Headlines from February 8, 2012
- Syrian forces said to be attacking civilian areas in Homs; Putin proposes advice, angering European diplomats.
- Italy imposes emergency measures to conserve gas supplies during Europe’s big freeze.
- 100,000 Muscovites turned out in sub-zero weather to protest Putin.
- List of jobs held in a Medieval city.
- Wagner’s Rienzi had a big effect on Hitler, but there’s no reason to call it “Hitler’s favorite,” and no reason to cancel performances on his birthday.
- Reporters face jail time for secretly recording an interview with a Nazi war criminal.
- Unfortunately I don’t get to decide which facts are stupid; I have to check all of them. Entertaining exchange between a reporter and his fact-checker.
- Li-Fi is an LED-based alternative to household Wi-Fi that requires phones and light bulbs to communicate.
- Consumerization has been disastrous for R.I.M., because the company has seemed clueless about what consumers want.
- Trailer of the day: Bombay Beach. #video
- The only true, authentic Cindy Sherman is the one who makes the pictures: a conversation.
- American and British covers compared from 2012’s Tournament of Books’ contenders.
- Portable signs of America. #photography
- Of 10 men in a Dallas coffeeshop, seven wear pageboy hats, seven wear beards.
- Drop something like a cherry out of your cocktail. Advice on flirting from Ira Glass, a 10-year-old girl, and more.
- Excerpts from steamy romance novels for parents of young children.
- Electrodes on the brain may be the shortcut to the 10,000-hour talent rule.
- Willpower is the root of all happiness; a new book explains how to exercise yours to get more.
- Diners travel to a Hudson Valley monastery to experience mindful eating, where each bite can last 20 minutes.
- Once an American food staple, squirrel could make a comeback—though they can carry bubonic plague.
- Police discover sommelier decorated his apartment with $430K in stolen art.
- It’s just horrible. Hoping to boost productivity, Spain moves traditional mid-week holidays to Mondays and Fridays.
- Sarkozy’s socialist rival’s campaign survives by putting “an American spin on cultural revival” (i.e., The New Deal).
- Rising temperatures at Fukushima cast doubt on government claim that the reactors are stabilized.
- Researchers find increased stress hormones in whale feces, which they believe are caused by ship traffic.
- This week New York City settled a 30-year, $15 million class-action lawsuit over illegal loitering arrests.
- The most terrifying Valentine’s Day gift ever. #video