IMF admits: we failed to realise the damage austerity would do to Greece | Business | The Guardian
The International Monetary Fund admitted it had failed to realise the damage austerity would do to Greece as the Washington-based organisation catalogued mistakes made during the bailout of the stricken eurozone country. In an assessment of the rescue conducted jointly with the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European commission, the IMF said it had been forced to override its normal rules for providing financial assistance in order to put money into Greece.
BBC – Future – The disastrous events that would break the internet
The internet is unbreakable. At least, we think it is. That’s why when something goes extremely viral, such as pictures of Kim Kardashian’s bottom or #thedress, we joke about it “breaking the internet”. This is because, well, that obviously isn’t going to happen – but we’re searching for some way of exaggerating the impact of the event. It’s a great piece of contemporary hyperbole. But could you really, literally, break the internet? And if so, does anyone really know for sure what would happen next?
What if US & UN Sanctioned Israel over its Nukes they way they did Iran? | Informed Comment
Now that Iran is being constrained by a strict inspections regime and limitations on centrifuges from ever weaponizing its civilian enrichment program, what if the United Nations Security Council turned its attention to decommissioning Israel’s stock of several hundred warheads? If Britain, France, Russia, China and the USA decided Israel would have to give up its nukes, as a means of ensuring non-proliferation in the Middle East, how would they proceed?
The Evocative Photos Of Aleksandr Rodchenko, Who Changed The Way We See Photography
Before Stalin-era Soviet restrictions on artistic expression turned Aleksandr Rodchenko's work into a paean to Communism, the legendary Russian artist revolutionized photography. "We have a duty to experiment" was his motto, turning away from a century of "introspective" photography.
Max Headroom: the definitive history of the 1980s digital icon | The Verge
20 Minutes into the Future kicked off an extensive franchise, and Max became a singular '80s pop culture phenomenon that represented everything wonderful and horrible about the decade. Max hosted music video shows; Max interviewed celebrities; Max hawked New Coke; Max Headroom became US network television’s very first cyberpunk series. Max was inescapable — and then almost just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.