Former Defense Secretary James Mattis has publicly denounced the Trump Administration [sl The Atlantic] Pretty much what it says on the tin. Mattis has broken his silence and come out in public condemnation of the President. The celebrated general had previously argued that it would be inappropriate and unproductive for him to do so.
posted to MetaFilter by aspersioncast at 4:03 PM on June 3, 2020 (126 comments)

This week on Sawbones, we examine how Black Americans have received substandard care and fewer opportunities within the American medical system. Also, some guidance on how to protest as safely as possible in the face of COVID-19.
posted to FanFare by Homo neanderthalensis at 6:39 PM on June 1, 2020 (3 comments)

Anti-fascist news site Unicorn Riot has 2 hours of raw footage taken at the scene of last night's protest of the police killing of George Floyd. @TheQueerCrimer was live-tweeting police radio broadcasts. It's Going Down has a good summary article of what happened. Four officers present at the killing have been fired. What we know about Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao, two of the officers caught on tape, including info about their previous use-of-force incidents, one of which resulted in a $25,000 out-of-court settlement.
posted to MetaFilter by mediareport at 9:16 AM on May 27, 2020 (1549 comments)

BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz reads E.M. Forster's 1909 novella The Machine Stops. "The Machine Stops is not simply prescient; it is a jaw-droppingly, gob-smackingly, breath-takingly accurate literary description of lockdown life in 2020. [...] It's not lost on me that you are reading this on the internet on a man-made device over which we just about still believe we have mastery."
posted to MetaFilter by Major Clanger at 5:56 AM on May 30, 2020 (22 comments)

MacLaren, his team, and their loved ones regroup at a safe house protected by the FBI, but doubts and betrayals may sabotage the rest of their mission.
posted to FanFare by oh yeah! at 5:36 PM on December 14, 2018 (10 comments)

What are the general feelings on doing a digital-only MeFiMusicSwap?
posted to MetaTalk by signal at 10:57 AM on May 29, 2020 (45 comments)

Starting in January, Mongolia executed a perfect public health response, and they have never let up the pressure since. COVID-19 did not just leave Mongolia alone. Mongolia kicked its ass. COVID Underdogs: Mongolia by Indi Samarajiva
posted to MetaFilter by chavenet at 2:11 PM on May 26, 2020 (39 comments)

I'm looking for YouTube channels that feature day-in-the-life content of small scale farmers. Whether it's livestock, growing, digging, fence-building, or whatever, I'd like channels that focus on the actual doing as opposed to instructional or informative. Minimal voiceover is a bonus.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Think_Long at 10:51 AM on May 26, 2020 (11 comments)

In backyards around the world, a vicious resource war is being fought between the avians and the rodents. Are you tired of standing idly by? Do you prefer the lilt of birdsong to the screech and chatter of tree-rats? Then perhaps you should look at the latest in birdfeeder anti-squirrel technology: an extensive, squirrel-scale backyard obstacle course created by YouTube science guy Mark Rober (previously). The results may surprise you. They definitely won't.
posted to MetaFilter by ZaphodB at 8:32 AM on May 25, 2020 (39 comments)

"Regarding that principle, the Buddha often said to the bhikùus, “You should know that the Dharma which I speak is like a raft. The raft is used to cross the sea of suffering — birth and death. Before you have ended birth and death, you use the raft in cultivation. Once you have ended birth and death, you should put the raft aside. If you do not put the raft aside you have an attachment." -The Diamond Sutra
posted to FanFare by yellowbinder at 11:51 AM on May 21, 2020 (6 comments)

I'm feeling deep ennui in quarantine and approaching that age where everyone is having kids, but that's not my plan. I want to do something else, but I'm feeling aimless and blah. I tried a coaching session but just talking doesn't work for me: I want structure. I want homework. Please point me to something that has helped you set and structure steps towards (not purely financial!) personal goals, whether it's a downloadable PDF, interactive form, or a workbook I can to purchase. Thank you.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by thirdletter at 1:53 PM on May 19, 2020 (9 comments)

