October 22, 2017
Smartphones Are Killing Americans
In 2016 alone, more than 100 people died every day in or near vehicles in America, the first time the country has passed that grim toll in a decade. Regulators, meanwhile, still have no good idea why crash-related deaths are spiking. ... Collectively, we seemed to be speeding and drinking a little more, but not much more than usual. Together, experts say these upticks don’t explain the surge in road deaths. There are however three big clues, and they don’t rest along the highway. One, as you may have guessed, is the substantial increase in smartphone use by U.S. drivers as they drive. [more inside]
An elegy for Odeon Panton Street
It ain’t high art but it helps to be high
Wiley Wallace’s art is what you’d get if you tried to create a Spielbergian “kids in peril” classic on mescaline. Interestingly, Wallace says that he uses his own children as models for the characters in his paintings. A press release states that “at times realistic depictions deliquesce into abstract blurs of bright colors, while at others subtle apparitions make their way into otherwise unassuming everyday scenes.” Yeah, they “deliquesce”…Website and Instagram
Wer einen menschen rettet, rettet die ganze welt.
On this day in 1907, Emilie Pelzl was born in Alt-Moletein, a tiny Moravian village in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1928, at the age of 20, Emile married a traveling salesman from Zwittau. [more inside]
Lost Mothers
“The U.S. has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the developed world. Yet these deaths of women from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth are almost invisible.
We were struck by how many perished in the postpartum period, by the number of heart-related deaths, by the contributing role sometimes played by severe depression and mood disorders — and by the many missed opportunities to save lives.”
ProPublica and NPR have spent the last few months searching social media and other sources for mothers who died, trying to understand what happened to them and why.
We were struck by how many perished in the postpartum period, by the number of heart-related deaths, by the contributing role sometimes played by severe depression and mood disorders — and by the many missed opportunities to save lives.”
ProPublica and NPR have spent the last few months searching social media and other sources for mothers who died, trying to understand what happened to them and why.
The bloody rise and frightful fall of Fangoria
With no new print issues since 2015, most readers and contributors have concluded that classic horror movie magazine Fangoria will be an internet-only phenomenon going forward. EW delves into how Fangoria got to where it was, and what went wrong. [more inside]
School’s out forever
Schools Without Rules: An Orlando Sentinel Investigation (Leslie Postal, Beth Kassab and Annie Martin, Orlando Sentinel): The Orlando Sentinel spent months reporting on Florida’s scholarship programs, which will send nearly $1 billion to private schools this year. The Sentinel also reviewed thousands of pages of Florida Department of Education documents, court records and other materials in addition to interviewing dozens of people, including parents, students, school operators and policy experts. [more inside]
Lick your own cat
As featured on Mashable, the successfully Kickstarter-funded LICKI Brush allows the cat owner to "realistically" simulate licking their cat.
The Golden Age of Animation
Mild-Mannered Superman "A weekly project to make the best, most complete version of the classic 1941-1943 Fleischer Studios Superman short films possible."
[All 17 remastered episodes in a single playlist] [A short history of the cartoon] [Previously]
[All 17 remastered episodes in a single playlist] [A short history of the cartoon] [Previously]
They who are falling
The mechanics of history, one of a series of kinetic sculptures with acrobats by circus artist Yoann Bourgeois.
Here, Have a Skull or Two
Skull carving was his way of rehabilitating himself. Victor Seiche was a hard-core drug addict. He kicked all the drugs at once and to save his sanity, he taught himself how to carve skulls (animal, not human). The main link gives a lot of information about him and how he got started, with some photos. But here's his Instagram page Victor's Skulls which has a lot more skulls and an occasional price. He works to commission, too. I think they're beautiful.
“For every joke that lands, another one makes me feel uncomfortable,”
'The Fractured But Whole' Has the Same Identity Crisis as Modern South Park [Waypoint] “Nostalgia and references were enough to propel me through The Stick of Truth, but while playing the sequel, The Fractured But Whole [YouTube][Trailer], rose-tinted glasses haven't been enough, my nervous chuckles replaced with sighs. This is a game where one of the main characters, Cartman, dresses up as a Racoon-themed superhero and calls himself The Coon. The joke, of course, is "coon" is also a racial slur for black people. Pretty funny stuff. It gets even better when one of the main missions has players invading the homes of innocent black people and helping the police arrest them. The punchline is that the police are racist! The Fractured But Whole, much like modern South Park, often feels like "well-meaning" people desperately holding onto an ability to laugh at shitty jokes made at the expense of people who don't deserve it, even though they know better.” [more inside]
“Do not take anything for granted. Not even words.”
