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The US Election night isn't over, but the server's capacity to serve tonight's original election thread is, so we're kicking open a new one right here. Hold on to your butts, folks, and be good to each other; see also a MetaTalk logistics thread, and you can hang out in Chat for more free-form chatter; let's try to keep this focused on updates about the national race.
comment posted at 4:41 AM on Nov-9-16

While the USA's reputation has taken a hit lately, it's good to remember that many living there are just decent human beings going about their job. Themed "Keep Walking America," this particular road trip is powered by a heartfelt spoken-word rendition of "This Land Is Your Land," Woody Guthrie's iconic 1940 celebration of social justice and inclusion. Voiceover artist Rommel Molina provides the narration, including some phrases in Spanish, during the 90-second spot below. His lightly accented recitation, plainly stated yet intense and yearning, speaks volumes about the American experience.
comment posted at 9:40 AM on Nov-8-16

Janet Reno dies at 78. She was the first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney General. Here are Time's six things that she will be remembered for (spoilers): the first woman, the Waco siege, prosecuting the 1993 WTC bombers, being open about her Parkinson's disease, intervening in the Elián González case, and being played by Will Ferrell on SNL.
comment posted at 8:14 AM on Nov-7-16

In 2014, to mark the 90th birthday of Robert Frank (previously), the Aperture Foundation commissioned "Alec Soth, Billy Bragg, and Joe Purdy to take a road trip and create a live performance of music, photography, and video. They drove from Rock Island, Illinois, to Little Rock, Arkansas, performing and gathering material along the way." This trip would go on to inspire Bragg to team up with Joe Henry to record Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad. "The two hopped on an Amtrak train and recorded these songs acoustically at various stations and junctures around the country." NPR Tiny Desk Concerts: Billy Bragg and Joe Henry perform "Rock Island Line" and other songs from Shine a Light.
comment posted at 2:39 PM on Oct-29-16

Even assuming the unlikely possibility Park Geun-hye might not have had the discernment to know firsthand (unlikely because she grew up in the lap of luxury,) the obvious cheapness of Park's clothes and bags even made the news. Yet nothing came of it. Choi Soon-sil dressed Park Geun-hye liked an unwanted doll, and Park, the president of the country, did not care.

Ask a Korean attempts to explain the current South Korean presidential corruption scandal and why it shocked the country more than previous such scandals.
comment posted at 1:54 PM on Oct-29-16

Eleven days to go. Since last time, Donald announced his first 100 days of actions, but still dislikes Jeb and John, while Hillary considers Texas and (post-birthday) speaks with Michelle (post title from speech) in North Carolina, early voting is happening, and Barack has nice approval ratings (though not everywhere). In the polls, 538 reckons Donald needs a sweep of swing states, GOP "insiders" think there are secret Trump voters, another release shows ties in Georgia and Iowa, and in perhaps less reliable data, Donald has a huge lead. While social media rages and schools have concerns about being polling stations, Wikileaks continues to drip-feed mundane emails, the FBI writes a vague letter about other emails (rebuttal), Colin Powell declares for Hillary, a 'Victory Bus' tours (gallery), Evan and Mindy continue to draw support across Utah, and therapists and patients describe election stress.
comment posted at 1:26 PM on Oct-28-16

The moment we get too uppity and start demanding anything other than commitments to the further brutalisation of foreign people at the hands of the state, they will turn on us just as quickly as they do on our non-native neighbours. We will be shifted from the frame where we are honest hard working salt of the earth noble peasants, to the frame where we are obese thick scroungers suitable only to be mocked on a Channel 5 docusoap.

McDuff on how the fetishisation of the very real concerns of the (white) working class in British politics doesn't extend outside of providing cover for racists.
comment posted at 6:49 AM on Oct-27-16
comment posted at 9:57 AM on Oct-27-16

Peter Thiel[readme] (Paypal inventor, venture capitalist, libertarian, vampire, techno-optimist, futurist, tranhumanist, lawsuit-machine finanicier and inflation-predicting billionaire) is supporting Donald Trump for President of the United States, and thinks America made a (one of many) wrong turn granting women the vote. Why?
This has made some of his compatriots in Silicon Valley (and New York, but not Chicago) anxious.
comment posted at 4:34 PM on Oct-26-16