The beginning! What a fine place to start. We meet our nascent heroes in the throes of the beginning of the sunset of their scholastic salad days. Demon possessions, ominous warnings, and threats from Hell itself auger ill and trouble. Can they matriculate from danger to destiny? Can they graduate magna cum...adventure?
posted to FanFare by yellowbinder at 12:21 PM on December 5, 2019 (7 comments)

Indycar's Virtual Race Crashes Sparked Real-World Controversy Among Drivers [Vice Gaming] “With about three laps to go in the First Responders 175, the final race of the virtual, quarantine-inspired sim racing series featuring pro Indycar drivers, it was shaping up to be a classic finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. F1 driver Lando Norris was in a battle for the lead with Oliver Askew, Patricio O’Ward, and Marcus Ericsson, and caution was going out the window as the drivers went three-cars wide through corners, completely filling the width of the track with no margin for error. [...] Then, as the lead pack of cars whipped through a corner onto a straight, Norris’s car piled into the back of the slow-moving, highlighter-yellow car of 2019 Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud. [...] Pagenaud’s deliberate wrecking is an annoying troll within the context of a video game, but it’s a betrayal of the highest order in the context of real-world, professional racing. An inherent tension in F1 and Indy racing is that drivers are in ruthless competition at the same time that they are all trying to prevent crashes that can easily turn deadly. Now that these same drivers are competing in a space where the deadly physical consequences are no longer an issue, the sport is changing fast, and in ways that can carry over to real-world tracks when drivers are able to race on them again.” [Explainer][Simon Pagenaud Full Incident][Santino Ferrucci Crash with Oliver Askew]
posted to MetaFilter by Fizz at 11:11 AM on May 7, 2020 (40 comments)

Hugo nominated short stories from Shiv Ramdas, SL Huang, Rivers Solomon, Fran Wilde, Alix E Harrow, and Nibedita Sen (links to the complete stories inside)
posted to FanFare by dinty_moore at 6:09 PM on May 1, 2020 (3 comments)

Robeson County in North Carolina is called a tri-racial county, with members of Lumbee Tribe in a liminal space. Despite being very much assimilated into white culture as evident from their speech and religious practices, Lumbees still faced much injustice (UNC), similar but different from the experience of blacks. The decision of Brown v. Board of Education, and state recognition of the Lumbees Tribe, were likely justifications used by the Ku Klux Klan to burn crosses, then drive around town, broadcasting racial slurs and promoting their “anti-Indian” rally. What happened is now known as the Battle of Hayes Pond (Wikipedia), or the day the Native Americans drove the KKK out of town (Narratively).
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 12:16 PM on May 1, 2020 (6 comments)

"It is the most common form of dementia. Still, as a man in his thirties, Lee was unusually young to be afflicted." Lee Holloway cofounded Cloudflare but is now almost completely lost to frontotemporal dementia. Single-link Wired feature by Sandra Upson.
posted to MetaFilter by secretseasons at 3:07 PM on April 15, 2020 (24 comments)

Bon Appétit features 13 professional chefs cooking Quarantine Pasta at home with the most basic ingredients they have on hand. 29 min. SLYT
posted to MetaFilter by growabrain at 11:17 AM on April 14, 2020 (68 comments)

Anybody want to hear about how a Catholic church had me, a nice Jewish kid, re-write their Passion Week play and I inadvertently got the parish hooked on 3rd century Gnostic heresies?

