Peter Cook – Wikiwand
In 1961, Cook opened The Establishment, a club at 18 Greek Street in Soho in central London, presenting fellow comedians in a nightclub setting, including American Lenny Bruce. Cook said it was a satirical venue modelled on "those wonderful Berlin cabarets … which did so much to stop the rise of Hitler and prevent the outbreak of the Second World War"

Actieve versus niet-actieve mensen. Hoe zit dat nu juist? – Jan Blommaert (en z’n gedachten)
Het begrippenpaar “actief – niet-actief” klinkt buitengewoon objectief maar het is opvallend hoe de begrippen meteen ook moreel worden geëvalueerd. We kunnen dat zo stellen: "Actieve mensen zijn goed bezig; niet-actieve mensen zijn parasitair en moeten geactiveerd worden." Bovendien zijn deze begrippen ook politiek ingekleurd, en wel op deze manier: "Actieve mensen hoeven geen solidariteit tentoon te spreiden tegenover niet-actieve mensen; deze laatsten worden “in de hangmat gehouden” door socialisten en vakbonden."

Danish numbers
Danish has a rather weird number system.

The Crushing Disappointment of L’Arpège – Eater
Throughout my three-hour meal, a small Pomeranian accompanying a diner sitting behind me barked regularly (albeit at reasonable volume). Waiters ran into each other as if it was everyone’s first day. A staffer set a stack of dirty glasses and empty wine bottles on a trolley inches from my table—and left it there. A runner blew his nose a few feet away; seconds later, he handed me a small casserole dish. There was no toilet paper in the bathroom.

The Staggering Impact of China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative – The Atlantic
Unlike the United States and Europe, China uses aid, trade, and foreign direct investment strategically to build goodwill, expand its political sway, and secure the natural resources it needs to grow. Belt and Road is the most impressive example of this. It is an umbrella initiative of current and future infrastructure projects. In the next decades, China plans to build a thick web of infrastructure around Asia and, through similar initiatives, around the world.

We Can’t Stem the Tide of Language Death – Los Angeles Review of Books
In fact, pitch plays such a huge role in Seenku that it can be “spoken” through music alone, most notably on the traditional xylophone. At last month’s Eid al-Adha celebrations in Burkina Faso, I witnessed a Seenku speaker approach a xylophone player and hold a conversation, but the musician never once opened his mouth: all communication was through the rapid-fire notes he played on the xylophone. This xylophone language accompanies all cultural activities in the village, including funerals, initiation rites, and even traditional healing, but fewer and fewer people are able to understand it. Young people are increasingly reliant on Jula, a major regional language, which gives them access to the city and all that it entails. Before long, the xylophone language will become simply music, aesthetically pleasing but devoid of the immense knowledge that it has contained for generations.

Google and the Resurgence of Italian Design – prototypr
It brings a welcome relief to the ponderously serious design that we see from many other companies, Apple most notably, where there doesn’t seem to be much fun in the design process. And that comes through in the resulting products.

De boemerang van #metoo – De Standaard
Vrouwen gebruiken #metoo om verschillende soorten ongepast gedrag aan te klagen: van obscene commentaren over billenknijpen tot seksuele intimidatie en aanranding. Dit is onfair voor de beide uiteinden van de keten. Wie als zesjarige betast of gepenetreerd werd, vindt wellicht niet dat zijn verhaal recht wordt aangedaan door een hashtag die ook verwijst naar vuilgebekte mannen, zonder onderscheid te maken.

I Am Miko Peled, And I Support Jeremy Corbyn’s Courageous Call to “End the Oppression of the Palestinian People” – American Herald Tribune
For nearly two years Zionist groups in the UK and particularly within the Labor Party have been conducting a witch hunt to rid the Labor party of Corbyn supporters, in the hopes of weakening Corbyn himself. The most common and thus far successful tactic was to claim that they are anti-Semitic. Some fifty members of Labor were suspended including the former mayor of London Ken Livingston. But the comments made by these members, many of whom have dedicated their lives to fighting racism, fighting for the disenfranchised and promoting tolerance, were not anti-Semitic but rather out of line with the official Zionist platform. This is a platform which allows no discussion regarding the holocaust and no discussion on the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people by the “Jewish State.”

