September 3, 2019
The coming death of just about every rock legend.
Behold the killing fields that lie before us: Bob Dylan (78 years old); Paul McCartney (77); Paul Simon (77) and Art Garfunkel (77); Carole King (77); Brian Wilson (77); Mick Jagger (76) and Keith Richards (75); Joni Mitchell (75); Jimmy Page (75) and Robert Plant (71); Ray Davies (75); Roger Daltrey (75) and Pete Townshend (74); Roger Waters (75) and David Gilmour (73); Rod Stewart (74); Eric Clapton (74); Debbie Harry (74); Neil Young (73); Van Morrison (73); Bryan Ferry (73); Elton John (72); Don Henley (72); James Taylor (71); Jackson Browne (70); Billy Joel (70); and Bruce Springsteen (69, but turning 70 next month). A few of these legends might manage to live into their 90s, despite all the … wear and tear to which they've subjected their bodies over the decades. But most of them will not.
Democracy dies in daylight, too
With 426 days until the 2020 U.S. Election (days.to countdown), you may be wondering about the state of election systems around the country. If so, NPR recently provided what you need to know about U.S. election security and voting machines, which can be paired with EFF's 2016 general article on e-voting machines and elections around the world. Meanwhile, as FEC nears shutdown, priorities such as stopping election interference on hold (NPR, Aug. 30, 2019). [more inside]
Juke
Southern University’s Human Jukebox is your favorite marching band’s favorite marching band. The sight of the sound of the Human Jukebox [YT Channel] is something else. It is home, something visible even in the dark of a buggy Louisiana night that doesn’t want to let the moon shine.
The Book of Prince
“Now, let me stop you right there,” Prince said. “Why did you write that?” It occurred to me that he might have flown me in from New York just to tell me that I knew nothing of his work. “The music I make isn’t breaking the law, to me,” he said. “I write in harmony. I’ve always lived in harmony—like this.”—The Beautiful One is an essay by Dan Piepenbring about his collaboration with Prince on a memoir, which had barely started when Prince passed away.
"he trotted merrily after his keeper"
Obaysch, the Hippopotamus, London Zoo 1852 [Photograph, The Royal Collection Trust]. Obaysch "was obtained by the London Zoological Society" ... he "arrived in May 1850". ["HRH (His Rolling Hulk)", Cemetery Club post]
"This book is not visually stimulating nor is there any real prose."
Leviathans in the Harbor
More and bigger cruise ships are crowding coastal destinations. When is enough, enough? Who gets to decide? [more inside]
In US cities, poorer neighborhoods are hotter
As rising heat bakes US cities, the poor often feel it most (NPR). "[T]he hottest neighborhoods in Baltimore can differ by as much as 10 degrees from the coolest. [...] NPR analyzed 97 of the most populous U.S. cities using the median household income from U.S. Census Bureau data and NASA's thermal satellite images. In more than three-quarters of those cities, we found that where it's hotter, it also tends to be poorer." [more inside]
"Dozens of false Renners had sprouted up, sowing chaos"
"What this means, as you’ve probably figured out by now, is that if you post 'Lookin’ good, Mr. Renner!' under a blurry video of Jeremy driving a dump truck and someone named football_jersey97 replies with 'There is diarrhea shooting out of my penis,' your phone will buzz and you will receive a notification with the words 'Jeremy Renner: There is diarrhea shooting out of my penis' next to a little picture of Jeremy Renner’s face."
I Broke The Official Jeremy Renner App By Posting The Word "Porno" On It
I Broke The Official Jeremy Renner App By Posting The Word "Porno" On It
Trebek Affirmation Soundboard
THE TREBEK AFFIRMATION SOUNDBOARD
For those distressing moments in life when you could use an audible nudge of encouragement.
the potent placenta
"In the hospital with pre-eclampsia, I asked the doctors and nurses caring for me for an explanation. My pregnancy was normal, and I was healthy. Why was this happening? Their responses were vague: “It’s something with your placenta.” “It’s not well understood.” I became obsessed with placentas in the hospital, when no one could tell me what went wrong with mine." Daniela Blei writes for The Cut on the promise of the Human Placenta Project.
The Green Sweater
In 2003, Lea Stern saw a green sweater on display at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The sweater was worn by one of Poland's hidden children, Krystyna Chiger, as she successfully hid from the Nazis in the sewers of Lvov for over a year (click on 'About this Object' to read more of the story). Stern has recreated the pattern, making it available to a new generation of knitters and helping people learn about Krystyna's story. Pattern sales have raised $3000 for the USHMM so far. [via Ravelry's blog]
SF lies about unfilled beds for mentally ill
Last month, a hue and cry was raised in response to a plan from the mayor and Department of Public Health to repurpose scores of beds on the San Francisco General Hospital campus reserved to permanently house the severely mentally ill into temporary beds for the homeless. Temporary respites are good. But permanent housing is better. And the Department of Public Health’s rationale for transforming permanent housing into temporary shelter unearthed an even more disturbing fact. In the midst of a homeless crisis that often relegates San Francisco’s vulnerable mentally ill to the streets, dozens of the beds created to permanently house them at the city’s Behavioral Health Center weren’t being used. From Mission Local [more inside]
US rehab industry does not provide evidence-based, effective care.
Kim Blake keeps a folder in her house, swollen with papers. Each document represents yet another try at helping her son Sean recover from a decade of drug addiction... But none of the treatments stuck. In August 2017, Sean died of a drug overdose involving alcohol and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. He was 27 years old.
[more inside]
Prostitution Thrives in Antarctica, Local Currency Only
Though penguins are known for their bonded pairings, researchers studying Adélie penguins have found that some female penguins will copulate with other males in exchange for rocks used in nest-building. Video (SFW, even penguin offices). Oh, and it's not just penguins.
The Less Sexyback
The Less Sexyback is a superbly groovy mashup of Timbaland's "SexyBack" and Tame Impala's "The Less I Know The Better". It seems to have appeared on the internets somewhere around March, with no definitive provenance, like a gesture of grace from Spiritus Mundi. Then over the course of several months, the beautiful beast slouched towards YouTube, to become the soundtrack for a wildly infectious video edit of dancing memes. All references without referent, here for your enjoyment.
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