22 Matching Annotations
  1. Feb 2018
    1. bonobos are known for resolving conflicts peacefully, through sexy cuddling rather than violence—a trick humans haven’t quite mastered

      Could you imagine if this was how people resolved things? Presidential elections would be much more interesting.

    2. The idea that people once had to call a telephone wired to a building in the hope of reaching a person who might be there seems quaint, clunky, and a little absurd to our children

      Dang kids and their TECK-KNOLL-OH-GEE

    3. There’s always been a moral case for stopping slavery; now there’s an environmental reason too

      Unfortunately, there's not an economical reason which would be the only reason the people and nations in power would actually care.

    4. There’s an intimacy in the stone we use to mark the final resting place of someone we love; there’s another sort of intimacy in the less obvious but still essential minerals that let us speak with our loved ones on phones or write to them on computers

      The relation of slave labored granite to cell phones is interesting and certainly a great segue for the article.

    5. these men were appalled when they saw footage from the quarries

      So they didn't know exactly where they were getting their material from, they just knew it was cheap and didn't ask questions.

    6. People have found it easy to just walk into the forest and start mining

      It's difficult to believe that this is public knowledge, but nothing can be done about it. I understand that these are third world countries, but if this keeps being ignored, they will remain that way forever.

    7. The protected state and national forest parks rest on top of granite deposits

      It's amazing to think that, just because it's in a third world country, the authorities can be bribed so easily while in Europe and the US parks are (overall) effectively protected. There's a sort of cycle that's happening to influence this type of behavior on both sides (the importers and exporters).

  2. Jan 2018
    1. Meanwhile the citizen, who had complained to the police, and having no intruder to deliver up, is arrested as a trickster or buffoon.

      SLEEPY GARY NOOOOO!

    2. rather annoys the good folks

      "My word, Oldbuck! You've gone and struck us all in the face with a large wooden beam! We are rather annoyed with you, sir!"

    3. He seeks to conquer the tender passion by study.

      I like that this man has two separate tables in this room. One specifically for leaning his elbow on and the other for studying.