Long Reads #21

I really wanted to do a book-centered long-reads post, but I ended up reading a bunch of different articles. They're all really interesting though, and I think my opinion the first article may get me reviled.

Death in Singapore by Raymond Bonner and Christine Spolar - Basically, Shane Todd was murdered, the Singapore police is incompetent and we want the FBI to lead the investigation despite the fact that this isn't America. Oh please. I actually have faith in the Singapore police force. And Singapore is no lackey of China and there's no way we would interfere with an investigation and move it in China's favour. And we aren't the lackey of the USA either - Why should we let the FBI in? We're a sovereign nation. I understand that you may not want to accept that your son killed himself (as a Christian, I understand the implications), but the way to go is not to blame another country. And yes, I know as a Christian, all this anger is un-Christianlike, but really, I can't stay calm while my country is insulted. (Although what convinced me that he wasn't murdered was when I learnt that the much vaulted thumbdrive was handed to the Todd Family in the presence of US embassy staff rather than being found by them, as they claimed.)

Mad Men - And the Women Who Love Them by Sarah-Jane Collins - Boy, am I glad that I wasn't born in the time of Mad Men. And while I haven't actually seen the show (whoops), I really do want to watch it now. I'm not sure if I can take the sexism though (I know it's an accurate portrayal, but I can't help but think that my blood pressure would be raised anyway).

If You Call It Art, Is It Still A Crime? by Mike Bowers - This was really interesting. But ultimately, I think that if you didn't take the image yourself, but only edited it, you have to cite the original photographer. I don't really care if you made it 100 times better, it's still someone else's work. It's like the difference between Homage and Plagiarism.

She stole another's identity, and she took her secret to the grave. Who was she? by Maureen O'Hagan - This was a really interesting read. It's about Jane Doe, a woman who stole the identity of another women called Lori Ruff and lived a lie for many many years. Well, her life with a stolen identity wasn't happy and her death was quite tragic. But I really am curious, who is she, and why did she feel the need for a fresh start?

What have you been reading recently?