U.S. to Forgive at Least $108 Billion in Student Debt in Coming Years

The federal government is on track to forgive at least $108 billion in student debt in coming years, according to a report that for the first time projects the full cost of plans that tie borrowers’ payments to their earnings. The report, to be released on Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office, shows the Obama administration’s main strategy for helping student-loan borrowers is proving far more costly than previously thought. The report also presents a scathing review of the Education Department’s...
Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-forgive-at-least-108-billion-in-student-debt-in-coming-years-1480501802?source=Snapzu

The 15 Most Beautiful College Libraries in America

Studying never looked so good.
Read more: https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-college-campus-libraries?source=Snapzu

How Science Is Rewiring The Dyslexic Brain

Scientists are exploring how human brains learn to read — and discovering new ways that brains with dyslexia can learn to cope.
Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/29/503693391/researchers-study-what-makes-dyslexic-brains-different?source=Snapzu

Medical marijuana and new hope for Florida family

Rich and Kim Muszynski know when their 5-year-old daughter, Abby, is about to have a grand mal seizure because her pupils enlarge, and she'll seem to fixate at something in the distance that only she can see. Then it starts. Abby's extremities shake. She gasps for air. By the time she turned 3, Abby had tried about eight different anti-seizure medications. None of them worked very well. Panicked to see their daughter getting worse and worse, the Muszynskis drove three hours to Orlando to see Dr. Ngoc Minh Le, a board certified pediatric neurologist and epileptologist.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/28/health/health-care-refugees-part-2/index.html?source=Snapzu

Inventor of the Big Mac dies, aged 98

The man who invented the McDonald's Big Mac burger has died, aged 98.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38162497/inventor-of-the-big-mac-dies-aged-98?source=Snapzu

Louisa May Alcott, Servant

She’s best known as the intrepid author of "Little Women," but Louisa May Alcott was once a domestic servant.
Read more: http://daily.jstor.org/louisa-may-alcott-servant/?source=Snapzu

‘Girl On The Train’ Author Paula Hawkins Has A New Book Coming Out

The suspense is killing us.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/girl-on-the-train-author-paula-hawkins-new-book-2017_us_583d9d91e4b0860d611672a1?source=Snapzu

Venezuela's currency is now worth so little people are weighing it instead of counting it

Inflation in Venezuela is expected to reach 720 per cent this year, with the largest bolívar bill now worth just five US cents on the black market. Some shopkeepers have reportedly taken to weighing rather than counting the wads of cash customers hand them, and standard-size wallets have become all but useless in the socialist South American state. Instead, many people stuff huge volumes of cash into handbags, money belts, or backpacks, in scenes analysts have said are suggestive of "runaway" inflation.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuelas-currency-hyper-inflation-oil-crisis-devalued-shop-keepers-weigh-notes-a7443596.html?source=Snapzu

What Oil Pipelines Can Do to Native American Land and Life

Black, ant-like figures crown a russet hill ringed by the Cannonball River at the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota. Soon they come into focus: dozens of policemen in full riot gear, stationed on high ground so as to better surveil the handful of people lingering in the aftermath of what Native Americans protesting a new oil pipeline and their allies call a "direct action," or a confrontation with the law.
Read more: http://www.vice.com/read/standing-rock-fort-berthold-how-oil-can-transform-and-damage-native-reservations?source=Snapzu

The Nuclear Bunker Where America Preserves Its Audio-Visual Heritage

The Library of Congress has over 160 million items in its collection, including 23 million books, and more than 1.1 million films, and telev...
Read more: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/11/the-nuclear-bunker-where-america.html?source=Snapzu

Why Socrates Hated Democracy

We’re used to thinking hugely well of democracy. But interestingly, one of the wisest people who ever lived, Socrates, had deep suspicions of it.
Read more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLJBzhcSWTk?source=Snapzu

This is what Africa's fashion renaissance looks like...

After a career of hard news, photographer Per-Anders Pettersson fell in love with Africa’s flourishing fashion industry and the positivity it radiates.
Read more: http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/photography-2/per-anders-pettersson-african-catwalk-photography/?source=Snapzu

Slang — language at its most human

We’re in a golden age of slang studies.
Read more: http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2016/11/27/slang-language-its-most-human/mPyOlDnjSczKGuwCV1XgJI/story.html?source=Snapzu

Who is the Genius Behind Merriam-Webster’s Social Media?

