State G.O.P. Leaders Move Swiftly as Party Bickers in Congress
The New York Times | By ALEXANDER BURNS and MITCH SMITH FEB. 11, 2017
At the Kentucky Capitol in January, union leaders addressed those protesting a Senate-approved bill making it illegal for workers to be required to join a union or pay dues to keep a job. Credit Timothy D. Easley/Associated Press When Republicans in Kentucky seized total control of the state government last year, Damon Thayer, the majority leader in the State Senate, began...
D.C. Authorities Struggling To Keep Squatters Out Of Empty State Department
The Onion | February 3, 2017
WASHINGTON—Saying they have had to deal with hundreds of new cases over the last few weeks, local D.C. authorities reported Friday that they are struggling to keep squatters out of empty State Department offices. “We’ve had to work around the clock to make sure nobody is sleeping or setting up camp in all the office space left vacant...
Why Latin America is the deadliest place for environmentalists
The Economist | February 11, 2017
ISIDRO BALDENEGRO LÓPEZ, a farmer and a leader of the indigenous Tarahumara people, had spent much of his life campaigning against illegal logging in the Sierra Madre region of northern Mexico. On January 15th he was shot dead. His father died in the same way, for defending the same cause, 30 years before...
WAUBREY DE GREY: SCIENTIST WHO SAYS HUMANS CAN LIVE FOR 1,000 YEARS
Financial Times | By HUGO COX FEB. 8, 2017
When it comes to business projections, Silicon Valley is the home of the tall story. Unbridled ambitions, unfettered thinking and a belief in the boundless potential of technology produce a steady crop of outlandish expectations. Yet even by Silicon Valley standards the prediction that there are people alive today who will live for 1,000 years is extreme. It conjures less the bold pronouncement of a leading biotech pioneer than the ramblings of a mad professor...
Nike’s Iconic Gas Slipper, the Air, Gets a Minimal Reboot
Wired | By JOSEPH BIEN-KAHN FEB. 07, 2017
Nike’s shiny-new power-lacing HyperAdapt may be hogging the limelight these days, but the latest addition to the company’s iconic Air line also deserves some applause. A triumph of minimalism, the VaporMax uses less air than usual in its pressurized sole. But don’t be deflated: Nike’s designers used sensor-laden shoes to determine where their athlete-testers needed the most support, then placed air chambers only where necessary. The shoe contains less of most everything else too. Gone is the foam midsole, the rubber outsole, and three layers of glue, leaving just the sole and the FlyKnit...