Afikomen Valentín @ai_valentin from Twitter
posted to MetaFilter by the man of twists and turns at 8:31 AM on April 12, 2020 (26 comments)

It is March 39th and time for the latest check-in thread. As previously ([3][2][1]) this is for actual news, updates, personal experiences, and more mutual support from and to people dealing with this virus in their daily lives. All hail the mods for continuing to provide this sanctuary for us, and good health to readers and commenters alike. How is one doing?
posted to MetaTalk by Wordshore at 12:40 PM on April 8, 2020 (571 comments)

Drawing Blood looks at The Spanish Flu in Comic Strips
posted to MetaFilter by the man of twists and turns at 11:13 PM on April 5, 2020 (6 comments)

I can't improve on Gotanda's intro for the last check in thread so here it is again updated: A third catch-all thread for mefites living in areas directly affected by novel coronavirus (aka SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19) picking up from the last one. Again, please no idle speculation, catastrophizing, or chat. Let's stick to actual news, updates, personal experiences, and more mutual support from and to people dealing with this virus in their daily lives. How you all doing?
posted to MetaTalk by glasseyes at 11:35 AM on March 23, 2020 (1051 comments)

At the beginning of 2020, reports of a 'pneumonia outbreak' spurred the CDC to action. When asked, Trump implied everything was under control and downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus threat while US intelligence reports warned of a likely pandemic. Those reports and other warnings spurred some to action (Sen. Richard Burr, R-NC; Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-GA). Trump downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus, and implied that the Trump administration had things well in hand.
posted to MetaFilter by ZeusHumms at 9:31 AM on March 21, 2020 (2198 comments)

Episode 50: Glen Writes a Golden Girls To celebrate the 50th episode of their podcast Gayest Episode Ever, hosts Drew Mackie and Glen Lakin invited over some performer friends to record a radio play of a 'Too Hot for Prime Time' spec script Lakin had written for one of their all-time favorite classic sitcoms. Prepare for double (and single) entendres out the wazoo!
posted to MetaFilter by Atom Eyes at 9:43 AM on March 20, 2020 (2 comments)

Melbourne Zoo employee slays the workday- ENJOY (SLTwitter) Actor/zookeeper Adam Porter serves it to the security camera, as tweeted by RPDR alum Darienne Lake.
posted to MetaFilter by I_Love_Bananas at 6:09 AM on March 21, 2020 (4 comments)

Can Bob Mortimer break and apple in half with his bare hands?
posted to MetaFilter by bonobothegreat at 7:15 PM on March 15, 2020 (81 comments)

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.
posted to MetaFilter by lon_star at 6:28 PM on March 5, 2020 (502 comments)

Amber Share was going to draw all 62 US National Parks, but wanted a unique twist. When she found one star Yelp reviews (Mother Jones; previously), she had a plan: Subpar Parks (Instagram, and more info on Bored Panda). There's also another 20 one-star Yelp reviews highlighted by Backpackers.com, paired with photos of the parks. Enjoy "an amazingly deep and creepy lake" or (re)consider visiting "a hole. A very, very large hole." But be warned, "they raised the prices." Also, "there are bugs and they will bite you on your face." It's probably best to just stay inside. "Do yourself a favor and just google 'pretty sunrise' and save yourself the disappointment."
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 1:10 PM on March 4, 2020 (48 comments)

Vietnam's song about the coronavirus "absolutely slaps" - John Oliver (SLYT)
posted to MetaFilter by gryftir at 3:41 AM on March 2, 2020 (12 comments)

the lyric “he’s broken every human law” implies that Macavity has committed such crimes as tax evasion, homicide, war profiteering, and quite possibly adultery interfering with a human marriage
posted to MetaFilter by aihal at 2:30 PM on February 27, 2020 (88 comments)

After the Republican Party canceled their Nevada Caucuses to prevent any challenge to President Donald Trump, today's 2020 Democratic Presidential Caucus is the only contest.
posted to MetaFilter by the man of twists and turns at 10:03 AM on February 22, 2020 (1945 comments)

If you want to summarize the changes in family structure over the past century, the truest thing to say is this: We’ve made life freer for individuals and more unstable for families. We’ve made life better for adults but worse for children. We’ve moved from big, interconnected, and extended families, which helped protect the most vulnerable people in society from the shocks of life, to smaller, detached nuclear families (a married couple and their children), which give the most privileged people in society room to maximize their talents and expand their options. The shift from bigger and interconnected extended families to smaller and detached nuclear families ultimately led to a familial system that liberates the rich and ravages the working-class and the poor. The family structure we’ve held up as the cultural ideal for the past half century has been a catastrophe for many. It’s time to figure out better ways to live together.
posted to MetaFilter by beisny at 5:21 PM on February 20, 2020 (89 comments)

