June 23, 2018
Are we in an existential crisis?
"We are a species that strives not just for survival, but also for significance. We want lives that matter. It is when people are not able to maintain meaning that they are most psychologically vulnerable." An opinion piece about society and our existential crises (SLNYT).
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Dog eating watermelon. Another dog eating a watermelon. More dog eating watermelon. Lots and lots of dogs eating watermelon. What's that, you want more dogs eating watermelon. A dog with flowers on its head eating a watermelon. A dog watermelon eating contest. A dog in a watermelon eating a watermelon. Two dogs in pink tutu dresses eating watermelon. Just another old dog eating a watermelon. Slow-motion dog eating watermelon. Two dogs enjoying watermelon in the backyard. Dogs sharing watermelon. Bonus capybara eating watermelon.
Bi-Medial
Looking at the current state of being bisexual on TV.
I was told so many lies about what being bisexual means that it took me 27 years to come out as bisexual myself. Friends shrugged that bisexual people just couldnât make up their minds. Family members insisted that being gay or straight was one thing, but anything in between just didnât make sense. And in a crushing blow, my beloved escape, television, insisted over and over that someone who might like men and women was a confused joke at best, and a slutty sinner at worst.[more inside]
Welcome to 2018
On Friday night the New South Wales Blues defeated Queensland Maroons 16-10 in the first ever Womenâs State of Origin rugby match. After the contest, Queensland captain Karina Brown shared a kiss with her long time partner, NSW player Vanessa Foliaki. The National Rugby League had some words for any haters. [more inside]
There's No Right Way to Be Queer
There is a . . . tension running through this yearâs Pride celebrations . . . itâs becoming harder for people who donât present as the ârightâ kind of queer-identified person to feel welcome "The contrast is clear in triumphant, ecstatic celebrations of marriage equality, when trans people still canât use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. Corporations are cashing in on these identities by selling gay-themed products during Pride Month â often referred to as 'rainbow capitalism' â but too often, the rainbow begins and ends with masculine gay men. 'There is a sense now of compulsory gayness,' said Josh Burford, the director of community engagement at the Invisible Histories Project." [more inside]
Blood Money
Lift bans on paying for human-blood plasma. "Plasma is used to make drugs such as factor VIII, which helps haemophiliacsâ blood to clot, and vaccines for rabies, tetanus and Rhesus disease. Almost 50m litres of it were used in 2015, enough to fill 20 Olympic swimming pools. America, the OPEC of plasma, produces 15 of those swimming-pool equivalents. Forget steel and cars: plasma makes up 1.6% of Americaâs total goods exports. The secret of this success is simple: America lets companies pay people for their plasma. ...The aversion to paid plasma rests on three reasonable-sounding but largely groundless propositions. "
The Luke Cage Syllabus
"Books are such a significant part of the dialogue in key scenes, and how often does any show feature a Black man with an affinity for books â as any character, much less the lead?" (The comments actually are mostly pretty good and have additional information!)
Can there be a âvery good dog?â
Kant didnât believe a dog like Mu could think or distinguish between bad and good because she isnât self-aware. For this reason, she is not moral. This viewâwhich is known as human exceptionalismâpersists today. But increasingly philosophers and scientists argue that animals are moral and that we humans may just be insufficiently aware of their inner lives to understand how or why they decide to do what they do.
Come out Swingin'
Gentle Forest Jazz Band (Japanese-language site) is a 21 (or so) piece Japanese big band-style jazz group.
- Dolls Look the Moon - Come for the hot playing, goggle at the manic bandleader, and stay for the Andrews-sisters harmonies of the women after they make their way down the stairs.
- Otokotte Otokotte - In which our singers turn into goldfish and everyone plays barefoot in a river. Contains a traveling clarinet soloist.
- Nica's Band - Standout guest vocals, shoes, and posing by Nikaido Kazumi.
- Thrilling the Band - It's never good when you're being chased by someone in a black tinted motorcycle helmet. As more people join the pursuit, the band pulls out all the stops.
The Prince of Odometers
This is the inspiring tale of one number-loving man with a 2007 Honda Odyssey and a dream. Shortly after posting a photo of his carefully planned odometer reading to social media, MetaFilter's own freecellwizard was contacted by a senior editor from Jalopnik interested in sharing this heroic achievement with their readership. Later that afternoon, the Canadians came calling.
I didnât even really think of myself as particularly Asian
And itâs sort of likeâââin my first fiction workshop, I wrote a story using Tagalog words, and I italicized them, because thatâs what I was used to even back home, because I write in English. And it became a huge discussion for the class. Like, âwhy is she italicizing her words? Is that othering? Is that intentional? Is she writing for a white audience?âIsabel Yap talks about writing Filipino speculative fiction and learning to write for an American audience when you don't necessarily feel like you're Asian-American.
Get the funk up!
War and Pieced
The Annette Gero Collection of Quilts from Military Fabrics, currently on display at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, contains intricate and complex geometric quilts (Vimeo) made exclusively by men using richly dyed wools derived from British military and dress uniforms. Once termed âsoldiersâ quiltsâ or âconvalescent quilts,â the pieced textiles are most closely associated with the Crimean War as well as conflicts in India, South Africa, and other troubled regions of the British Empire during the nineteenth century. [more inside]
You Gotta Give The Butcher His Share
Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird are a modern klezmer band whose music I discovered about a month ago. Their dark, yiddish-infused songs feel perfect for Trump's America, offering a witty, wise take on all the worst aspects of human nature. The accompanying music is utterly joyous, however. Among their best songs are March of the Jobless Corps Freedom is a Verb and The Butcher's Sher. [more inside]
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