In case you hadn’t noticed, Merriam-Webster’s Twitter game is strong—topical, funny, smart, and informative while also being relentlessly irreverent. Not what you’d necessarily expect from the social media account of a dictionary. (This is putting aside the fact that we now generally expect things like dictionaries to have social media accounts, of course.) But if you were ever a nerd who thought of the dictionary as your best friend (just me?)—well, this is sort of like that dictionary has finally come to life and loves you back and also tweets about words all the time.
Read more: http://lithub.com/who-is-the-genius-behind-merriam-websters-social-media/?source=Snapzu

What will happen when I'm too old to push? (buttons, that is)

Glitzy gadgets begin to lose their appeal
Read more: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/10/21/what_will_happen_when_im_too_old_to_push_buttons_that_is/?source=Snapzu

From Egypt to Turkey, a new generation refuses to stay silent

The fire of resistance is burning strong in Istanbul but as photographer Emine Gozde Sevim finds, the drive for a life of freedom extends beyond boundaries.
Read more: http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/photography-2/emine-gozde-sevim-homeland-delirium-turkey-egypt-photography/?source=Snapzu

Why you can’t afford to ignore nature in the workplace

Love your job, but hate your office? For many of us, our physical workplace can be dark, depressing, bland and even dysfunctional. Windowless cubicle farms and airless open-plan floors can kill motivation and take a toll on worker performance, possibly even their health.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20161125-why-you-cant-afford-to-ignore-nature-in-the-workplace?source=Snapzu

Ivanka Trump’s Terrible Book Helps Explain the Trump-Family Ethos

What can a woman born with a silver spoon in her mouth teach people who use plastic forks to eat salads at their desks?
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/ivanka-trumps-terrible-book-helps-explain-the-trump-family-ethos?source=Snapzu

Inside Bolivia’s Skull Festival, Where the Dead Get Diamonds and Sunglasses

“Here death isn’t so final.” By Paul Koudounaris.
Read more: http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/inside-bolivias-skull-festival-where-the-dead-get-diamonds-and-sunglasses?source=Snapzu

The Surprisingly Complex Principles of a Successful Picture Book

A look at the nuts and bolts of children’s literature from children's book editor Melissa Manlove.
Read more: https://medium.com/chronicle-books/the-surprisingly-complex-principles-of-a-successful-picture-book-da7b0b041fbd#.hwwistugh?source=Snapzu

Silicon Valley Has an Empathy Vacuum

Silicon Valley fails to take into account the human consequences of its technological wizardry. By Om Malik.
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/silicon-valley-has-an-empathy-vacuum?source=Snapzu

My High School Girlfriend Became America’s Most Wanted Drug Queenpin

I lost my virginity to the baddest goth girl at theater camp. When I tracked her down fifteen years later I discovered just how dangerous Liz Barrer really was. By Jonathan Reiss.
Read more: http://narrative.ly/my-ex-the-drug-queenpin/?source=Snapzu

No logo: Why un-branded luxury goods are on the rise

‘Consumers want to be one in a million, not one of a million,’ says analyst
Read more: http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2050081/no-logo-why-un-branded-luxury-goods-are-rise?source=Snapzu

AKIRA: How To Animate Light

Read more: http://snapzu.com/Appaloosa/akira-how-to-animate-light?source=Snapzu

On Bullshit and the Oath of Office

The “LOL Nothing Matters” Presidency. By Quinta Jurecic.
Read more: https://www.lawfareblog.com/bullshit-and-oath-office-lol-nothing-matters-presidency?source=Snapzu

Is Cadbury's move the end for Fairtrade? - BBC News

With Cadbury set to drop its Fairtrade certification, has the ethical-trade mark had its day?
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38137480?source=Snapzu

