May 11, 2013
Radar Plots the Invasion
Who Audits The Auditors?
On Friday afternoon, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) apologized to conservative non-profit 501(c)4 groups for singling them out for heightened scrutiny during the 2012 campaign season. While the abuses were initially blamed on "low-level" workers in the agency's Cincinnati office, new questions were raised Saturday with a report that senior IRS officials were aware of the practice as early as 2011. That senior IRS officials knew of the politically-selective practices "seemingly contradicts public statements by the IRS commissioner." [more inside]
Put Up the Factory...and Own the Job
May 9 was the grand opening of Chicago's New Era Windows Cooperative, a unionized, 100% worker owned and operated window manufacturer with an interesting history. "In 2008, the boss decided to close our windows factory on Goose Island and fire everyone. In 2012, we decided to buy the factory for ourselves and fire the boss. We now own the plant together and run it democratically. This is our story."
Just remember to obey the red man and get some qualifications…
How to be German in 20 easy steps; also, from the same author: how to be English.
Elsewhere: how to be a really hip German.
More culture? No, more coffee shops.
South Bank, home to skateboarding in central London for 40 years, is to be turned into retail units. Part of South Bank, namely The Undercroft, has been hallowed ground to 3 generations of skateboarders. In response to plans to redevelop the site users have responded with a campaign to save the existing space, along with an attempt to have it classified as a village green.
One skateboarding magazine ex-editor suggested the alternatives should be explored, but the skateboarders did not agree.
An investigative reporter investigates
Did my wife's cosmetics give her breast cancer? During her first round of chemo in 2009, some volunteers at the hospital came calling with a little red bag [from the Look Good Feel Better program] that contained products from Clinique, Estée Lauder, and Del Laboratories. Upon reviewing the contents of her bag, she realized that several of the products contained parabens — chemicals that mimic estrogen and that according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics are linked to cancer. (previously, previouslier, previousliest in AskMe)
Waves... WOW
"Not for the weak of stomach"
The Siege of Paris, during the Franco-Prussian War, lasted from September 1870 to January 1871. As the Prussian army blockaded the city, Parisians turned to ever more desperate food
sources. Like the zoo animals. And other animals not normally eaten.
Bagpipe your beard-splitter if you want, but mind the fartleberries.
An excerpt from Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing, by Melissa Mohr. (Salon article; be warned.)
Japan's love of meals, sandwiched
Lotteria will release a ramen sandwich later this month. Back in February, McDonald's announced the return of its Texas and Idaho burgers. [more inside]
We can’t download a banh mi.
Chris Richards, formerly of DC post-punk outfit Q and Not U asks: Are foodies quietly killing rock and roll?
60 life-changing minutes
Now married and father to two, Kevin Berthia's life has changed dramatically in the 8 years since he climbed over the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge to take his own life. He probably would not have had that opportunity had it not been for the dedication of California Highway Patrolman Kevin Briggs, "The Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge". Following the overwhelming response to the short documentary on Briggs' efforts to reach out--sometimes literally--to would-be jumpers, he got the opportunity to meet the young man whose life he saved in 2005. [more inside]
From Brezhnev to Blair
British capitalism already has many of the hallmarks of Brezhnev-era socialist decline: macroeconomic stagnation, a population as much too bored as scared to protest about very much, a state that performs tongue-in-cheek legitimacy, politicians playing with statistics to try and delay the moment of economic reckoning. Will Davies on the stagnation and repetition of neoliberal economic culture.
Lots of sax; no violins
Also no conductor and no sheet music: the Eastman Saxophone Project performs The Rite of Spring [more inside]
Desperately Seeking Deck Hands
"For the vast majority of people who have done this work, it has been the hardest job they have ever done, and also the best job they have ever had. but if this work is not for you — if you consider it dull or drudgery or just too hard cuz you would rather watch TV or text someone, then please don't reply because you will have a miserable summer." - A Kennedy Seeks A Deck Hand ....on Cragslist.
Not fade away
abandonedography.com is a seemingly-endless photo collection of abandoned places and things. Explore random sites, check out the favorites, see everything at once in the archive, or submit your own.
How to serve man ... or at least make it look that way.
Feeding Hannibal. The blog of food stylist Janice Poon covers interesting recipes such as Lambs' Tongues en Papillote and Tomato Brain Barquettes as well some of the less savory aspects of the TV show Hannibal, such as creating fake mold and mock human loin.
A Recording Venue, Not the Popular Post-Processing Effect.
Hello. DJ Flula (who's commentary on English idioms was discussed previously on MeFi) has discarded the conventional wisdom that the best place to make your recordings is the bathroom, choosing instead to record in cars. [more inside]
Give your pet the gift of your face
Petswitch: "It puts your face on your pet". Uh, OK. There's a gallery of recent updates. Here's a dog. Here's a cat. Another cat. Another dog. A cat. A dog. A pig.
Focus on the background: animated GIFs of fighting game stages
"I have a huge collection of fighting game backgrounds as gifs. Figured you guys might appreciate it."
Pin the tail on the blue marble
NASA needs your help. Match the picture taken of a random location on Earth to the map, see how close you can get and "help NASA qualify their huge photo repository".
You made the fish disappear, you rob the bones of our ancestors
About 200 indigenous people on the Xingu, Tapajós and Teles Pires rivers began an occupation of the largest construction site of the Belo Monte Dam, demanding the withdrawal of troops from their land and the suspension of dam construction. Powerful and searing, this statement from a people pushed to the brink by their own state, Brazil, and who have begun an indefinite protest at the main construction site of the Belo Monte Dam, which is in the Xingu and Tapajós river basins
It made his insect eyes flash like a rocket.
Don't make fun of renowned author Dan Brown. "Renowned author Dan Brown hated the critics. Ever since he had become one of the world’s top renowned authors they had made fun of him. They had mocked bestselling book The Da Vinci Code, successful novel Digital Fortress, popular tome Deception Point, money-spinning volume Angels & Demons and chart-topping work of narrative fiction The Lost Symbol."
if it's the last thing we ever do...
Well, folks, Eric Burdon turned 72 today. And the man deserves some props, you know, for Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood and It's My Life and We Gotta Get Out of This Place and Don't Bring Me Down and a few other tunes as well. Oh, and he brought House of the Rising Sun to, yeah, a whole new generation. Happy birthday, Eric.
The end of "blink", the beginning of Blink...
The end of , the beginning of Blink...
The Evolution of the Web, in a Blink
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