April 27, 2017
Politicians who mock the EU secretly love the big pay, the media exposure, the immunity from criminal prosecution. / New York Times
“As for civil society, we can best quote the Prime Minister himself: ‘Show me that civil society so I can put flowers on its grave.’” For the (frightening, potential, speculative) future of Europe and the zone’s economics, look to Albania. / Berfrois
Your astonishing stat of the day: 96% of Hindus in the US have at least a college degree. / James Surowiecki
How to cure a fear of heights with “exposure therapy”—by repeatedly going rock climbing outdoors. / Esquire
Not a joke: Trump has a red button on his desk that he presses to order diet soda. / Associated Press
Cindy Sherman’s career retrospective travels to New York, open through June 10, 2017. / Mnuchin Gallery
Headline of the day: “Wild boars overrun Islamic State position.” / USA Today
In case you could use a little calming in your news reading: newspapers from around the world with nothing in them. / Sideline
Matthew Yglesias: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Obama said no to “buckraking” ($400,000 to speak on Wall Street)? / Vox
New evidence in California suggests that humans arrived in the Americas much earlier than previously thought—predating the best evidence by about 115,000 years. / NPR
Balenciaga’s new bag—inspired by IKEA’s 99-cent blue tote—costs $2,145. But IKEA isn’t going down without a fight. / Bored Panda
A lengthy appraisal of Maria Sharapova’s career as she returns from a drug suspension to sell herself anew. / Racquet, via Longreads
“The lobster rav was an elegant homage to the human body, in that it was 65% water. A unique twist on a meal from this very sexy restaurant.” GQ’s Caity Weaver goes bananas on Twitter after dining out at the Beverly Hills restaurant SUR, also known as the set for Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules. / Twitter
One artist’s study of New York City pedestrians: by the textures of the shirts on their backs. / Louis de Belle
Country music references drug use most often; jazz comes in second, and mentions in rap are relatively infrequent. / Newsweek
Under the American electoral system, which boosts rural voters, Le Pen would have tied Macron. / Economist
“In Modern English you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but being whelmed is out of style.” Fashion is everything. From “Gruntled, Kempt, and Whelmed,” a very brief, enjoyable post about the mysteries of English. / American Heritage Dictionary
From South Africa to Pittsburgh: The first African-born player debuts in Major League Baseball. / ESPN
Recent paintings, with many involving laundry, by Swedish artist Sara-Vide Ericson. / Sara-Vide Ericson