While western banking institutions continue to reel from the credit crunch, Islamic banking, with assets approaching one trillion dollars, is growing at roughly 20% pa by offering Sharia compliant - and only Sharia compliant - financial products. But compliance to Sharia law in matters financial is not easy (previously).
posted to MetaFilter by Mutant at 8:40 AM on June 6, 2008 (44 comments)

HistoryWorld is a general-knowledge website, designed for anyone above the age of about twelve with an interest in history. I found the site searching for dance history, but it includes 400 broad topics with more added all the time. It approaches history as a narrative, making full use of chronology. This is for the student as well as the researcher.
posted to MetaFilter by netbros at 5:36 AM on May 23, 2008 (15 comments)

A collection of comic book scripts from writers such as Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar, Grant Morrison and Alan Moore.
posted to MetaFilter by Bookhouse at 1:30 PM on May 12, 2008 (18 comments)

The Robert L. Capp collection is a group of photographs of the aftermath of Hiroshima that are probably more graphic than any other photos of the tragedy that you have seen. Taken by an unknown Japanese photographer, they were found by Capp in a cave outside Hiroshima in 1945 and given to the Hoover Archives ten years ago, with the stipulation that they not be published until now. Warning, these are seriously, seriously not for the faint of heart, and probably NSFW.
posted to MetaFilter by schroedinger at 12:07 PM on May 5, 2008 (57 comments)

How can I infuse bacon flavor into vodka? The product doesn't need to be vegan or kosher or anything special---just want to go into a kitchen and whip up some bacon-flavored vodka.
posted to Ask Metafilter by d. z. wang at 8:54 PM on March 29, 2008 (22 comments)

Board game filter: What's a good strategic board game for 3-4 players with moderate attention spans?
posted to Ask Metafilter by ignignokt at 4:29 PM on February 19, 2008 (39 comments)

How are serial television dramas, like "Deadwood," written?
posted to Ask Metafilter by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 7:39 PM on January 31, 2008 (15 comments)

So, I was listening to the new Saul Williams album and its awesome. Can you recommend other more intellectual hip hop.
posted to Ask Metafilter by khaibit at 9:28 AM on December 14, 2007 (40 comments)

I'll be in Memphis for the first time April 8 - 10. Any recommendations for off the beaten path places to hear some good blues? Bonus points for acoustic sets.
posted to Ask Metafilter by yoga at 5:37 AM on March 25, 2005 (12 comments)

Help me find a specific type of time travel novel.
posted to Ask Metafilter by OpinioNate at 5:02 PM on December 10, 2007 (20 comments)

Loved "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" and am currently loving "Marley's Ghost." I think I enjoy the idea of another author picking up a smaller character from a "classic" and running with it. So what other books have a similar set-up?
posted to Ask Metafilter by thomsplace at 5:32 PM on November 20, 2007 (47 comments)

I've become bored of digg, slate and reddit. I'd like some substitutes (but not too close of substitutes that I get quickly bored again).
posted to Ask Metafilter by survivorman at 2:05 PM on November 15, 2007 (21 comments)

"Where there is no doctor", a "village health-care handbook", was originally published by Mexican health activists in 1973 as a response to a critical lack of medical care among Mexico's poor. Now available for free download, the book covers such topics as "Family Planning" [pdf], Healing without Medicines [pdf], Common Medicines, their uses and doses [pdf], the right and wrong uses of modern medicines [pdf], and (in the midwives edition) DIY abortion [pdf].
posted to MetaFilter by Avenger at 3:34 AM on October 9, 2007 (11 comments)

What single book is the best introduction to your field (or specialization within your field) for laypeople?
posted to Ask Metafilter by limon at 5:40 PM on September 8, 2007 (238 comments)

Derinkuyu wasn't discovered until 1965, when a resident cleaning the back wall of his cave house broke through a wall and discovered behind it a room that he'd never seen, which led to still another, and another. Eventually, spelunking archeologists found a maze of connecting chambers that descended at least 18 stories and 280 feet beneath the surface, ample enough to hold 30,000 people. [flickr]. [wiki].
posted to MetaFilter by dersins at 8:21 AM on August 31, 2007 (48 comments)

A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust - an overview of the people and events of the Holocaust through photographs, documents, art, music, and literature. It is designed to prepare K-12 teachers to approach this sensitive topic. The content is presented from three perspectives: Timeline, People, and The Arts. Produced by the University of South Florida.
posted to MetaFilter by netbros at 9:22 PM on August 29, 2007 (7 comments)

