Pakistan, Baseball, and Joe Biden

“Malala’s forgotten sisters” is a piece in Foreign Policy that made me want to go to Pakistan and do something, anything, about the abuse and forced marriages of the country’s daughters. Seventy percent of Pakistani girls are forced into marriages before 16 (the legal age for marriage), and I’m not sure any reporting has so affected me to want to pursue concrete action. The article follows several families on heartbreaking journeys through conflicts over land and family honor, forced marriages and the tension between federal law and the authority of tribal councils.

President Obama’s speech on Trayvon Martin is being hailed as one of his most important of his tenure. I tend to agree. No matter what you think of the case, the verdict or the aftermath, Obama makes some very sensible, heartfelt points. Read the transcript or watch the recording at the bottom of the page.

The BBC’s “Why baseball is a metaphor for life in America” paints a British picture of America’s pastime as one of overcoming failure. Baseball is a game in which batters fail more often than they succeed. “As a sport, it is really all about failure. Or more precisely how the players psychologically handle failure.” The analogy carries into broader American life, dealing with tough times and bouncing back from the lows of the American social and economic predicament.

Also from the BBC, “Star Wars home of Anakin Skywalker threatened by dune“. The headline says it all.

“Have you heard the one about President Joe Biden?” is a long piece from GQ, but don’t let that stop you. It’s an interesting look at the man who gets more flack and criticism than almost anyone else in Washington. He may be easy to mock (and the article did leave me thinking he’s a bit arrogant), but he’s also way smarter and more diplomatic than given credit for. Read this for a well-researched, generous account of Joe Biden, his presidential ambitions and why we should all like him more than we do.