A pretty amusing idea

I propose we troll Vladimir Putin by act of Congress recognizing May 8, 2015, as “Lend Lease Day” pic.twitter.com/vq4dEoCGrD

— David Frum (@davidfrum) May 2, 2015

(Of course we're not sure "trolling" a guy like Putin is an entirely good idea, but we say anything for a laugh.)

Except, you know, Kennedys

How did New Jersey rank tops in integrity? | Center for Public Integrity

"Joseph R. Marbach, a political scientist and provost at La Salle University in Philadelphia, said New Jersey politicians’ proclivity for corruption reaches back to colonial history, when Dutch influence in the Mid-Atlantic led to a mercantile system, in which government is just another cog in the larger capitalist system. ‘The private sector just has to deal with the public sector to get things done,’ he said.…In New England, by contrast, a moralist, puritan attitude prevailed, leading to a view of government work as an obligation, a temporary service for citizens to complete as part of a broader career, rather than a career in and of itself, Marbach said."

Imagine our surprise

Why the N.S.A. Isn’t Howling Over Restrictions - NYTimes.com

"‘The truth is the telecoms don’t want to do it,’ a senior intelligence official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said in a recent interview. ‘They want to be compelled, and they want to be paid for the service.’"

Woot!

Turkish mayor calls U.S. official a 'dumb blonde' - CNNPolitics.com

The graduated life

Calories, pounds and inches; miles, steps and reps; minutes and gigabytes, megahertz; cycles and revolutions; likes: Our hours.

This is, apparently, supposed to be a protest or something

Topless Activists Make Hitler Salute at Le Pen's May Day Speech in Paris

"'They will be forced to get dressed,' Le Pen said."

Jawohl.

The gang's all here

Pope stokes flames ahead of US trip even as he ends problems

"The United States is in the Top 10 list of countries that still execute people, along with China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and North Korea."

Because who would you trust more than your telephone company?

Patriot Act Faces Revisions Backed by Both Parties - NYTimes.com

"Under the bipartisan bills in the House and Senate, the Patriot Act would be changed to prohibit bulk collection, and sweeps that had operated under the guise of so-called National Security Letters issued by the F.B.I. would end. The data would instead be stored by the phone companies themselves…"

That "welfare" of which you speak

Picking Up the Tab for Low Wages - NYTimes.com

"The problem is that as labor standards have eroded, allowing profitable corporations to pay chronically low wages, taxpayers are not only supporting the working poor, as intended, but also providing a huge subsidy for employers by picking up the difference between what workers earn and what they need to meet basic living costs. The low-wage business model has essentially turned public aid into a form of corporate welfare."

Oh oh, bad day in the swamp

No actual ducks were harmed, etc.
No actual crocs were fed.

Maybe there's still hope

"Don't we pay for all the things we do though?" said Lady Brett

Polygamy Increases Risk of Heart Disease, Study Says

So good then?

Years-old pork served for lunch at schools in East Tennessee

"No sicknesses have been reported."

Words get worn down…

…like bits of glass in the great cold lake we lived beside, ground and rounded until they are only frosted, colorless, shapeless remnants of what they once were: Epic.

Makes perfect sense

Brewers tasked with turning sewage into suds

"Oregon Brewers Festival founder Art Larrance sits on the utility's advisory board. He figured if you want to get Oregonians talking about recycled water, you have to make beer."

Imagine how spooky it'll be when everybody's face snaps shut at once

The Smart Dress - The Atlantic

"A Netherlands-based firm recently made a prototype of a parka that alerts its wearer to poor air quality (it also has a mask with a built-in air filter)."

Miss Piggy makes it

Miss Piggy is recipient of prestigious New York museum award

"The Muppets character joins a distinguished list of recipients of the Sackler Center First Awards. They include theater director Julie Taymor and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor."

So I guess I won't need new shorts after all

Stephen Hawking’s dire warning: Humanity won’t last another 1,000 years on Earth - Salon.com

But maybe they're just going to the zoo

New Yorkers brace for aliens after UFO buzzes Bronx | New York Post

"‘If that thing really was a UFO and they were just checking us out of curiosity, I say, ‘Welcome to our planet, dudes,’ ’ said bodega worker, Hector Flores, 28. ‘

"As long as you’re coming in peace, we can chill. I’ll introduce you to some ladies."

Little differences

Professor fails entire class over ‘lack of maturity’ | New York Post

"He says the students lacked the maturity level to enter the workforce.

Some of the students told the television station they were shocked by the email."

Maybe they're smarter than you were

They start out reading Marx in Sociology 101, and 4 years later end up at Bain. What's happening at our colleges? http://t.co/2GtT0hK3Me
— The New Republic (@tnr) April 27, 2015

I like games, but…

…apparently not as much as the next guy; this seems a little bit over the top.

The promise—and massive challenge—of making games for the Apple Watch | Ars Technica

"The promise—and massive challenge—of making games for the Apple Watch"

It ain't just Jesus any more

The Vermont Novelty Toaster Corporation will sell you a “Jesus toaster” that’ll put your face, or your kids’ faces, or just about anything else, on your daily bread. 

Dry is a lot more than just not wet

Western drought steals clean energy along with fresh water at power plants - The Washington Post

"Power capacity at Hoover Dam, on the Arizona-Nevada border, has dropped nearly 25 percent since 2000. In California, home to 287 hydroelectric plants and where almost half the state today is classified as being in ‘exceptional drought,’ hydropower has fallen 60 percent in the past four years."

Duck

Israel launches airstrike on Syrian border after seeing bomb

"The military said it carried out the strike after troops saw 'a group of armed terrorists' approach the border with an explosive that was intended to target Israeli troops. It said that Israeli aircraft 'targeted the squad preventing the attack.'"

Infuse, baby, infuse

Inside the Koch brothers' campus crusade | Center for Public Integrity

"In all, two of the six private charitable foundations the Koch brothers control and personally fund combined in 2012 to infuse colleges and universities with more than $12.7 million, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of Internal Revenue Service tax filings."

Center for Public Integrity gets all wigged out about Kochs donating money to colleges and universities. L'horreur!

Keep our children pure!

Village

iPhone art: Philip R. Compton