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An Oral History of the Great San Diego Fireworks Fail of 2012 (previously)
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 11:32 PM PST - 23 comments

How well do masks work? (YouTube: It's Okay To Be Smart). Quite well, of course, if worn properly, and Schlieren photography (Wikipedia) gives a great visualization of just how well they do.
posted by biogeo at 11:17 PM PST - 36 comments

Descendents of Frederick Douglass read his 4th of July speech. In this speech, to an abolitionist group, Douglass questions the celebration of freedom, for in 1852, was not granted to him. [more inside]
posted by zabuni at 7:52 PM PST - 6 comments

My relationship with Jordan has taught me more about race than any protest or rally ever could.

Genevieve Roth on unknown privilege.
posted by dfm500 at 6:48 PM PST - 24 comments

"...the bailout ‘has been described as a stimulus’ but it is ‘more accurately’ for ‘stability and relief’. It is better understood, that is, as an instrument for enabling non-financial and financial businesses to continue along the path they had already been taking—to the extent indeed they wished to do so—by placing money in their hands without conditions on how they should spend it, rather than burdened by conditions designed to set them on another path." Robert Brenner, NLR
posted by blue shadows at 5:59 PM PST - 6 comments

Jay and Josh from Red Letter Media talk about UHF, the only feature film vehicle for Weird Al Yankovic.
posted by Pendragon at 4:32 PM PST - 37 comments

Pet Shop Boys recently released remastered HD versions of 5 of their classic videos: Domino Dancing, West End Girls, What Have I Done To Deserve This?, It's A Sin, Go West. YouTube Playlist
posted by hippybear at 12:50 PM PST - 20 comments

The pandemic and the protests inspire works of lamentation and rage. African-Americans are severely underrepresented in classical music, although you wouldn’t necessarily know it from the frequency with which people of color are now featured in promotional brochures. Online discussions in the wake of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests have made clear how uncomfortable the role of a black classical musician can be. [more inside]
posted by Ahmad Khani at 11:49 AM PST - 5 comments

Seriously, all about bison. Exactly what it says on the tin. Bison!
posted by mygothlaundry at 11:24 AM PST - 15 comments

The Last of Us Part 2 proves gaming doesn’t know how to deal with muscular women by Patricia Hernandez [Polygon] “Abby, a new character introduced in The Last of Us Part 2, does not fit the mold. Her face is anchored by a square jaw, which gives her visage a wider look — at least, compared to the heart-shaped face that defines most women in games. Perhaps most notably, Abby is buff. Your eyes are drawn to her chest and muscular arms, which, according to The Last of Us Part 2, she worked very hard across multiple years to beef up. [...] It’s been baffling to see some of the popular dissenting opinion on the game, which often directed against Abby. Part of the dislike seems unavoidable: The Last of Us Part 2 asks you to play as a character who is fundamentally opposed to the heroes we’ve spent hours learning to love and protect. Abby is a hard sell, and that would be true no matter what she looked like. But much of the hate visible on social media isn’t just about the story and Abby’s likability compared to Ellie and Joel, it’s fixated on Abby’s jacked-up body. [And the voice actor who played her]” [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 9:44 AM PST - 74 comments