One Execution Botched, Oklahoma Delays the Next - NYTimes.com

One Execution Botched, Oklahoma Delays the Next - NYTimes.com:

There really isn’t a way to humanely execute someone, so maybe we should stop trying.

Where the G.O.P. Gets It Right

Where the G.O.P. Gets It Right:

Republicans may seem like ultimate Scrooges. Many want to slash food stamps, unemployment benefits and just about any program that helps the needy. So they know nothing about poverty, right? via Pocket

Fresh looks at 'creeping ecological disaster' of U.S. grassland conversions

Fresh looks at 'creeping ecological disaster' of U.S. grassland conversions:

From the American Prospect comes a fine piece of enterprise journalism on the shocking rates at which native grasslands are being converted to row crops in a region stretching from western Minnesota across the Dakotas, Nebraska and Iowa. “Plowed Under,” written by Jocelyn C. via Pocket

http://ift.tt/1gjxHFf

http://ift.tt/1gjxHFf:

via Pocket

Why Roku Matters More Than Ever

Why Roku Matters More Than Ever

CIA's role in the arrest of Nelson Mandela

CIA's role in the arrest of Nelson Mandela:

When Nelson Mandela died in December, I paid a lot of attention to the coverage. There was a lot about his long imprisonment by the South Afrrican apartheid regime. via Pocket

A Nation of Takers?

A Nation of Takers?:

In the debate about poverty, critics argue that government assistance saps initiative and is unaffordable. After exploring the issue, I must concede that the critics have a point. Here are five public welfare programs that are wasteful and turning us into a nation of “takers.” via Pocket

Matching Color for IKEA Lixtorp cabinets

For all you IKEA hackers out there, Varathane brand stain, Early American, is a spot on match for the brown LIxtorp cabinets from IKEA. 

Listen Up: It’s Time to Turn Down the Sound

Listen Up: It’s Time to Turn Down the Sound:

Ambient noise machines meant to prolong uninterrupted sleep may be doing long-term damage to the ears of infants, kick-starting a cycle of hearing loss that’s almost impossible to break. via Pocket

From Putin, a Blessing in Disguise

From Putin, a Blessing in Disguise:

There are a lot of people who seem intent on restarting the Cold War — in both Moscow and Washington. I am not one of them. But if we’re going to have a new Cold War, then I have one condition: I want a new moonshot. via Pocket

The dirty truth behind Park & Rides

The dirty truth behind Park & Rides:

Park and ride facilities are darling infrastructure of the transit planning profession. By providing “free” parking to lure choice riders out of cars and onto buses and trains, ridership can get a big boost. via Pocket

Insurance Won't Cover Special Needs Toddler Formula

Insurance Won't Cover Special Needs Toddler Formula:

TOPEKA, Kansas (WIBW) — One Topeka family is facing added expenses after their insurance company told them they will not cover a vital formula for their son, who has a rare genetic disorder. via Pocket

The Crimean Exception: Never Before in Autonomy Struggles Has a People Chosen Between Oppressors

The Crimean Exception: Never Before in Autonomy Struggles Has a People Chosen Between Oppressors:

The upcoming Crimea referendum is both ordinary and extraordinary. Ordinary because more than 100 times since World War II geographically concentrated ethnic or linguistic groups have voted on the question of independence. via Pocket

Liberty, Equality, Efficiency

Liberty, Equality, Efficiency:

Most people, if pressed on the subject, would probably agree that extreme income inequality is a bad thing, although a fair number of conservatives believe that the whole subject of income distribution should be banned from public discourse. via Pocket

Best predictor of divorce? Age when couples cohabit, study says

Best predictor of divorce? Age when couples cohabit, study says:

For years, social scientists have tried to explain why living together before marriage seemed to increase the likelihood of a couple divorcing. Now, new research released by the nonpartisan Council on Contemporary Families gives an answer: It doesn’t. And it probably never has. via Pocket

The environmental scandal that’s happening right beneath your feet

The environmental scandal that’s happening right beneath your feet:

BY THE TIME BOB ACKLEY crossed the Harlem River into Manhattan he’d been up for nearly four hours. It was still dark, not yet seven on a Sunday morning: the best time of the week to go sniffing for gas. The back seat of his hatchback was littered with hi-tech equipment. via Pocket

Is it the gluten or is it the glyphosate?

Is it the gluten or is it the glyphosate?:

New evidence points to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, as the culprit in the rise of gluten intolerance, celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome. A study just published in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Toxicology (Vol. via Pocket

Schneier on Security

Schneier on Security:

The NSA has become too big and too powerful. What was supposed to be a single agency with a dual mission — protecting the security of U.S. communications and eavesdropping on the communications of our enemies — has become unbalanced in the post-Cold War, all-terrorism-all-the-time era. via Pocket

Comcast’s deal with Netflix makes network neutrality obsolete

Comcast’s deal with Netflix makes network neutrality obsolete:

For the past two decades, the Internet has operated as an unregulated, competitive free market. Given the tendency of networked industries to lapse into monopoly—think of AT&T’s 70-year hold over telephone service, for example—that’s a minor miracle. via Pocket

It Takes How Much Water to Grow an Almond?!

It Takes How Much Water to Grow an Almond?!:

California, supplier of nearly half of all US fruits, veggies, and nuts, is on track to experience the driest year in the past half millennium. Farms use about 80 percent of the state’s “developed water,” or water that’s moved from its natural source to other areas via pipes and aqueducts. via Pocket