In February, Toronto imam Ayman Elkasrawy was accused of hate-preaching against Jews. He was condemned by many, including members of his own faith. In the aftermath, he reached out to the local Jewish community to educate himself and learn from his mistakes. Still, a key question remained unanswered: did he really say what he was accused of saying?
THE PROTECTION RACKET OF SEXISM
Caroline Orrr writes for Playboy: Why Do Women Point Fingers? The Rise of Victim-Blaming in a Country Under Assault
The tendency to blame women for men’s transgressions is nothing new, nor is the inclination to shift blame from the perpetrators of sexual assault to the victims of it. Many of the responses to other recent sexual assault scandals, like those involving Bill Cosby and President Donald Trump, mirror what we’ve seen over the past weeks in response to the allegations against Weinstein. And like we saw with those scandals, the tendency to blame victims of sexual assault and excuse or justify the behavior of the perpetrator is not limited to men. In fact, some of the most intense and vitriolic victim-blaming responses came from those most likely to be victimized themselves: women. At first glance, this seems entirely counterintuitive. Why would women attack other women who are victims of sexual violence, a crime that overwhelmingly affects women?
To complain is to be truly alive
Brexit Decision Tree
Brexit: deals and no deals from Flip Chart Fairy Tales, the post has a picture of 3 yes/no questions and a description of the various consequences that may follow for the UK and the EU. Sometimes I need a picture and words that describe it.
The World is Dead. Long Live the World!
“You, along with DEVO, were guinea pigs for a really stupid idea..."
October 30th will mark the 35th anniversary of DEVO's tour Oh, No! Its DEVO tour, launched with a televised concert broadcast to college campuses and via Pay-Per-View. In 3-D. After a 30 minute opening set by Wall of Voodoo. DEVO showcased their new stage show, with synchronized video for the first seven songs, projected on a 12 foot high screen behind the band. The second act of the show would be the worlds first live, 3-D broadcast.
Unfortunately, things went off the rails, and quick. [more inside]
YADKCOLSPAC
EVERY YEAR WE GET TOGETHER AND MAKE SALMON FOR TOAST, EVERY YEAR WE GET A CROCKETY BLOAT, EVERY YEAR WE GET DRUNK ON THE DOCKS, AND EVERY YEAR WE HAVE SEX WITH OUR CAPS LOCKS!!!!
RELATED AT LEAST FOR THE FIRST PART
An Argument is Not a Fight
EQUAL MEANS EQUAL et al. v. US Department of Education and Betsy DeVos is a lawsuit filed filed four weeks after Devos replaced Obama adminstration guidance for campus sexual assault or abuse investigations with new instructions that permit universities to require criminal standards of evidence in adjudicating civil rights complaints. The federal complaint is here. Plaintiffs argue facts of law that show Ms DeVos not only exceeded authorities vested in the DoE, the new instructions to university administrators violate MA and federal constitutional protections. [previously]
Inflatable Hairy Bits
Recently posted on YouTube was a video of a Creatonotos Gangis moth from Southeast Asia. Consider it your Sunday morning dose of NOPE.
There was no toilet paper in the bathroom.
“Eater’s own list of essential Paris restaurants includes its vegetarian tasting menu as a when-in-Paris must. Earlier this year, the restaurant’s three-Michelin-star status was reaffirmed for the twentieth year in a row, an accolade that means its cuisine is "worth a special journey."
“I was in Paris for the briefest of vacations, and L’Arpège is where I wanted to spend one of my two fleeting afternoons. In exchange, at one of France’s best restaurants, I had one of my worst meals of the year.” Ryan Sutton for Eater.
“I was in Paris for the briefest of vacations, and L’Arpège is where I wanted to spend one of my two fleeting afternoons. In exchange, at one of France’s best restaurants, I had one of my worst meals of the year.” Ryan Sutton for Eater.
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