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The 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977 as an outer crossing of Baltimore Harbor, over the Patapsco River, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority, its operator. It was struck around 1:30 am EDT by a container ship on its way out to sea. “What’s been indicated is the vessel lost power, and when you lose power you lose steering,” Cardin said. “But they’re doing a full investigation.”
comment posted at 7:54 AM on Mar-26-24

This list includes 45 debut novels, nine winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and three children’s books. Twelve were published before the introduction of the mass-market paperback to America, and 24 after the release of the Kindle. At least 60 have been banned by schools or libraries. Together, they represent the best of what novels can do: challenge us, delight us, pull us in and then release us, a little smarter and a little more alive than we were before. from The Great American Novels [The Atlantic; ungated] [CW: a list which almost by definition lacks your favorite American author or novel]
comment posted at 1:04 PM on Mar-16-24

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge/Princess of Wales, hasn't been seen since Christmas. Kate was announced as having "planned" abdominal surgery in January, with a two week period of time in the hospital and resuming her royal duties has so far been postponed to at least Easter (a notice saying she'd be at an event in June was forcibly recalled). Kate has not wanted her medical issues disclosed (fair, since the most likely medical issues that take that long might be TMI), but after over two months of her not being seen in public, people started to get concerned. Kensington Palace refused to say much of anything on the topic and nobody seems to know anything. Finally, "proof of life" photographs were produced, BUT....
comment posted at 11:04 AM on Mar-12-24

Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has become acting Speaker of the House after Kevin McCarthy, rocked by a series of failed budget votes (and a last-minute agreement with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown), was ousted by Matt Gaetz and other far-right members of the House Freedom Caucus in an unprecedented vote. McCarthy, while likely to run for the speakership again, is no shoo-in given the 15 ballots it took him to secure the gavel just nine months ago (previously).
comment posted at 12:00 PM on Oct-23-23
comment posted at 1:15 PM on Oct-24-23
comment posted at 8:01 PM on Oct-24-23

It is not okay for men to "help" women who they don't know without asking consent/permission first. "A man tried to help me fix my bike despite me asking him not to. Time for men to learn that this shit is not helpful, it's control."
comment posted at 3:35 PM on Aug-6-23

The Zenith Space Command , one of the first wireless television remotes ever to exist, is a monument to a time before we took the remote for granted. It also just so happened to contain one of the most influential and intriguing buttons in history.
comment posted at 7:32 AM on Jul-31-23

Surely this.
comment posted at 9:16 AM on Apr-5-23

Here are the "National Costumes" brought to you by Buzzfeed. What costume best epitomizes one's culture and nation, while also showing off one's abs? And who will be the most beautiful man? Spoiler alert:
comment posted at 7:19 AM on Mar-16-22

Behind Lil Nas X's Royal Met Gala Looks [6m27s YouTube video from Vogue] I thought it was fun to watch him have fun with very expensive clothing. Also, great looks!
comment posted at 9:31 AM on Sep-16-21

The person who paid $28 million to join Jeff Bezos on a trip to space is unable to do so because they are busy, the private rocket company has announced.
comment posted at 8:56 AM on Jul-16-21

Vladislav Ivanov, a 27-year-old man from Vladivostok, was working as a Russian translator for the Chinese reality/talent show Produce Camp, in which a cast of young contestants are selected to form a boy band, when the directors invited him to sign up. He regretted doing so pretty much immediately, and attempted to sabotage his chances at winning by performing half-heartedly and pleading with the audience to vote him out, but to no avail, as he became a firm fan favourite, his miserable demeanour appealing to a generation of young people sympathetic to the ironic, defeatist Sang culture.
comment posted at 12:42 PM on Apr-27-21

Danny Stewart, 34, was late for dinner with his partner, Pete Mercurio, 32. The couple had met three years earlier through a friend in Pete's softball team. Later Danny had moved in with Pete and his flatmate, but on this summer evening he had been back to his sublet apartment in Harlem to pick up the post. As Danny was hurrying out of the station something caught his eye. "I noticed on the floor tucked up against the wall, what I thought was a baby doll," he says.