Last night:
Me: Got any homework?
Anna: Nah.
Me: Whatcha gonna do?
Anna: Have a map I’m working on.
Just found this on her desk.
posted to MetaFilter by Going To Maine at 10:24 PM on February 19, 2020 (61 comments)

Artificial intelligence yields new antibiotic (MIT): Using a machine-learning algorithm, MIT researchers have identified a powerful new antibiotic compound. In laboratory tests, the drug killed many of the world's most problematic disease-causing bacteria, including some strains that are resistant to all known antibiotics. It also cleared infections in two different mouse models.
posted to MetaFilter by not_the_water at 10:36 AM on February 21, 2020 (33 comments)

I've got the baking bug. Inspired by the success of a few early attempts at some baked delights over the holiday season like a pumpkin pie, pavlova & several different cakes & then binge watching the great British Baking Show I've set myself a goal I want to master 10 baked items, one a month, over the remaining 10 months of the year. Bakers or Baked good eaters what would your suggestions be for the things a newish baker but pretty experienced cook should master that would set me up with a range of baking skills going forward?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by wwax at 9:20 AM on February 20, 2020 (25 comments)

Dutch’s real-life mom plays through Red Dead Redemption 2 [Polygon] “The 75-year-old mother of the actor who played Dutch van der Linde in Red Dead Redemption 2 played through the entire open-world game so she could understand what it was her son had done, and why millions hailed the work. And the essay she wrote about her experience is a wonderfully affirming, outsider’s commentary on fan culture, particularly in video gaming. Jessica Hoffmann Davis, an educator, playwright and author of four books about the role of arts in education, picked up a DualShock 4 controller after visiting FanExpo Boston in August 2019. Before that visit, Davis really had no idea of the depth of video games culture or why fans are so intensely devoted to them. “The only way I would get to experience my son’s celebrated performance was to learn to play Red Dead Redemption 2,” she writes.” [Essay via Reddit: Unsung heroes: Reconceptualizing a video game as a work of art.][**Contains Spoilers for RDR2**][Story Trailer for RDR2]
posted to MetaFilter by Fizz at 6:52 PM on February 13, 2020 (17 comments)

The Art Of Computer Designing: A Black and White Approach "This book is a beginner's introduction to calling forth these images as author Sato shows how to create figures with basic shapes - i.e., lines, arcs, squares and circles - and does so simply, clearly, and above all very logically. This is an everyday guide to computer illustrating, a collection of design ideas and a compendium of Mr. Sato's own computer art works. All the shapes in this book are black and white, but it is a black and white world full of potential. Just looking at the myriad manifestations of form is a joy, but for those who will use it to begin creating their own shapes this book offers far, far greater pleasure." [courtesy the Internet Archive]
posted to MetaFilter by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 4:00 AM on January 28, 2020 (9 comments)

Werner Herzog hears Paul F. Tompkins' "Yelp Review for Trader Joe's on Hyperion". Madness reigns. (via Studio 360)
posted to MetaFilter by Etrigan at 7:01 PM on January 25, 2020 (31 comments)

Andy Byford, Cuomo’s popular subways chief, resigns (for good this time) Andy Byford, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority transit chief credited with leading the turnaround of the New York City subway system, is resigning again, the MTA has confirmed to POLITICO.
posted to MetaFilter by SansPoint at 9:42 AM on January 23, 2020 (43 comments)

From kindergarten to culinary school, people made me feel like my family’s food was backward. Now I cook dishes that push diners to confront their own prejudices.
posted to MetaFilter by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:58 AM on January 7, 2020 (55 comments)

