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From Seattle's alt-weekly The Stranger, The Heart of Whiteness: Ijeoma Oluo Interviews Rachel Dolezal, the White Woman Who Identifies as Black
comment posted at 12:46 PM on Apr-19-17

Those who know funk already know we’ve got to impeach the president. But thankfully for those who give a damn, the well of leftist funk runs deep.
comment posted at 6:27 AM on Feb-3-17

Dr. Henry Heimlich, inventor of the Maneuver that bears his name, has died.
comment posted at 11:08 AM on Dec-18-16

Anecdotally speaking, the number of internationally acclaimed male pianists greatly outnumbers the number of similarly acclaimed female pianists. Could it all be because of differences in hand span? CBC Radio's show The Doc Project found that this indeed may be the case. But not to worry! Piano keyboards made for smaller hands are indeed available, courtesy of a textile manufacturer in, of all places, Titusville, PA.
comment posted at 7:57 AM on Oct-29-16

Classic black TV shows haven’t made the jump to streaming platforms — and their window of opportunity may be closing
comment posted at 8:14 AM on Oct-24-16

The Vancouver Aquarium has a baby otter cam.
comment posted at 5:36 PM on Sep-20-16

Adorable kitties getting caught in pretty much everything but scanners. (SL BuzzFeed)
comment posted at 7:14 AM on Sep-10-16
comment posted at 4:02 PM on Sep-14-16

BBC: "There are strong social divisions in how young people use digital technology , according to international research from the OECD. The economics think tank found that in many countries wealthy and poor pupils spent similar amounts of time online. But richer youngsters were much more likely to use the internet for learning rather than games. The study argues that even with equal access to technology a "digital divide" persists in how the internet is used.""
comment posted at 6:45 AM on Jul-27-16

The Strange Perils of Running a Novelty Item Empire: Seattle’s Archie McPhee is one of the largest and oldest novelty designers and manufacturers in America, providing the average Joe with items that seem like they were designed in some other dimension where the laws of practicality and common sense no longer apply. They have a long, colorful history of bringing weird and unfathomable items to an unsuspecting world. But it’s not all screaming pickles and wind-up teeth. Running one of the most successful novelty operations in the world can lead to some pretty bizarre disasters.
comment posted at 10:30 AM on Jul-6-16

Author Stephen Marche celebrates (?) his hometown of Toronto.
comment posted at 7:46 AM on Jul-4-16
comment posted at 11:04 AM on Jul-4-16

"The story of women’s basketball is so incomplete without Pat Summitt, it’s almost not worth telling. Not just the winningest coach in D1 history, Summitt is the modern game, her success mirroring its rise, her ascendancy propelling the sport out of obscurity. And now she’s gone."
comment posted at 3:09 PM on Jun-28-16
comment posted at 6:31 AM on Jun-29-16

Here's The Problem With Jeep's Recalled Gear Shifter (David Tracy, Jalopnik). See also Consumer Reports' YT video (published May 19, 2016), Fiat Chrysler Recalls Confusing Shifters.
comment posted at 6:15 AM on Jun-22-16

On Monday, Dr. Heimlich, at 96 years of age, finally used his maneuver to rescue a choking victim.
comment posted at 11:06 AM on May-27-16

Baylor University has fired football coach Art Briles and demoted university president Kenneth Starr upon receipt of an independent report detailing how the football program concealed rape, sexual abuse, and domestic violence accusations against Baylor football players. The announcement has come as a shock, as it had seemed that Starr would be the scapegoat for the scandal, with his demotion used to protect Briles, the most successful coach in the school's history. However, increased media scrutiny due to the 2016 campaign season bringing up Starr's role in the Whitewater investigation, drawing greater attention to what happened at Baylor.
comment posted at 12:14 PM on May-26-16

"While gay and lesbian consumers loved the shout outs in the license plates, straight people would only notice features like a bike rack. Paul Poux, who helped come up with the license plate idea, says he held focus groups with straight audiences where he’d show ads featuring gay couples. Even after an hour of talking about gay issues, they’d think a man was shopping with his uncle." (See also: pinkwashing, pink money.)
comment posted at 12:27 PM on May-24-16

The winners of the 2016 Nebula awards, given by the Science Fiction Writers of America, are all women. Among them: Naomi Novik, for the novel Uprooted, and Nnedi Okorafor, for the novella Bindi. And Mad Max: Fury Road won Outstanding Dramatic Presentation.
comment posted at 6:21 AM on May-15-16

Quick: imagine a colorful San Francisco Victorian. The way it looks in your mind's eye probably has something to do with Buckter's decades of steady influence.
comment posted at 2:16 PM on May-2-16

On April 26th 1956, a converted World War II tanker, the Ideal-X left the Port of Newark, New Jersey. Five days later, it arrived in Port Houston, Texas, with 58 35-feet (8 feet wide by 8 feet high) containers, along with a regular load of 15,000 tons of bulk petroleum. Malcom McLean had started something big, changing the long tradition of shipping goods on ships. Before that, cargo handling was almost as labor-intensive after World War II as it had been in the mid-1800s. After McLean's innovation, shipping was transformed by this, one of the most important innovations in the global markets of production and trade (Google books preview), though that's not without its complications.
comment posted at 6:53 AM on Apr-27-16

