January 18, 2016

Behind the Animated Tentacles

was a real-life, big-haired, poo-eating Baltimore drag queen named Divine. "Unearthing the Sea Witch" by Nicole Pasulka and Brian Ferree from Hazlitt.
posted by Hypatia at 5:32 PM PST - 22 comments

"But Glenn was the one who started it all"

Glenn Frey of the Eagles has passed away at 67. A founding member of the Eagles - with whom he won 6 Grammys, as well as a popular solo artist, Glenn Frey passed away today from a combination of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia. [more inside]
posted by dotgirl at 2:48 PM PST - 210 comments

Early Modern English

Shakespeare: Original pronunciation. What Shakespeare Sounded Like to Shakespeare.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 1:59 PM PST - 42 comments

DOES THIS FIT WITHIN MY FUCK-BUDGET:

The life-changing magic of not giving a fuck.
posted by Sebmojo at 1:57 PM PST - 121 comments

Space X nails it, except for this one part

On Sunday, Space X launched the JASON-3 satellite and also tried to land the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket on a droneship barge. The satellite reached orbit successfully and the first stage landed perfectly. That's when a problem latched on to the mission (video in link). [more inside]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:31 PM PST - 74 comments

How the Federal Reserve promotes income inequality

Fed officials deny they’re taking sides. They justify policies that keep workers too weak, disorganized, and traumatized to demand higher wages by focusing on the purported dangers of low unemployment.
posted by Lycaste at 12:47 PM PST - 38 comments

Newly Discovered 1964 MLK Speech

Newly Discovered 1964 MLK Speech on Civil Rights, Segregation & Apartheid South Africa This recording was made by Pacifica Radio's European correspondent Saul Bernstein while Dr. King was in London, days before recieving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Then it was left uncatalogued in Pacifica Radio's archives for some 50 years before being found by the archive's director, Brian DeShazor.
posted by 3urypteris at 11:33 AM PST - 6 comments

All Hollowed Out

The lonely poverty of America's white working class. (slAtlantic)
posted by Kitteh at 11:05 AM PST - 75 comments

White ally background material for anti-racism in the US.

Here's a primer for white Americans to learn about race and racism without making their friends/colleagues/acquaintances of color have to keep explaining it.
posted by Stewriffic at 11:03 AM PST - 21 comments

Song of a Coast

Song of a Coast is a short photo-essay about a particular time and place along the coast of Bangladesh rendered in gentle light.
posted by jason's_planet at 10:33 AM PST - 1 comments

"Oh! Sir, I am very glad, because he is free now."

After much criticism and some defence, A Birthday Cake for George Washington has been pulled by Scholastic Press. [more inside]
posted by Stilling Still Dreaming at 10:16 AM PST - 74 comments

Urban Scratch-Off

Reveal How New York Has Changed With This 'Scratch-Off' Map [more inside]
posted by poffin boffin at 8:54 AM PST - 6 comments

Waffle poots

Waffle poots [SLYT]
posted by slater at 8:18 AM PST - 24 comments

Low- and High-Ping Bastards

The year is 2002, and Greg Costikyan wants to teach you to speak like a gamer.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:55 AM PST - 41 comments

Are You Sure You Want To Quit The World?

If you were desperate and hopeless enough to log on to a suicide chat room in recent years, there was a good chance a mysterious woman named Li Dao would find you, befriend you, and gently urge you to take your own life. And, she'd promise, she would join you in that final journey. But then the bodies started adding up, and the promises didn't. Turned out, Li Dao was something even more sinister than anyone thought.
posted by veedubya at 6:46 AM PST - 72 comments

“I’ve been here 33 years and I’ve never seen anything so bad,”

The Story Behind The Deadliest Prison Bus Crash In Texas History [BuzzFeed] In January 2015, a prison transport carrying 15 men — three guards and 12 chained-together inmates — ran off the road. It was one of the bloodiest days in the history of Texas prisons. [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 5:28 AM PST - 20 comments

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