Black Lives Matter

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 16-22, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve! Get your mental corn popping in anticipation of a lovely weekend!

Laurel Wamsley: prosecutor says deputies were justified in their fatal shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. NPR

The University of Washington reveals that almost all kinds of air pollution affect people of color hardest. Futurity

Khari Johnson: Black and queer AI groups say they’ll spurn Google funding. Wired

Fedora Abu introduces us to Britain’s first Black aristocrats. BBC

Kim Tran shows you the Asian American activism you won’t see on Instagram. Refinery 29

Geeta Pandey reports that India’s holiest river Ganges is swollen with covid victims. BBC

You can’t prove everything is true. Veritasium

Yuliya Talmazan reveals that BBC’s Martin Bashir used “deceitful” methods to secure Princess Diana interview. NBC

The neuroscience of tongue-twisters. SciShow Psych

Randy Pascal: Alex Baumann adds voice to Laurentian pool discussion. The Sudbury Star

Kayla Barron joins NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission to space station. NASA

What the crater from the extinction of the dinosaurs taught us about Mars. SciShow Space

Sierra Garcia wonders what green hydrogen will mean for international relations. JSTOR Daily

Patrick Barkham introduces us to the farmers putting trees back into UK fields. The Guardian

Related: Olivia Box also touts silvopasture, or, why are there cows in the woods? JSTOR Daily

Karen Zamora explains how a fungus is making cicadas sex-crazy (side-effect, dismemberment). NPR

Richard Luscombe says that sharks use Earth’s magnetic field as guidance system. The Guardian

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 9-15, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

‘Tis time, once again, to get your mental corn popping!

Tsione Wolde-Michael: we should think differently about racist monuments. Hyperallergic

Britni de la Cretaz reports that at least four transgender women of color were killed within ten days. Them

Mary Louise Kelly, Karen Zamora, and Amy Isackson want us to meet America’s newest chess master, 10-year-old Tanitoluwa Adewumi. NPR

Joal Stein: spatial abolition and disability justice. Public Books

Nidal Al-mughrabi and Jeffery Heller: Jerusalem violence leads to rockets, air strikes. Reuters

Why do we have bright ideas in the shower? SciShow Psych

Pete Evans: Greyhound Canada shutting down all bus service permanently. CBC

Perseverance’s robotic arm begins to conduct science. NASA

Adam Mann wonders, is Mars ours? The New Yorker

Joanna Partridge reports that electric cars will be cheaper to produce than fossil fuel vehicles by 2027. The Guardian

Patrick Whittle: Vineyard Wind project key to clean energy, is approved. Associated Press

Rebecca Mead reveals the mysterious origins of the Cerne Abbas Giant. The New Yorker

Oliver Milman reports that a forest the size of France regrown worldwide over 20 years. The Guardian

Thanks for visiting. I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 2-8, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Let’s get your mental corn popping people!

Becky Sullivan: family and civil rights leaders mourn Andrew Brown Jr. at funeral. NPR

Emily Shapiro and Marlene Lenthang: Atlanta officer fired after fatally shooting Rayshard Brooks has been reinstated. CBS News

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor considers the emerging movement for police and prison abolition. The New Yorker

Mohammed Elnaiem: the “deviant” African genders that colonialism condemned. JSTOR Daily

Paulina Cachero and Olivia B. Waxman compile 11 moments from Asian American history you should know. Time

Lam Thuy Vo: when their community suffered, these Asian Americans stepped up (where the government didn’t). Documented

Krystal Vasquez says, a disability shouldn’t be a death sentence during a natural disaster. Environmental Health News

Dhruv Khullar takes us inside India’s covid-19 surge. The New Yorker

Erica X Eisen reveals Georgian Britain’s anti-vaxxer movement: “The mark of the beast.” The Public Domain Review

Richard A Friedman says, you might be depressed now, but don’t underestimate your resilience. The New York Times

Why the Millennial vs. GenZ war needs to end. The Take

Kim Fahner: Laurentian is in pieces—those pieces need to be put back together with care. Sudbury.com

More Ingenuity. This time with sound! NASA JPL

Morgan McFall-Johnsen reports that SpaceX has safely landed four astronauts in the ocean for NASA, completing the US’s longest human spaceflight. Insider

Taylor Lorenz: what is cheugy? You’ll know it when you see it. The New York Times

Dorothy Woodend: “Mother Trees” are real. They model sharing and generosity. The Tyee

Why are we warm blooded? It’s okay to be smart

GDT nature photographer of the year 2021. The Guardian

Thanks for visiting. I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 25-May 1, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

Let’s get your mental corn popping, shall we?

