The Closing of the Year

If I cannot bring you comfort
Then at least I bring you hope
For nothing is more precious
Than the time we have and so
We all must learn from small misfortune
Count the blessings that are real
Let the bells ring out for Christmas
At the closing of the year

—Wendy And Lisa - The Closing of the Year

in the wind | tweets from the week ending 12.28.13

the fault is in our...philosophy | John Green on US health care http://jimhancock.blogspot.com 

your kid got a handheld device...now what? Common Sense Media recommends apps for every agehttp://bit.ly/1dd7MNS 

the fault in our philosophy | John Green on US health care

I missed this piece from John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Mental Floss, brother to Hank Green) on why the US has long spent so much more on health care — including more tax dollars — than other developed economies (we're looking at you Canada, UK, Australia) with so little to show for it. Who's at fault? Insurance companies? Drug companies? Malpractice lawyers? Hospitals? Or is it more complicated than a simple blame game? ("Hint: It's that one," he says.)

For a more thorough examination of US health care expenses, Mr. Green recommends a series at The Incidental Economist: http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wor... The Commonwealth Fund's Study of Health Care Prices in the US http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/med... and this New York Times story: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/hea...

Mr. Green promises this is part one in a series on health care costs and reforms leading up to the full rollout of the Affordable Care Act next year.

in the wind | tweets from the week ending 12.21.13

have yourself a merry little Christmas [h/t Apple] http://jimhancock.blogspot.com

Read it yourself: What GQ actually says Phil Robertson actually said. http://gqm.ag/1bWiCqn

have yourself a merry little Christmas [h/t Apple]

Maybe especially with kids, things are not always as they seem.

in the wind | tweets from the week ending 12.14.13

Listen Fast: Do Digital Natives Exist? http://bit.ly/1gskk7c

the affluenza defense | 4 dead; the drunk driver gets probation http://cnn.it/1gsX8FU

I've got your Santa right here Ms. Kelly http://jimhancock.blogspot.com 

is sorrow enough? | wringing our hands over gun violence http://jimhancock.blogspot.com 

is sorrow enough? | wringing our hands over gun violence

Is sorrow enough?

One year and 11,494 US gun deaths since Newtown, what else have we done than wring our hands?

If you don't like the way this is going, or if you do, tell the people who represent you in Washington exactly what you want them to do. 

 Find your Senators   Find your Congressional Representative 

I've got your Santa right here Ms. Kelly

A beloved part of our Christmas celebration. Can you infer
anything from this image about the color of our skin?

in the wind | tweets from the week ending 12.07.13

read it yourself | assessing what 15-year-olds know and what they can do with what they know http://bit.ly/1gBV3VB

When I take Adderall, I think, ‘This must be how really successful, smart people are all the time' http://alj.am/1g6qrOl

Nelson Mandela | ahead of the flock 
http://jimhancock.blogspot.com

Nelson Mandela | ahead of the flock

"There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way." 

Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, p.526, 1995

in the wind | tweets from the two weeks ending 11.30.13

HoHoHo | Gift ideas (books, movies/tv, apps, games + music) for kids 2-6, 7-12 + 13-17 from Common Sense Media http://bit.ly/1b6fQAQ 

the Batkid should lose his health insurance http://jimhancock.blogspot.com 

the common good | why the guy who "created" the # didn't seek a patent 
http://b.qr.ae/1b6iTZU

finishing what we started | making good on unintended consequences http://jimhancock.blogspot.com 

Nickelodeon study: 8 out of 10 kids say they wish they could spend more time with their parents http://bit.ly/1eoKlkh

sustainably interesting | This Black Friday, Repair, Don't Buy, Says Patagonia http://bit.ly/1iOKYqn

Just back from a remarkable experience with 3k+ youth workers @ #nywc in Nashville. I never tire of this tribe. Thanks @YouthSpecialties

A Proclamation + Invitation to Thanksgiving by Abraham Lincoln | 1863 http://jimhancock.blogspot.com