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Mr Medlock and the Classics - "It seems helpful to begin with an outline of what some social democratic goals might be. One description might be competitive egalitarianism. This has two components. Firstly, it recognises that people deserve equal worth, having been brought into this world by the arbitrary lottery of birth - as such, inequality can only be justified on the basis of the Rawlsian difference principle.[1] Secondly, it notes that markets do not exist ab ovo, but instead are moulded by the laws and norms of the land. As such, we can use those laws to produce markets which serve the public interest.[2]" (via) [more inside]
posted by kliuless at 11:59 PM PST - 14 comments

In July, an eight-member Commission of the State of Virginia voted unanimously to remove their statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from the US Capitol building. It was removed this Sunday and will be replaced by a statue memorializing civil rights activist Barbara Johns. In 1951, Johns was 16 when she “led a walkout at her high school to protest poor and unequal school conditions. The moment is one that many historians believe helped launch the desegregation movement in the US.” [more inside]
posted by darkstar at 11:48 PM PST - 25 comments

Holidays from Hell might become a tradition in our household. The improv group Devil's Daughter (a leading Harold team of the recently-closed IO theater - they used to perform every Friday night) has stuck together after the pandemic and the closure of its host theater, funneled money to causes they care about, and put together this mostly-scripted, laid-back show by livestreaming together for about an hour. [more inside]
posted by amtho at 9:05 PM PST - 1 comments

Sometimes 2020 brings good things too. The new Stardew Valley update is out with big content updates. (Verge and engadget) As much as you can read about Stardew Valley, especially the massive wiki. Previously posted is a profile of Eric Barone, the creator.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:28 PM PST - 28 comments

Thousand Year Old Vampire is a solo role-playing game in which you play a vampire gaining and (mostly) losing memories over the course of a millennium, more or less. It won three Ennie awards including a Gold for 'Best Rules' and silver for 'Product of the Year', which probably makes it a contender for the first 'break-out' solo RPG in the already incredibly small world of indie rpgs. What's a solo RPG, you ask, and how do they work? Well, let me spread out some newspapers, and let me explain... [more inside]
posted by kaibutsu at 6:47 PM PST - 8 comments

Peter Jackson has released a preview of his upcoming documentary The Beatles: Get Back due for release next summer (but who really knows?).
posted by octothorpe at 4:31 PM PST - 123 comments

Why are ads for pajamas with a butt flap taking over the internet? Kate Taylor investigates for Business Insider. (CW: nudity [butt cheek, singular])
posted by uncleozzy at 2:27 PM PST - 85 comments

"Bellingcat can now disclose that it and its investigative partners are in possession of a recorded conversation in which a member of the suspected FSB poison squad describes how his unit carried out, and attempted to clean up evidence of, the poisoning of Alexey Navalny. The inadvertent confession was made during a phone call with a person who the officer believed was a high-ranking security official. In fact, the FSB officer did not recognize the voice of the person to whom he was reporting details of the failed mission: Alexey Navalny himself."
posted by benzenedream at 1:52 PM PST - 63 comments

Two Ladybusiness contributors "explore their feels about 'soft' or low-stakes SFF short fiction, and rec a whole bunch of stories for you to enjoy." Links to twenty-two science fiction and fantasy stories that make the recommenders feel soft or hopeful, especially "domestic stories and stories that are good people doing their best".
posted by brainwane at 1:18 PM PST - 17 comments

Neon Genesis Evangelion In 5 Minutes (LIVE ACTION) (Sweded), courtesy of Mega64.
posted by fight or flight at 1:04 PM PST - 22 comments

"[S]ome movies fall off of your radar just because, and that’s what happened for me and “Love Actually.” However, "Love British Style" is now regarded as a Christmas perennial within the online yuppie subdomain, and the content beast must be fed. Hence, I had no choice but to break my accidental embargo and watch it for the first time, end to end. It will not shock you to learn that I enjoyed “Love Actually.” I am, after all, the exact kind of person I routinely mock. But, as in the movie itself, I have a few romantic misunderstandings that must be addressed. Allow me to stammer them out with my trademark plucky charm." "I'm the Last White Person Alive to See Love, Actually and I Have Questions." An exploration by Drew Magary
posted by Navelgazer at 10:43 AM PST - 99 comments

Jupiter and Saturn will be doing a planetary dance tonight, resulting in The Great Conjunction. This will be the closest they have appeared in 400 years. It has also been nicknamed the "Christmas Star". [more inside]
posted by toastyk at 10:37 AM PST - 44 comments

From putting potatoes up your butt to the self-blinding bankrobber, University of Calgary researcher Paul Fairie (who brought Cronk back to life) is preparing for a poll/tournament for 2020's headline of the year. (twitter thread, threadreader link inside). [more inside]
posted by nubs at 9:58 AM PST - 19 comments

Mefi-fave author of The Library Book Susan Orlean confesses she does most of her reading on a Kindle. “I read a lot of books, and I take chances on a lot of them: I’ll come across a promising review and take a plunge. The Kindle has made me more daring that way.” (Medium)
posted by adrianhon at 6:53 AM PST - 137 comments

Inventionis Mater is an Italian duo who interpret the music of Frank Zappa on classical musical instruments. [more inside]
posted by Cardinal Fang at 6:45 AM PST - 8 comments

Fifteen years ago, homestarrunner.com's fictional video game company Videlectrix released Stinkoman, a Flash platformer game starring the "20X6" version of their characters. Eventually the game would end up with nine levels and a promised 10th that was never finished. UNTIL NOW, literally days before browser support for Flash dies forever. The ridiculousness of this timing is not lost on them. You might need to use these instructions to reenable Flash support--very temporarily, of course. (Note that the Flash install page still tries to install bullshit McAfee stuff if you don't uncheck those boxes.) Fortunately you don't need Flash to view the trailer.
posted by JHarris at 1:51 AM PST - 15 comments