MetaFilter posts tagged with America

Overthinking an overloaded buffet platter

porn in the woods — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:09:36 -0800

Dismal economy got you down? Chin up, sport - it's possible to save money and eat like a king at one of America's abundant all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants. Before you and your dining companion are whisked off this culinary land of plenty, take note of the definitive strategy guide to maximize both your dollar and your waistline. Fill up on tips such as: Wear items with intricate patterns or designs that will disguise spills and stains. As you get your game plan together, here's your anthem.

ACCORDION SOLO!

WCityMike — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:54:33 -0800

Be forewarned, the sound quality isn't the best. But for a dose of pure surreality strong enough to turn your socks into melted Dada timepieces, try mixing "Weird Al" Yankovic on accordion with the Presidents of the United States, performing a (non-parody) cover of Boston's "More Than a Feeling" (SLYT). (via Dave Dederer's Reddit interview)

George S. Zimbel

chunking express — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:52:52 -0800

George S. Zimbel is a documentary photographer. His website features a lot his work, which goes all the way back to the 1940s. There is a lot of great stuff to look through. His blog is also an interesting read.

America's Smartest Cities -- From First to Worst.

ericb — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:47:11 -0800

"Which [U.S.] metropolis has the most intelligent residents? The Daily Beast crunched the data on the brainpower of America’s 55 largest cities (w/ video), from first-to-worst." The list. First -- Raleigh-Durham, NC. Worst -- Fresno, CA.

"Collective brainpower. More than sports prowess or political leanings or wealth or cultural accomplishments, this is the quintessential bragging point of a metropolitan area, the civic version of a playground taunt: I’m smart, you’re not. So in terms of sorting out which cities walk the walk, The Daily Beast decided to play scorekeeper. Specifically, we’ve gone out and ranked the relative intelligence of every major American population hub, from first-to-worst."

America Reacts.

Land of the Freep

Artw — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:23:21 -0800

American things that Barack Obama has made unAmerican

Can you find Satan?

Rhaomi — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:29:52 -0800

"This may truly be the most important new painting of the twenty first century." The McNaughton Fine Art Company presents "One Nation Under God" [cache], an... interesting take on American history in a nifty zoom interface. Artist John McNaughton, who calls himself "the only living artist in the world today" to practice the Barbizon School of French Impressionism, has an extensive body of less opinionated work for you to admire. Interview. Character list.

What Does DHS Know About You?

chunking express — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:07:15 -0800

What Does DHS Know About You? A lot. The complete (annotated) report. [PDF]

McCarthy to Wilson...is history doomed to repeat itself?

Kickstart70 — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:06:03 -0800

"The Obama Haters" is a horribly inaccurate title. The article itself is a 25-years-later review of Richard Hofstadter's 1964 essay The Paranoid Style in American Politics. Reading this essay (and the Slate article today) gives rise to thought on what led to the McCarthyism that Hofstadter wrote in reaction to, and what might lie in our very near future....regarding the Obama haters.

The abnormal has become the norm

tellurian — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:37:55 -0800

Brenda Kenneally documents the effects of illegal drugs in her Brooklyn, New York neighborhood. Money Power Respect and Big Trigg. NSFW [previous comment]

Slap! Sir, I demand satisfaction

reenum — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:31:46 -0800

Few things in history are as compelling as the duel. Refined and barbaric at the same time, this practice has had a checkered history. The rules of dueling were codified by the Irish in 1777 in the Code Duello (summarized here), which was codified at Clonmel Summer Assizes in 1777. As evidenced by these documents, dueling was in practice prior to the Irish rules being drafted. The procedure and philosophy behind duels is illustrated in this article. Dueling gained some traction in America in the 19th century, culminating in the famous Burr-Hamilton affair. There are many more resources to find out more here. For a list of famous duels, you can check out this list. Lest you think men were the only ones dueling, here are a few short anecdotes of women dueling. Reportedly, dueling is still legal in Paraguay, as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

Since when does Hollywood shy away from controversy?

zarq — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:25:39 -0800

The Producer Cites Religious Controversy. The Director points to a recessionary trend against "serious" movies. A new film about Charles Darwin's life ("Creation") is reportedly having difficulty finding a US distributor. ( Creation: IMDB / Official Site / Trailer / Spoiler-laden review from Roger Ebert / LA Times review // Darwin: Previously on MeFi).

Harmony Korine's Trash

philip-random — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:02:33 -0800

Trash Humpers A film unearthed from the buried landscape of the American nightmare, TRASH HUMPERS follows a small group of elderly Peeping Toms through the shadows and margins of an unfamiliar world. Crudely documented by the participants themselves, we follow the debased and shocking actions of a group of true sociopaths the likes of which have never been seen before. Inhabiting a world of broken dreams and beyond the limits of morality they crash against a torn and frayed America. Bordering on an ode to vandalism,it is a new type of horror; palpable and raw.

Cross Country in 4 Minutes

The Devil Tesla — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:06:07 -0800

A road trip from San Francisco to Washington D.C. in time lapse.

Government using Facebook and MySpace to find tax cheats

reenum — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:49:49 -0800

Tax authorities using social networks to find tax cheats Yet another reason to be careful who you accept a friend request from.

Mercy and the Minotaur.

geos — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:22:44 -0800

"The subjects vary... but there is an ideological approach in America that is distinguished by one common characteristic: words and deeds utterly lacking in the quality of mercy," by Charles Stross. Or, in other words, is using a minotaur to gore detainees a form of torture?

Dominick Dunne 1925-2009

reenum — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:00:06 -0800

Dominick Dunne died yesterday at the age of 83. was well known for his chronicling of the follies and crimes of the rich. You can read some of his pieces from Vanity Fair here.

He says every patient is a golden trout. We need to go get those trout.

parudox — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:53:57 -0800

The Deadly Cost of Swooping In to Save a Life (single-page version): Deregulation and America's health care system combine to make medical helicopters increasingly dangerous.

VIMBY?

goodnewsfortheinsane — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:52:04 -0800

Suburban farming, an idea whose time may have come. Short and sweet SLYT from the Wall Street Journal about people growing herbs and vegetables in their own yards in American suburbia.

The art of Josh Keyes

tellurian — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:39:06 -0800

Animals isolated in dystopian tableaux.

A rational conservative solution for health care reform

reenum — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:29:33 -0800

E.D. Kain with a moderate conservative solution to the health care crisis

"America's Imaginary Medieval Period"

Miko — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 06:00:39 -0800

NPR: American Castles. With interactive map. Previously. Also, on Flickr.

Operation Pancake

divabat — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:03:16 -0800

An expose of non-vegan ingredients in pancakes at LA Vegan Thai inspired the QuarryGirl.Com writers to conduct their own extremely thorough investigation of LA vegan restaurants, testing their meals for traces of casein, egg, and shellfish. Over $1000 and a chain of interviews up to Taiwan later, they find that half the restaurants aren't as vegan as they claim, with half registering Positive or High and one registering Overload. Some restaurants vowed to conduct their own tests or requested further assistance; one banned them from the establishment.

An American Hero in Iran

empath — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:42:34 -0800

On a windswept plateau near the foothills of the Sahand Mountains in northern Iran stands the grave of a martyr. An American presbyterian minister who fought and died for the Constitutionalist cause in Iran 100 years ago, Howard Baskerville is still revered by Iranians today.

The American Empire Is Bankrupt

Substrata — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:36:43 -0800

The American Empire Is Bankrupt (via The Agonist)

Jesus killed Mohammed: The crusade for a Christian military

chunking express — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:35:30 -0800

Jesus killed Mohammed: The crusade for a Christian military.