So a journalist by the name of David Wallace Foster died yesterday. Hung himself, it seems. Apparently that’s a big deal, though I’ve never heard of the guy. But in his various obits being posted, they keep linking to his apparently famous Consider the Lobster article for Gourmet Magazine. I like lobsters and good journalism, so I read it. And as far as I can recall, I haven’t read a more concise and honest essay on the ethics of eating other animals anywhere. It’s a phenomenal article, without a hint of preachiness or even much of a position, really. Just a meditation on our place in the food chain.

Madconomist has a pretty lengthy advice article explaining at length why American youths should think twice about the current education/career system in place and it’s a really thought provoking read. Certainly, there’s plenty to disagree with and perhaps more than a few radical ideas and recommendations, but there’s also some really good stuff. Advice on keeping your head above water in potentially turbulent times, on higher education, and learning skills and crafts, and on bettering yourself as a person—not to improve the ego, but to make yourself more capable of shifting and adjusting with the times. Very much worth the read, regardless of whether or not you have the time.

Quite Possibly, The Most Unorthodox Piece Of Advice Ever Given To The American Youths.