reading rainbow - 16 january 2015.

It has been forever since we last did an edition of Reading Rainbow, but several interesting articles have cropped up lately that we felt were worth sharing. Click and read below.

#1: Is it time to end the charitable tax deduction in the United States?

The private generosity of Americans, impressive though it is, does not meet the needs of America's poor. Commonweal explores the limits of philanthropy.

photo credit: commonweal

#2: How will we make our babies in the future?

In another article from Commonweal, the future of baby-making is called into question.

photo credit: commonweal

#3: Why did the world ignore Boko Haram's Baga attacks?

Media coverage has been dominated by the most recent terrorist attacks in Paris. This article from The Guardian asks us to consider what makes one massacre more newsworthy than another.

photo credit: sia kambou/afp/getty images

#4: Should nonprofits act more like businesses? 

According to this article in The Boston Globe, don't ask if a charity has low overhead. Ask if it has big impact.

photo credit: wendy maeda

#5: What if I told you that maternal mortality is on the rise in the United States?

And that the U.S. is one of only seven countries in the world experiencing an increase in maternal mortality (also on the list: Afghanistan and South Sudan). This article from Salon has the facts.

photo credit: gajus

BONUS: Battlestar Galactica changed our lives forever.

I recently gave a slight nod to our love of this show in my post on why we became vegetarian, but this week marked the 10-year anniversary since the TV show Battlestar Galactica began as a miniseries. Ashley and I just finished watching all four seasons of the show, passing through topics such as politics, military, philosophy and theology. And it was amazing. After all, you just can't help but watch one more episode.

photo credit: zap2it