Daily Links 11-21-13

Playing Poirot, the secrets of the Zapruder film, how to be a man at home, cool book nooks, and more in today's roundup of links.

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David Suchet shares his secrets to playing Hercule Poirot. Some of the tips are a little surprising. For example, I didn't realize that he would watch each previous portrayal before filming a new installment. Plus I love the fact that he stays in character all throughout filming.

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Brian Howard has five tips for how to be a man at home. These are all great suggestions.

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Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John Kennedy. The most famous piece of film from that day is the amateur 8mm movie taken by Abraham Zapruder. Life Magazine has the story of how they managed to acquire this precious piece of film.

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This is surprising:

Full story here.

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Some people love Disney so much they decided to move there. Not a bad deal if you have a couple of million to spare.
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Here's a collection of book nooks that will warm your heart. I think this one is my favorite.

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How C. S. Lewis led the way to better apologetics.

Daily Links 11-6-13

David Suchet bids Poirot "Adieu", John Cleese lectures on creativity, things I will not regret doing with my wife, and much more in today's roundup of links.

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After 25 years portraying Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, David Suchet will make his final appearance when Curtain airs in the UK next week. American audiences will have to wait until next year to see the final films. The Telegraph has a wide-ranging interview with Suchet about the role that made him famous that is a must read.

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John Cleese is arguably one of the funniest men in show business. But he also has some great insights into fostering creativity from this lecture from 1991. Take the time to watch this excerpt:




Hat tip: Brain Pickings

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Duck Dynasty has been a huge hit for A&E. It's also not without a little bit of controversy over what's getting edited out of the show. R. J. Moeller argues that Duck Dynasty's values don't need editing.

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I bet you didn't know that it was a little girl who inspired Abraham Lincoln to grow out his beard.

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Tim Challies shares 18 things he won't regret doing with his wife. He also shared 18 things he won't regret doing with his kids. Both are worth reading.

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Trying to decide how many kids to have? Consider reading this first. These are some good things to consider when determining how large a family to have.

Daily Links 10-21-13

Is Paleo just a fad diet, the downfalls of teenagers on social media, the differences between buzzwords and leadership, and more in today's roundup of links.

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Is Paleo just another fad diet or is there something more to it? Speaking from personal experience, Paleo has been a life-changing decision for me. About a year ago I was getting sick all the time. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. My doctor was stumped. Then I finally stumbled across Breaking the Vicious Cycle and started following the guidelines closely. My health changed dramatically and started to lose weight. Paleo is closely related to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and the approaches are similar. Eating Paleo has made a big difference in my life. If you're dealing with digestive issues it's worth a try to see if it will make a difference.

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This week marks the return of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot to the small screen. Of course, Britain gets to see it first. American viewers will have to wait until next year thanks to PBS. To whet your appetite, ITV has posted a trailer on their website. These will be the last four movies in the entire canon.

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Habits of successful people: They start before they feel ready. This is a fascinating article.

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Have you ever looked closely at company logos? They may be trying to tell you something.

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This is a frightening list: seven everyday foods that could kill you. (Hat tip: Food Riot)

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The downside of teenagers being constantly connected to their electronic devices. For what its worth, this is an area where we have treaded carefully with our own daughters.

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10 differences between buzzwords and leadership:

On several occasions when teaching, I’ve noted the difference between buzzwords and leadership. In fact, I think that a key facet of leadership is knowing the difference between a strategy and a collection of buzzwords. In the corporate world, there are a multitude of buzzwords (and phrases) that need to fall out of existence. And, yes, I’m an offending party on several of these.

Hat tip: Justin Taylor

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I find to-do lists are really helpful in managing my day to day tasks. Here's a fascinating history of the to-do list and how to make them work better for you.

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This is fun: A list of 25 movies that you might not know were based on books.(Hat tip: Book Riot)

Daily Links 9-12-13

Hercule Poirot returns, hidden passageways, how to become a well-stocked recluse and more in today's link roundup.

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 Frankly, I am not sure what to make of this:

Hercule Poirot has returned. HarperCollins has announced it will publish a new novel centered on Agatha Christie’s famous protagonist – a Belgian detective famous for his carefully tended moustache – to be written by author Sophie Hannah. The book is authorized by Agatha Christie’s estate. The novel by Hannah will be “a diabolically clever murder mystery sure to baffle and delight,” according to HarperCollins. The new book, which will be the first work about Christie’s characters since the author’s death in 1976, is set to be published next September.

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Architectural delight - a wonderful round up of hidden passageways and secret doors (via Mental Floss).

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Making the case against college.

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How to order everything you need online and never leave home again. This appeals to me a lot.

All kidding aside, Amazon Prime is still one of the best deals going online.

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A profile of the women of Duck Dynasty: Of all the shows on television right now,Duck Dynasty is one of the few that does not objectify women, but portrays them as whole persons. Furthermore, it pushes back against shallow stereotypes of Christian womanhood. The Robertson women are not cookie cutter look-alikes. They're not all stay-at-home moms, or incredible cooks, or silent submissives. Korie is a businesswoman without a knack for cooking or sewing, and Miss Kay wields a gentle yet authoritative power in the family. As the two main female characters, Korie and Miss Kay are not cut from the same cloth, but each woman has her own strengths, her own areas of influence, and her own expressions of self. And amidst this diversity, each embodies the biblical image of a woman "clothed in strength and dignity" (Prov. 31:25).