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“She sparked a movement and changed the face of pay equity forever” [ap] rest in peace Lilly Ledbetter
posted by HearHere on Oct 17 at 10:55 AM - 30 comments

Student in Bristol, Britain finds scorpion crawling inside Shein parcel. Sofia Alonso-Mossinger found the creature in a bag of boots which she had ordered online.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries on Oct 17 at 7:57 AM - 63 comments

Bots placed in chat room invent meme religion! (SL YouTube) Thank God they chose one of the more auspicious memes, and yes, I mean goatse.
posted by pepcorn on Oct 17 at 7:01 AM - 28 comments

New weight-loss jabs could be given to unemployed people to help them get back into work, Wes Streeting has suggested. The health secretary said “widening waistbands” were placing a burden on the NHS. The latest generation of weight-loss medications, involving drugs such as semaglutide or tirzepatide, could be administered to people in order to get them back into employment, and to ease costs to the health service, he added. from Unemployed could be given weight-loss jabs to get back to work, says Wes Streeting [Grauniad] [more inside]
posted by chavenet on Oct 17 at 1:39 AM - 79 comments

The most efficient ways of improving education in developing countries. "We find that while many interventions are not cost-effective, some of the most cost-effective interventions can deliver the equivalent of over three years of high-quality education (i.e., three years of learning in a high-performing country such as Singapore) for as little as $100 per child. This suggests that despite the huge challenges children and schools face in low- and middle- income countries, from poor health and nutrition of children to weakly performing teachers, the right investments can deliver huge returns, even against the benchmark of the best-performing systems. Some of the most consistently cost-effective approaches include..." [more inside]
posted by storybored on Oct 16 at 9:13 PM - 7 comments

Dungeons & Dragons moves from the dining table to the Sydney Opera House. Dungeons & Dragons games are being played live to packed theatre audiences, including at the Sydney Opera House, as the pastime becomes mainstream.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries on Oct 16 at 8:31 PM - 20 comments

Bedrock Sandals was about to launch their new Mountain Clog. The shipment arrived at US shores, but disappeared on its way to their Montana location. As they tried to find them, they discovered their little sandal company had become one of many targets of an international crime ring. A factual article that reads like a good mystery story.
posted by rednikki on Oct 16 at 8:21 PM - 18 comments

From Best of Redditor Updates, a heartwarming and strangely hilarious (if also bloody) story of a 19 year old looking after his teenage sister while their parents are away. Redditor asks r/AskDocs if he should take his younger sister to the ER for her period due to the excessive bleeding and clotting she's experiencing. (Spoiler alert: everyone is fine.) The good redditors of r/AskDocs tell him absolutely yes, and walk him through getting her to the ER, and he keeps everyone updated through the whole process, which includes such gems as the following: [more inside]
posted by yasaman on Oct 16 at 7:10 PM - 64 comments

On October 15th, 2014, budding Korean-American YouTuber Paul "Barbs" Barbato uploaded a 6-minute guide to the country of Afghanistan. A longtime geography geek disappointed by the lack of country-by-country educational content on the platform, his Geography Now! series set the ambitious goal of making one in-depth episode for all 193 UN-recognized sovereign nations. Following a basic four-part structure (Physical and Political Geography, Demographics, and "The Friendzone" for foreign relations), these initially amateurish episodes slowly expanded in size and scope over time, incorporating motion graphics, increasingly absurd vexillological running gags, myriad side topics, faux-country April Fools, fan content from "Geograpeeps", special correspondents and history skits from eclectic friends from around the world, and even on-location specials in select countries -- deep dives into culture whose breezy humor revealed a deep love for the world and all the people in it. Now, ten years after it started, Barbs has released the final episode in the series: Zimbabwe. While he's implied the channel may evolve into a travel-focused one (perhaps modeled on his moving "Letter to..." series of travelogues), for now you can check out the completed A-Z playlist on YouTube to experience the impressive journey for yourself.
posted by Rhaomi on Oct 16 at 1:31 PM - 6 comments

