Change Convos monthly top picks: 5 links we loved in September

Written by Pat Heffernan | 10/1/15 2:00 PM

Fall in Vermont (or should I say autumn?) is chock full of delightful distractions, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on special treats. Here are our monthly top picks from around the web in September, plus the top five stories from the Change Conversations blog.

Monthly top picks: 5 links we loved in SEPTEMBER

1. Why Is Autumn the Only Season With Two Names? (Slate)

For word lovers, this is a fun (and timely) look at something I’d never really thought about before — the etymology of autumn, fall, and our other names for the seasons. #Words #Language

2. Power to the People? (Twitter)

Twitter announced political donations made easy for the rest of us, through a Tweet with Twitter and Square. Just what you were waiting for? Political donations, now through a Tweet #PowerToThePeople #NegateCitizensUnited

3. Sounding the Alarm (The Intercept)

This is a powerful Storify article of an interview with Peter Bouckaert, including images and social media posts that have ignited worldwide media coverage. Bouckaert is the emergencies director of Human Rights Watch -- and a journalist using social media to make horrors real by showing us “what’s happening in the stricken places we’d rather not look at.” #Refugees #SocialChange

4. Still Scary For Privacy Lovers (WSJ)

Surprisingly, this story on how Facebook’s recent "restrictions" on user data has wiped out businesses built around access to individuals’ data startled those blissfully unaware of what has been, and continues to be shared. (Be sure to check out the diagram of information being shared.) #Privacy #Facebook

5. Barbie Wants to Get to Know Your Child (New York Times Magazine)

The subtitle says it all: "With the help of A.I., America’s most famous doll tries to fulfill a timeless dream —convincing little girls that she’s a real friend. What will happen if they believe her?” This in-depth article documents Mattel's attempt to release a new talking Barbie that blends the speech-recognition technology of Siri with a new twist on gender consciousness. My question: Is this legal in a child’s toy? #Gender #OurKids