1. Can the U.S. Ever Figure Out its Messed-Up Maternity Leave System?
“According to the United Nations’ International Labour Organization, there are only two countries in the world that don’t have some form of legally protected, partially paid time off for working women who’ve just had a baby: Papua New Guinea and the U.S.”
2. Post-Evangelicals and Why We Can’t Just Get Over It
Rachel Held Evans pens this spot-on column about identity and why it can be difficult to “simply” ditch the label: “When you grow up believing that your religious worldview contains the key to absolute truth and provides an answer to every question, you never really get over the disappointment of learning that it doesn’t.”
3. This Is What the Oscar Nominations Look Like Without All the Men
A really great visualization.
4. From Lone Wolf to Wolf Packs, What Paris Says About a New Model of Terror
If some interpretations of the recent terrorist attacks hold true, they "point to a dangerous evolution [in] global jihadism: an acceleration in hard-to-detect lone-wolf or wolf-pack attacks that hinge more on the proliferation of an ideology than actual sponsorship by any group.”
5. Satellite Imagery Shows Widespread Destruction at the Hands of Boko Haram in Nigeria
While Nigeria’s government disputes the numbers — that upwards of 2,000 were killed in Boko Haram’s rampage — Amnesty International says these images of Baga’s devastation suggest a high death toll.
6. How Your Neighborhood Affects Your Paycheck
Findings from two new studies paint an alarming image: “The neighborhood effect creates a lifetime earnings gap nearly as large as that between a college and high school graduate.”
7. WATCH: This Mom and Her 3-Year-Old Daughter Are Leading Amazing Protests From Their Living Room
Staceyann Chin and her daughter, Zuri, take on everything from consent to #NoJusticeNoPeace in this series of 1- to 2-minute videos called ‘Living Room Protests.’
8. How Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ Led a Radical Muslim to Moderation
NPR interviews Maajid Nawaz, who spent four years in prison after recruiting for an Islamist group and is now the author of Radical: My Journey Out of Extremism. From the interview: "I'm living up close and seeing [the radicals'] everyday habits and lifestyle, I thought, 'My God, I wouldn't trust these guys in power,' because when I called it, back then, and said, 'If this caliphate, this theocratic caliphate, was ever established, it would be a nightmare on earth.’"
9. Raising Voices, Breaking Chains
January is Human Trafficking Awareness month. This series explores the nuances of the problem and features first-hand stories from survivors.
10. Regular Naps Are ‘Key to Learning’
Here it is, everyone: that bit of research you’ve been looking for. OK, so they’re mainly talking about babies — but the article also points out the connection between sleep and memory as you age.
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