– 'We found a baby on the subway - now he's our son' by Lucy Wallis. BBC Outlook episode on this story.
comment posted at 2:35 PM on Apr-5-21

"The Senate impeachment trial of former President Trump begins with arguments and a vote on the constitutionality of the trial. Opening arguments from the House impeachment managers and the former president’s defense team are expected to follow." Impeachment managers will seek to prove that his actions directly incited the insurrection. Charges related to the events of 1/6/21 are being filed against participants in the siege.
comment posted at 7:42 AM on Feb-11-21

What is artificial birthday cake flavor? Ashlie D. Stevens @ Salon.com takes a dive into the history and science of the food flavor that has seen a 29% growth since 2017.
comment posted at 5:59 AM on Jan-25-21

The storming of the U.S. Capitol has resulted in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi setting a hard deadline for moving forward with a 2nd impeachment of Donald Trump. Meanwhile, many of the insurrectionists caught on film are now under arrest. And the GOP has shifted from attacking the election to asking for everyone to move on and embrace unity.
comment posted at 12:34 PM on Jan-12-21
comment posted at 2:10 PM on Jan-12-21

After telling his followers to storm the Capitol, President Trump releases a video seemingly admitting to losing, and then tells his base he won't be attending President-Elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
comment posted at 2:11 PM on Jan-11-21

Dr. Wenowdis, played by Kate McKinnon, visits Weekend Update. It goes a little off the rails.
comment posted at 10:56 AM on Oct-13-20

Bloopers, when edited back into the finished episodes, can add a bit of humanity to characters, like Geordi and Worf Celebrate Their Rescue. Sometimes they just add a bit of absurdity, like Something’s Wrong With Worf. Both are good. All are made by Ryan’s Edits.
comment posted at 11:28 AM on Aug-13-20

Shostakovich's first opera is a surrealist piece about a man who wakes up one day to discover his nose is missing. It features tap dancing noses.
comment posted at 5:54 AM on Jun-22-20

If you need a break from all the awful, there's a lot of joy to be found in watching Anne Marsen dance through crowded NYC streets in GirlWalkAllDay. Or take your pick from a ton of other Movies That Are Unlike Anything You've Seen Before.
comment posted at 9:50 AM on Jun-4-20

Crossword editors are strange arbiters of cultural relevance. Read tweets by Awkwafina or Olivia Wilde on learning that they’ve been immortalized in the black-and-white grid—it’s the bookish version of handprints on a slab outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. But any pub-trivia attendee—exposed to categories on craft beer or things that smell like sourdough or whatever the emcee is into—will tell you that personnel is policy. That crossword mainstays such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal are largely written, edited, fact-checked, and test-solved by older white men dictates what makes it into the 15x15 grid and what’s kept out. The Hidden Bigotry of Crosswords By Natan Last
comment posted at 9:15 AM on Apr-4-20

ICYMI, Here's Shakira And J. Lo's Super Bowl Halftime Show [YouTube][Full Performance 14:24] “For twelve minutes in Miami on Sunday night, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira made history as the first Latinas to lead a Super Bowl half-time performance. Lopez honored her heritage by wearing a feathered cape that showed the U.S. flag on one side and the Puerto Rican flag on the other. She opened the cape up to show the Puerto Rico side as her daughter Emme Muñiz and a children’s choir joined her for the opening notes of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” An hour after Demi Lovato delivered a flawless rendition of the national anthem, Lopez’s performance was an unmissable combination, particularly on a night when Donald Trump and Mike Bloomberg had also aired campaign ads. The special guests included J Balvin and Bad Bunny, two Latin American superstars who had a breakthrough in the U.S. in 2019.” [via: Vanity Fair]
comment posted at 8:20 AM on Feb-3-20

Which emoji scissors close
comment posted at 7:36 AM on Jan-3-20

A recent episode of the near future sci-fi anthology show Black Mirror depicted a story involving pop icon Ashley O (played by Miley Cyrus). With Trent Reznor's blessing, the NIN classic Head Like a Hole was turned into an alternate universe version of itself: the high energy electro-pop chart topper On a Roll. The original lyrics about cruelty and corruption in modern society have been replaced with affirmations of success:

I'm stoked on ambition and verve / I'm gonna get what I deserve

comment posted at 11:26 AM on Aug-2-19

Historian Eleanor Janega sheds some enlightenment about bodily hygiene in the so-called Dark Ages.
comment posted at 7:34 AM on Aug-2-19

@melotime: for my own amusement here's a thread of my fave posts from classics tumblr [twitter]

achilles: when I die, mingle our ashes together so that we may be together for eternity
historians: f is for friends who do stuff together.

