November 10, 2017
An Extremely Close Reading of Pop Song Duets
No no, you can't just listen on the surface. You have to do a critical reading of just the lyrics. I love stuff like this.
I Cut, You Choose
CMU researchers suggest a new method of redistricting which might create voting districts which prevent gerrymandering. It's all about who cuts the cake, and who gets to choose their piece. [more inside]
It is to laugh
The 2017 finalists for Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year have been announced (previouslies: 1, 2, 3)
You can’t say you support LGBTQ people then vote against us
Tegan and Sara are twin sisters and a singing duo from Calgary. They are openly gay, and have been strong advocates on LGBTQ issues. They have recently spoken out on the issue of Gay Straight Alliances in Alberta’s schools, an issue that is garnering a lot of attention, with conservatives warning of sex clubs operating without any parental input. K.D. Lang, who also hails from Alberta, has also been active recently on the issue of LGBTQ rights in Alberta. The voices of gay women are now a force to be reckoned with in the land of the Rocky Mountain cowboy.
It's a great day for America, everybody!
Day 295: the light at the end of the tunnel is visible, as the Democratic wave starts sweeping elections across America, including the Deep South. Attention turns to the special senate election in Alabama next month, where jerk-off Republican candidate Roy Moore is facing unexpected allegations of child predation. As of posting, Trump is currently touring Asia, representing America and definitely not getting orders from Putin in a secure, untraceable manner how could you think that there is no collusion. [This is your catch-all U.S. politics thread, for things not related to the recent elections or Roy Moore.] [more inside]
Defeating Shingles
Good news for people who've had chicken pox. Shingrix, the new shingles vaccine prevents more than 90 percent of shingles cases, even at older ages. It will start shipping this month. [more inside]
[sarcastic waltz figure]
Pianist Nahre Sol improvises Mary Had A Little Lamb in the style of Bach, Rameau, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Debussy, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Messiaen, Schoenberg, Glass, Reich, and herself. (SLYT)
Scientists Hunt for a Killer Virus
The word from the doctors came early this week: They had tried one cocktail of antibiotics after another, but Mallory Smith’s fever and chill and chest rattle were only getting worse. They were out of options. Her father, though, had an idea. He wanted to infect Mallory with a virus — one carefully selected to kill the bacteria that had colonized her lungs. It was hardly foolproof, and it would require special emergency approval from the federal government, but it might just do what the antibiotics couldn’t.
DC's pustule finally bursts
faster than feet, less impactful than cars, individual unlike busses
“On Nov. 9, 1997, the professional wrestling industry changed forever.”
Twenty years later, Shawn Michaels reflects on the Montreal Screwjob. [ESPN] “In the midst of the most heated days of the "Monday Night Wars" between World Wrestling Entertainment (then the WWF) and World Championship Wrestling, money and contract issues led Bret Hart and Vince McMahon to an impasse. McMahon needed to get the title off of Hart before he left for WCW, and Hart refused to lose the title to Shawn Michaels, his most bitter rival, in front of a pay-per-view crowd in Montreal, feeling that a loss in such a Canadian stronghold would be devastating for his on-screen persona. In the lead-up to Survivor Series, there were several different ideas thrown around as solutions. Hart suggested he could instead lose to Steve Austin, or perhaps drop the title to Michaels at a live event in Detroit the night before. But once it became clear that they couldn't come to terms on a solution, the wheels were set in motion for a moment that would forever alter two companies, countless wrestlers' careers and, ultimately, set the WWE on a path toward becoming a multibillion-dollar brand.” [WWE][Autoplay Video] [more inside]
Not alone
Yes Mom, There is Something Wrong.
From Victim to Survivor.
In Medium, actor Anthony Edwards reveals that he was sexually molested and a friend of his was raped when they were children, by Broadway producer and theme park designer Gary Goddard. [more inside]
From Victim to Survivor.
In Medium, actor Anthony Edwards reveals that he was sexually molested and a friend of his was raped when they were children, by Broadway producer and theme park designer Gary Goddard. [more inside]
The United States loses close to $70 billion in tax revenue
Secret History of Cricket Magazine
The Secret History of Cricket Magazine, the "New Yorker for Children," by A.J. O'Connell at Electric Literature. "In a time when children’s magazines mostly featured hidden object drawings and games, Cricket stubbornly refused to underestimate its young readers. It welcomed their correspondence, and was such a human endeavor that for many readers, finding Cricket in the mailbox every month was like a visit from a friend."
River basins of the world
The end of cheap postal rates from China to Canada
Ever wondered why it's so cheap to ship small stuff on the slow boat from China? It's due to an international agency that "sets prices based on factors such as national income. The cost of sending mail from China to Canada was set at a low amount years ago, long before the advent of e-commerce and China's emergence as a major economic force." That will start to change in 2018.
Community collectives, epic granaries, and quirky breeding tactics
The Acorn Woodpecker is one of the most interesting birds in North America. A short documentary by bioGraphic describes their granaries, and the unusual family structures that may show that cooperation can be good evolutionary sense.
Christmas is finally here
Contemporary Christmas, here in Albion, is marked by the unveiling of ad campaigns by the chain stores, of which the big one is the the John Lewis Christmas TV advert (previously). This year, their theme is something under the bed/child insomnia, soundtracked by a cover version of Golden Slumbers by The Beatles. Some other stores and chains have released their ads, including the strange honesty of the PC World family, Asda's food factory, Aldi's sweet carrot lurve, Tesco's middle class Aga-ruined Turkey, the slightly odd gender dynamics of the Morrison family, and the tie-in between Paddington Bear and Marks and Spencer - but does he swear at the bear? Also Argos, and an obscure American online shop. Verily, Merry Christmas, MeFites!
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