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Conan Writes Chicago Blues Songs With School Kids. (SLYT, no captions)
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:52 PM PST - 8 comments

If you're looking to tell your own ghost stories this winter (or anytime, really), you may enjoy reading about a dozen demons from around the world: 1. Bā Jiāo Guǐ, 2. Buruburu, 3. Crocotta, 4. Daeva, 5. Kallikantzaros, 6. Kalma, 7. Pishtaco, 8. Penanggalan, 9. Redcap, 10. Rogarou, 11. Shtriga, and 12. Vetala. If you want more than a sampling of mythical creatures referenced in Supernatural that weren't fabricated for the show, you may then enjoy ... [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 10:43 PM PST - 12 comments

What's that? A bong? A trench mortar? A thermos? A bomb? No, it's a parabolic Newtonian reflector on a ball type cast aluminium altazimuth mount.
It's an Astroscan! [more inside]
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:15 PM PST - 25 comments

From the Farm to the Factory: A video from the American Peanut Shellers Association shows how peanuts are harvested, processed, and used to make a variety of products.
posted by Elementary Penguin at 4:39 PM PST - 9 comments

"The Venus Effect" by Joseph Allen Hill is "a story of stories, a metafictional experience that sees the narrator seeking to create a story where the main character can take part in big SFF adventures and not, well…not get shot by police." [more inside]
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:19 PM PST - 16 comments

Outside, the quarantine train was unblemished white. Black, Their Regalia, a fantasy short story by Darcie Little Badger.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 3:33 PM PST - 5 comments

A History of Deus Ex's Racism Controversies [New Normative] “With futuristic, sci-fi sequel Deus Ex: Mankind Divided [YouTube], developer Eidos Montreal has once again found itself walking atop the fiery coals of controversy. The developer first landed itself in trouble by referring to the game’s poor treatment of augmented humans (‘augs’ are treated as second class citizens, forced to live in ghettos) as the ‘Mechanical Apartheid.’ Apartheid is the term used to describe the horrific, and very real, period of segregation and oppression faced by black South Africans during the 20th century (1948-94). Many have questioned whether it is appropriate for the term, which is based on the South African language of Afrikaans (which is itself based upon the Dutch language, introduced to the territory by Dutch settlers) to be adapted and used as a slogan in a video game. In subsequent marketing materials – concept art created to further depict this oppression – the movement in favour of better treatment of augmented people is referred to as ‘Aug Lives Matter. It’s an unmistakeable and questionable nod of the head to the real-world movement for the better treatment of black people, Black Lives Matter.” [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 3:20 PM PST - 52 comments

Reason TV suggests Christmas gifts for that special someone in your life.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 2:46 PM PST - 13 comments

Chicago Cops Honor Dying Police Dog With Touching Last Call In her lifetime, the dog had protected the president, first lady and foreign dignitaries, reported the Chicago Tribune, which also has audio of the touching last call. “All units standby,” a dispatcher said Sunday. “7323 canine Rachel. 7323 canine Rachel. No response for canine Rachel. This is a final call for Chicago Police Explosives canine Rachel.” She was put down 15 minutes later. Officer Charles Kocanda had trained Rachel. “Our condolences go out to her handler, Officer Chuck Kocanda, who worked with her daily to make sure she was the best she could be,” the police department said in its Facebook post.
posted by Man with Lantern at 1:59 PM PST - 41 comments

100 years ago the battle of Verdun came to an end. On December 18/19, 1916, the German assault on Verdun is completely defeated after 300 days of some of the most horrendous fighting in World War I. French forces triumphantly led by commanders soon to become notorious (Nivelle and Pétain) regained all the land that the enemy had taken. 11,000 demoralized German soldiers surrendered. "France had won her most brilliant victory since the Marne." (Horne) [more inside]
posted by doctornemo at 1:48 PM PST - 21 comments

Sherlock Returns! The first installment of the much-anticipated Season 4 kicks off the new year. [more inside]
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 12:56 PM PST - 35 comments

Want the humbugs to hum along? Amelia has been making Christmas mixes for a long time. She started sixteen years ago with cassettes. CD-Rs forced her to adopt another technology. Now she has adopted Mixcloud which loses a bit of personalization, but more of us can benefit can benefit from her good holiday music selections.
posted by christopher.taylor at 12:53 PM PST - 15 comments

Watch the Most Painfully Awkward Interview of 2016: 7 Minutes With Jerry Lewis
posted by bologna on wry at 11:46 AM PST - 108 comments

Augusta, Georgia's Haunted Pillar, has been a downtown landmark since Broad Street's Old Lower Market was razed by a freak winter cyclone on February 8th, 1878, leaving just the pillar standing. Local legend holds the column to be cursed, bringing death to any who touch it. On the morning of December 18th, 2016, an auto accident slammed a car into the Haunted Pillar, toppling it. [more inside]
posted by radwolf76 at 10:29 AM PST - 22 comments

The Polish artist Jakub Rozalski, who goes by the sobriquet “Mr. Werewolf,” has produced an amusing series of steampunk-ish canvases in which serene and idyllic rustic landscapes of what seem to be Eastern Europe (Rozalski’s very back yard, you might say) in the early decades of the 20th century feature the prominent and inexplicable existence of completely fictitious giant mecha robots.

[more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 9:44 AM PST - 18 comments

In 1924, Connecticut prosecutor Homer Cummings saved accused murderer Harold Israel from a death sentence. Their shared story didn't end there.
posted by mudpuppie at 9:42 AM PST - 17 comments

Dick Latessa, Broadway star of Follies, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Hairspray and The Lyons, among many other productions, passed away at the age of 87. Latessa won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:51 AM PST - 4 comments

Hidden gems of 2016: the best books you may have missed. Writers and critics at the Guardian point out the ones that you may have missed or not even heard about. [more inside]
posted by storybored at 8:49 AM PST - 2 comments

"Everyone loves rainbow highlighters. They make you look like a beautiful pixie who fronts a glam-rock band. Also, white nationalism is a cancer on our democracy. Women are capable of holding both of these truths in their minds, and prioritizing them accordingly." The true story of how Teen Vogue got mad, got woke, and began terrifying men like Donald Trump
posted by olinerd at 8:34 AM PST - 134 comments

Sometime in the past week, IMAX uploaded a trailer for the new Mummy movie. It was not quite the correct version. Don't miss some of the mashups in the replies. [more inside]
posted by kmz at 8:33 AM PST - 60 comments

Siberian tigers investigate a drone sent to investigate them. Tigers aren't the only ones curious about drones. Cheetahs [cc speech] are all about the chase. Housecats have had more success with flying objects. Male lion don't care but (captive) lionesses are more curious. Token pupper. [all vids music/ambient noise only unless specified] [more inside]
posted by AFABulous at 7:00 AM PST - 28 comments

ASL Hamilton Leah Coleman (daughter of Rachel Coleman, who created Signing Time so more of the world could communicate with Leah) is intending to make videos to make Hamilton accessible to the deaf community. This is the first of hopefully many more.
posted by plinth at 6:13 AM PST - 12 comments

"Having experienced both sides of Christmas, there is but one constant I am aware of that serves you well both in the merriest of times and in the darkest: the classic English Christmas ghost story.
posted by smoke at 2:52 AM PST - 23 comments