[image_credit]MnDOT[/image_credit]
“These 15 mind-blowing bike projects will make you hate your bike lane,” Fast Company
Given how completely people in the Twin Cities lose their … uh, minds, when even something as benign and useless as a “sharrow” is provided to bike riders, just imagine what the comments would look like if any governments around Minnesota proposed anything like these bike infrastructure projects detailed by Adele Peters in Fast Company. — Peter Callaghan, state government reporter
“The Night Climbers of Islamabad,” Deadspin
A fascinating look by journalist Salmaan Farooqui at the small and dedicated climbing community in Islamabad, Pakistan, which takes takes to rock faces in the dead of night during Ramadan to accommodate fasting — and hot weather. — Walker Orenstein, workforce and environment reporter
“America’s Job Listings Have Gone Off the Deep End,” The Atlantic
Job titles have gotten really dumb. It’s not just the way they sound — who wants to be a code guru or a ninja with a keyboard — and anyway, what is that? It’s that they’ve become so convoluted and trendy-sounding as to really mean nothing, not even to search engines job seekers use to try to find them when they want to apply. From Amanda Mull at the Atlantic. — Greta Kaul, data reporter
“Where does your plastic go? Global investigation reveals America’s dirty secret,” The Guardian
We may feel like environmental stewards when we wheel out the blue bin filled with plastic bottles and other recyclables. But a new Guardian series documents what happens when America’s recycled plastic — the equivalent of 68,000 shipping containers each year — leaves the U.S. It has become “a global hot potato, ping-ponging from country to country, ” frequently ending up in toxic, stench-filled, makeshift workshops — or simply dumped on beaches or landfills. — Susan Albright, managing editor
The Guardian article is stunning and depressing. We really need to trim the “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse’” to mostly just REDUCE- as in less just use less plastic stuff- bottles, bags and straws are just the tip of the iceberg of plastic we are calving into the world.