As Batteries Keep Catching Fire, U.S. Safety Agency Prepares For Change

Picture this: You're at a park, on a walk, with a baby. A friendly middle-aged man approaches you and tells you your stroller could be really dangerous. You might think this man is crazy. But maybe not if you knew he's the nation's product safety chief. "I couldn't live with myself if I walked away and it turned out that that child was harmed when I could've just said something," Elliot Kaye says. His voice is soft-spoken and his worldview seems to fluctuate between pride in saving lives and the unease of someone who has seen many things go wrong in unexpected ways. "You can't help it; you just automatically see the hazards."
Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/11/27/503132072/as-batteries-keep-catching-fire-u-s-safety-agency-prepares-for-change?source=Snapzu

Spomenik Database | The Monumental History of Yugoslavia

The Spomenik Database explores the Yugoslavia's historic and enigmatic endeavor into grand-scale post-modern monument building from the 1960-1980s.
Read more: http://www.spomenikdatabase.org/?source=Snapzu

China Asks Muslims To Stand Against Religious Extremism And For Socialism With Chinese Traits

Wang Zuo'an, chief of the State Administration for Religious Affairs in China, asked Muslim citizens to stand against religious extremism. He also said the development of Islam in China should stick to socialism with Chinese characteristics, as per a Xinhua news report. Wang also asked for new mosques to exhibit Chinese features rather than copied foreign architectural styles.
Read more: http://swarajyamag.com/insta/china-asks-muslims-to-stand-against-religious-extremism-and-for-socialism-with-chinese-traits?source=Snapzu

Millions Have Dyslexia, Few Understand It

It's the most common learning disability, yet it's still hard to answer the question: What is it? An NPR reporter who has dyslexia talks with other people — young and old — in search of answers.
Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/28/502601662/millions-have-dyslexia-few-understand-it?source=Snapzu

The Attorney Fighting Revenge Porn

Carrie Goldberg is a pioneer in the field of sexual privacy, using the law to defend victims of hacking, leaking, and other online assaults. By Margaret Talbot.
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/12/05/the-attorney-fighting-revenge-porn?source=Snapzu

Chocolate vs vegetables: The true environmental costs

When it comes to carbon emissions, certain unhealthy snacks may carry an unexpected blessing compared to healthier options.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161125-the-true-costs-of-our-favourite-foods?source=Snapzu

Thank you all

<p>I've sincerely enjoyed my time here, even though this tribe has mostly required very little in the way of moderation. However, the time has come for me to log off and I don't know when I'll be back, if ever. I am therefore renouncing my ownership to leave it to someone else's caring hands. I hope the rules I've established provide a good foundation for future moderation and that they enable future growth of this community. So again I thank you and bid you <em>adieu.</em></p>
Read more: http://snapzu.com/t/atheism/tribepost/TCMZWZA/thank-you-all?source=Snapzu

Quiet: A Soldier’s Fight for the Most Silent Place in America

The military’s plan to send newer, more disruptive jet planes over the Hoh and Quinault rain forest region has unraveled not only townspeople throughout the Olympic Peninsula, but the veterans who thought they’d found a refuge. By Madeline Ostrander.
Read more: http://www.seattlemet.com/articles/2016/11/16/quiet-a-soldier-s-fight-for-the-most-silent-place-in-america?source=Snapzu

This Conservative College Group Started a Watch List of Left-Leaning Professors

They’ve often been referred to as the MoveOn.org of the right. Everybody needs a list.
Read more: http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/11/turning-point-usa-launches-professor-watchlist.html?source=Snapzu

Eggleston’s Empty America

In William Eggleston’s The Democratic Forest: Selected Works, the photographer’s charge to himself seems to be, “Make a picture of nothing at all,” the emptiness takes on a special character. By Alexander Nemerov.
Read more: http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/11/13/william-eggleston-empty-america/?source=Snapzu

For the art lover, the naturalist, the child in your life, a new book on Edward Lear

Known for his nonsense poems — think the Pobble Who has No Toes — Edward Lear was also a gifted artist, whose works are collected in ‘The Natural History of Edward Lear.’
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/for-the-art-lover-the-naturalist-the-child-in-your-life-a-new-book-on-edward-lear/2016/11/23/62ef9dec-adce-11e6-977a-1030f822fc35_story.html?source=Snapzu

As a Sex Worker, I’m Terrified for the Next Four Years

Under the Trump administration, I could stand to lose my healthcare, my livelihood, and even my life. By Hennessy Williams.
Read more: http://www.vice.com/read/im-a-sex-worker-and-im-terrified-for-the-next-four-years?source=Snapzu