Alanna Durkin Richer and Lindsay Whitehurst: 1 verdict, and then 6 police killings across America in 24 hours. Associated Press

Ibram X. Kendi: compliance will not save me. The Atlantic

Judas and the Black Messiah, Explained – Self-Preservation Won’t Save You. The Take

Chi Luu: how being polite with the police can backfire. JSTOR Daily

Mimi Fox Melton and Karla Monterosso: if you want a truly equitable workplace, get over your fear of conflict. Fast Company

Michael Luo relates the forgotten history of the purging of Chinese from America. The New Yorker

Ryan Lenora Brown: Séverine Autesserre has seen peacekeeping fail. Here’s her advice on getting it right. Christian Science Monitor

I Kissed a Girl: the messy legacy of a queerbait hit. Melina Pendulum

Matthew Wills: eighteenth-century spies in the European silk industry. JSTOR Daily

Rachael Stephen shares some tools for soothing and survival.

Oliver Burkeman explores the idea of the clockwork universe: is free will an illusion? The Guardian

Gordon Johnston highlights the pink supermoon April 26 and celestial events over the next month. NASA Solar System Exploration

April’s “pink” supermoon around the world—in pictures. The Guardian

Calla Cofield: astronomers release new all-sky map of the Milky Way. NASA

Nina Munteanu wants you to watch Borealis.

Kate Kellaway interviews tree whisperer, Suzanne Simard: “They get along, they listen—they’re attuned.” The Guardian

Guy Kawasaki has a conversation about conservation with Dr. Jane Goodall. Remarkable People Podcast

Sophia Quaglia reports that scientists find a way to remove polluting micro-plastics with bacteria. The Guardian

Royce Kurmelov explains how solar power continues to shock the world. The Guardian

Communication while dreaming. SciShow Psych

Tessa Vikander: beavers chew through a 4.5-inch-thick tube, disrupting power to 900 BC customers. CTV

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 18-24, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time, once again, to get your mental corn popping.

Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Justice served. CBC

Vanessa Romo: Ma’Khia Bryant shot by Columbus police. NPR

Aymann Ismail says, there’s a reason this keeps happening in Minnesota. Slate

Frederick Joseph: the fact that the officer who shot Daunte Wright is a white woman matters. White supremacy isn’t just about white men. Cosmopolitan

Mitch Dudek: Adam Toledo remembered as a kid with a big imagination and an affinity for shows about zombies. Chicago Sun Times

Madeline Holcombe and Dakin Andone: the US has reported at least 50 mass shootings since Atlanta. CNN

Robert P Baird examines the invention of whiteness: the long history of a dangerous idea. The Guardian

Lauren Frayer relates how India went from a ray of hope to a world record for the most covid cases in a single day. NPR

Gina Kolato explains how Kati Kariko helped shield the world from coronavirus. The New York Times

David Treuer says, return national parks to the tribes. The Atlantic

How ocean currents work (and how we’re breaking them). It’s okay to be smart

Emma Newburger: here’s what countries pledged at Biden’s global climate summit. NBC

Molly Taft presents the history of Earth Day, from radical roots to elementary school classrooms. Teen Vogue

$20 million in NOSM money in jeopardy because of Laurentian insolvency, med school dean says. CBC

Angela Gemmill reports that the Laurentian University financial crisis is not typical of other northeastern Ontario post-secondary institutions. CBC

Ingenuity takes flight! NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

And then, the Perseverance rover extracts first oxygen from Mars. NASA

Nadia Drake: SpaceX launch kicks off regular commercial flights into orbit. National Geographic

New warp drive possibilities. PBS Space Time

Nikk Ogasa reports that nuclear fallout is showing up in honey decades after bomb tests. Poor bees! Science

Marie M. Daly, the unsung hero behind the building blocks of DNA. SciShow

Kara McKenna: how Canada is trying to protect its last three spotted owls. The Guardian

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you took away something to inspire your next creative project.

