Have a great holiday. I’ll “see” you when you return.
May 27, 2009, 4:02 am
I am going to check out your selected reading suggestions and I am going to Scotland for my 60th birthday to see my Father’s homeland….I am excited to read and travel.
Hope it was a wonderful trip