September 12, 2017
Je n’y croyais plus
On the southern edge of Paris, a five-thousand-square-foot basement houses the city’s lost possessions. The Bureau of Found Objects, as it is officially called, is more than two hundred years old, and one of the largest centralized lost and founds in Europe. Any item left behind on the Métro, in a museum, in an airport, or found on the street and dropped, unaddressed, into a mailbox makes its way here, around six or seven hundred items each day.
What’s the worst that could happen?
Edith Windsor, 1929-2017
Edith Windsor, the gay-rights activist whose landmark Supreme Court case struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, has died. Death is sad, but this sentence, near the top of the Time obituary, made me happy: Her wife, Judith Kasen-Windsor, confirmed the death but did not specify a cause.
Getting Cooler so Corduroy is in Order
We recently did seersucker but cooler weather means it's time for corduroy. There's seems to be a resurgence of corduroy, which has happened many times before. Lots of info on its history, beginning in ancient Egypt.
Winner, winner Chickn Dinr App
Spot On: A period and birth control-tracking app powered by Planned Parenthood. Transpose: A modular airplane design from Airbus. Pro Hijab: Nike's breathable, lightweight performance hijab for Muslim women athletes. The Willow Pump: An all-in-one smart breast pump that works inside a bra, collects milk in an internal bag, and tracks volume through an app, without any dangling cords or bottles. Dyson Supersonic: Dyson's hairdryer engineered for balance in the hand and to protect hair from heat damage. These are just a few of winners of Fast Company’s sixth annual Innovation By Design Awards. [Note: article annoyingly doesn't link to products.] [more inside]
How Did It Get There? I Don't Know.
"Whatever happens with the charts will be frosting on the cake for us." Sparks are back in the UK Top 20 album chart for the first time in 42 years with their new album Hippopotamus. The album has been garnering generally excellent reviews. Videos for the title track, "What The Hell Is It This Time?" and the terrific "Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)" (a stop-motion animation video) were released this past summer. Previously.
The 'Immortal' question, answered
Author Rose Christo is publishing her memoir, Under the Same Stars: The Search for My Brother and the True Story of My Immortal, in which she claims to have co-written My Immortal, the legendary worst fan fiction ever. [CW: second link contains discussion of child sexual abuse and exploitation] [more inside]
I am afraid of privilege, of ease, of entitlement.
Despite “Car Wash” and other investigations, many Latin American elites have continued their corrupt habits.
“Equality before the law is probably forever unattainable. It is a noble ideal, but it can never be realized, for what men value in this world is not rights but privileges.”
Odebrecht: the largest corruption network in Latin America.
As corruption scandals spread through Latin America, its new middle class is fighting back. The scandals involving presidents are indeed serious, but drug cartels today penetrate the lower echelons of government, sawing the foundations of the state and the rule of law.
“Equality before the law is probably forever unattainable. It is a noble ideal, but it can never be realized, for what men value in this world is not rights but privileges.”
Odebrecht: the largest corruption network in Latin America.
As corruption scandals spread through Latin America, its new middle class is fighting back. The scandals involving presidents are indeed serious, but drug cartels today penetrate the lower echelons of government, sawing the foundations of the state and the rule of law.
Another year, another phone
Today, live from the new Steve Jobs Theatre at Cupertino, Apple will likely release the highly anticipated iPhone X. [more inside]
The sloth bears prefer watermelons.
A little piece of toast
...said Paul Young in 1978, shortly before mislaying his hat. But toast is a food which raises many questions. What is toast? Where did the word come from? What is a cruminal? Are British people strange or normal? What do some Brits accompany their breakfast toast with? What is French toast? And Texas toast? Is the avocado on toast (thanks, Gwyneth) thing over yet? Is marmalade only eaten on toast? Is burnt toast a health risk? Is salad cream on toast nice? Or combining chocolate spread and cheese (police)? Has every conceivable variation of Nutella on toast (and French toast) been explored (so good)? Can toast be safely made in space? Can (or should) a bagel be toasted? Seriously, a jaffa cake filling? And is toast research influenced by Big Butter? [more inside]
The View From The Top
What do the rich think of the world? "When I used the word “affluent” in an email to a stay-at-home mom with a $2.5 million household income, a house in the Hamptons and a child in private school, she almost canceled the interview, she told me later. Real affluence, she said, belonged to her friends who traveled on a private plane." What The Rich Won't Tell You - how the wealthy view themselves by Rachel Sherman (NYT).
Meanwhile, "Dream Hoarders", a new book by Richard Reeves making the lofty claim that the real drivers of inequality are the upper middle class, is being savaged by critics.
"I knew you'd come back! I just knew it!"
Hot on the heels of Lord & Miller being ousted from the Han Solo solo film mid-shoot and replaced by famous narrator and occasional actor/director Ron Howard, Colin Trevorrow recently parted ways with Star Wars Episode IX. Today, LucasFilm announced his replacement for the final film in the trilogy of trilogies.
To catch a poet
Ain’t nothing more special than… house twins
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