May 17, 2013

theatlanticcities:

“I wanted to show a part of the Megalopolis that struck me, that showed very clearly that something is not working well for us as human beings in relation with our environment.” -Héctor Mediavilla

A glimpse of Mexico City’s subway as seen through the lens of photographer Héctor Mediavilla.

Known as one of the worst cities in the world in which to drive, Mexico City’s rush hours aren’t much better underground with a subway system that generates around 4 million riders a day.

Read: Inside Mexico City’s Chaotic Underground Rush Hour

[Images: Héctor Mediavilla]

5:15pm
(Notes: 321)
  
May 17, 2013
"Calling race a “social construct” does not mean that the biological ancestry — and specifically West African ancestry — of African Americans is mythical. It also doesn’t mean that my ancestry has no actual implications. (See the map of sickle-cell density above.) And in the future, it may mean even more. Ancestry — where my great-great-great-great grandparents are from — is a fact. What you call people with that particular ancestry is not. It changes depending on where you are in the world, when you are there, and who has power."

— Ta-Nehisi Coates 

2:59pm
(Notes: 250)
  
May 17, 2013
Insanity: The Rise of the Supercharged Home Workout In the era of quick fixes and instant gratification, the unexpected success of “the hardest workout ever put on DVD” Read more. [Image: Insanity]

Insanity: The Rise of the Supercharged Home Workout

In the era of quick fixes and instant gratification, the unexpected success of “the hardest workout ever put on DVD”

Read more. [Image: Insanity]

10:49am
(Notes: 114)
  
May 17, 2013
The Real Benghazi Scandal America is far less served by the endless recitation of calls made and talking points issued than it would be by a hard look at the members of Congress that failed to provide resources, and the bureaucratic hurdles that kept the resources that were available from being deployed. The breathless search for a cover-up has only served to bury those real — and potentially deadly — problems. Read more. [Image: Reuters]

The Real Benghazi Scandal

America is far less served by the endless recitation of calls made and talking points issued than it would be by a hard look at the members of Congress that failed to provide resources, and the bureaucratic hurdles that kept the resources that were available from being deployed. The breathless search for a cover-up has only served to bury those real — and potentially deadly — problems.

Read more. [Image: Reuters]

10:35am
(Notes: 98)
  
May 16, 2013

theatlanticcities:

“We wrote in late 2011 about some early research suggesting that many Twitter users in fact follow other people located within their same city, evidence, Richard Florida wrote, that the Internet is reinforcing the value of place instead of eliminating it.

But now that Twitter is a few years older – and considerably more global – Leetaru and several colleagues have conducted a massive new analysis of the site that suggests the opposite: ‘In effect,’ Leetrau says, ‘location plays a much lesser role now in terms of who we talk to, what we talk about, and where we get our information.’”

Read: How Twitter is Changing the Geography of Communication

3:09pm
(Notes: 154)
  
May 16, 2013

In Focus: Harley Davidson National Rally in China

Last weekend, Reuters photographer Carlos Barria traveled to Zheijiang Province, China, to photograph some of the 1,000 Harley Davidson enthusiasts who attended China’s 5th annual Harley Davidson National Rally, part of the company’s 110-year anniversary. Harley Davidson only began official sales in China in 2005, and its bikes are considered to be luxury items by Chinese tax authorities, so they are taxed at extremely high rates — a 2013 motorcycle might sell for 200,000 yuan ($32,500), approximately four times the average annual salary in Beijing. Transportation authorities have also placed Harleys in the same category as electric bikes, horses and bicycles, so they cannot be ridden on highways and major avenues.

See more. [Images: AP, Reuters, Getty]

12:06pm
(Notes: 44)
  
May 15, 2013

theatlanticvideo:

‘Men Build Boats Because They Can’t Have Babies’

A moving documentary about one man’s devotion to craftsmanship in an age of advanced machinery.

3:12pm
(Notes: 158)
  
May 15, 2013
"When the liberal says “race is a social construct,” he is not being a soft-headed dolt; he is speaking an historical truth. We do not go around testing the “Irish race” for intelligence or the “Southern race” for “hot-headedness.” These reasons are social. It is no more legitimate to ask “Is the black race dumber than then white race?” than it is to ask “Is the Jewish race thriftier than the Arab race?"

— Ta-Nehisi Coates, on the idea of race.

3:00pm
(Notes: 384)
  
May 15, 2013
"Employers plan to hire only 2.1 percent more new college graduates this year than in 2012, according to a survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Last fall they thought the increase would be 13 percent."

— Things Aren’t Looking So Good for the Graduating Class of 2013 (via pacificstand)

2:11pm
(Notes: 187)
  
Filed under: College Jobs News Education Unemployment 
May 15, 2013

These 2 Maps About Student Loans Explode One of the Biggest Myths About Student Loans

The media fixates on the overall size of student debt. But where you go to school, whether you graduate, and what kind of job you get later may matter much more.

Read more. [Images: FRBNY Consumer Credit Panel]

11:16am
(Notes: 1,058)
  
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