Brief aan staats­secretaris Zuhal Demir – De Standaard
U beweert dat wij, wetenschappers, ‘schelden als politici’. Ik daag u uit om één fragment in het Jaarboek aan te wijzen dat op een ‘scheldpartij’ duidt. Behoudens als u vaststellingen die u niet bevallen, per definitie daaronder rekent. Dan zitten we met een serieus probleem en is een ernstig gesprek, waartoe u oproept, maar dat u nu al twee keer uit de weg bent gegaan, niet mogelijk. Zo’n debat moet méér zijn dan ballen heen en weer kaatsen.

OVERZICHT. Zoveel zwakke weggebruikers raakten in uw gemeent… – Het Nieuwsblad
Zucht. Niet echt nuttig, dus: "Een belangrijke kanttekening bij de cijfers is dat het gaat om slachtoffers langs gewestwegen. Dat zijn wegen waarvan niet de gemeenten bevoegd zijn voor de infrastructuur maar het Vlaams Gewest. Het enige wat de gemeenten kunnen doen om de situatie te beveiligen zijn maatregelen als gemachtigde opzichters opstellen of bloembakken plaatsen. Ongevallen met zwakke weggebruikers op andere wegen zijn niet opgenomen in deze cijfers."

Trump judicial nominee: I discriminate against gay people, and trans kids are part of “Satan’s plan” – Vox
“Guess what? I attend a conservative Baptist church. We discriminate, all right. On the basis of sexual orientation, we discriminate,” Jeff Mateer said in a 2015 speech at the National Religious Liberties Conference. “Does that mean I can’t be a judge? In some states, I think that’s true, unfortunately.” The remark isn’t the only anti-LGBTQ comment Mateer has made over the years. He also argued that same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, that marriage equality is a “challenge” for Christians, and that transgender children are part of “Satan’s plan.”

Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 is what the next MacBook Pro should be (but almost certainly won’t) | ZDNet
Apple has gone from leading the way when it came to high-performance laptops to getting mired in mediocre updates and gimmicks such as the Touch Bar. On the other hand, Microsoft is pushing the boundaries and creating powerhouse laptops aimed at professionals and creative types.

John McCain’s Final Act Is War Against Trump
When he thumbs-downed the Republican health-care plan three months ago, McCain shocked the news media and members of both parties. He had previously displayed barely any interest in the issue at hand, and for more than a decade served as a largely reliable partisan vote that belied his reputation as a “maverick.” Indeed, the maverick legend had grown so stale that many people, especially liberals, dismissed it as nothing but a legend. But McCain is making it perfectly clear that, in the final chapter of his political career, he has gone into opposition again.

Wijkbewoners meten zelf hoe snel auto’s rijden: het resultaa… (Gent) – Het Nieuwsblad
“De resultaten zijn onthutsend”, zegt buurtbewoner Jan Moesen. “Van de 1.506 voertuigen die we controleerden, reden er 1.204 te snel. Dat is net geen tachtig procent.” De bewoners waren vijf dagen in actie en controleerden negen uur lang tijdens de spitsuren, onder andere op de Meulesteedsesteenweg en in de Voorhavenlaan, de Londenstraat en de Voormuide.

Working at Google seemed like a dream job. The reality has been a tedious, pointless nightmare. – The Washington Post
My resume will have that holy header, Google, above a few bullets — though after this essay I can probably forget about references — but what words will follow the bullets? Evangelized? Shaped the world? Facilitated cross-functional optimizations? How will I answer some future interviewer who inquires: What did you do as a talent channels specialist?

I Watched 15 Hours of ‘Fox & Friends’ and I Want to Die – VICE
Watching the show is like dropping down a bottomless pit. Eventually, you no longer feel like you're falling—the constant whoosh of half-truths and gleefully delivered apocalyptic provocations becomes your new equilibrium. It no longer matters what the story is or where it comes from—above you or below you, left or right—it feels like it is coming for you. It's news as a planet-covering hurricane of hatred and misfortune heading right toward your family, with outrage as the only available defense.

The Tall Stovepipe-Style Hat: An Indispensable Part of Welsh Women in National Costume From the 19th Century ~ vintage everyday
First appeared during the 1830s, the Welsh hat worn by women as part of Welsh national costume is a tall stovepipe-style hat, similar to a top hat, or the capotain. It is still worn by women, and particularly schoolgirls, in Wales on St David's Day, but rarely on other occasions.