@comradeclodius: I’m gonna do a thread of my favourite Classics tumblr posts [twitter]

vergil can't help sneaking his love for bees into it

comment posted at 5:23 PM on May-2-19

Notre-Dame de Paris, the French Gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in Paris, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, has burned in a conflagration unrivalled since at least WWII, started accidentally, perhaps in the renovation work. But "spira, spera" -- breathe, and hope -- there has been no loss of life, only one reported injury, and the shell of the building appears (at this hour) to have been saved. "Cette cathédrale, nous la rebâtirons," declares Emmanuel Macron. ("The Cathedral, we will rebuild it.")
comment posted at 7:08 PM on Apr-15-19

An upcoming game that looks like Totoro Need I say more?
comment posted at 6:13 AM on Mar-4-19

Crab Rave! [YouTube] “Every year after the most intense tropical storms, thousands of crabs gather on this remote island. Now for the first time, witness all the side-stepping, air-snapping action of the monumental Crab Rave!”
comment posted at 10:16 AM on Jan-29-19

At the beginning of the third week of the US government shutdown over Trump's demands to fund his border wall—originally a campaign mnemonic device (Forbes)—he announced that on Tuesday evening he would make his first Oval Office address in regard to "the Humanitarian and National Security crisis on our Southern Border" and visit the Mexican border on Thursday (NYT). He also threatened to "declare a national emergency" to build the wall (CNN) if Congress did not allocate $5.7 billion for it. NBC offers a Fact Check: What's a 'national emergency,' and can Trump declare one to get his wall? And Yale law professor Bruce Ackerman writes in the NYT, No, Trump Cannot Declare an ‘Emergency’ to Build His Wall "Not only would such an action be illegal, but if members of the armed forces obeyed his command, they would be committing a federal crime." There are lots of things, however, the President could do if he declares a state of emergency (Atlantic).
comment posted at 10:31 AM on Jan-16-19

After Bloodbath, The National Zoo’s Naked Mole-Rats Finally Choose Their Queen: The National Zoo in Washington recently acquired a colony of naked mole-rats (previously). Besides being naturally cancer-free, resistant to most poisons, and physiologically young for most of their lifespan (up to ~30 years), naked mole-rats are also eusocial, meaning they are ruled by a queen, who is the only female allowed to reproduce. (We're not quite sure how that works.) The colony at the National Zoo, as of Monday, has settled the question of which of the mole-rats will be the queen, with one of them giving birth to a brood of two. The process was not peaceful, however: of the 17 adult mole-rats that arrived at the Zoo, only 13 remain. More on why the naked mole-rat is so weird.
comment posted at 11:54 AM on Dec-18-18

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, better known for crass humor like the D.E.N.N.I.S. System, finished off its 13th season with an spellingbinding dance between Mac and professional ballerina Kylie Shea.
comment posted at 6:59 AM on Nov-8-18
comment posted at 7:42 AM on Nov-8-18

Trump Campaign Manager and convicted felon Paul Manafort will plead guilty to avoid a second trial and has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators (CNBC). In an unusually lengthy superseding criminal information document (PDF), the Special Counsel's office charges him on two counts: conspiracy against the United States from 2006 to 2017, with Rick Gates and GRU operative Konstantin Kilimnik (FARA conspiracy), and conspiracy to obstruct justice (witness tampering). In a 17-page cooperation agreement, Manafort promises to give interviews and briefings to the Special Counsel, turn over documents, and testify in other proceedings—and he has waived right to have lawyers representing him present at any interviews. In exchange, the agreement calls for a 10-year cap on Manafort's prison sentence and for concurrent time served for his separate Virginia and Washington cases (Politico). Manafort will also give up $46 million in criminal and civil forfeitures, making his plea deal effectively pardon proof. From the courthouse, CNN reports: “He's not smiling at all. He's glum and quietly responding, 'yes, your honor'”
comment posted at 8:47 PM on Sep-20-18
comment posted at 7:56 AM on Sep-24-18

