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Remember "covfefe"? Well, a few months after a certain U.S. President launched that famous meme, a Thoroughbred filly was purchased at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and named by owner Jaime Roth of LNJ Foxwoods. This year Covfefe has been one of the top three-year-old fillies in North America. Today she capped a nearly flawless season when she posted a three-quarter-length victory in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
posted by e-man at 9:50 PM PST - 15 comments

All Americans, from urban to rural are connected through the food system. Consumers all rely on distant producers, agricultural processing plants, food storage like grain silos and grocery stores, and food transportation systems. [...] Now, residents in each county can see how they are connected to all other counties in the country via food transfers. Overall, there are 9.5 million links between counties on our map. The first map of America’s food supply chain is mind-boggling -- Most of our food is moved across great distances—and through many different forms of transit—before it reaches our plates. (Fast Company write up on Food flows between counties in the United States, an open access scholarly article) [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 9:00 PM PST - 7 comments

The Last McDonald's in Iceland [more inside]
posted by peeedro at 7:49 PM PST - 20 comments

Ears, Eyes and Throats: Restored Classic and Lost Punk Films 1976-1981 Includes short films by Richard Gaikowski, DEVO's "The Truth About De-Evolution", The Residents's "Third Reich 'N' Roll", "Hello Skinny", and "One Minute Movies", and more. Full details by restorer Peter Conheim. Part of byNWR's You Ain't No Punk, You Punk issue.
posted by SansPoint at 5:53 PM PST - 12 comments

Ken was not merely dickless by default; the bulge was the result of careful strategizing to which his inventors, businessmen, a psychologist, and Japanese manufacturers all contributed. Despite all this planning, Ken still came to represent things his parent company never intended, as icons tend to do. The story of Ken’s crotch is not merely one of PR, manufacturing, and/or branding—it’s about which realities our culture deems acceptable, and which that it seeks to keep hidden. This goes not just for the doll, but for the man he was named after, Ken Handler, who died in 1994 with major parts of his life airbrushed out of public view. (Rich Juzwiak, Jezebel)
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:41 PM PST - 14 comments

Ministry released an acoustic version of their classic track "Everyday is Halloween" after performing it live in December 2018. Featuring Dave Navarro (of RHCP & Janes Addiction). [more inside]
posted by symbioid at 3:57 PM PST - 7 comments

The programming language named 'Perl 6' is dead. Long live 'Raku'. After almost 20 years of development Larry Wall (Perl's Benevolent Dictator For Life) has pulled a 'Rule 2' on changing the name of 'Perl 6'. At a relatively recent conference, Larry phoned in a message, Larry Wall greeting PerlCon attendees in Riga 2019 that implied that he's now OK with changing the name. [more inside]
posted by zengargoyle at 2:13 PM PST - 54 comments

The NYT has published the NYT and New York Public Library 2019 Best Illustrated Children's Books. Take a look inside to see the list of illustrators (and authors and more of their work). [more inside]
posted by CMcG at 2:10 PM PST - 3 comments

Tuesday’s Election Could Be a Second Blue Wave : On November 5 voters can reject Trump and embrace criminal justice reform, rent control, and democracy in states and cities nationwide. Important races hit the ballot in Tucson, Seattle, New York, San Fransisco, Pittsburgh and more. (The Nation)
posted by The Whelk at 10:12 AM PST - 192 comments

Nige Tassell at The Guardian interviews a Formula One test driver, a warm-up comic, a second-choice goalkeeper, a guitar roadie, and an understudy about what it's like to work in someone else's shadow. "With standup, the crowd has come to see you, or at least a night you are part of. With warm-up, you’re not an expected part of the evening – you’re an appendix or footnote. It’s not the place to experiment with quirky material – the warm-up has to fit with the tone of the show."
posted by adrianhon at 4:37 AM PST - 9 comments