Headlines from October 25, 2013

I think the jig is up. Acela passenger spies on former NSA head, live-tweets overheard phone call.
Europeans gather in a London gentlemen’s club to discuss the U.S.‘s aggressive spying techniques. #tmn
Countries that suffer the highest burden of malaria tend to be the least motivated to do much of anything about it.
Partial to displays of government largesse, China spent $2.6 million on a seven-story office for eight people.
Russell Brand: “Apathy is a rational reaction to a system that no longer represents, hears, or addresses.” #longreads
Archaeologists in Peru discover adult and child mummies that are more than 1,000 years old.
To one side is solid rock. To the other, a 2,000-foot abyss. Photos of Bolivia’s North Yungas Road.
In Bhutan, basketball is the sport of royals—low average Bhutanese height prevents global b-ball success.
An interview with the Intern Nation author confirms unpaid internships predict the end of America.
Mother employs clothes, sheets, scarves, and stuffed animals to create adventures for sleeping son. #photos
Lionel Shriver: “I have grown perversely nostalgic for my previous commercial failure.”
See also: Hundreds who write books and try to get them published are preyed upon by scam artists. #tmn
A tour of the world’s largest housing bubbles: Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Canada, and Germany.
It is Silicon Valley for the rest of the world. Israel is poised to become a major tech disruptor.
Arcade Fire, once CMJ darlings, ruined this year’s festival by upstaging the great unsigned masses.
When electronic artists from Eno to Aphex Twin take inspiration from classical music.
Toy, Mayo, Josephine (for men). The least popular, yet nevertheless used, baby names from 1880 to 1932.
Ten countries have three-quarters of the world’s 30 million slaves; Mauritania comes out worst, with an estimated 4% of the population enslaved.
Nearly half of America’s middle-class workers say they’re not confident that they will be able to retire comfortably.
Iceland is the #1 country in the world for gender equality, for the fifth year in a row.
New books argue that Islamism’s danger tends to be exaggerated; it will also unite China, Russia, and the U.S.
Ohio, North Carolina, and Connecticut argue over which state was first to make a powered airplane flight.
Ohio legislature considers lifting open-container ban to boost tourism.
When is a screw not a screw: An examination of fastener nomenclature.
Airlines add another seat to each row in coach, shrinking the chairs to smaller than stadium seating.
Man known for impressive Halloween costumes creates the Happiest Costume on Earth.
Artist uses abandoned house, mirrors, and precisely placed cuts in walls to create stunning light sculptures. #tmn
Today’s customers respond to the evocations of the good ol’ days. Oscar Meyer bacon no longer tries to hide fat in advertisements.
Brief history of the Faustian bargain that is your snooze button.
The USB cable’s soon-arriving ability to power your microwave will represent Edison’s revenge against Tesla.
Advertisement for a lost wormhole counsels you not to mess with the space/time continuum.
Ladies love Cool J / Sadly ladies do not love / Bedazzled hoodies. Haikus for failed hip-hop clothing lines.
Variety of annoying co-workers illustrated and organized under mantle, “Work Wankers.”
Photographs of sex workers’ dogs and cats posing with their masters’ earnings.