The Good, the Bad, and the Curious (Link Round-Up)

Here's what I've been reading that made me smile (The Good), cry (The Bad), and think (The Curious).

The Good

Did you know there are giant concrete arrows scattered across America?

A seven-year-old does a review of Emmy's fashion. (My favorite is the commentary on Aubrey Plaza.)

This:

The Bloggess is hilarious.

The Bad

This New York Times report on children and guns combines heart-wrenching stories with mind-boggling data. How is it that most states don't even have safe storage laws? (Warning: this is a painful read.)

What these Pennsylvania school officials were caught texting to one another should chill you to the core.

Offbeat Families?! NOOOO! 

The Curious

A USA Today article on the rise of co-sleeping suggests that parents are ignoring the SIDS risk of this practice, but SIDS rates have fallen over the same time that co-sleeping has risen. Here's an interesting article that suggests the real risk of SIDS: being born low-income.

This video store retailer is concerned about parents who give their children Grand Theft Auto:

I don't tell you these things because I don't like your parenting style. It is because, when I look at little Timmy there in my store, I can't help but picture him as the little boy sitting across the table from my daughter in her first grade class.

 Annie of PhD in Parenting asks why we demonize a parent reading a blog on her iPad while her children play at her feet as neglectful but don't show the same disdain for a mother reading a paperback. 

I read this entire 10-page New Yorker article about a potential marathon fraud because it was one of the strangest things I've read. Why would someone do this? What's the benefit?

Congresswoman Jackie Speier pulls out some props to demonstrate the hypocrisy of those voting to cut food stamp funding.

What would a life expectancy of 150 do to our cultural norms, especially those surrounding love, marriage, and having kids?

Check out these pictures of a week's worth of groceries in different countries.

Reel Girl asks how we decide which images are "inappropriate" for public display. A breastfeeding mom? M.I.A.'s middle finger? Miley Cyrus' performance? 

Rachel Maddow explains that the government shutdown isn't just a side effect; it was the plan:

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