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Meat Atlas: facts and figures about the animals we eat
posted by Gyan at 11:17 PM PST - 29 comments

“If someone goes out on a limb and tries something different, and the book doesn’t sell, you know who to blame: the guy who didn’t put the acacia tree on the cover.” [more inside]
posted by Herr Zebrurka at 9:29 PM PST - 67 comments

This Little Girl Is Watching Her Own Birth For The Very First Time [totally SFW] A young girl watches a video of herself being born. Her face is amazingly expressive!
posted by QuakerMel at 7:37 PM PST - 34 comments

Cat saves boy from dog.
posted by Bistle at 7:25 PM PST - 141 comments

Dave Eggers takes a Long Ride To Riyadh.

In any case, it’s a result of a gradual evolution. When I first travelled, I was naive, sloppy, wide-eyed, and nothing happened to me. That’s probably where the dumb luck came in. Then I began to read the guidebooks, the State Department warnings, the endless elucidation of national norms, cultural cues and insults and regional dangers, and I became wary, careful, savvy. I kept my money taped inside my shoe, or strapped to my stomach. I took any kind of precaution, believing that the people of this area did this, and the people of that province did that. But then, finally, I realised no one of any region did anything I have ever expected them to do, much less anything the guidebooks said they would. Instead, they behaved as everyone behaves, which is to say they behave as individuals of damnably infinite possibility. Anyone could do anything, in theory, but most of the time everyone everywhere acts with plain bedrock decency, helping where help is needed, guiding where guidance is necessary. It’s almost weird.

posted by the man of twists and turns at 7:01 PM PST - 26 comments

A 101 year old woman requested that Anastasia Pottinger photograph her in the nude, but also ensure that she couldn't be identified. [more inside]
posted by gman at 7:00 PM PST - 12 comments

"Small electrical pulses during sleep make some people feel as though they can manipulate their dreams, a team from Goethe University Frankfurt and the University of Goettingen reported Sunday," reports NPR. But writer Ursula LeGuin was there first: YouTube Theater presents "The Lathe of Heaven" (1980), a public television adaptation of LeGuin's 1971 novel of the same name. Lucid dreaming was never such a nightmare... (Previously and previously.)
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:08 PM PST - 26 comments

My love of typography originated in the 80′s with the golden years of 8-bit home computing and their 8×8 pixel monospaced fonts on low-resolution displays.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 4:04 PM PST - 42 comments

A 50 minute documentary about Maxwell Street Market and musicians in Chicago (I interpret the title with an implicit accusatory question mark.) Mike Shea—previously a photographer for Life, Look and Time—directed this exquisitely composed, Frederick Wiseman-esque documentary that lurches between the wiles and complaints of street vendors to some astoundingly well-recorded street side blues performances—recorded by Gordon Quinn. Most notably numerous songs by Robert Nighthawk and one electrifying performance by Carrie Robinson. There's also one seriously awesome-looking house party. [more inside]
posted by zbsachs at 1:24 PM PST - 10 comments

My Child Ate... (poop, grandma's medicine, something around the house, nature, honorable mentions)
The Case of... (the tube switcheroo, the secret ingredient, the wrong container) [more inside]
posted by Juliet Banana at 12:48 PM PST - 99 comments

What language does your state speak?
posted by and they trembled before her fury at 12:38 PM PST - 119 comments

Every Wednesday, rocker Andrew WK (previously) answers reader questions in his Village Voice advice column. He can be deep ("Ideally, life shouldn't be an ongoing struggle to see the glass half-full, but rather an appreciation that there's a glass at all") and inspirational and practical. Today, a reader asks him whether he should start using heroin.
posted by jbickers at 12:00 PM PST - 40 comments

