February 14, 2017

This beetle bites an ant’s waist and pretends to be its butt

The Atlantic reports on scientists studying Army Ants making a new discovery of a beetle species: Nymphister kronaueri, which hitchhikes on the ants whilst pretending to be their own backsides. [more inside]
posted by jzed at 10:41 PM PST - 34 comments

I give you my heart (and other organs)

Valentine's Day is almost over across the world, but if you've forgotten a card for your loved one, it's not too late to send An ecard inspired by that most romantic of filmmakers.
posted by smoke at 4:30 PM PST - 9 comments

"All the German Shepherds are dead, but then again so is everybody else"

American Anarchists Join YPG in Syria Fighting Isis [more inside]
posted by R.F.Simpson at 2:03 PM PST - 64 comments

Tracking Congress in the Age of Trump

An updating tally of how often every member of the House and the Senate votes with or against the president. The "votes" tab, organized by bill/nomination, is particularly useful.
posted by materialgirl at 1:48 PM PST - 35 comments

South Korean and Japanese perspectives on North Korean missile launch

On Feb 8th, Hwang Kyo-ahn, the acting president of South Korea, warned that the possibility of strategic provocation by North Korea in the month of February was "very high," because (among other things) Kim Jong-il's 75th birthday would have been on Feb 16th. North Korea launched a missile on Feb 13th. According to the Japanese newspaper, the Asahai Shinbun, some experts believe North Korea will launch another missile around April 15th, which would have been Kim Il Sung's 105th birthday. [more inside]
posted by colfax at 11:30 AM PST - 12 comments

Weirdly Cozy

How To Score A Seat On The Subway
posted by griphus at 10:17 AM PST - 82 comments

"Nudity was never the problem because nudity isn't a problem."

After a year, Playboy magazine has decided to bring naked women back to its pages. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 9:22 AM PST - 74 comments

Love is in the air

Got a roach for ya, baby ----- New Yorker 2/14/2017 Daily Cartoon ----- Happy Meal
posted by strelitzia at 7:51 AM PST - 18 comments

"Kellyanne, that makes no sense."

10 unanswered questions after Michael Flynn’s resignation: #1: What, if anything, did Trump authorize Flynn to tell the Russians before his inauguration? Today is day 26 of the Trump presidency; this morning, Matt Lauer eviscerated Kellyanne Conway on the Today show regarding the resignation of General Michael Flynn, which Paul Ryan is now claiming President Trump asked for. The AP is reporting that the North Korea leader's brother, Kim Jong Nam, was slain at airport in Malaysia, and Fox News is reporting that a Russian spy ship is patrolling off the East Coast of Delaware. [more inside]
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:46 AM PST - 2922 comments

FEED ME

Dogs hunting your dinner. Cats hunting your dinner. Hunting dog dinnerware.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:19 AM PST - 20 comments

Ooooooohhh... On the TLC tip

The Quietus revisits TLC's debut album for its 25th anniversary.
posted by threetwentytwo at 7:09 AM PST - 4 comments

No one said this was going to be easy

It isn't easy to determine the source of a river. [more inside]
posted by Literaryhero at 7:01 AM PST - 7 comments

Only the very best

SOS d'un terrien en détresse is a power ballad from the French-Québecois rock opera (1976) Starmania (aka Tycoon). Originally sung by Daniel Balavoine, the octave-leaping (and a little bit maudlin) song has been covered several times, notably in English as Only the very best by Peter Kingsbery, but the most epic cover was provided last month by Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen for the Hunan TV Show I am a singer. Below the fold: prophetic tidbits about Starmania and the ongoing political situation in the US. [more inside]
posted by elgilito at 4:13 AM PST - 12 comments

Numerosity: The Baker Segments

Numerosity was one of the earliest series of filmed segments to appear on Sesame Street. "The first batch of ten were all in the same style. They began with Jim’s hand-drawn animations accompanied by children singing to a melody by Joe Raposo [PREVIOUSLY]. Examples of the given number were revealed, ranging from body parts and shapes to toys and animals, and each film ended with the dramatic entrance of a baker, played by Alex Stevens, carrying the appropriate number of cakes, pies, or ice cream sundaes. In Jim’s voice, he announced what he was carrying and immediately tumbled down the stairs. While these films aired on the early seasons, they were eventually deemed to be too violent and dropped from the rotation."[via]
posted by not_on_display at 12:14 AM PST - 41 comments

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