I had nothing to do with this, but MySpace just re-launched their music site in the US with lots more music from major label artists.
It’s actually pretty cool to be able to listen to all this stuff for free and compile playlists. The product itself is definitely rough around the edges, but overall it’s not bad.
It’s been a while since I’ve come across any new music I liked. If you’ve got any recommendations, feel free to throw in their MySpace URLs in the comments.
A while back I wrote about Kiva, the non-profit that facilitates the practice of micro-lending by matching up lenders with entrepreneurs in developing nations who need small loans to raise ducks or sell gin.
It turns out they’re one of 25 finalists in the Members Project from American Express. If Kiva is selected as the winner, they’ll get a million or two from American Express. Kiva makes no money off the micro-loans, so a windfall like this would go a long way toward paying the rent, doing the legwork with micro-lending institutions in developing countries, and helping a bunch of do-gooders get their paychecks. $1.5 million translates into 60,000 $25 micro-loans!
If you have an American Express card, go vote for Kiva’s entry, Loans That Change Lives, at the Members Project.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, both Dorcas and Lan Thi are repaying their loans.
Beverly Hills High School has oil wells in one corner of the campus and hundreds of students study, eat, and exercise near and around these things.
About parts per million:
“At her thirtieth reunion, Horowitz was astonished to learn that so many of her former classmates had cancer. Oil wells under the town of Beverly Hills and the highly regarded high school were apparently the cause. She had some difficulty getting access to documents because of ongoing lawsuits initiated by famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich. Still, Horowitz draws on interviews with cancer specialists, geologists, toxicologists, and former teachers and classmates to relate an amazing story of environmental hazard in one of the nation’s most storied towns, proof that it can happen anywhere. For years students had been living with oil-tinged clothing following workouts on the athletic fields, with oil pumps looming in the background. But town residents, enjoying royalty checks and the tony image of their community, refused to connect the presence of oil pumps and rising reports of cancer in their youth. Horowitz chronicles the residents’ range of emotions, from anger and denial to shame at having done so little to protect their children, as she examines the role of money, image, and continued uncertainty in a community grappling with environmental hazards.”
–Vanessa Bush, Booklist
An acquaintance of mine had a brother who passed away last year from brain cancer. Both of them had attended Beverly just over a decade ago.
They made this awesome map:
Click for full-size original.
And this awesomer comic:
They is probably he.
Son of a bitch. I just realized there’s additional commentary in the title attribute of every image.
This is pretty sweet. The Zoom Quilt 2 is a collaborative art project that I found via Dysart’s blog.