As fears about global warming become ever more culturally ingrained, “climate fiction” has gone from a once-fringe genre to a standard literary device. Cli-Fi, as it’s abbreviated, is set in a near or long-term future where the fallout from global warming, be it flooding or mass extinctions, is not only apparent, but an aspect of everyday life. Spanning genres from literary fiction to thrillers, Cli-Fi acts as a barometer of our own ecological anxieties. This project offers a compelling portrait of climate change fears beyond what scientists and pundits can provide. via

PDF of the full visualization of the novels
posted by infini at 11:20 AM PST - 30 comments

A federal judge in Idaho has issued a ruling (PDF) declaring Idaho's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, and today denied Gov. Butch Otter's motion for a stay on her decision overturning Idaho's ban on same-sex marriages. [more inside]
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:18 AM PST - 97 comments

Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity May Not Exist
posted by Brent Parker at 10:55 AM PST - 282 comments

'West Wing' Uncensored: Aaron Sorkin, Rob Lowe, More Look Back on Early Fears, Long Hours, Contract Battles and the Real Reason for Those Departures
posted by dirtdirt at 10:43 AM PST - 39 comments

Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal sure loves his Tesla Model S. He also thinks that, for using Tesla's name for his company, the least Elon Musk could do was help fund a Tesla museum. Musk agreed.
posted by gottabefunky at 10:26 AM PST - 116 comments

What that Louie episode got right and wrong about fat women. After Sunday night's airing of Louie, some thoughtful, angry, interesting articles about how the show dealt with the issue of female body-shaming have popped up. But should the issue of fat-shaming women really be brought up by men?
posted by Kitteh at 10:13 AM PST - 127 comments

There are indications of a coming stock market crash. The timing is, of course, unknown, but the historical data might point to this October.
posted by wendyfairy at 10:13 AM PST - 65 comments

Peter sees the painting. "I could paint that", says Peter. "But you didn't", says Mummy. (mildly NSFW). In We go to the gallery, by British artist Miriam Elia, the titular characters of the Peter and Jane Keyword Readers of the 1960s visit a museum of contemporary art. Penguin, the publisher of the original books, is not amused, but the feathered creature may be actually dead in the water.
posted by elgilito at 10:08 AM PST - 9 comments

Obby Breeden, husband of The Devil's Panties and Geebas on Parade's Jennie Breeden, on what happens when the web advertising industry decides that an occasionally foulmouthed webcomic is equally "Adult" as a porn streaming site, as well as how to find your own site's score.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:54 AM PST - 21 comments

In the survey to be released Tuesday, which covered 101 countries plus the Palestinian territories, 26% of respondents agreed with at least six of 11 negative statements—what its sponsor called stereotypes—about Jews. The questions included "Jews are more loyal to Israel than [their home] country," and "Jews have too much power in the business world."

[Anti-Defamation League] Poll Says Anti-Semitism Is Global Matter
posted by griphus at 7:46 AM PST - 138 comments

This website refers you to licensed doctor who can provide you with a medical abortion. After you complete the following online consultation and if there are no contraindications, the medical abortion (with the pills mifepristone and misoprostol) will be delivered to you. At this moment it can take 2-3 weeks before the packages arrives. A medical abortion can be done safely at home as long as you have good information and have access to emergency medical care in the rare case that there are complications.The doctor can only help you if:

you live in a country where access to safe abortion is restricted

you are less than 9 weeks pregnant

you have no severe illnesses

Before starting the consultation, do a pregnancy test and an ultrasound, if possible. The consultation consists of around 25 questions. At the end of the consultation you will be asked to give permission to disclose all your information to the doctor. All information will remain confidential.

[more inside]
posted by Blasdelb at 7:45 AM PST - 23 comments

Oldest known sperm discovered, and it's gigantic.
posted by Xurando at 7:29 AM PST - 12 comments

The song "Turkey In The Straw" is one known to millions of Americans as well as many, many others around the world. Here's a National Public Radio article that shines some light on the virulently racist lyrics that attended that familiar old melody in its earlier incarnation. WARNING: Do not go to the link if you wish to avoid racist imagery and slurs.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:59 AM PST - 117 comments