What if you just want one piece of popcorn?
posted to MetaFilter by Etrigan at 7:42 AM on January 3, 2020 (51 comments)

Last week, Orlando Jones tweeted some news about his departure from American Gods, the Starz television adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel. The series has suffered extensive turnover in front of and behind the cameras, and Clarkisha Kent says "There is still time for American Gods to avoid its impending implosion, but if Sleepy Hollow taught us anything, it's that we probably shouldn't hold our Black-ass breaths."
posted to MetaFilter by Etrigan at 6:50 AM on December 23, 2019 (22 comments)

The Far Side has a new website, Gary Larson explains why now in a letter. While the website is in its beginning stages, there is a daily selection of comic strips, plus sections for themed collections and scans from Larson’s sketchbooks.
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 1:28 PM on December 17, 2019 (81 comments)

Embroidery renderings of aerial views, and other landscapes and such, by English textile artist Victoria Rose Richards.
posted to MetaFilter by cortex at 10:40 AM on December 17, 2019 (18 comments)

A review of 36 years of data on pods of killer whales in the Pacific Northwest has found that "grandmothers who were no longer able to reproduce had the biggest beneficial impact on the survival chances of their grand-offspring." Press release, paper. Previously.
posted to MetaFilter by clawsoon at 4:09 PM on December 9, 2019 (7 comments)

Hello! Just as the title says, I’m looking for the quickest, easiest, simplest meal ideas using canned beans of any kind, with little-to-no washing/chopping/prep, mostly opening packages and dumping stuff in is preferred. We do make more involved bean meals fairy regularly but I would like more insta-bean ideas in the rotation. Weird stuff I may have never heard of is most welcome!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sweetpotato at 1:11 PM on December 6, 2019 (45 comments)

How the Hmong diaspora use the world’s most boring technology to make something weird and wonderful
posted to MetaFilter by roger ackroyd at 8:10 AM on November 22, 2019 (10 comments)

The A.V. Club's 100 best, worst, and weirdest things we saw on the internet in the 2010s
posted to MetaFilter by not_the_water at 12:01 PM on November 18, 2019 (52 comments)

... to 'why not?' " Julia Monk writes about queering evolutionary theory for the Nature Ecology and Evolution research community. A new review in Nature Ecology and Evolution, An alternative hypothesis for the evolution of same-sex sexual behaviour in animals, identifies the heterosexist biases that underpin decades of investigation in the evolution of sexual behavior. Most tellingly, most scientific investigations that seek to explain how same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) may evolve and persist in a population of animals start from the premise that different-sex sexual behavior was the ancestral position.
posted to MetaFilter by Made of Star Stuff at 12:44 PM on November 18, 2019 (46 comments)

"I often think of groups like this during evenings I spend on my couch. As I fold laundry half-heartedly, I watch TV and clutch my phone. I refresh my Twitter feed to keep up on the latest political crisis, then toggle over to Facebook to read clickbait news stories, then over to YouTube to see a montage of juicy clips from the latest congressional hearing. I then complain to my family about all the things I don’t like that I have seen. What I’m doing, that isn’t politics." Politics is for Power, Not Consumption: Political hobbyism takes well-meaning citizens away from pursuing power. (Boston Review)
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 10:03 AM on November 8, 2019 (36 comments)

"It's our right to impose ourselves on that land and use that land so it benefits us," Floyd says. "It made sense to turn [the lots] into a community garden because you don't have any fresh food around here." Community gardens beautify urban space, but some seek to transform urban society. (Chicago Reader) Oyster reefs are making a comeback–by protecting coasts from the ravages of climate change (CNBC) “ For birds, soil organisms, small mammals, and bees and butterflies, prairie strips also provide much-needed food and habitat. As the benefits of regenerative practices like these are made increasingly clear, the pressing question has become: What would it take to get more farms to use them?” Planting Native Prairie Could Be a Secret Weapon for Farmers (Civil Eats)
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 9:19 AM on October 22, 2019 (21 comments)