March 5, 2020
Trolley Dodgers
Elizabeth Warren exits the US Presidental race
She was on top, until she wasn't, and now she's out. Elizabeth Warren ended her presidential campaign today without endorsing one of the remaining candidates. She'll leave a legacy as an authentic candidate and the field is poorer without her voice, but I'll leave any other comments for MeFi.
Some People Call Me the Space Carb-Boy
This is the voyage of the starship USS Bumblebee, on a mission to rescue one very depressed life form, Bernd the Bread, from the most vicious loaves in the universe. WE ARE BREAD. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. (SLYT, German language, English subtitles, and the pompatus of extremely boring rock formations.)
Ordinary Men, Extraordinary Moves
If you happen to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and take in any of the parades, in one of those parades - following behind the floats, and the various school marching bands and cheerleader troupes - you may see a squad of middle-aged men, clad in red jackets and blue shorts, and doing enthusiastic choreographed dances to 80s pop hits. Metafilter, meet The 610 Stompers. [more inside]
A Developing Collection Of Resources Related To COVID-19
CoronaVirusTechHandbook.com : A crowdsourced resource for technologists building things related to the coronavirus outbreak[,] initiated by The London College of Political Technologists at Newspeak House
The lamb's face was the least of their troubles
Saint Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium, home to the recently (somewhat disturbingly) restored Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (a.k.a. the Ghent Altarpiece), has a new claim to fame: nine of its churchyard walls are made of human bones. [more inside]
The Pure Content That We All Need Right Now
Living with grief, the kindness of a stranger, and learning thru music
Almost 30 years after losing her son, Jason, Judy received an email from Matt, a friend of Jason's from college. "I hope you are doing well after all these years… And I hope my note doesn’t bring back unnecessary pain. I just wanted you to know that he is not forgotten." Soon, Judy and Matt were communicating every few weeks, and then Matt suggested they attend a performance of Dead & Company together in a 20,000-seat amphitheater near San Francisco. Reluctantly, Judy agreed. How Going To A Dead & Company Concert With A Stranger Helped Me Heal After Losing My Son “I hate crowds and loud rock music, but I was being offered a gift: the chance to learn more about my son all these years after he was taken from me.” (Judy Nelson for Huffpost) [via Mltshp] [more inside]
what planet do you live on?
The Guardian reports that despite progress in closing the equality gap, 91% of men and 86% of women hold at least one bias against women in relation to politics, economics, education, violence or reproductive rights, according to a new Gender Social Norms Index that contains data from 75 countries, covering over 80 percent of the world’s population. [more inside]
Minis for Mike
How kids across the United States hear that “Mike can do it.” Under Google’s new political ad policy, campaigns can use broad demographic data, like age, to target users. A large number of users of all ages, kids included, fall into the age range “unknown” because they use YouTube without logging in. “In an effort to reach as many voters as possible, Bloomberg’s campaign likely targeted these users” of unknown age. WaPo’s Ashley Parker talked to kids and their “surprised and irritated” parents. [more inside]
Perhaps a swirl of cyano for flavor...
Cyanobacteria—colloquially called blue-green algae—can produce oil from water and carbon dioxide with the help of light...
The invisible city: how a homeless man built a life underground
How Dominic van Allen built himself a comfortable underground residence hidden within Hampstead Heath near central metropolitan London, and lived there undetected for years. And how everything went wrong. (Guardian Long Read)
The Landlord Is A Boss
Rent strikes — in which tenants aim to withhold rent until their grievances are addressed — have grown more common in several cities contending with the impact of gentrification on affordable housing. When Tenants Take On Landlords Over Bad Conditions: A Rent-Strike Explainer (WAMU) “ What are the implications for a tenant’s union? We are currently involved in both building-level landlord fights but also in larger city or even province-wide fights for improved tenant policy.” “Organizing 4 power”, from workers to tenants (Spring Mag) Jane McAlevey talks at The Strand about tenants and collective bargaining (YouTube)
“It was like the Google algorithm was suddenly in our favor”
Can You Really Hire a Hit Man on the Dark Web?
A collection of online stores offer murder for pay. Researchers say they are scams, but people who want someone dead aren’t listening. (SLNYT) [more inside]
An Imaginary Cartoonist Draws A Very Real Homeland
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye feels like Singapore between two covers. The pressure-cooker country — tiny and polyglot, globally competitive and politically repressive — seems to have been poured into this dense book. [more inside]
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