May 16, 2016

• The Economist on why democracy fails in the Middle East: fear of Islamist parties; the diversity of Arab peoples.
• America needs the government to reclaim its role as an employer to complete the recovery.
• "Americans Don’t Miss Manufacturing—They Miss Unions."
• Could an American “baby lull” presage Japan-style slowdown?
• Excerpts from 1996 interviews with the Obamas.
• Brief cultural history of how Turkey came to love Game of Thrones.
• Study says Swedes more likely to be completely honest or completely dishonest in fiscal declarations; Italians more prone to fudge.
• New Zealand’s Prime Minister ejected from Parliament for not following the rules during "question time."
• Bureau of Land Management struggles with protesters jamming up auctions of mining rights on public lands.
• Referencing historical photos of Denali National Park, a photographer takes exact matches that show how climate change has altered the landscape.
• Jonathan Franzen goes to Antarctica.
• Chinese police officer holds plank position for eight hours, one minute and one second, beating world record.
• Philadelphia cops use a fake Google Maps truck during a high-tech surveillance dragnet.
• Google no longer to show ads from payday lenders, who've been constantly denounced but never routed.
• Uber says tips are racist—“mostly motivated by a desire to protect riders who don’t want to tip.”
• Intentions revealed behind common email starters.
• Student’s bunk excuse for OKCupid data leak exposes boundaries to useful research.
• Invitation-only meeting on genetic engineering of humans by scientists condemned by peers committed to full transparency.
• San Francisco journalists and publications band together to flood the town with news about homelessness.
• New York butcher stocks automat vending machines with grass-fed beef, lamb, and pork.
• In defense of depersonalization—the denial of reality—a disorder without any proposed cause.
• "Confessions of a Former Former Fat Kid."