Today’s bonus links aren’t as fun as previous weeks. Instead, we have an interesting (if with a happy ending) story about the impact of social media and how to follow Scotland’s historic independence referendum. A note that some of the main links might be triggering to victims of domestic violence/etc.
- Angry Letters to the One Member of Congress Who Voted Against the War on Terror: Barbara Lee was the lone dissenter in the post-9/11 vote authorizing military force. Many called her a traitor. But her constituents shared her concerns—and history has vindicated them. (The Atlantic)
- Ray Rice and His Rage: The sordid Ray Rice scandal has opened a much-needed dialogue about domestic violence. (New York Times)
- Your Email Double: A Classic Digital Dilemma (NPR)
- ‘What is reality?’: A Q&A with the artist who used social media and Photoshop to fake an epic trip even her parents fell for (Washington Post)
- Comment sections are poison: handle with care or remove them Comments are often regarded as a right but they can do more harm than good. In the absence of strict moderation, we’d be much better off without them. (Guardian)
- When You Can’t Afford Sleep: Many low-income workers get just four or five hours of rest each day. Research shows their bodies might never recover. (The Atlantic)
- Should We All Take a Bit of Lithium? The idea of putting a mind-altering drug in the drinking water is the stuff of sci-fi, terrorist plots and totalitarian governments. Considering the outcry that occurred when putting fluoride in the water was first proposed, one can only imagine the furor that would ensue if such a thing were ever suggested.The debate, however, is moot. It’s a done deal. Mother Nature has already put a psychotropic drug in the drinking water, and that drug is lithium. Although this fact has been largely ignored for over half a century, it appears to have important medical implications. (New York Times)
- Ticks and Cowboys: A handful of federal agents stand between the U.S. and a devastating pest. (Modern Farmer)
- Smartphones Are Used To Stalk, Control Domestic Abuse Victims: But there’s another kind of privacy concern that is a lot more intimate. You could call it Little Brother, though it’s really more like husbands and wives, lovers and exes who secretly watch their partners — from a distance. They are cyberstalking — using digital tools that are a lot cheaper than hiring a private detective. (NPR)
- The Mathematics of Ebola Trigger Stark Warnings: Act Now or Regret It (Wired) Note: Must read.
Bonus:
- How Facebook, Twitter and country star Blake Shelton solved a Sept. 11 mystery 13 years in the making (Washington Post) Note: This is heartwarming, but also interesting when you delve into why it took so long for this to be solved and how social media makes this stuff possible now and not last year or the year before and so on.
- How to follow Scotland’s independence referendum from America: The revolution will be televised, but our live blog and interactive will meet the needs of the whole non- and post-colonial world (Guardian) Note: Yes, I am following this.