Something terrible happened to you in outer space. All you can remember are the last few moments, the sun fading to a speck as you and your crew broke free from the solar system, the ship’s systems suddenly shutting down, the panic and blackness inside, shouting and sobbing, outside the phosphorescent fringes of the wormhole as it opened up in front of you—and then you woke up, sweat-slick in your own bed at sunrise, with the birds singing outside, in another universe. You are trapped in the world of the popular TV astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, and you know this, because here the sunrise isn’t a sunrise at all.
comment posted at 5:19 PM on Apr-22-16

How Lifetime Became One Of The Best Places In Hollywood For Women. Since Lifetime’s acquisition by A&E Networks in 2009, the channel has mounted a successful effort to legitimize itself — 12 Emmy nominations in 2013, and 17 in 2014. This new legitimacy has hinged on two strategies: Lifetime’s prioritizing the hiring of women to write and direct their stories, and its witty, postmodern self-awareness of its own tropes.
comment posted at 5:46 AM on Apr-18-16

This is not just a remarkable run; it is literally a singular one. No other woman or man unaided by a franchise in the last five years has emerged from nowhere to become such a completely dependable movie star, appearing in one successful film after another and regularly creating product that turns a profit, while maintaining a successful foothold in TV as well.
comment posted at 6:22 AM on Apr-17-16

Squant: the fourth primary color
Squant Story, by Crosley Bendix, Director Of Stylistic Premonitions, U.M.N.
Squant Photography, by Rolin Wandbagon. [Note: Since these pictures include the color squant, you'll need a special SquantView™ plug-in to see them properly. Plug-ins are available for both Mac and Win versions 3.1 through NT. Click here for troubleshooting.]
comment posted at 6:43 AM on Apr-6-16

Virtual Reality, a tech geek dream for decades, was long hobbled by high latency, clunky hardware, and perennially absurd reports on network news. That all changed in 2011, when Palmer Luckey, then 18, built the first Oculus Rift prototype in his parents' garage with iPhone repair money. Awed by its powerful sense of presence, developer John Carmack became a fan and demoed it at E3. The ensuing Kickstarter campaign shattered all fundraising goals, and Facebook controversially bought the rights for a whopping $2 billion -- alienating erstwhile partner Valve Software, the iconic creators of Half-Life/Portal/Steam. A Cambrian explosion of headsets followed: Morpheus, HoloLens, Google Cardboard, Gear VR. But perhaps most interesting is Valve's own counter-project: a breathtaking "room scale" VR set-up with Tron-like "Chaperone" and tracked motion controls called the HTC Vive. With this week's commercial launch of Rift and Vive bringing us to the threshold of a new interactive medium, look inside for guides, notes, and killer apps for this, the stunning arrival of consumer VR.
comment posted at 9:19 AM on Apr-5-16

Why do so many terrorists have an engineering background? Is there something about the way engineering students are taught to think? Or are people who prefer clearly solvable problems drawn to engineering? Scholars in a variety of disciplines are trying to understand what makes people turn to terrorism. An anthropologist argues that universities and governments make it difficult to study the socio-cultural backgrounds of terrorists because of human subjects research policies. Nevertheless, since 9/11 a growing number of social scientists are addressing the issue. These are just a few examples.
comment posted at 7:23 AM on Mar-23-16

Just when you think you've heard all the grizzled-fighter-taking-one-last-swing-at-redemption stories, along comes Gunn — the first bare-knuckle boxing champion the U.S. has seen in more than 120 years. Undefeated in 71 fights, Gunn rules the circuit, a nationwide underground network of pro boxers, mixed martial arts fighters, and accomplished street brawlers who enter the ring without gloves for as much as $50,000 cash. It's dangerous and bloody and illegal almost everywhere. And if things go Gunn's way — for once in his life — it just could be the next major fight sport. Bobby Gunn: Champion of the Underworld
comment posted at 2:51 PM on Mar-16-16

Reports indicate that he died of natural causes on a West Texas ranch.
comment posted at 2:12 PM on Feb-13-16

Sweden's initial humanitarian response, and subsequent withdrawal in the face of the European refugee crisis. (Single link foreign policy article.)
comment posted at 10:51 AM on Feb-11-16

Former football star Lawrence Phillips has been found dead in his jail cell. Phillips was a star running back at the University of Nebraska, where he won back-to-back national championships in 1994 and 1995. The latter is often considered the best college football team ever assembled. Phillips was as well-known for his off-the-field problems, one of several troubled star players that legendary NU coach (and now ex-Congressman) Tom Osborne was accused of coddling.
comment posted at 5:01 AM on Jan-14-16

Christmas Cat
comment posted at 10:48 AM on Dec-18-15

My son, the mass murderer: ‘What did I miss?’ [The Guardian] In 2006, Charlie Roberts walked into an Amish school in Pennsylvania and killed five young girls. His mother talks about trying to comprehend his actions.
comment posted at 4:41 AM on Nov-29-15

