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I talked with Chomsky about his upbringing in a Jewish home in Philadelphia by Cultural Zionist parents who devoted their lives to the revival of Hebrew language and culture, and about some of the strange bedfellows that he has acquired in five decades of impassioned crusading. I left his office with a sense of a specifically Jewish Chomsky that in three decades of engagement with his political writing, his academic work, and a few dozen of his radio appearances had never really struck me before, and now seems obvious and unavoidable.
posted by latkes at 11:51 PM PST - 37 comments

San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain has pitched a particularly fine perfect game.
posted by anigbrowl at 11:48 PM PST - 64 comments

Dear Sir, Regarding Your Affection for A Compacted Catwoman - Andrew Wheeler responds to the response to the response to the cover for Catwoman #0.
posted by Artw at 11:37 PM PST - 123 comments

Brad Pitt's Zombie Nightmare: Inside the Troubled 'World War Z' Production The Hollywood Reporter sorts through the problems causing the release of the film version of Max Brooks' post-apocalyptic UN report to be delayed until next June. Via the A.V. Club, which adds links to previous stories about the filming.
posted by mediareport at 9:26 PM PST - 114 comments

Gene Map of Body's Microbes Is New Health Tool
posted by noaccident at 8:49 PM PST - 11 comments

Last month, JP Morgan Chase announced it had lost $2 billion dollars in a 'hedging' maneuver. Today, Jamie Dimon, Morgan's chairman and CEO, testified before the Senate banking committee. [more inside]
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:46 PM PST - 69 comments

Stars of the Edwardian Stage is a compendium of the beauties that have graced English theatres. [more inside]
posted by unliteral at 7:27 PM PST - 8 comments

Some great retro images of George Best during his time with the L.A. Aztecs in 1976. Includes this wonderful image of Best and Pele - whats not to like about it? As the article writer says: "George Best. The NASL. adidas retro kit. Pelé in a coral suit.......To be honest, you could probably shoot us now..."
posted by marienbad at 7:13 PM PST - 11 comments

From UCSF's Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, "How an Agency Builds a Brand--The Virginia Slims Story." [more inside]
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:32 PM PST - 32 comments

The Swedish government has been handing over their @sweden Twitter account to a different citizen each week since December, so they could ostensibly talk about themselves and perhaps what they love about their homeland. It's Democracy in Action! But this week's "Twede": Sonja Abrahamsson, decided to take things in a... different and controversial direction. [more inside]
posted by zarq at 4:35 PM PST - 132 comments

Old-timey ads. Sexist vintage ads. Some other, different old advertisements.
posted by curious nu at 4:26 PM PST - 32 comments

What happened to Dudley Heinsbergen? Stephen Lea Sheppard gained a cult following playing geek mentor Harris Trinksy on Freaks and Geeks. He followed that with his role as Dudley Heinsbergen in the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums. He never acted again.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 3:52 PM PST - 44 comments

Cowbird.com is a simple tool for telling stories, and a public library of human experience, incorporating text, photos, sound, subtitles, roles, relationships, maps, tags, timelines, dedications, and characters. These are the Sagas so far.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:19 PM PST - 8 comments

English Russia often chooses odd subjects but the ladies in this article have lived sadly sweet lives through some of the most intense and difficult years in an intense and difficult place. It was originally published in Russian Esquire if you prefer the Russian language version
posted by Isadorady at 2:49 PM PST - 19 comments

First YouTube had David After the Dentist [website]. Now there's Chad After Getting His Wisdom Teeth Out.
posted by ericb at 2:34 PM PST - 54 comments

Talking Covers: authors and designers talk about the ideas behind their book covers. [more inside]
posted by mattbucher at 2:09 PM PST - 9 comments

USADA charges Lance Armstrong with doping. He could be forced to forfeit his seven Tour de France titles. 'The charges from USADA come just months after federal prosecutors closed a two-year criminal investigation of Armstrong without indicting him. USADA said in the letter it collected blood samples from Armstrong in 2009 and 2010 that were "fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions," the Washington Post reported. Armstrong, who has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, denied the latest charges.'
posted by VikingSword at 2:07 PM PST - 121 comments

Predator is twenty-five years old. [more inside]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:13 PM PST - 91 comments

How We Talk About A Bacon Sundae (from Mefi's Own Linda_Holmes)
posted by box at 1:05 PM PST - 78 comments

Copywriter vs. Art Director
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:57 PM PST - 41 comments

Kicksaver: Find and save Kickstarter projects ending soon. Pick your budget and find out what you can fund. Like right now you could save a Fire Breathing Dragon Boat for $87! Has a corresponding twitter feed that tweets endangered projects. Kicksaver is open source too. By mefite ecmendenhall. [via mefi projects]
posted by cjorgensen at 12:20 PM PST - 45 comments

5 Pillars of the Abandoned World is a tour through lost landscapes and shrugged off citadels. From the Gothic, Disney villainness ominousness of Miranda Castle to the distant splendor (photo by Cédric Mayence) of the abandoned Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Don't feel left out, North Americans: the US has plenty of holy, holey structures to sweep you off your feet. Fan favorite for urbane decrepitude, Detroit has lots to see. The St. Agnes Catholic Church is the place to be for the religiously inclined ramshackle rambler. Need a place to put up your feet? The Book-Cadillac offers a cozy spot to spread out your tour guide and relax. When you're ready to move on, just head over to Michigan Central Station and hop on the last train to forever. The world's an awfully big stage. There's a lot to take in, but don't worry about a thing. Just enjoy the show. There's no hurry; what's already gone isn't going anywhere. [more inside]
posted by byanyothername at 12:06 PM PST - 6 comments