Huge Collection of WWII Propaganda Posters (Axis & Allied powers represented). Via.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 11:23 PM on August 1, 2007 (27 comments)

10 (11) interesting/historical recordings. From List Universe. This site uses the term "Top ten" but as with anything when you talk in absolutes people get pretty ornery, so lets just say here are 11 very interesting sound files, from exorcism to castrato.
posted to MetaFilter by edgeways at 12:16 PM on July 21, 2007 (29 comments)

Burning DVDs: I want to get clips from (commercial and locked) DVDs and into a new DVD for class, with a menu system. I've seen this explanation, but I have a Mac (OS X, I could be convinced to upgrade to 10.4 if necessary). What's the easiest and/or best way to do this?
posted to Ask Metafilter by barnone at 12:01 AM on January 18, 2006 (11 comments)

On-On! I had never heard of the Hash House Harriers ("the drinking club with a running problem") until a friend clued me in. Now I don't know how I had missed them! They're certainly very visible -- and audible. Here's how it works. Their origins are in the British expat community in Kuala Lumpur, but nowadays they are everywhere!
One of their key ingredients is a bit problematic in this post-9/11 world, but they are adaptable.
posted to MetaFilter by gurple at 9:50 AM on May 27, 2005 (15 comments)

The CONET Project. A 4-CD documentary of Shortwave Number Stations, which consist of nothing but an unidentified human voice reciting a long list of seemingly random numbers. Some speculate that these signals are used for espionage by the likes of MOSSAD, the CIA and the former KGB.
There's also a great NPR feature on Number Stations (html page w/links to real audio broadcast)
posted to MetaFilter by skwm at 4:58 PM on December 19, 2001 (18 comments)

In 1965, Peter Watkins produced a fictional documentary called The War Game in which the aftermath of thermo-nuclear attacks in Britain was depicted. The BBC declared that it was "too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting" and was not aired until 1985. Watch it here (warning: graphic depictions of effects of radiation). Related, When the Wind Blows (parts 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), a sober animated tale of a British couple who try and survive nuclear holocaust based on the civil defense manual "Protect and Survive." (Previously).
posted to MetaFilter by champthom at 10:32 PM on June 14, 2007 (74 comments)

The Harveyville Project, located in Harveyville, Kansas, is a small town and getting smaller: There are only about 250 residents, and most are elderly. But after an artist bought an abandoned school to live in two years ago, there are some colorful new faces in town.

Conveniently located at the corner of No and Where. Nary a McDonalds nor Starbucks as far as the eye can see, but still a comfy drive from civilization. Housed in two mid-century school buildings on nine acres on the edge of a tiny rural town, the Harveyville Project offers a quiet, secluded, distraction-free environment to jumpstart your creative work.

Such a cool idea. If I was still single I'd move there in a second to soak up the creative vibe.
posted to MetaFilter by Hugh2d2 at 6:18 AM on June 5, 2007 (71 comments)

Are you a Highly Sensitive Person? This trait ... is inherited by 15 to 20% of the population, and ... seems to be present in all higher animals. Being an HSP means your nervous system is more sensitive to subtleties. Your sight, hearing, and sense of smell are not necessarily keener .... But your brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. Being an HSP also means, necessarily, that you are more easily overstimulated, stressed out, overwhelmed. This trait ... has been mislabeled as shyness (not an inherited trait), introversion (30% of HSPs are actually extraverts), inhibitedness, fearfulness, and the like. HSPs can be these, but none of these are the fundamental trait they have inherited ...
yahoo group | latest research (fascinating!) | newsletter | wikipedia | blog | via
posted to MetaFilter by grumblebee at 12:19 PM on April 8, 2007 (154 comments)

"That is an American salute?" "It will be." n July 1935 Heinz Spanknobel's Friends of New Germany (FONG) established Camp Siegfried in "Yip Yip" Yaphank, Long Island (postcard). The Camp Siegfried Special left Penn Station every Sunday at 8:00; tens of thousands of summer campers enjoyed Nazi salutes, Nazi rallies, and Nazi swimming. [more inside]
posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha at 12:32 PM on February 21, 2007 (48 comments)

