dangerousmeta!, the original new mexican miscellany, offering eclectic linkage since 1999.

A Continuous Lean.: As it Happened — Brimfield.

Each year, I drool. Each year, my savings account is so happy I was not close enough to visit.

[Vintage tip: Remember to buy moldy leather, not dry leather. Mold can be removed and the leather restored, with a little elbow grease. It will still be strong and have a service life ahead of it. Dry and cracked leather, though it may look more palatable, will crack, fail and need replacing.]

TomDispatch: David Vine, ‘Baseworld Profiteering.’

Private contractors are the big winners.

CELDF.org: First County in U.S. Bans Fracking and all Hydrocarbon Extraction.

Good for you, Mora County. Now batten down the hatches and get ready for the legal challenges.

NY Times: No Benefit in Sharply Restricting Salt, Panel Finds.

“As you go below the 2,300 mark, there is an absence of data in terms of benefit and there begin to be suggestions in subgroup populations about potential harms.” First eggs, then butter … now salt. Everything in moderation.

ExtremeTech: How the 2013 World Press Photo of the Year was faked with Photoshop.

“I think most of you will agree, though, that the photo simply feels fake — there’s just something about the lighting that sets off a warning alarm in your brain.” That’s for sure. First thing you ask - where’s the light source?

Guardian.UK: Yoga guru Bikram Choudhury accused of rape in two new lawsuits.

Ugh. Read this, esp. the end of the article! Double ugh.

GreatFallsTribune: Feds—Budget cuts to make wildfire season tougher.

“Jewell spent the past two days touring the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, the government’s national wildfire nerve center. She was joined by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who said the U.S. Forest Service alone will hire 500 fewer firefighters and deploy 50 fewer engines this season.” This sequester fallout will cost more money than it saves. Plain and simple.

IKEA Hackers: Closet Toolshed.

I love this concept. Except I don’t want to take up valuable interior space. I’ll keep my eye out for old gym lockers at the thrift store, stuff a couple in my garage!

NY Times: My Medical Choice.

Angelina Jolie undergoes a voluntary double mastectomy. Gutsy lady.

SciAm: Riding Technique Affects Horse Force.

“Researchers filmed dressage riders as they trotted using both techniques. And they found that riders who use the more bouncy ‘rising trot’ actually keep their center of mass more steady when they stand—which reduces the force on the horse’s back.” Never sit like a sack of potatoes. Terrible for the horse.

TNDP.org: U.S. House Republican Majority Votes to Axe 40-Hour Work Week.

A den of vipers and thieves. I’ve got some tar … anyone got a supply of feathers and a railroad tie?

Tibet Post: China destroys the ancient Buddhist symbols of Lhasa City in Tibet.

“Ignoring both religious freedom and the outcry of the Tibetan people, the Chinese authorities have begun demolishing the ancient capital of Lhasa, including one of the most important Buddhist sites of the city, Tibet’s holiest Jokhang Temple.”

The Nation: Congressman Seek Constitutional Guarantee of the Right to Vote.

“Every citizen of the United States, who is of legal voting age, shall have the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides.”

NY Times: From Isabella Rossellini, Creature Moms.

What’s “natural” for a mother? Seems a whole lotta cannibalism goin’ on.

Guardian.UK: Cornel West—‘They say I’m un-American.’

I find his most vociferous critics have never, ever heard him speak.

BBC: ‘Dramatic decline’ warning for plants and animals.

“The good news is that our research provides new evidence of how swift action to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gases can prevent the biodiversity loss by reducing the amount of global warming to 2C rather than 4 degrees.””

OpenCulture: Jimi Hendrix Invites Paul McCartney to Join a Super Group with Miles Davis.

Curious choice. I would suspect disaster.

Oh … and under the weather.

Spring cold knocked me off my feet Friday night. Recovering now. Hopefully.

Motoriginal: 1958 Buick Century Convertible.

Fantastic grill. The past is another country; they indeed do things differently there. Could we ever figure out today what designers/streamliners had in mind then to create such a thing?

SF New Mexican: Utility to test plan to pump water underground for use in dry times.

“If we’re able to store the water when we have it, then we’ll be able to use it when we don’t.”

HypeBeast: Fiat x Smeg “Smeg 500” Mini Fridge.

And here I always thought a VW Bus resembled a refrigerator. Version two?

Bike EXIF: T120 Bonneville.

Triumph. Custom build. Springs on the seat (a must). Steampunk. Oh, yes.

SF New Mexican: Drought worsens in New Mexico; no relief in sight.

What alarms me most is, when I drove up to the Ski Basin the other day location scouting for a friend’s project … the snow-fed freshets were nonexistent. All the usual gushing creeks are trickling. The only one showing some life is the one that cuts through the center of the Ski Basin parking lot! This is terrible news. The Forest Service will have to shut the forests down before July 4, latest. Can’t take a chance on careless picnickers with fireworks and barbecue grills.

I keep saying to everyone in the area - if you want to hike our mountains, do it now. Don’t wait for warmer weather.

SF New Mexican: Bobcat Bite managers to leave over dispute with property owner.

Green chile burgers will never be the same.

Valet.: Oakley Frogskin Sunglasses.

Wrong again. It was Vuarnet Cat Eyes. Surely you remember … [1:23]?