December 18, 2016
“I’m looking for something that says ‘Hobo Likes Leather’.”
The Old Leather Man was a proto-hobo who has been preserved by history because (as mefites learned back in 2007)
- He wore a 60-pound “boot suit” made entirely of leather
- He roamed a 365-mile path around the state and part of New York roughly every 34 days.
- His identity was a mystery. (Could he have been the disgraced Jules Bourgelay? Well, no, actually - we learned in 2008 that that was a hoax.)
the spice must flow
The Strange Roots Of Globalization (And Its Discontents) - "Today's global economy has its roots in the frivolity of spice."
It's all Sting's fault
Mountain Stage's Favorite Performances Of 2016
Mountain Stage gives their favorite performances from 2016 in alphabetic order, 33 songs in total. Single song listening links on the page, links to full episodes go to the iTunes podcast store. where there is a wealth of listening.
Zsa Zsa Gabor, dead at age 99
The epitome of old Hollywood glamour While Gabor had multiple acting credits, her greatest performance was playing herself: She was famous for her accented English (calling everyone “darling,” which came out “dah-link”), eccentric name, offscreen antics (including a 1989 incident in which she slapped a Beverly Hills cop) and one-liners about her jewels, nine marriages and ex-husbands. Despite her glamorous image, her life, especially in later years, was marred by battles between her much-younger husband Frederic Prinz von Anhalt and her daughter.
♫ Send in the hounds... they're alllreadddy heeere (with beees). ♫
Tumblr user Depsidase does edits of classic quotes and jokes from The Simpsons, but doesn't get them quite right. That's OK. Pobodie's Cromulent. Occasionally not safe for work.
"we are the only consistent black presence in their lives"
3 journalists and a sociologist talk about the black person’s burden: once you have attained some level of visibility as a black writer, there are people who think you become a kind of MLK surrogate. [more inside]
Women pose with Christmas trees
I'm a Mac. I'm a PC.
"Obviously I read for the PC, which I found to be a little bit surprising, because at that point I was about to turn 35—I still considered myself to be a 24-year-old thin, cool person." An oral history of "Get A Mac." (via kottke.org).
Bruce Springsteen's Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs. This BBC radio programme tells guests they're about to be marooned alone on a desert island and asks them to name the eight records they'd like to take with them. In between hearing their choices, we get an interview touching on every aspect of their lives. Guests are also asked to choose a book and a luxury to take with them into exile.
Springsteen's episode went out this morning and you can hear it at the link above. Here's what he plumped for: [more inside]
Only her hairdresser knows for sure...
As of January 1st, Illinois will require hairstylists, barbers, nail technicians, and other aestheticians to receive one hour of training on how to recognize and report domestic violence. The law will not make them mandatory reporters.
Ranking the Most Popular Writers & Media Sites on the Internet
Priceonomics and Digg combined to find out which websites and authors appeared most often on Digg's front page between 2013 and 2016.
The Strange Cases of Oscar Zahn
The Strange Cases of Oscar Zahn (from the beginning) by Tri Vuong, a webcomic about a friendly skeleton investigating the paranormal, with artwork borrowing both from Mike Mignola and Hayao Miyazaki. The creator answers questions.
Dr. Henry Heimlich, 1920-2016
Bhangra for the shoveling season
The Maritime Bhangra Group, based in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, takes the drudgery out of shoveling snow. Their other routines include Mannequin challenge,
M.O.P., and Bhangra at Peggy's Cove.
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