The true history of General Tso/Gau/Zuo's Chicken involves Henry Kissinger and the food of Hunan province, which was the home of two opposing eaters: Chairman Mao and the nationalist Chef Peng who invented the dish, along with other now-classics of Hunanese cuisine, after fleeing the Revolution. Thus ends a long search for the origins of the dish, as covered previously.
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 11:21 PM on February 3, 2007 (14 comments)

Since the Middle Ages, German craftsmen have gone 'auf der Walz' (taken to the road) as part of a kind of working-pilgrimage that artisans make after completing an apprenticeship with a master craftsman. These travels are meant to teach them about work and life and takes precisely three years and one day; they are not allowed to return home before this time. The trip can take these young craftsmen and women (all must be under the age of 30) halfway around the world (and often does) and they are allowed only a small rucksack. Other than that, they can bring along their uniform (a simple black and white affair that almost defies description), their tools, undergarments, a sleeping bag, a book and their trademark walking stick.

Although today this is a dying tradition, and is often more traditionally known as being a Journeyman today, it still exists and has inspired some to write about the strage travellers they see on the road. Indeed, perhaps the most famous work this tradition inspired is Australian poet Banjo Patterson, whose work Walzing Matilda is believed to have been inspired by this fascinating yet waning custom.
posted to MetaFilter by Effigy2000 at 6:11 PM on December 14, 2006 (28 comments)

Yardbirds documentary part 1, part 2, and part 3. Bonus: Jimmy Page, age 14.
posted to MetaFilter by madamjujujive at 6:31 PM on December 27, 2006 (27 comments)

Interesting history lectures on iTunes?
posted to Ask Metafilter by charlesv at 3:45 PM on December 23, 2006 (9 comments)

Drawer Geeks is an illustration challenge founded by Greg Hardin. Alternate Fridays, a group of 25+ professional animators, illustrators, cartoonists, and designers riff on a given fictional character. This past week's theme was Santa Claus. Among archived themes, I particularly liked: Medusa and The Grim Reaper. (via diminished Responsibility)
posted to MetaFilter by madamjujujive at 7:06 AM on December 17, 2006 (34 comments)

Ancient tsunami devastated Mediterranean possible root of flood myths and current major religious belief.
posted to MetaFilter by Kickstart70 at 3:29 PM on November 30, 2006 (34 comments)

Ask yourself: Do you play banjo when you are alone? Have you played banjo first thing in the morning? Are you the butt of a million jokes? If you answered yes to any of these questions you may have a serious problem. Fortunately there's help: Banjo Players Anonymous. via
posted to MetaFilter by Turtles all the way down at 6:52 AM on November 23, 2006 (52 comments)

Apes of Wrath In October, they gained similar rights to humans, now it seems monkeys are plotting to take over the earth. Their bid for global domination has been happening right before our eyes; it's just a matter of connecting the dots. Check out this ominous timeline of escalating monkey aggression, drawn from real news reports. The evolution will not be televised.
posted to MetaFilter by P-Soque at 1:28 PM on November 8, 2006 (14 comments)

Wow, not one "cure" question under the "hangover" tag. Anyhow my wife has a bit of a hangover from wine last night and I'd like to help her out. What do you suggest for a remedy? Anything that you swear by? She's got mostly a splitting headache and a little nausea. I know water prevents it, but it's already happened.
posted to Ask Metafilter by zek at 12:16 PM on September 29, 2006 (55 comments)

Explain Foucault to me like I was a 10 year old.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trinarian at 10:35 AM on September 16, 2006 (24 comments)

He's 74-years-old, which makes him the world's oldest primate. He was a movie star. He lives a comfortable life as an older retiree. In his spare time, he paints. In fact, if you like, he will paint a painting just for you, and the money you donate for it supports his primate sanctuary. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Cheeta.
posted to MetaFilter by Astro Zombie at 7:35 PM on September 5, 2006 (37 comments)

This song is called mathowie's community blog, and it's about mathowie, and the community blog, but mathowie's community blog is not the name of the community blog, that's just the name of the song. - lyrical brilliance by It's Raining Florence Henderson, with extra bits of artistic license taken in the studio. - Arlo-esque lead vocals by French Fry, aka Alex Millard, aka my brother.
posted to MeFi Music by cortex at 10:40 PM on September 3, 2006 (83 comments)