The Oxford University Press, upon the recommendation of a panel of 23 international scholars and extensive data analysis, has decided to give co-author credit of the three Henry VI plays to Christopher Marlowe.
comment posted at 7:47 AM on Oct-26-16
comment posted at 9:15 AM on Oct-26-16
comment posted at 10:01 AM on Oct-26-16
comment posted at 11:57 AM on Oct-26-16
comment posted at 7:22 PM on Oct-26-16

"Narcissus was a man who was so in love with himself that he fell in love with his own reflection. No one else was good enough for him. He stared into the pool, and eventually wasted away." But that's not the whole story.
comment posted at 10:50 AM on Oct-25-16

HBO's Class Divide is a documentary that profiles the neighborhood of West Chelsea, New York, and in particular focuses on the housing projects that sit across the street from Avenues: The World School, a private school with an entrance fee of $50,000 per year.
comment posted at 8:12 AM on Oct-25-16

OCTOBER 22ND IS INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY!!1!!!!!! EVERY YEAR WE GET TOGETHER AND MAKE SALMON FOR TOAST, EVERY YEAR WE GET A CROCKETY BLOAT, EVERY YEAR WE GET DRUNK ON THE DOCKS, AND EVERY YEAR WE HAVE SEX WITH OUR CAPS LOCKS!!!!
comment posted at 7:35 AM on Oct-22-16

Drugslab is an educational YouTube channel about drugs. On this YouTube channel we will take in the drugs you want us to try. We do this in the name of science so we can show you what the effects of drugs are on the human body. ... Besides our weekly experiment, we provide you of safe methods of use, safe doses, the effects, the risks and very useful do's and don'ts when high on drugs. Given by experienced epicureans. Light it up people, in the name of science! Peace. Dutch language, English subtitles, links inside.
comment posted at 12:24 PM on Oct-21-16

A look at Arno Schmidt's challenging 1970 work Bottom's Dream, newly translated into English.
comment posted at 11:26 AM on Oct-21-16

It runs (in the northern hemisphere) from November to March, though culturally it kicks off when Starbucks change their menu to pumpkin spice; people who would rather be single or promiscuous start looking for someone to attach themselves to for the cold winter months. How to handle ‘Cuffing Season’
comment posted at 7:14 AM on Oct-15-16

Fifteen months ago, Donald declared and we commented; two months earlier, Hillary did likewise. And now, here we are near the end of an divisive and damaging election. As Donald's campaign struggles under many allegations [BBC] [NBC News] [Guardian] [New York Times] and increased conversation on abuse, Hillary pulls out a 7 point lead in a Fox poll, a gap in the Real Clear Politics poll average and a large victory chance in 538 (though, cautionary words about poll bounces). Michelle Obama spoke about the language of this election (FPP title from her speech) [BBC] [New Yorker] [Washington Post] and in The Guardian: "She lent her extraordinary ability to say what people are feeling to every English-speaking woman in the world". Elsewhere, Trump-stooge Chris Christie is facing a criminal summons and Utah could be a three-way race which leads to a small possibility of President Evan.
comment posted at 12:12 PM on Oct-14-16

July 1939. The world teetered on the brink of war as Hitler menaced Poland. The 11 millionth visitor passed through the turnstiles of the New York World’s Fair. Baseball fans still reeled after Lou Gehrig’s “luckiest man” speech at Yankee Stadium. But many Americans could think only of Donn Fendler, a 12-year-old boy lost on Mount Katahdin in Maine, the object of a frantic search and rescue operation that dragged on for nine days, monopolizing the radio airwaves and newspaper headlines.
comment posted at 12:18 PM on Oct-12-16

Outside of work, she mostly hangs out at home with Grose and the producer’s younger sister, eating pigs in a blanket and watching The Real Housewives; she and her Marine ex-boyfriend broke up when she moved for the job. She doesn’t have time to go out that much anyway, unlike the Dallas “nerds” she describes partying every night on their parents’ money. She never had any of that, and anyway, she has a show to write.

