July 22, 2020
Magical Girls as Metaphor: Why coded queer narratives still have value
To me, queerness is about all of these things: transformation, growth, family, love, solidarity, self-determination, collective strength, and building a better world. Taken to be true, it makes perfect sense that magical girl and idol anime felt queer to their very core ten years ago, and feel exactly the same to me now. [more inside]
"In Defense of Our Teachers..."
Most schools already struggle from a lack of resources; how could they possibly afford the mountain of safety measures that will need to be in place? Dave Grohl on remote learning in the Fall
C^h^e^s^s
A classroom without walls
The Last BronyCOrN
The Last Bronycon: a fandom autopsy. Jenny Nicholson dissects the Brony Fandom in an easily digestible list, as she is known to do. She tracks the beginnings of Bronydom on 4chan as ironic fandom and its evolution into a community of genuine fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that are mostly male. [more inside]
The COVID-45 Summer
On Tuesday, the US reported more than 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths for the first time since May 29, and on Monday, Axios reported on the surge in coronavirus hospitalizations. Also on Tuesday, The Guardian reports Trump said the pandemic “will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better,” and urged Americans to wear masks, but laid out no strategy for how to reverse the country’s recent rise in new cases. In the meantime, the Guardian reports on a recent Axios-Ipsos poll finding the US public is increasingly skeptical of the Covid-19 death toll, even as public health experts, including those interviewed by Scientific American, explain how coronavirus death tolls are likely an underestimate. However, USA Today reports we'll need enormous numbers of Americans to test COVID-19 vaccines, and a 'very encouraging' 138,600 have signed up. [more inside]
820 South Michigan Ave
Photographer Barbara Karant's project "820 Ebony/Jet" is a visual time capsule of the "core essence of the Johnson Publishing Company, the most influential African American–owned corporation of its day, and home to Ebony and Jet magazines. The 11- story building in downtown Chicago was designed by Black architect John Moutoussamy and the custom interiors showcased in the September 1972 issue of Ebony. [more inside]
RIP Tim Smith
Tim Smith, the charismatic frontman of influential British rock band Cardiacs, has died at the age of 59.
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