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]
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.
"All the German Shepherds are dead, but then again so is everybody else"
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.
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]
Weirdly Cozy
"Nudity was never the problem because nudity isn't a problem."
Love is in the air
"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]
FEED ME
Ooooooohhh... On the TLC tip
The Quietus revisits TLC's debut album for its 25th anniversary.
No one said this was going to be easy
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]
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]
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