Daily Links 3-4-14

In today's edition: avoiding the appearance of evil, John Steinbeck was a spy, how to get an online MBA for free, memorable quotes from Dr. Seuss, and more.

************

I've heard it said many times to "avoid every appearance of evil". The source is from 1 Thessalonians 5:22 in the King James Version. The trouble is that the KJV is translating the verse incorrectly. Here's an explanation of how this verse has been so frequently misused.

************

A crash course in jazz appreciation from Art of Manliness.

************

Did John Steinbeck spy for the CIA? It certainly looks that way. (Hat tip: Book Riot)

************

According to Yelp, the best rated restaurant in the country is a shack. I will say this: when I travel I do rely on Yelp for reviews of restaurants. Usually they are fairly reliable. (Hat tip: Neatorama)

************

How to earn an MBA online for free.

************

Dr. Seuss would have been 110 this past Sunday. Here are ten memorable quotes about his life and work.

Daily Links 2-18-14

In today's edition: missing the point of Let It Go, the real Monuments Men, World War II propaganda, you will never be ready for marriage, and more.

*************

Let It Go is the wildly popular song from Disney's Frozen. Trevin Wax wonders (correctly) whether we are missing the point of the song.

*************

A preview for the movie Unbroken. It looks really good. If you haven't read the book you really should.

*************

15 helpful uses for vinegar. It has all kinds of uses I never would have thought of.

*************

The story of the real Monuments Men. Needless to say it's a lot different from the Hollywood version.

*************

Private Snafu - World War II propaganda cartoons created by Dr. Seuss, Mel Blanc and Frank Capra.

*************

You will never be ready for marriage. I certainly wasn't.

If there’s one thing about life that I wish everyone would consider — particularly my peers, and those younger than me — it’s that you’ll never do the big things if you’re waiting until you’re ready to do them.

You’ll never be ready.

You. Will. Never. Be. Ready.

You can’t possibly understand the reality of marriage — the joy, the commitment, the love, the anger, the pain, the hope, the fulfillment, the excitements, the banalities, the journey, the sacrifices, the rewards, the journey — until you’re in it. Same can be said for parenthood, only more so.

How many people have been scared away from the altar because of this phantom notion of “readiness”? How many marriages destroyed because, confused and struggling, one or both partners suddenly decided that they were “never ready” to be married?

Look, I wouldn’t presume to give marital “advice.” In my life I’ve met a few people really qualified for that job, and I’m not one of them. But I come across this “divorce is high because people aren’t ready for marriage” shtick quite a bit. Predictably, it’s mostly unmarried folks who say these things. And it only results in more and more people my age hesitating to break out of the cocoon of adolescence and get going with their lives.

We commonly view living together as a logical step before marriage, but it isn’t. It’s something some people do, but it isn’t a step to marriage. Your marriage is defined by the commitment you make to the other person — not by the bathroom or mortgage you share. Living with someone is not a “warm up” for marriage or a “try out” period, precisely because it lacks the essential, definitive characteristic of that permanent commitment. You can’t comfortably transition into an eternal vow. You make it, and then it’s made.

Period.

**************

Why writers make the worst procrastinators.

Daily Links 8-29-13

A fresh serving of links to start your day. Tastes better than sausage.

********************************

30 Dr. Seuss quotes that could change your life.

********************************

Mike Rowe: Using the Tools God Gave Him

********************************

Trailer of the week: The Monuments Men