Image by Wayne S. Grazio, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.
Happy Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up some things for you to think about this weekend:
1. The Washington Post published an article about how used bookstores are making a comeback across the country, despite fierce competition from websites like Amazon. There are several factors that come into play here. Many book lovers enjoy browsing a physical store and serendipitously finding the perfect match for them, rather than shopping for books online. The profit margins on used books are better than new ones. And even the latest generation of kids born directly into the digital age has found reading books printed on paper to be preferable to reading them on a screen. All around, this is great news for print books, which are one of my favorite physical media (and pretty much the only one I collect any longer). Go visit a used bookstore today and be sure to support your local shops!
2. One of my favorite food documentaries, Food Inc., was recommended in an article on High Existence. The film covers various aspects of the overall food industry, including the inhumane treatment of animals, the economic and environmental repercussions of our current industrial production model that is used to grow vegetables and grains, and how the industry's economic and legal forces actually encourage an unhealthy diet. I would definitely give the film a strong recommendation—check it out if you are able!
3. It turns out that the NSA is not only surveilling American citizens, it has also been spying on members of Congress and Jewish American groups, according to an article published by The Wall Street Journal. To make matters worse, the security administration blatantly lied to Congress when directly asked about this accusation in 2014 by current presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
That's all for this week's edition of Weekend Thoughts. Until next week, keep thinking wilder.