Kyle Chayka writes for The Ringer on controversial 24-year-old conservative sensation, Tomi Lahren
comment posted at 10:46 AM on Oct-12-16

As we stand four weeks to election day, we know more about the candidates, and it's not good. Things have also recently not been great for Donald; following the taped revelations of last week, involving yet another (and now dismissed) member of the Bush dynasty, a fiery and ugly debate ensued (MetaFilter). Since then, he has marched increasingly alone; Paul Ryan has all but unendorsed him, John McCain has had enough, a lot of other Republicans are doing their own thing, and his friends are mainly the apologist Ben Carson, Rudy Giuliani, a 'coward' in Florida, and Wikileaks and dubious Russian information services (leading perhaps to a campaign event cancellation).
comment posted at 2:58 PM on Oct-11-16
comment posted at 3:25 PM on Oct-11-16
comment posted at 11:34 AM on Oct-12-16

Previously, we thought that the offshore world was a shadowy, but minor, part of our economic system. What we learned from the Panama Papers is that it is the economic system.
comment posted at 9:14 AM on Oct-11-16

One month before Election Day, with the Trump campaign reeling from enough October Surprises to fill an advent calendar, the Washington Post's intrepid David Fahrenthold has landed what may be the mortal blow: vulgar 2005 footage of the Republican nominee bragging about his sexual abuse of married women, just months after marrying his third wife, Melania. "When you’re a star, they let you do it," the future presidential candidate declares. "Grab 'em by the p***y. You can do anything." The bombshell has forced GOP leaders to recoil from Trump and issue a parade of rebukes, with Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz revoking support, House Speaker Paul Ryan cancelling a joint rally, and top donors pulling funds and demanding a new candidate. Hours after a terse press release from the then-59-year-old calling it "locker room banter," Trump released a rare apology in a midnight video maligning the Clintons while vowing to attend the presidential town hall debate Sunday. Betting markets aren't so sure. Unfortunately for the GOP, there’s no longer any way to boot Donald Trump from the ballot.
comment posted at 5:31 AM on Oct-8-16
comment posted at 8:31 AM on Oct-8-16
comment posted at 9:56 AM on Oct-8-16

Move Over, Rats. New York Is Planning an Underground Park. If you can't build it out or up, then for fuck's sake build it below.
comment posted at 2:05 PM on Oct-7-16

Women all over the world are coming forward to say it: I regret having my children.
Honesty this surprising and inconvenient breeds harsh backlash wherever it goes. In response to Dutton's Daily Mail story, some comments were vicious. "What an utterly miserable, cold-hearted and selfish woman," noted one. Another was astonished "such a vile creature could exist." Some have even accused these mothers of committing child abuse for daring to utter such thoughts.
comment posted at 9:35 AM on Oct-7-16

My Shattered Istanbul , Selin Thomas
comment posted at 8:17 AM on Oct-6-16

The highly acclaimed magazine mental_floss will publish its last edition this month. Executive Editor Foster Kamer shares his thoughts on its demise and the mountain of spam that he had to wade through to assemble the letters section each month.
comment posted at 7:40 AM on Oct-5-16

At the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida, Jesus is crucified most afternoons around 5 p.m. On the day I visited last fall, things were humming along right on time, if remarkably quickly. Six minutes after the redeemer’s bloodied corpse was carried into the tomb, a shout—“I am alive!”—proclaimed his return. A gold-spangled, virile-looking Jesus emerged from a cloud of smoke to announce that the sick shall be healed, and then kicked off a Hallelujah dance party.
comment posted at 1:14 PM on Oct-4-16

The story of The Red Shoes, by way of '70s disco phenom Boney M. And also sarcastic animators.
comment posted at 6:27 AM on Oct-1-16

Long before Auschwitz, long before Treblinka and Sobibor, there was Babi Yar—the sprawling ravine on the outskirts of Kyiv where the Nazis, with support from the locals, murdered 33,771 Jews in a two-day killing spree on September 29 and 30, 1941. The Holocaust as the “final solution” began here, in Ukraine and other Soviet territories. Over the fall of 1941 the number of victims at Babi Yar grew to 100,000, to include, beside the Jews, the mentally ill, Roma, Ukrainian nationalists, Communists, and other undesirables.

comment posted at 11:47 AM on Sep-30-16

2016 will be the year that carbon dioxide officially passed the symbolic 400 ppm mark, never to return below it in our lifetimes. In the centuries to come, history books will likely look back on September 2016 as a major milestone for the world’s climate.
comment posted at 6:49 AM on Sep-30-16

In the wake of the first presidential debate Monday night, which was widely recognized as a Clinton win even by the Republicans, polls in swing states have begun to swing back toward Clinton and even Nate Silver is calming down a bit.
comment posted at 11:22 AM on Sep-29-16

