February 20, 2017
“Alabama was one of the wealthiest states in the United States at the time of the Civil War, and so was Mississippi, in part because they’re only counting white people.” When the slave tax was, along with slavery, abolished, it permanently warped Alabama’s finances. / The Montgomery Advertiser
After a “workmen’s café” in central France was awarded a Michelin star by accident—the honor was meant for a much fancier joint in Paris with the same name—the Telegraph dispatched a critic to compare the two restaurants. / The Guardian, The Telegraph
“It’s not perfect, my Z900, but then neither am I and we are working together to overcome our respective shortcomings.” A brief essay about fetching tea on a motorcycle in Britain’s Malvern Hills. / Drive Tribe
Your Monday sports news: Dragon-boat-on-ice enthusiast says “dragon-boat-on-ice is probably the next winter sport to create a buzz.” / icedragonboatracing.com
1. A conversation with author Daniel Levitin on “the neuroscience of music, behavior, and staying sane in the age of Twitter.” / Fast Company
2. The Economist’s special report, “Mass entertainment in the digital age is still about blockbusters, not endless choice.” / The Economist
3. “Shakeup at the Oscars,” by Michael Schulman. / The New Yorker
A fascinating story about climate change and the sinking of Mexico City—where old buildings undulate, sidewalks resemble broken china, and in the giant neighborhood of Iztapalapa (“where nearly two million people live, many of them unable to count on water from their taps”) 15 elementary schools have crumbled or caved in. / New York Times
“As we’ve all tried to make sense of this very murky meta-story of just what’s up with Donald Trump and Russia, there’s always been the complicated and messy business ties then and the suppliant, fawning attitude and relationship with Putin now. Are they connected?” Decent summary by Josh Marshall this morning on the new Times story about what appear to be backchannel communications between the Kremlin and the White House. / Talking Points Memo
Three years ago, the employees at Swedish software firm Crisp decided the CEO’s job was already being done by everyone else. Thus, from then on: no CEO. / BBC
In honor of President’s Day, a fact sad but true: no American president has worn facial hair in over a hundred years, not since Taft and his walrus whiskers. / Quartz, Wikipedia
This, of course, is in reaction to President Infowars. / The New York Times
The Republican plan proposes “universal access to healthcare” the same way we have “universal access to yachts”—an empty promise that boils down to anyone can buy it, if they have the money. / pnhp.org
“Universal basic income represents economic security while falling short of the economic democracy that follows from distributed ownership structures.” As long as automation is steered by capital and not by workers’ interests, universal basic income (UBI) will only be a bandage on a growing wound. / The Next System
John McCain, self-proclaimed maverick that he is, is the leading Republican in the Senate to take a reasonable stance on many of the batshit things done by the Trump administration. / The New York Times, New York
“As long as y’all want to talk, I’ll talk.” As many Republicans flee their constituents, Rep. Mark Sanford—who, to be totally fair, holds a lot of terrible beliefs —held a marathon Town Hall session with the Charleston chapter of Indivisible. / BuzzFeed News
Exactly one House Republican has called for an independent investigation into any Russian interference in the election. / The Charlotte Observer
“If you’re going to wait around for a march or a protest in which you’re going to agree with every single message that’s on display, you’re never going to participate. You just never will.” If you ignore his fervent anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ policies, Evan McMullin seems like a perfectly reasonable person to be president, frankly. / The New Yorker
From a favorite series, “Under the Dock,” meet “one of the most fearsome predators on the British Columbia coast,” the sunflower sea star. / YouTube
“The height of the Cold War” is a commonly invoked phrase, even if no one seems to know the dates they’re talking about. / google.com
Furniture marketplace start-ups, discussion boards, and rideshare sites haven’t dislodged crusty, resilient Craigslist from its top spot. Its secret? / Backchannel
Credit: Paul Colangelo / TMN