Houston Voters Reject Broad Anti-Discrimination Ordinance [The New York Times]

A yearlong battle over gay and transgender rights that turned into a costly, ugly war of words between this city’s lesbian mayor and social conservatives ended Tuesday as voters repealed an anti-discrimination ordinance that had attracted attention from the White House, sports figures and Hollywood celebrities. The City Council passed the measure in May, but it was in limbo after opponents succeeded, following a lengthy court fight, in putting the matter to a referendum.

comment posted at 11:02 AM on Nov-4-15

A $2 photo purchased at a junk store has been verified as only the second known image of Billy the Kid. It may sell for $5 million.
comment posted at 8:41 AM on Oct-16-15

“Every cliché was born for a reason. But why does a cop need a doughnut?” Cara Giaimo, in Atlas Obscura: The Long, Sweet Love Affair Between Cops and Doughnuts.
comment posted at 6:44 AM on Oct-11-15

Lady Gaga has just released a new video (Major trigger warnings for graphic depictions of assaults) called The Hunting Ground as a PSA for It's On Us (they also have a tumblr), an organization dedicated to ending campus rape. Take the pledge.
comment posted at 7:35 AM on Sep-21-15

On 24 April 2015, Pakistani "social and human rights activist" Sabeen Mahmud was shot to death by two men on a motorbike after hosting an event for killed and disappeared journalists at her space The Second Floor (T2F).
The Anatomy Of A Murder
comment posted at 11:53 AM on Aug-13-15

"In 1979, a gay rights activist, communist and Angeleno named Harry Hay — a founder of a neo-­pagan countercultural movement called the Radical Faeries — urged gay men to ‘‘throw off the ugly green frog skin of hetero-­imitation.’’ Instead of fighting for the rights that straights had, like marriage and adoption, the faeries believed that to be gay was to possess a unique nature and a special destiny apart from straight people, and that this destiny would reach its full flowering in the wilds of rural America. " -- Out Of The Woods, After decades of semi-secrecy, a commune for L.G.B.T.Q. nonconformists has slowly begun to join the mainstream, by Alex Halberstadt for New York Times Magazine
comment posted at 4:24 PM on Aug-7-15

“Possibly, the person who ends up being gored or attacked is maybe not the one who is harassing the animal,” Bartlett said, according to CNN. The animal “may have been approached all day long … eventually the animal reaches its breaking point and charges people.”
comment posted at 4:30 PM on Jul-23-15

How to choose the best sunscreen
comment posted at 10:40 AM on Jul-4-15

It is not polite to say that I have no uterus. People react as though I’ve bullied them, stepped over a line. But they are the ones who pushed themselves into my body to begin with, assessing its suitability as habitation for an embryo. I’m only pointing out that, no matter how nice the curtains, how lovely the paint scheme, there’s no actual house there at all. No place to put a potential human.

--Positive I Don’t Have a Uterus
comment posted at 8:57 AM on May-6-15

Men's Neckties: How-to tie necktie knots - from Mefi's own xingcat, posted from MeFi Projects. Selection: How to tie a bow tie.
comment posted at 3:28 PM on Apr-24-15

Yesterday, the organizers of the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival announced that this summer's festival will be their last.
comment posted at 1:26 PM on Apr-22-15

Orange is the New Sorry Not Sorry | The third season drops June 12. It has everything.
comment posted at 3:31 PM on Apr-10-15

Since the late 19th century, the amount of her writing we have access to has more than doubled and our views of sexuality have changed, leading to constant modern reexamination of one of the greatest poets the world has ever seen: Who was Sappho? And just how much does her sexuality and her personal life matter to a discussion of her work?

Some ancient writers assumed that there had to have been two Sapphos: one the great poet, the other the notorious slut. There is an entry for each in the Suda. The uncertainties plaguing the biography of literature’s most famous Lesbian explain why classicists who study Sappho like to cite the entry for her in Monique Wittig and Sande Zeig’s “Lesbian Peoples: Material for a Dictionary” (1979). To honor Sappho’s central position in the history of female homosexuality, the two editors devoted an entire page to her. The page is blank. . . . Even as we strain to hear this remarkable woman’s sweet speech, the thrumming in our ears grows louder.

Previously: Metafilter (awesomely) tackles the newly discovered "Brothers Poem" in real time.
comment posted at 6:41 AM on Mar-10-15

It's a discussion that flared up recently at the house of Jane Addams. "Let’s start with an art history mystery. In 2006, a lifetime after Jane Addams passed away, Lisa Yun Lee took up the position of Director of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum. One day she came across a fetching painting of a brunette in the museum's back offices. But, Lee says, “As soon as I started asking ‘Who is that person in the painting,’ there were hushed tones and confusion. And people said, ‘Well, some people say that it’s Jane Addams’ partner.’ Other people say it’s her biggest business supporter. Other people said, ‘Well, of course. It’s her lesbian lover.’” "
comment posted at 8:05 AM on Mar-6-15
comment posted at 9:09 AM on Mar-6-15
comment posted at 6:47 AM on Mar-8-15

How Pan Am Airways Dominated International Travel in the 1930s.
comment posted at 5:59 AM on Feb-12-15