Saturday Round-Up

I often come across a number of articles that seem interesting to me, but I don't always have time to analyze each one. Plus, you may not have an interest in the same topics I do. So what I plan to do each Saturday is have a handful of links on a variety of topics. If they are intriguing to you, click through; if not, fuhggetaboutit.

Parenting: Are Your Kids Bored This Summer?  A couple of dozen ideas, most of which are inexpensive or free.

Concubines.  Making a case that a couple living together before marriage is a step back towards primitive culture. Do you agree?

Voting in Early Primaries.  Voters in states with early primaries can have up to five times more influence than voters in later-voting states. Doesn't seem fair, does it?

Google Kids.  "Google should create Google Kids, a search engine that filters the Web for children." (And there is a follow-up article, called Google Kids: The Sequel.)

Will Smith A Capella Medley.  As with the video from Mike Tompkins, you can tell that I'm a big fan of this genre. I wasn't that impressed at first with this video, but it got better. Love the background dancer at 2:45 (lower right). Can't figure out the monkey ventriloquism at 3:29.

Anatomy of a team.  What do you need for a good team? Sam Luce gives 6 things, from having a common goal, to trust, to mutual submission.

When Children Don't Have Enough to Eat.  Would you be shocked if I said that 1 in 4 children live in a home that has trouble providing food for all family members? What if I said that that statistic was for the United States? (I'm glad that the children's program where I work will be an open feeding site in Allendale County, meaning that any child up to age 18 can walk up and receive lunch.)

Accountability Groups: the Tyranny of Do More, Try Harder.  "Christian growth . . . does not happen first by behaving better, but believing better."

How to Use Family Meetings.  Something we (my family) definitely need to do more of.

Seven Rules for More Effective Meetings.  Ever been at work in one of those meetings, that drag on and on? Yep. Here's how to avoid that next time.

Income Disparity Makes People Unhappy.  But the richest 20% of people aren't sad about income disparity. No duh.