March 30, 2019
The Other Wolf of Wall Street
“Of course, what I found is every time I uncovered the corruption, I was just getting higher and higher. The reason why nothing was being done about any of these appalling actions was because the corruption went right to the top.” Zaron Burnett III writes 6400 (somewhat rambling) words for MEL Magazine, mostly about Jho Low. [more inside]
Use care when sanding components containing beryllium.
Twitter user @TubeTimeUS has been creating beautiful cross sections of common electronic components using sandpaper and patience. There are also some really neat annotated versions, as well as several closeups and
other
cutaways
not (yet) in the slide deck. In this case, the comments are worth reading.
But here’s a fact about Pete Buttigieg: He picks up languages quickly.
Before I dive into Shortest Way Home’s account of the life and career of Peter Buttigieg, let me be up front about my bias. I don’t trust former McKinsey consultants. I don’t trust military intelligence officers. And I don’t trust the type of people likely to appear on “40 under 40” lists, the valedictorian-to-Harvard-to-Rhodes-Scholarship types who populate the American elite.Is the charmingly multilingual mayor of South Bend all he's cracked up to be?
It has no meaning I just want to get it because I like it that’s it
As one of the most diverse states in the Union, California contains an expansive lexicon of offensive, lewd, and inappropriate words and cultural references. (Californians speak at least 220 languages—that’s 220 different ways to say “poop.”) But armed with Google Translate, Wikipedia, and Urban Dictionary, the DMV’s sentries gamely manage to weed out [license plate] profanity in multiple languages, coded Nazi symbolism, and obscure internet acronyms.
Holding Space
In the age of social media, when the personal is being turned inside out and exploited on what feels like a regular basis, sometimes what is most needed is to be fully present with those we care about. This thoughtful piece explores what that means, using the context of when the author's mother passed away as an example.
Every Worker Needs A Union
“Rather than being merely useless, “middle class” and its ideological trappings represent a positive obstacle to political engagement. If you’ve experienced dire poverty, or have loved ones in it still, it’s natural to feel grateful to make anything above minimum wage — or even guilty at having evaded such a fate. That move to guilt stops political activity in its tracks. There may be no more demobilizing an emotion. If you feel guilty for what you have — be it health insurance, an office job, or a roof over your head — knowing as you do that it could be worse, you might hesitate to demand more.” Forget Your Middle Class Dreams, white collar and professional workers need to support and demand unions too. (Jacobin)
The biggest mystery on TV is how every show became a puzzle box
There's never been a better time to be an enormous dork who loves puzzles. Late-2010s television has been dominated by the puzzle box, a narrative form that centers on unpacking a central mystery, exemplified in zeitgeist-capturing shows like Westworld, Russian Doll, and The Good Place.
LB Lee (they/them, plural) draws comics
Comic artist LB Lee, who is multiple people sharing a single body, is profiled in Vulture. (warning: rape, child abuse, mental health)
The morning after not leaving the EU the night before
Still in, Grandad. 11pm on March the 29th 2019 passed by, and Conservative party machinations and war continue. Over 6 years since first announced by David Cameron, nearly 3 years since the referendum ("voting to remain ... is the best decision") and 2 years after article 50 was invoked, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland remains in the EU. In the week gone by, many peacefully walked through London, a much smaller crowd threatened, and an appeal was dropped. In the worst remake of Groundhog Day, after the latest rejection Theresa May of Downing Street (somehow still - NSFW - PM) looks to hold a fourth vote on her deal, or perhaps an election. What now? A second day of indicative votes on Monday, and the 12th of April is the new/next 29th of March. [more inside]
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