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At their board meeting tonight, the Toronto Public Library upheld a decision to allow transphobic hate activist Meghan Murphy to host an event, despite widespread protests from the community, a 6,000 signatory petition spearheaded by authors who will boycott the library, a potential ban from Pride Toronto, and criticism from the mayor of Toronto. [more inside]
posted by Conspire at 8:26 PM PST - 97 comments

NBC News reporter Adiel Kaplan is no stranger to FOIA requests, and the odd results that they might return. But a recent request of theirs was puzzling, as it included an inexplicably redacted watermelon. (SLTwitter) [more inside]
posted by NoxAeternum at 5:37 PM PST - 6 comments

Northern Ireland will legalize same-sex marriage and decriminalize abortion. Regulations for free local abortion services will be in place in Northern Ireland by March 31, 2020; same sex marriage licenses on January 13. While abortion was decriminalized in England in 1967 and marriage equality passed in 2013; the legislation did not extend to Northern Ireland. The End of Northern Ireland's Restrictive Laws Won't Undo the Trauma, but It Will Help the Hurt.
posted by dinty_moore at 5:28 PM PST - 12 comments

Chatwin was the internet if we imagine that the internet could be a better version of itself; that it could meet a certain ideal that may well have existed, whether explicitly or in some Platonic heaven, when it was invented was just a few short months after Chatwin’s death, but with which any regular internet user must have long-since grown disillusioned. Dril, by contrast, is a great realist: he gives us the internet as it appears.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 4:29 PM PST - 25 comments

Both states are considering banning abortion at 6 weeks. In South Carolina, state senators held a subcommittee hearing on Tuesday on House bill 3020, which, like the Pennsylvania bill, would ban abortion after a heartbeat can be detected. On Tuesday, the subcommittee voted to advance the bill to a full committee hearing. The members also voted to strip an exception for rape and incest from the bill. [more inside]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 3:31 PM PST - 16 comments

Unpacking [YouTube][Gameplay Trailer] “Unpacking is a puzzle game about moving your possessions into a new home. And by “your,” I mean “somebody else’s.” By unpacking and arranging objects—all of which click and clack oh-so-satisfyingly—you’ll gain “a sense of intimacy with a character you never see and a story you’re never told.” It’ll be out next year.” [via: Kotaku]
posted by Fizz at 2:26 PM PST - 33 comments

Understanding the Anthropocene Extinction From CBC's Quirks and Quarks "But when it comes to animals, there's also been a major shift, from wild to domestic. Milo said our planet now has 20-fold more biomass in domesticated livestock like cows, pigs and sheep than in all the wild mammals — like elephants, caribou and whales — combined. And there are twice as many domesticated birds as there are wild ones"
posted by helmutdog at 2:14 PM PST - 4 comments

The white bellbird sings its pile driver tune when a potential mate is nearby. It starts facing away from her, and then whips around to blast the loudest, record-setting note right into her face. [SLNYT]
posted by ohkay at 12:15 PM PST - 17 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 by The Whelk at 9:19 AM PST - 21 comments

Kate Lacour is a cartoonist and artist whose work is bloody, funny, gross, and beautiful (Content Warning). [more inside]
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:45 AM PST - 7 comments

What's the Difference is a mailing list and archive run by Brette Warshaw. Each issue explores the difference between similar things: tomatoes; eggs; pasta; uncooked flesh; salts; Catholic places of worship; law enforcement officers; sandwiches; wetness falling from the sky; Broccolis; and many more
posted by dobbs at 7:54 AM PST - 15 comments

A Swedish engineer's umbrage at a traffic ticket has led to a six-year legal fight and now a global change in the speed with which traffic light signals are timed. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 6:54 AM PST - 89 comments

How Amazon.com moved into the business of U.S. elections - "Amazon.com Inc's cloud computing arm is making an aggressive push into one of the most sensitive technology sectors: U.S. elections." [more inside]
posted by kliuless at 5:38 AM PST - 30 comments

Stones/Water/Time/Breath is a participatory sound art piece composed you can perform anywhere there is a body of water. Composed by experimental musician Dean Rosenthal.
posted by Miko at 5:27 AM PST - 21 comments

An unprecedented climate change lawsuit against American oil giant Exxon Mobil is set to go ahead in New York. "Exxon's trial on the fraud claims will start on Tuesday and is expected to last 15 days. Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who led Exxon for a decade, is among those likely to appear in court." E&E News article. InsideClimateNews article. CBS. [more inside]
posted by Not A Thing at 1:07 AM PST - 11 comments

EVERY YEAR WE GET TOGETHER AND MAKE SALMON FOR TOAST, EVERY YEAR WE GET A CROCKETY BLOAT, EVERY YEAR WE GET DRUNK ON THE DOCKS, AND EVERY YEAR WE HAVE SEX WITH OUR CAPS LOCKS!!!!
posted by eyeballkid at 12:57 AM PST - 133 comments