items of interest to me and, possibly, to you.

“Slayer guitarist and heavy metal icon Jeff Hanneman died of alcohol-related liver disease, not from a spider bite, the band announced on their website.”

“Here’s the old switcheroo: two wonderful cases dealing with lonely dissenters and the right of individual conscience have now become bulwarks against regulation of business. The poster in the current case did not require the employer to “proclaim their faith” in anything; nor did it commit the employer to supporting a “religious, political, or ideological” cause. It simply notified employers, in words clearly identified as government speech, of their rights under the law. And the Act itself, as well as the First Amendment, protects the employers’ right to post signs urging workers not to join unions.”

Interesting longform read.

“Opposition to the hydraulic fracturing of deep shales to release natural gas rose sharply last year over worries that the large volumes of chemical-laden water used in the operations could contaminate drinking water. Then, in early January, earthquakes in Ohio were blamed on the disposal of that water in deep underground structures. Yesterday, two Cornell University professors said at a press conference that fracking releases large amounts of natural gas, which consists mostly of methane, directly into the atmosphere—much more than previously thought.”

“The problem is that when the movie is entertaining it’s not Gatsby, and when it’s Gatsby it’s not entertaining.”

Well, these are all terrifying.

These are all pretty great.

The most accurate depiction of depression that I’ve ever read.

“But my experiences slowly flattened and blended together until it became obvious that there’s a huge difference between not giving a fuck and not being able to give a fuck. Cognitively, you might know that different things are happening to you, but they don’t feel very different.”

“During prolonged, vigorous exercise, the blood vessels in your legs expand, meaning that more blood moves through them. Stop exercising abruptly, and that blood pools in your lower body, which can lead to dizziness or even fainting.”