Even though there's no listing for this cliche in the Shark Jumping database, inevitably in every superhero TV show of the 1970s, the hero would face (and defeat) a creature with powers similar to (and usually greater) than their own. Like when Steve Austin battled the SEVEN million dollar man (or when he fought bigfoot). Or when the incredible hulk fought the incredibler hulk. Or when the Knight Industries Two Thousand did battle with its prototype, KARR.God bless YouTube for collecting these precious moments
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 4:40 PM on September 1, 2006 (67 comments)

The Secret History of Hacking [google video from a C4 documentary] is a fun romp through the exploits of Steve Wozniak, John Draper (a.k.a. Captain Crunch) and Kevin Mitnick. [via]
posted to MetaFilter by MetaMonkey at 1:15 PM on September 1, 2006 (13 comments)

Do you feel that science has gone mad? Do you yearn for a time when adventurers were unfailingly courteous and infallibly polite? Well look no further than the adventures of Othar Tryggvassen, Gentleman Adventurer--now available weekly on the radio! Episodes [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. In case this makes little sense, some background is available here.
posted to MetaFilter by vernondalhart at 11:49 PM on August 15, 2006 (5 comments)

Media-opoly from Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse skit created by Robert Smigel broadcast in 1998 on NBC, a subsidiary of GE. Not broadcast since, apparently.
posted to MetaFilter by riotgrrl69 at 2:35 PM on August 12, 2006 (25 comments)

Full films for legal download: Archive.org has a large number of movies with expired copyrights for download. My favorite is 1936's Things To Come. Other nifty things include classic feature films like Battleship Potemkin and His Girl Friday, and shorts such as Max Fleicher's Superman, Three Stooges and Buster Keaton.
posted to MetaFilter by jiawen at 1:48 AM on August 5, 2006 (21 comments)

Rangaku (literally "Dutch Learning") refers to the body of knowledge developed in Japan during the Sakoku period (1641-1853) during which the country was closed to foreigners. As the Dutch trading post at Dejima was effectively an enclave of the Netherlands, for 212 years it was just about Japan's only way to keep tabs on European scientific progress (pdf). Rangaku has influenced Japanese medicine, anatomy, engineering, meteorology, and chemistry, among other fields.
posted to MetaFilter by goodnewsfortheinsane at 12:32 PM on August 3, 2006 (18 comments)

Chinese Jews and the Silk Road. Maps. [more inside]
posted to MetaFilter by nickyskye at 4:28 PM on July 25, 2006 (26 comments)

How do you stay motivated creatively?
posted to Ask Metafilter by photoslob at 8:46 AM on July 23, 2006 (26 comments)

Suppose you killed somebody...

How would you dispose of the body without getting caught? Would you dump it somewhere? Bury it in the backyard or basement? Dissolve it in lime? What? What would your master plan be that would allow you to get away with it?

And no, I haven't killed anybody and I'm not planning to - I was just curious.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ashbury at 5:48 PM on June 13, 2004 (74 comments)

Jangly, wistful guitarpop as requested.
posted to MeFi Music by cortex at 8:03 AM on June 30, 2006 (29 comments)

Can'tWeAllGetAlongFilter: Do Asian people stereotype other Asians?
posted to Ask Metafilter by jason's_planet at 7:28 PM on June 20, 2006 (79 comments)

The Archaic Medical Terms Dictionary. This was intended as a tool for genealogists and historians, but it is fun to browse. If you're suffering from Rag-Picker's Disease you are in trouble and Haematemesis looks pretty serious too. If you know what "Black Tongue" or "Painter's colic" are, you can contribute to the author's unsolved page.
posted to MetaFilter by marxchivist at 2:24 PM on June 9, 2006 (8 comments)

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is pumping out a pile of podcasts that have covered the importance of offensive comics to Art Spiegelman, 600 bands over 54 shows, Captain America versus the American government, Amy Sedaris and geekdom, the journey of young immigrants, French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut and Harper's publisher John MacArthur discussing Europe and America perspectives since 9/11, the after life, sex with monkeys, what radio producers do, the french word "corps", Bonnie Fuller's "The Joys of Much Too Much: Go For the Big Life — The Great Career, The Perfect Guy, and Everything Else You've Ever Wanted (Even If You're Afraid You Don't Have What It Takes)", Veteran Washington reporter Helen Thomas and some other bits & bobs [Breakdown inside]
posted to MetaFilter by boost ventilator at 5:44 AM on June 5, 2006 (25 comments)