Headlines from June 21, 2013

Brazilian president holds emergency cabinet meeting after more than a million people join nationwide protests.
If the NSA intercepts data between an attorney and client, it will still be retained, but will be marked for special handling. Fun facts learned from Snowden.
California’s booming marijuana business endangers redwood forests and ecosystems much like industrial logging.
Angela Merkel discovers the “new territory” of the internet, inspiring a meme.
Ostkämper is one of 12 cow hairdressers. German town hosts a multi-national bovine beauty pageant.
Excellent account of discovering the Denisovan, a third type of human, from an “unspectacular” chip of bone.
Accounting for Cleveland musician and “grown-ass man” Obnox’s DIY, punk-and-flyer approach to music.
See also: Jamie xx’s recent set at Live at Night + Day Berlin. #audio
Kanye is part of a long tradition of black artists who have fashioned a deeply political articulation of what it means to love yourself.
General-interest story about Digg’s process of building software to replace Google Reader. #longreads
For every fact you might find, you would also find the exact opposite. Pi contains all numbers, but that doesn’t mean it contains all information.
Photographic reconstructions of famous paintings; some of them, like the paintings themselves, not safe for work. via
Taiwanese cafe chain features latte art that depicts customers’ faces.
Kickstarter page for The Amazing Spider-Man 2: ’Stache Cash Fast. #tmn
Federal criminal statutes are ballooning, and many don’t require a prosecutor to show that the defendant had criminal intent.
Club employee’s tumblr features pictures of equipment used by touring rock bands.
Joyful weekend read for anyone who likes pianos: “A Pianist’s A-V,” from art and artists to virtuosity. #longreads
List of countries forbidding the wearing of masks—United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia—now includes Canada.
Obama establishes war cabinet in a spare office suite to secure passage of immigration reform.
U.S. charges two New Yorkers with building a death ray aimed at killing Israel’s enemies.
The idea that Orwell’s super weapon applies to Obama’s America is ubiquitous and bipartisan. Moynihan: This is not 1984.
Maine governor accuses rival lawmakers of trying to rape citizens, “without providing Vaseline.”
If we are to find a way to break out of our current deadlocks, we need a little more respect for ambivalence. After all, an ambivalent sensibility is a creative one.
China’s Iron Man 3 includes extra story-lines with Chinese characters; 70% of Hollywood’s revenue now found overseas.
Death poll of flood-related landslide in the Himalayas passes 150, with thousands still suspected missing, stranded, or dead.
Russian scientist swims naked with Beluga whales in Arctic waters for up to 10 minutes to “strike up a rapport.”
If and when I have grandchildren, I will tell them that I saw Michael Jordan play basketball, Jacques Pepin make an omelet, and James Gandolfini act.
Iggy Pop provides ‘90s tour of New York’s East Village, saying he doesn’t care what people think about his nice apartment. #video
Pictures of New York City’s alternative libraries. #photography
Freelance online journalist lists the pittances he’s paid by various publications.
How vulnerable are medical devices to hackers? Not very, but that’s changing as technology shifts to smartphone apps.
Entirely unrelated: Brief footage of Alabama’s all-male Prancing Elite J-Setting squad. #video