I’ve been thinking about doing something like this for a long time and now I am happy to introduce the first in what I plan to be a series. Sunday Smacks are weekly round-ups of my favorite reads, most noteworthy happenings and everything I find worhty to mention here week by week.
I haven’t used rss feeders before. I just decided recently to start using Google Reader to be able to catch up with all the blogs I was reading I was struggling to find the time to follow.
But that was only days before Google Reader’s termination was announced (as timing is everything, they say), so I immediately had to look for something else. Since Feedly was the one recommended by most, I started using it. And I have to say I love it! I don’t miss any great reads anymore for the lack of time to check out each blog one by one. Instead, now I have a Facebook or Twitter-like newsfeed of them, but also can view blogs by categories. For example, when I don’t have the time for Beauty, Lifestyle, Gastro, etc. posts, I skip the newsfeed and go straight to my professional categories. Seriously, you should use Feedly, if you don’t already!
I am sharing this to recommend Feedly on the one hand, I find it really-really great, and on the other hand, to lead in some of the below reads, some of them are from my favorite blogs (perhaps I will do a favorite blogs recommendation post too…), as Feedly also made it easier for me to bookmark my favorite posts for a collection like this.
As for the series, most of the below categories are not going to be regular, I will always leave out or make up new categories according to what I have for any given week. World affairs and law will always be the lead, but other than that, I am versatile, you’ll see! 🙂
So, here’s my first ever Sunday Smack! Hope you’ll enjoy!
On world affairs:
Heads of UN agencies released this joint statement on Monday to appeal to all involved in the Syrian conflict and all governments that can influence them. The message is quite simple: Enough.
The UN idiot’s guide to hanging with war criminals
This might sound funny at first, and I always loved Colum Lynch’s humorous approach of things, but this is a serious issue indeed. Bad enough the international community does not have the power and resources to get war criminals, there’s no need to further endorse them. The UN now makes this clear to all those who were in the dark before.
Boston Marathon Bombing Marks a Deadly Week So Far
Now this is a hard one. This was published on UN Dispatch right the next day after the marathon bombings. I do think such a terrible event deserves all the attention it can get, and I argue with those who think it was too much (imagine, local violence get the same attention locally everywhere in the world, just no local media affects world news as much as that of the US). Anyway, despite all this, I found this a great piece. As I said, not because the Boston victims don’t deserve all the attention, but because others do too.
An Arab in Boston, after the Boston Marathon bombings
Yet another interesting perspective to look at last week’s events, and not just in retrospective. I know this is debatable as well, and I was always on the side of security no matter what resctrictions it means. But for most of us it is hard to imagine what it’s like to be looked at with suspicion just because you look a certain way.
Bahrain’s Formula One Grand Prix Crackdown
Intersting piece about Bahrain’s revolution that started as one chapter of the Arab Spring, but has been ignored by the world for two years now.
On the legal side:
FBI tells Interrogators in Terror Cases to Delay Miranda Warnings
ACLU calls for Miranda rights for Boston bombing suspect
From a lawyer’s point of view I find particularly interesting the debate over whether or not Miranda warnings should be read to terrorism suspects. The first article about the Obama administration’s decision was published in the New York Times in 2011.
Interesting news of the week:
The TRUE Size Of Africa – An Erroneous Map Misled Us For 500 Years!
On a lighter note, do we really know what the world map looks like? Clearly, spotting The West Wing video in there increased my interest in this story a lot, that was one of my favorite episodes ever. 🙂 But still, it’s worth taking a moment to think about what this means.
Fashion politics of the week:
Britain’s First Lady Samantha Cameron has managed to become trending worldwide for quite a long time on Twitter for this interesting choice on Lady Thatcher’s funeral.
TED talk of the week:
Hesna has been a war correspondent for the Hungarian National Television for years. On this TEDx event a few weeks ago the theme of her talk was something she was often asked about: fear. Fear, from those people’s point of view who have to face it on a regular basis either due to their jobs or due to their circumstances.
For Hungarian readers, if you are interested in world affairs, her book is a must! In it she shares insights to her life as a war correspondent with similarly interesting stories to those in this talk.
If you liked my first Sunday Smack, look out for the next round next Sunday!
In the meantime, if you have any critics or suggestions, or just want to comment, I am always looking forward to your opinions!
