{"id":419,"date":"2017-10-10T11:34:02","date_gmt":"2017-10-10T15:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aligncenter.org\/?p=419"},"modified":"2017-10-11T10:32:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-11T14:32:47","slug":"newsletter-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aligncenter.org\/newsletter-15\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter #15"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"alignIn this issue:\u00a0prompts for self-reflection in an overly\u00a0busy world, interviewing hermits in deep America, and why working at home isn’t working. NPR’s newest podcast takes on International Day of Yoga from different perspectives, and a long read of an immigrant chef father told through a traditional Hong Kong dish. And four fun things I’m digging, including the best photos of the year, taken under a microscope.<\/p>\n

\u25e6 selected words<\/h1>\n

Beyond the Myths We Tell Ourselves, Big Love Is Waiting<\/a><\/h2>\n

Beautiful words about stepping out from the house of cards and self-imposed mind bottles we’ve built around ourselves. A poetic, timely piece on striving, purpose, busyness, connection, the fear of love and isolation.
\nonbeing.org (6min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Time With Hermits and the Draw of a Reclusive Life<\/a><\/h2>\n

The urge to leave the big city can go to the extreme, leading some to leave it all behind to live a life of solitude deep in the woods. A movement often romanticized in articles on young couples living off-the-grid, and movies like Captain Fantastic where entire families grow up away from the rhythms of civilization. In a quest to discover the answers of solitude, the author journeys to New Mexico and Arizona to seek out two hermits in hopes of better understanding life as a recluse.
\ntheguardian.com (12min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

How Squirrels Sort Their Nuts<\/a><\/h2>\n

On a lighter note, watching Sarah Silverman’s hilarious “Speck of Dust”, I laughed so hard with her joke about squirrels forgetting 80% of the nuts they’ve buried. Then this article pops up in my RSS feed, about a group of scientists who performed experiments and wrote a paper on the subject! Their “big” questions: How do squirrels decide where to bury their nuts? And how are they able to find them again? The researchers conducted experiments using GPS and old fashioned surveillance, giving different varieties of nuts to 45 squirrels to come up with surprising insights into the behaviors of these common little rodents.
\ntheatlantic.com (5min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

When Working From Home Doesn’t Work<\/a><\/h2>\n

A cure for work-life balance that can increase corporate productivity and lower costs. Telecommuting it was called, or remote work now, is the idea that led IBM to attempt a radical change to their work structure in 1979. By 2009, IBM boasted that 40% of their workers were working remotely. But in March this year, IBM shocked everyone, recalling all workers back into the office. This follows a trend with companies like Best Buy and Aetna reversing stance. With technology making it easier than ever to communicate, what happened, and what can we learn from these failings? Put simply, the power of presence is an intangible factor that’s difficult to measure.
\ntheatlantic.com (10min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 listen in<\/h1>\n

Om Alone in India by NPR<\/a><\/h2>\n

Rough Translation is NPR’s newest podcast, seeking to bring new perspectives on stories and conversations happening in the U.S., but from an international point of view. The goal is to bridge cultures and geography, moving us towards a universal language on controversial topics such as race, culture and politics, shining light on how stories are framed differently across nations and how they’re interpreted locally. In this podcast, the International Day of Yoga is the hot topic, leading to charged conversations on religion, cultural appropriation, and the meaning of the word Om, the Hindu word representing the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. From Times Square to India, the birthplace of yoga, NPR interviews people from all sides, including some who see this United Nations holiday as a weapon.
\nRough Translation on npr.org (32min podcast)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 eat well<\/h1>\n

Green Lentil Artichoke Legume Salad<\/a><\/h2>\n

Having discovered them very late in life, this wonderful legume is slowly sneaking it’s way into my regular diet because of it’s ease, cost and nutritional value. Here’s a unique recipe I’ve taken on overnight hikes as it’s filling and packed full of nutrients. My local bulk store and market didn’t have French Puy lentils, a bit smaller and darker green than the common ones, but the big supermarket did. Tip: substitute leeks or onions for the chives (which I’ve learned are not the same as green onions).
\nricardocuisine.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 read slow<\/h1>\n

Roast Duck Soup for the Chinese-American Daughter\u2019s Soul<\/a><\/h2>\n

Reflections on a relationship with a proud, but emotionally avoidant immigrant chef father who once dreamed of being a physicist but got caught in the daily grind of the restaurant industry to support his family. A heartwarming personal essay crowdfunded by Long Reads readers, told through the author’s memories of the popular Hong Kong dish.
\nlongreads.com (13min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 current read<\/h1>\n

Travels with Charley in Search of America<\/a><\/h2>\n

The 1962 Nobel Prize winner for Literature and author of classics such as East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath (all on my to-read list) never wrote an autobiography. However, in his later years, the famed American writer took a 3\/4 ton pickup truck and drove across America for the last time, taking with him his French poodle named Charley. In his journey across 40 states, he’d discover the “real” America, a country mired in racial tension and beset in loneliness and struggle, but also of depth and kindness in this travelogue.
\ngoodreads.com (214p book)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 dig this<\/h1>\n

What I’m digging lately:<\/p>\n