The Economist: Microcredit—Put to the test.
ArtDaily: Paris police boost efforts to protect tourists.
“It will also begin distributing leaflets in heavily touristed areas, in English and French, warning against a trend that involves young criminals asking visitors to make donations to false charities or to sign false petitions, distracting them from pickpockets.” Heavy theft in the City of Light.
this isn’t happiness: The Origins of 9 Great British Insults.
CNN: Time travel—Can it really be done?
I feel like I’m doing it every night, on my evening phone call to Tokyo. It’s tomorrow there. I’m a creature of simple pleasures, I get such a kick out of that.
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.
Tibet Post: China destroys the ancient Buddhist symbols of Lhasa City in Tibet.
Guardian.UK: Cornel West—‘They say I’m un-American.’
I find his most vociferous critics have never, ever heard him speak.
Grand Central: 100 Years Grand, The Parade of Trains.
They should have asked NJ Transit for one of their retired GG1’s.
Telegraph.UK: Dame Helen Mirren’s outburst at noisy drummers.
NY Times: Practicing Yoga at 30,000 Feet.
Airline yoga. I’m sure the person in the seat next to you will appreciate that rogue elbow or knee.
Guardian.UK: On yer bike! New York Nimbys saddle up to fight cycle-share scheme.
What a shame. It’s a wonderfully bikeable place. Just carry a frame-pump (or some other large, heavy object) to whack cabbies with.
MailOnline.UK: Pilots ‘left Airbus carrying 166 passengers on autopilot.’
“Two pilots have been suspended from an airline after they allegedly left an Airbus carrying 166 passengers on autopilot and air hostesses in charge while they slept in business class.” Reminds me of a Spalding Gray monologue about flying in Asia.
ArtDaily: French archaeologists uncover a Gallic necropolis from the 4th/3rd centuries BC.
Bullseyes mark the spot.
Colossal: The World’s Largest Rubber Duck Arrives in Hong Kong.
Grim background in that first shot. The duck looks determined.
Guardian.UK: Scientists concerned at H7N9 bird flu outbreak that has killed 24 people.
“One of the biggest problems is that the virus does not cause illness in chickens, so it is impossible to know which are infected and which are not. In the past, China has slaughtered flocks to eradicate bird flu viruses, but H7N9 is now known to be present in chickens in all 31 provinces of China.” I’ve posted previously from other sources that this flu is not supposed to be a concern; however, the speed at which it is ‘spreading’ may increase mutation … ?
ArtDaily: Excavation unearths evidence of Thessaloniki’s urban life.
Subway builders want it all moved, archaeologists want it left in place, with the metro station build around it. Who will win?
Guardian.UK: Richard III archaeologists to return to Leicester site in search of lost knight.
Since it’s no longer a church, they really should excavate and rebury as many as they can, don’t you think? I wouldn’t want to sit under a car park. Tomato mulch? OK. Car park, no.
The Nation: The Case for Ethical Fashion.
“I am an impassioned advocate for small-scale, locally produced fashion. But where are the large fashion companies willing to take a risk and to reinvent their brands around ethical fashion production? It’s time to trust that the consumer, all things being equal, will buy an ethically made product.”
A Restless Transplant: Limited Space.
Ah, Dr Bronner’s soap. When you want to look like a squirrel (makes my hair like a Brillo pad).
Telegraph.UK: Mad cow infected blood ‘to kill 1,000’.
Mention ‘Mad Cow’ and watch the British lose it. Note that 1,000 number is a ‘high case’ scenario. Panic never solves anything.
BBC: How Britons fled grim jihadist camp.
“As soon as the sun set, the men were in darkness. Ishaaq Hussain, 19, had left home two days earlier - where his mother made the beds. Now, with no bed at all, he was disillusioned.” Read the entire thing, for a bit of a chuckle.
My Design Stories: Castello di Reschio.
Oh, yes.