This is kind of cheating: fan made remix of Aespa - Drama with a Djent backing, but the best K-Pop acts have always felt kind of metal, so it's cool. [more inside]
posted by signal on Oct 16 at 1:24 PM - 7 comments

A 30-year-old carpenter from Vancouver approaches the Royal Bank of Canada and says, “I want to buy a house. Can I take a loan against my portfolio?” A representative from RBC’s Private Bank raises an eyebrow as he reviews a portfolio consisting of millions in Tesla call options, before shaking his hand, saying, “Of course!” and setting him up with a financial advisor. A few months later, this carpenter is calling his RBC-appointed financial advisor, instructing him to buy C$75 million in weekly Tesla call options. Of course the advisor complies: it’s the client’s money, after all! And those call options represent trading fees. Then Tesla tanked, and DeVocht took a C$20 million personal loan from his own LLC to try to “recoup the losses” by trading his personal account, which went about as well as you’d expect. from How a Canadian carpenter became an options trader, made $300 million, and then went bust [Sherwood]
posted by chavenet on Oct 16 at 12:17 PM - 51 comments

"I guess we were both hungry for company, what with the physical distancing and all, because she lingered and I lingered too." "The Fake Birdhouses of Springville" by Amy Johnson, published March 2024, is a short, sweet piece of fantasy fiction that starts "on a warm summer day of 2020.... a third of the way through my route delivering supplies to the elderly and other pandemic-homebound for our local mutual aid society". Worm, a woman who's "always had an affinity for small creatures", finds her kindness unexpectedly repaid.
posted by brainwane on Oct 16 at 10:59 AM - 8 comments

"The Harvey Awards are an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the best & brightest, helping new readers, current fans, booksellers, retailers and librarians distinguish the best comics of the year as voted on by their peers.” And the nominees are... [more inside]
posted by CMcG on Oct 16 at 9:50 AM - 10 comments

Rather than migrants displaced by war or natural disaster, she likens Canada’s encampment residents to economic refugees, internally displaced by an acute cost-of-living crisis and a housing shortage. She also notes that refugee camps are supposed to be temporary. But of course they can last for years, as long as the emergency that creates them, and Canada’s affordability problems appear only to be worsening. [more inside]
posted by Kitteh on Oct 16 at 7:36 AM - 39 comments

Sharks smash sea urchins in discovery that could help in battle with invasive pest. Researchers uncover unexpected findings after sharks munch far more voraciously on the spiky sea creatures left out "on a platter" for the invasive creature's known predators, lobsters.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries on Oct 16 at 7:12 AM - 5 comments

“There’s not going to be a fair (shoe), no one product that affects everyone the same,” says Yong. “Everyone’s biomechanics are different. Unfortunately, this is a part of the sport. If you really wanted to be fair, everyone should be running naked in bare feet. You don’t have any expensive clothes or shoes, but that’s obviously not where we’re at.” from How ‘shoe doping’ changed marathon times forever – in ways we still don’t fully understand [The Athletic; ungated] [more inside]
posted by chavenet on Oct 16 at 1:17 AM - 40 comments

Via Allan Rose Hill at boingboing.net and r/vintageobscura, the following musical performance submitted for your approval... [more inside]
posted by UhOhChongo! on Oct 15 at 11:51 PM - 4 comments

Photographers looking for Aurora Australis capture mysterious phenomenon Steve instead. People looking for the Aurora Australis have been surprised to see another phenomenon lighting up the night sky — and it goes by the name Steve.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries on Oct 15 at 7:53 PM - 13 comments

Talking about something completely different, Cabel Sasser wants you to look at this thing. Look at it I did, and I am still having the warm and fuzzy feelings. [more inside]
posted by weft on Oct 15 at 3:44 PM - 32 comments

Choose your flourish carefully. For this band of material shall bind your fate. A fun little Halloween game from the delightful webcomic Crow Time by secondlina.
posted by Pallas Athena on Oct 15 at 3:18 PM - 12 comments