RetroWebMatic provides real-time vintage photo effects for websites, with five presets: toasted, lo-brow, tool shed, parchment and vinaigrette. If you'd like to stick with filtering photos, Pixlr's O-Matic does just that, with tons of preset filters, photo "aging" effects, and frames. If you have Photoshop handy, here are 16 tutorials, two tutorial videos, 14 vintage/grunge texture packs, and 16 action packs.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:03 PM PST - 11 comments

In May of 2012 the owners of the Times-Picayune, the daily newspaper of New Orleans, announced that they would be cutting its physical publication down to three days a week and shifting their focus to online content. The decision was criticized by many, Warren Buffett among them. Yesterday the Times-Picayune upper management held meetings with their employees to find out who would be let go and who would be allowed to stay on. By the end of the day more than 200 employees were dismissed, almost a full third of the overall staff. [more inside]
posted by komara at 11:56 AM PST - 94 comments

"Euphoria", which won the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest (previously), is a #1 in several countries, including Ireland, Austria, and Switzerland Of course, it's not the only song charting internationally that you might never hear on US radio. It should come as no surprise that one can readily find international hits online. For instance - Sweden, #4: Panetoz - Dansa Pausa Sweden, #9: Mange Makers - Drick Den This doesn't purport to be an exhaustive list, but rather a jumping-off point. [more inside]
posted by LSK at 11:14 AM PST - 25 comments

George Watsky ("Pale Kid Raps Fast") has released a new free 16-track mixtape. First single: Rich Girl, based on the Hall and Oates song of the same name.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:48 AM PST - 14 comments

Well-stamped passport leave you feeling jaded? Think Lagos, NIGERIA: Flash Violence, 3rd largest city by 2025, Paul McCartney? Do you relish in telling tales of travel to hellish places? Maybe there's a place you havent been, so choked with people, pollution and poverty you will feel ashamed to discuss it. Paul McCartney couldn't hack it. It sent his band On The Run. Ok still not dissuaded? Know before you Go
posted by Colonel Panic at 9:39 AM PST - 22 comments

The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup on Monday night. This morning, a local radio station (KSPN 710 AM) had on the team's hall-of-fame announcer Bob Miller to be interviewed and take calls. A certain special caller turned out to be another hall-of-famer -- long-time Los Angeles Dodgers baseball announcer, Vin Scully, who has been with his team for over 60 years. The audio is special. [more inside]
posted by Celsius1414 at 9:38 AM PST - 23 comments

The Aristocrats! A Tiny Revolution translates David Brooks into vaudeville.
posted by sensate at 9:17 AM PST - 30 comments

Dear The Internet, This Is Why You Can't Have Anything Nice [more inside]
posted by Tevin at 8:52 AM PST - 375 comments

In November "The Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act", will be on the California ballot. [more inside]
posted by snaparapans at 8:47 AM PST - 82 comments

Teach.com's Summer Reading Flowchart.
posted by Think_Long at 8:26 AM PST - 57 comments

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA has narrowed the target for its most advanced Mars rover, Curiosity, which will land on the Red Planet in August. The car-sized rover will arrive closer to its ultimate destination for science operations, but also closer to the foot of a mountain slope that poses a landing hazard. "We're trimming the distance we'll have to drive after landing by almost half," said Pete Theisinger, Mars Science Laboratory project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "That could get us to the mountain months earlier." It was possible to adjust landing plans because of increased confidence in precision landing technology aboard the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, which is carrying the Curiosity rover.
posted by mhoye at 8:16 AM PST - 39 comments

Isaac Chotiner reviews Jonah Lehrer's Imagine: How Creativity Works. Imagine is really a pop-science book, which these days usually means that it is an exercise in laboratory-approved self-help. Like Malcolm Gladwell and David Brooks, Lehrer writes self-help for people who would be embarrassed to be seen reading it. For this reason, their chestnuts must be roasted in “studies” and given a scientific gloss. The surrender to brain science is particularly zeitgeisty.
posted by shivohum at 7:38 AM PST - 29 comments

Hey, Pass Me a Beer [slyt] [via]
posted by quin at 7:16 AM PST - 26 comments

In 2011, Max Page starred in an infamous Super Bowl ad. Today, Max will be checking into Children's Hospital LA to fight another battle. [more inside]
posted by snapped at 6:48 AM PST - 31 comments

Here's a list of new top-level domains that will soon compete with .com and other TLDs (previously).
posted by Foci for Analysis at 6:00 AM PST - 110 comments

BitCoin appears to be gaining a measure of stability, at least temporarily, through anger at banks, paypal, visa, etc., the activities of currency traders, and increased activity, as well as the promise of multi-signature transactions. [more inside]
posted by jeffburdges at 5:29 AM PST - 43 comments

Cats: fluffy balls of love or evil manipulative bastards? Science says yes! The purring of a happy cat is one of nature's simple pleasures, but science has discovered a disturbing signal buried within the purr.
posted by Mezentian at 4:39 AM PST - 91 comments

Star Wars Relativity V2 created by 16-year-old Paul Vermeesch, is a 1 foot cube Lego model of M.C. Escher's print Relativity, that also re-enacts the original Star Wars trilogy.
posted by roofus at 3:18 AM PST - 19 comments

Factum Arte in Madrid has made an animation film based on Giovanni Battista Piranesi's Carceri d'Invenzione prints; and have also built many of his pieces which shows the workings of his imagination, merging his architectural ambitions with his obsessive interest in antiquity. Giovanni Battista Piranesi was a source of inspiration for, among others, Goya, Poe, Escher, Max Ernst, De Chirico. [more inside]
posted by adamvasco at 1:37 AM PST - 4 comments