Six States Fail to Block Landmark California Farm Animal Protection Law

A lawsuit tried to force California to sell factory farm eggs from states where hens were cruelly treated. By Wayne Pacelle.
Read more: http://www.alternet.org/food/six-states-fail-block-landmark-california-farm-animal-protection-law?source=Snapzu

Photographs of historical England 'challenge Downton Abbey myth'

Images of factories, schools, universities and civic buildings rising among old streetscapes – but also of rotting houses, barefoot children and faces pinched with poverty – have been unearthed from millions of photographs of late 19th- and early 20th-century England. Philip Davies, an architectural historian, spent seven years trawling through the photographs, compiling the best 1,500 into a 558-page book titled &quot;Lost England.&quot;
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/nov/27/photographs-of-historic-england-challenge-downton-abbey-myth?source=Snapzu

Ant species cultivates coffee for accommodation

Scientists on the island of Fiji have discovered a type of ant that plants, fertilizes and guards its own coffee crops. The industrious creatures have been perfecting their agricultural know-how for millions of years.
Read more: http://www.dw.com/en/ant-species-cultivates-coffee-for-accommodation/a-36477533?source=Snapzu

Grandmother and teen she accidentally invited to Thanksgiving plan to stay friends

Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton, strangers prior to sharing a Thanksgiving meal at Dench&#039;s home on Thursday, plan to continue their friendship after its unlikely origin morphed into a viral tale of kindness. When Dench sent out information about her Thanksgiving plans via text, she only intended to send it to family and friends. But this year, she also accidentally invited a wrong number that belonged to a teenager, who took her up on her offer.
Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/strangers-who-shared-thanksgiving-meal-after-accidental-text-plan-stay-n688471?source=Snapzu

If You Drink Coffee From Pods, You May Want to Reconsider

K-Cups are accumulating in landfills at alarming rates.
Read more: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/the-abominable-k-cup-coffee-pod-environment-problem/386501/?source=Snapzu

No Credit History? No Problem. Lenders Are Looking at Your Phone Data

Financial institutions, overcoming some initial trepidation about privacy, are increasingly gauging consumers’ creditworthiness by using phone-company data on mobile calling patterns and locations. By Olga Kharif.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-25/no-credit-history-no-problem-lenders-now-peering-at-phone-data?source=Snapzu

Circumcision - A Mother's Deep Regret

Niki Sawyers describes the disturbing circumstances that occurred shortly after the birth of her son.
Read more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAskbJ7GB0k?source=Snapzu

PG Wodehouse secures redemption as British Library acquires priceless archive

The author’s reputation, long tarnished by charges of Nazi collaboration, will be restored as his papers find a new home.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/27/pg-wodehouse-archive-british-library-redemption-nazi-collaboration?source=Snapzu

Adam Curtis and the Secret History of Everything

In the British filmmaker’s epic documentaries, the world as we know it is pulled back to reveal a complex web of history, technology and power. By Jonathan Lethem.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/30/magazine/adam-curtis-documentaries.html?_r=2?source=Snapzu

A Buddhist monk explains mindfulness for times of conflict

“Compassion is not sitting in your room; it’s actually very active and engaging,” a senior disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh says.
Read more: http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016/11/22/13638374/buddhist-monk-mindfulness?source=Snapzu

Pictures of the Week 11.25.16

via Flipboard
Read more: http://cdn.flipboard.com/content/thephotodesk/thephotodeskgalleries/items/1480097918000.html?source=Snapzu

Which Language Uses the Most Sounds? Click 5 Times for the Answer

With five distinct kinds of clicks, multiple tones and strident vowels — vocalized with a quick choking sound — the Taa language, spoken by a few thousand people in Botswana and Namibia, is believed by most linguists to have the largest sound inventory of any tongue in the world. This sentence in !Xoon, translated as “I eat porridge,” includes a strident vowel at the end. The exact count differs among scholars. Studies commonly cite more than 100 consonants, and some say there are as many as 164 consonants and 44 vowels. English, by comparison, has about 45 sounds at its disposal, total.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/25/world/what-in-the-world/click-languages-taa-xoon-xoo-botswana.html?source=Snapzu