Daily Links 4-16-14

In today's edition: protecting your family from pornography, a new song from an old friend, art available for download, and more.

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With the proliferation of pornography on the internet (and elsewhere) it is best to have a plan for how to deal with it as a family. Fortunately, Tim Challies has some terrific advice on how to develop a comprehensive approach to protecting your family.

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How you can spot a leader you can trust. Some good advice. (Hat tip: Trevin Wax)

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Should I go see Noah or not? A frank discussion on how to engage popular culture.

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My friend Annie Parsons (no relation) has written a lovely new song. She's a talented gal. Take a listen below and then leave a comment for her and let her know what you think.



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Everyone knows that Chick-Fil-A has some of the best food around. But here's something you may not know about: the best items featured on their secret menu.

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The stories of 11 incredible acts of courage.

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You can now download over 35,000 images from the National Gallery of Art.

Daily Links 1-20-14

A roundup of interesting links found on the web. In today's edition: tips for posting on social media, applying "Moneyball" techniques to paying for college, homeschool vs. public school, and more.

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Congratulations to my friend Annie Parsons who was featured in Fortune's Best Companies to Work For. Check out the unusual story of how she got her current job.

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Some food for thought on how we use social media:

I was a freshman in college when Facebook came out and I distinctly remember thinking, “why would I need this? I have AOL Instant Messenger and MySpace!” 

Well, times have changed. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram (and a slew of other sites I’m not cool enough to know about) have simultaneously brought us closer together and driven us further apart. With the exception of a few universally offensive statements or pictures, it’s a rule-free zone where we can interact with society while accepting minimal personal responsibility for the implications of what we do.

In absence of guidelines for healthy and polite social media etiquette, we are left to determine our own boundaries for navigating the seemingly endless opportunities available to us. 

Before we snap one more picture of our hot chocolate topped with a foam leaf, perhaps we would benefit from a brief pause—an extra 30 seconds to ask five simple questions might suggest it’s time to unplug, or at least reconsider when and how we use social media.

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Debunking five popular e-mail myths. In reading over this I realized that I've fallen victim to believing a few of these. Makes me rethink how I am using my e-mail.

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Fun facts to know and tell at parties: why fake phone numbers start with "555".

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Implementing a "Moneyball" approach to a debt free college degree. I have a few friends who have used this approach for either part or all of their college education. While I wouldn't consider doing the entire degree this way it is worth considering as part of the degree.

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Homeschooling is not for everyone. Neither is public school:

If you’ve ever spent any time around homeschool parents (or kids), one of the first things they will tell you is that homeschooling is not for everybody. Not every parent is cut out for homeschooling; more important, neither is every kid. 

That is why, unlike those who wish to suppress homeschooling, homeschool parents are rarely if ever heard demanding that the government pass a law demanding that every other family in the country do things the way they do. Unlike our German friends, homeschool parents do not wish to seize custody of other people’s children simply because they prefer a different model of education. The irony here is that more than a few of our public schools are so dangerous and dysfunctional that sending one’s children there really ought to be considered an act of neglect, if not for the fact that those poor parents have practically no choice in the matter. 

As an aside, I’d like to put to rest the canard that homeschoolers are socially maladjusted. In my time teaching, I had the pleasure of having a number of students in my class who had been homeschooled. Some were very bright and engaging, some were not; some were super gregarious, some were not; some were the very picture of emotional and social confidence, and some were not. Which is to say, they were more or less the same as the other kids, with the sole exception of having on average slightly better manners. The traditional classroom is an environment that works for many people, but it is a highly unnatural one: If being locked in a room seven hours a day with 20 other people all born within nine months of each other were a condition for proper socialization, then mankind was never properly socialized until the middle of the 19th century or so. And of course it matters who those other 20 kids are, and who their parents are. I was blessed to attend exceptional public schools, and we call things “exceptional” because they are the exception. 

We have 900 kinds of shampoo on the shelves and 40 different kinds of fresh fish at my neighborhood Whole Foods. Anybody who sees all that but thinks that there is only one good model of education is in no position to criticize anybody’s education.

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EP Debut: Wish That I Was by Annie Parsons

Wikipedia says that a songwriter is "someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. But a true songwriter is not someone who not only can write a song but can communicate feelings and thoughts through the music and lyrics, someone who reveals either part of themselves or through their music share things that any listener can identify with, themes that resonate with us.

Annie Parsons (not related to me) is a true songwriter.

I met Annie earlier this year on a trip to Nashville. I got to know her through my own daughter Annie.

Annie moved to Nashville a couple of years ago to pursue songwriting. This past summer, she made her debut at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville which is a big deal.

Now, Annie has just released her first EP entitled Wish That I Was. For a limited time, she has it available for sale. And she makes a compelling case why you should go buy this EP.

Please go and support Annie by buying her EP. She is a terrific writer and a wonderful singer as well. You will certainly enjoy her music.

Bluebird Debut

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to "my other daughter" Annie Parsons. In truth, she's a friend of our family, not a relative (even though she looks a whole lot like my wife).

Anyway, I failed to mention in that post that Annie is a songwriter. She's a really good songwriter.

This past Sunday, she made her debut at the Bluebird Cafe. For those not familiar with this Nashville landmark, this is a huge deal. According to their web site, country stars such as Kathy Mattea and Garth Brooks got their break at the Bluebird.

We wish we could have been with her. Thankfully, her friends recorded the session and you can see it below.

You can also check out Annie's other music on her My Space page.

Bluebird Debut - June 21, 2009 from Annie Parsons on Vimeo.

Congratulations, Annie. We are so very proud of you. We are praying that this is the start of something special.