"If, in SOCOM’s accounting, the United States has engaged in relatively few actual wars, don’t credit “deterrence.” Instead, the command has done its best to simply redefine war out of existence, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, in favor of those “gray zone challenges.” If one accepts that quasi-wars are actually war, then the Defense Department has done little to deter conflict. The United States has, in fact, been involved in some kind of military action — by SOCOM’s definition — in every year since 1980." How's successful has the US been in achieving those aims, reducing conflict, and actually succeeding in it's objectives? Face it, America doesn't win a lot of wars.
comment posted at 1:03 PM on Sep-29-16
comment posted at 2:33 PM on Sep-29-16

There’s a viral and ironic trend that i’ve been lately noticing in and beyond my TQPOC community: my wealthier friends own everything but their class privilege. I couldn’t “be myself” in a space built for people like me. I couldn’t identify with people I shared identities with. The identity that significantly affects my daily life was erased in a culture that consumes identity politics. The only times my anti-capitalist housemates mentioned class was when it was theoretical and not about them personally, as if being marginalized makes you entitled to know how every kind of oppression feels. It’s easy to hide behind your oppression.
comment posted at 3:34 PM on Sep-28-16

"Summer is the time for sunshine, sudsy brews and sandwiches of the hot dog variety. And of course, that classic game. The sport of kings. Baseball. What better way to celebrate America’s pastime than that classic sportswriter trope of visiting all 30 MLB parks in 30 days. Crossing the country, seeing the sights and catching a ballgame or two along the way. My trusty editor set up an itinerary and sent me on my way. What wonders will I encounter and valuable lessons will I learn along the way? Let’s find out as I embark on this adventure into America’s pastime!" -- A tribute to the great parks by the inimitable Ethan Booker
comment posted at 1:42 PM on Sep-28-16

Alligators hiss and bellow, and crocodiles, same thing. If you can hear them, they're around...
comment posted at 11:16 AM on Sep-27-16

"...Adding to the tragedy, is that this disaster went almost completely unnoticed by the public as later that day another, more “newsworthy” tragedy would befall the nation when beloved President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. The Staten Island Ferry Disaster Museum hopes to correct this oversight by preserving the memory of those lost in this tragedy and educating the public about the truth behind the only known giant octopus-ferry attack in the tri-state area."
comment posted at 7:38 AM on Sep-25-16

On a sunny morning in the winter of 2011, Dennis Cronin parked his truck by the side of a dirt logging road, laced up his spike-soled cork boots, put on his red cargo vest and orange hard hat, and stepped into the trees. As he waded through the thigh-high undergrowth, something caught his attention: a Douglas fir, poking up through the forest’s canopy and with a trunk wider than his truck. It was one of the tallest trees he had ever come across in his four decades in the logging industry. Cronin reached into his vest pocket for a ribbon he rarely used, tore off a strip, and tied it to a thin root protruding from the base of the trunk. The tape wasn’t pink or orange but green, and along its length were the words “Leave Tree.”

comment posted at 5:40 AM on Sep-24-16

Sarah Marshall explores Why America Will Never Stop Trying To Solve JonBenét Ramsey’s Murder:

In her CNN appearance, even Patsy Ramsey described JonBenét’s death not just as a personal loss, but as part of an overarching sense that Americans had lost something larger . . . . In this case, ["justice"] does not mean that JonBenét Ramsey will come back to life, that she will grow up, that she will experience the childhood she had barely begun. It means, instead, that her death will finally be part of a story that makes sense, and that gives the public the sense of comfort that only such a story can provide.

comment posted at 2:38 PM on Sep-23-16

Even before Pearl Harbor Day, thousands of young American men had taken to the skies, resolved to thwart Hitler’s goals. But to the United States, these men weren’t yet heroes — they were, arguably, dissidents. To join the war, they first chose to defect — to Canada.
comment posted at 3:29 PM on Sep-22-16

White people do not think in terms of we. White people have the privilege to interact with the social and political structures of our society as individuals. You are “you,” I am “one of them.” Writer John Metta on how Black people have learned it's pointless to talk to white people about race.
comment posted at 9:48 AM on Sep-21-16

What I Pledge Allegiance To. "I am a black Mississippian. I am a black American. I pledge to never be passive, patriotic, or grateful in the face of American abuse. I pledge to always thoughtfully bite the self-righteous American hand that thinks it’s feeding us. I pledge to perpetually reckon with the possibility that there will never be any liberty, peace, and justice for all unless we accept that America, like Mississippi, is not clean. Nor is it great. Nor is it innocent." -- Author Kiese Laymon, Professor of English and African American Studies at the University of Mississippi
comment posted at 3:02 PM on Sep-21-16