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It has been snowing heavily in Scotland. All the snow ploughs and gritters are out doing their part. You can track their position and progress live - where you will also notice that each vehicle has a name. Bonus for finding David Ploughie.
posted by rongorongo at 10:08 PM PST - 60 comments

Marie Grosholtz was really good at propping a freshly beheaded and bloody head on her lap so she could do a death mask She even started on Marat's death mask while Corday was being arrested for the murder.
posted by MovableBookLady at 9:16 PM PST - 8 comments

Blood, Sweat, Toil and Tears: Playing Churchill on Screen [The New York Times] “He fought with distinction and held almost every major office in Britain. He commanded a country in the midst of world war and is credited with inventing the social safety net. He has been called an imperialist and a warmonger. A drunk and a racist. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature, rivaled only Shakespeare in his prolific literary output, and painted more than 500 pictures in his lifetime. And, some argue, he single-handedly saved civilization. Winston Churchill was a complex and contradictory leader unlike any in recent history. And he also presents one of the most sought-after and challenging roles for any actor worth his salt.” [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 6:35 PM PST - 40 comments

This is your latest installment in the Trump / U.S. Politics Megathread. Trump golfs on MLK day after urging Americans to celebrate it with volunteering; popularity among African Americans continues to plummet. Bannon subpoenaed to grand jury. Blowback continues on “Sh—holeGate”; CNN reporter expelled from press conference for asking about it. There are four years in a Presidential term of office (not many people know that).
posted by darkstar at 4:32 PM PST - 2436 comments

Hundreds of survivors have come forward to testify against Larry Nassar, whom they say was allowed to abuse them for years through his position with USA Gymnastics, Michigan State University, and at John Geddert's Michigan club, Twistars. The hearings, which began today, will allow survivors to speak publicly, often for the first time [trigger warning for child abuse, sexual assault and suicide]. Yesterday, Simone Biles, the most decorated American gymnast in history, publicly identified herself as the third member of the 2016 gold-medal winning team from the Rio Olympics to be a survivor of Nassar's abuse, as did her two-time Olympic teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas. 2012 Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney also spoke out publicly. Today, the other survivors who aren't as well known will get to tell their stories alongside Biles, Raisman, Douglas, and Maroney, who had more media coverage. [more inside]
posted by guster4lovers at 2:37 PM PST - 162 comments

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein – in charts (in celebration of 200 years of Frankenstein - which maybe hasn’t gotten the respect that it should have)
posted by Artw at 1:59 PM PST - 27 comments

The Awl and sister site the Hairpin announced that they'll cease editorial operations at the end of January. [more inside]
posted by torridly at 1:22 PM PST - 71 comments

"The following is a list of 4510 different titles given to the exact same generic 9:59 self-affirmation pep-talk on Spotify."
posted by Iridic at 12:55 PM PST - 43 comments

Nursultan Nazarbayev, authoritarian leader of Kazakhstan, has been broadly popular in his rule. Until he decided to start sticking apostrophes all over the place.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:28 PM PST - 15 comments

Aziz Ansari was accused of coercing a woman (content warning: graphic description of sexual assault) into having sex with him. People are having very different reactions to this news. [more inside]
posted by runt at 11:47 AM PST - 573 comments

When someone tells a story online, someone else will inevitably be ready with a two-word reply. “Didn’t happen,” they’ll type, or those who can’t be bothered to type can choose from an array of ready-made sceptical memes. New Statesman looks at DHOTYA.
posted by threetwentytwo at 9:46 AM PST - 59 comments

"Women Farmers of Appalachia is a photography and interview series whose purpose is to give an honest representation of the daily lives of Appalachian women in agriculture." Austin Ledzian and Joe Mrava talk about their project Women Farmers of Appalachia

"Even more striking than the images are the stories of the strength and steadfastness of the women behind the photographs. There was Laura, whose land has remained in her family for many generations, steeled and determined to carry on a lasting legacy. Another farmer, Gwynn, spent 13 years with her family terracing a hillside and converting its clay to plantable, fertile soil, all in the midst of a series of personal challenges, including caring for an ailing husband." - Huck Magazine
posted by FirstMateKate at 9:16 AM PST - 6 comments

Caitriona Dunnett is using a digital-cyanotype process to photograph Mass Paths - The Secret Paths That Led Ireland’s Catholics to Forbidden Mass
posted by the man of twists and turns at 7:41 AM PST - 10 comments