The Supreme Court confirmation hearing continues Wednesday with the questioning of nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Despite low popularity, views out of step with the majority of the country, tens of thousands of pages of documents produced at the last minute, and over 100,000 pages of documents withheld from the Senate (with all the documents reviewed not by the National Archives, but by a lawyer who represents the Bush Library, White House Counsel Don McGahn, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon), his confirmation appears to be on cruise control. The Times examines How Brett Kavanaugh Would Transform the Supreme Court. SCOTUSBlog offers a liveblog of the hearings and a 16-part series on Kavanaugh's record. Wednesday's questioning can be streamed live on C-SPAN starting at 9:30 ET.
comment posted at 1:40 PM on Sep-10-18
comment posted at 9:00 AM on Sep-14-18

Movies That Would More or Less Scan the Same But Arguably Make for More Interesting Replacements for the Titular Film Referenced in the Chorus of Deep Blue Something’s 1995 Hit Single “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
comment posted at 10:46 AM on Apr-2-18

Firefly canon to expand with series of original books: "EW can exclusively report that Titan Books and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products have teamed up to publish an original range of new fiction tying in to Joss Whedon’s beloved but short-lived TV series Firefly. The books will be official titles within the Firefly canon, with Whedon serving as consulting editor. The first book is due in the fall."
comment posted at 7:23 AM on Feb-10-18

Like it's literally as thrilling now as it was then. Oh wait, that's a comment.The B-52's (1979) [40m]: Side A: Planet Claire, 52 Girls, Dance This Mess Around, Rock Lobster [video]
comment posted at 10:04 AM on Feb-2-18

Installment #*@&^% of the US political threads. This edition features fun at Davos, more Muellery, and DACA & CR continued.
comment posted at 6:44 PM on Jan-25-18

There's a lot going on, but most people are talking about the Wolff book.
comment posted at 6:36 PM on Jan-9-18

Too cold for penguins, Calgary Zoo decides (Calgary Herald). Ottawa concert cancellation is proof of concept: it can be too cold for Canadians (The Guardian). Parts of Canada colder than Mars and Antarctica (CTV News). The Toronto Polar Bear Dip is cancelled for the first time in 13 years. In Photos [and videos]: Here’s what an extreme cold snap looks like in Canada (Global News, shaggy page alert). It's so cold, even parts of Niagara Falls are freezing (Ottawa Citizen).
comment posted at 8:48 AM on Jan-2-18

Marvel wants you to write comics with no farts, death, aliens, gossip, or ‘social issues’ [The Verge] “In a press release today, Marvel announced Create Your Own [YouTube], a new platform that allows fans to create original comic strips using Marvel characters and stock background illustrations. The tagline is “Your Own Marvel Universe.” Fans don’t have access to the platform yet, though details are “coming soon.” Whether the version of the Marvel Universe you create is “Your Own” is arguable, however, given that the terms and conditions state that users are forbidden from distributing the content off-platform or using it for any commercial enterprise.”
comment posted at 9:19 AM on Dec-30-17

You can tell a lot about a culture by the food that fuels it – and in the annals of culinary progress, 2017 has not been an altogether glorious year. If you thought 2016’s avo toast was bad, take a look at these horrors. (Although the linked story about raindrop cake makes it sound kind of awesome.)
comment posted at 5:55 AM on Dec-28-17

It’s Schrodinger’s President! Chuck and Nancy have a deal with Trump on DACA…or do they? Republicans are outraged at Trump’s unilateral caving…or are they? Trump likes to wait for the facts before commenting on a terrorist attack…or does he? Back channels are working on cooling down the North Korea nuclear crisis…or are they? The GOP attempt to repeal the ACA is dead…or is it?
comment posted at 8:08 AM on Sep-21-17

A prominent anti-vaccination speaker has been denied a visa to enter Australia. "These people who are telling kids, telling parents that their kids shouldn't be vaccinated are dangerous people," said Immigration Minister Peter Dutton. He previously refused a visa to person Chris Brown, based on his domestic violence record. Applicants for a visa to enter Australia are subject to a character test.
comment posted at 10:57 AM on Sep-1-17