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It's your (late) Monday free thread! [more inside]
posted by Gorgik at 10:27 PM PST - 95 comments

The company turning french fries into eco-friendly cling wrap. The plant-based bio-wrap industry is challenging the dominance of petroleum-based plastics, as consumers become increasingly willing to pay for environmentally friendly alternatives.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:41 PM PST - 10 comments

Equip Me OT [Occupational Therapist] Lindsay DeLong has tips galore on using medical equipment at home, diy hacks & modifications, and recommended items for people with mobility & accessibility needs (Youtube & Instagram). For example, the posts on Getting Dressed After a Shoulder Injury and Getting In/Out of Bed After Hip Replacement, and the YT videos How to Sleep in a Recliner (goal is to prevent injury or permanent postural changes to the spine and other joints from prolonged recliner sleep) and How to Shower After a Mastectomy.
posted by spamandkimchi at 6:40 PM PST - 13 comments

FORTY YEARS AGO TODAY: With the Kansas City Royals trailing 4–3 in the top half of the ninth inning and two out, future Hall-Of-Famer third baseman George Brett hit a two-run home run off of "Goose" Gossage (also a future Hall of Famer) to give his team the lead. Yankees manager Billy Martin, who had noticed a large amount of pine tar on Brett's bat, requested that the umpires inspect his bat. Home plate umpire Tim McClelland ruled that the amount on the bat exceeded what was allowed, nullified Brett's home run, and called him out. Brett, having already rounded the bases and returned to the dugout, launched himself towards home plate in a rage, requiring his manager and teammates to drag him screaming and cursing away from McClelland... but the story doesn't end there. [more inside]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 5:09 PM PST - 60 comments

The Plastic Feminism of Barbie [yt] [more inside]
posted by paimapi at 3:59 PM PST - 73 comments

CW: Spoilers! A 1989 song about soul searching has maintained cultural relevance for three decades, but the band has also long been the target of homophobic jokes. Fans are savoring a moment of vindication. [more inside]
posted by praemunire at 1:45 PM PST - 52 comments

Maybe you heard the This American Life episode about it. Maybe you saw the Broadway musical about it. Well, the 1997 documentary Hands On A Hardbody [1h37m, Wikipedia] can be viewed on YouTube! Explore humanity through watching people slowly lose their minds as they stay awake for days on end trying to win a truck. [more inside]
posted by hippybear at 10:18 AM PST - 36 comments

Last year's Dutch wheelchair skills contest had me looking for events in my neighbourhood. Many individual contestants have their own videos you can watch, or you can check out the Wheelchair Skills Team website (in Dutch). [more inside]
posted by narcissus_and_ambrosia at 9:02 AM PST - 5 comments

In the war in Ukraine, the Ukrainian counteroffensive is still going on, but with slower progress than many in the West had come to expect. Professor Phillips O'Brien tries to put it into perspective, and War on the Rocks has some musings on the future of offensive warfare. Respected analysts Micheal Kofman and Rob Lee have visited with the Ukrainian military, and the preliminary conclusion is that they have a number of challenges, including scaling up offensive operations. Their report is not ready, but you can hear some initial thoughts. Russian fortifications including minefields are holding up well to direct attack, and the focus is on reducing Russian combat power with artillery, now using the somewhat controversial cluster munitions provided by the USA. There have been a couple of deep strikes into Crimea, and the hit on a fuel depot caused the full closure of the already-damaged Kerch bridge. [more inside]
posted by Harald74 at 2:54 AM PST - 352 comments

You just have to mention the words Yahoo boys to a Nigerian and watch their reaction to understand how deeply embedded scammers have become in the national conversation. A lot of people see them as young men who’ve chosen a life of crime, preying on foreigners and marring Nigeria’s reputation ... There’s another side to public opinion, however, one that sees Yahoo boys as young men pushed to the brink by their circumstances. from The Romance Scammer on My Sofa [Atavist; ungated]
posted by chavenet at 2:52 AM PST - 34 comments

"Agroecology often defines itself as bottom-up learning, and by looking at the bottom and going up through this graph, we can see that this system is an iterative process that begins with farmer experience stewarding land-based and water-based crops, as well as a managing a diversity of animal relationship types and collaborative efforts." [more inside]
posted by Rhedyn at 1:49 AM PST - 5 comments