This weekend, I hope to post my monthly next chapter update.

Until then, be well and stay safe!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 11-17, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping with thoughty Thursday.

Mohamed Ibrahim: Minnesota officer meant to draw taser, not handgun. Why didn’t she, then?  Associated Press

Cheryl Teh: police in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, prohibited tear gas—then broke the rule almost immediately. Insider

Jim C. Hines offers his thoughts on American violence and American racism.

Daikin Andone and Chris Boyette report that two Virginia police officers used excessive force during traffic stop of army officer. CNN

Livia Gershon explains how the media covered police brutality three decades ago. JSTOR Daily

Ashawnta Jackson looks back at Sesame Street’s first Black Muppet: Roosevelt Franklin. JSTOR Daily

Caitlin Dickerson: America never wanted the poor, tired, huddled masses. The Atlantic

Bryann Aguilar: Ontario gives police authority to stop pedestrians, vehicles, to ask purpose of travel. CTV

Jane Gersterthen reports that Ontario police won’t conduct random spot checks despite their new authority. CBC

Staff and students stressed and uncertain as Laurentian University job terminations announced today (April 12). CBC

And here’s the list of programs being discontinued. They’re calling it Laurentian University’s Black Monday. Sudbury.com

Charlie Angus speaks eloquently in defense of Laurentian University. CPAC

Casey Stranges reports that all hockey and swim varsity teams chopped as Laurentian cuts continue. CBC

What neuroscience can learn from meditation. SciShow Psych

Ashifa Kassam explains how a tiny grain could change how humanity eats. The Guardian

Jaclyn Diaz reports that Floridians catch meteor’s close brush with Earth. NPR

Donna Sarkar: Earth has been hiding a fifth layer in its inner core. Discover

Naomi Fry touts the low-key, Carter-era pleasures of The Muppet Show. The New Yorker

True facts: trap jaw ants. Ze Frank

Thank you for taking the time to visit. I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 4-10, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time again to get your mental corn popping!

Clyde McGrady recounts the strange journey of “cancel” from a Black culture punchline to a white-grievance watchword. The Washington Post

Amanda Choo Quan grew up in a majority-minority country … that still has a problem with anti-Blackness. Harper’s Bazaar

Rhinelander v Rhinelander: The 1920s race and sex scandal you’ve never heard of. Melina Pendulum

Mohammed Elnaiem: Black conquistadors and Black maroons. JSTOR Daily

Sarah Jaquette Ray: climate anxiety is an overwhelmingly white phenomenon. “…is climate anxiety just code for white people wishing to hold onto their way of life or get ‘back to normal,’ to the comforts of their privilege?”  Scientific American

Anne Branigin reports that Asian American mothers and daughters are grieving together after the Atlanta spa attacks—and seeing each other anew. The Lily

Malcom & Yuri, yellow peril, ‘Orientalism’, the china doll, dragon lady, and the model minority. Kadija Mbowe

Raffi Khatchadourian recounts Anar Sabit’s experience surviving the Xinjiang crackdown. The New Yorker

Jenny Lamothe reports that faculty worried about the future of the University of Sudbury’s ground-breaking Indigenous studies program. Sudbury.com

Len Gillis: seven dead in seven days; covid-19 leaving a grim mark on Sudbury. Sudbury.com

This result could change physics forever. Physics Girl

Natalie Wolchover: “last hope” experiment finds evidence for unknown particles. Quanta

Sophia La Banca is shedding light on the cost of light pollution. JSTOR Daily

Meet your microglia, the brain’s overlooked superheroes. SciShow Psych

And that was your thoughty for the week. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, March 28-April 3, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Thoughty Thursday is here. A little short on material that will get your mental corn popping this week. I’ve been cutting down on news for self-care purposes. Sorry. There’s still some excellent material here, though.

Susan Du and Nicole Norfleet: prayer service on eve of Derek Chauvin trial urges peace, unity, and justice. Star Tribune

Victoria Bekiempis announces that, for the first time, four women of colour command US navy warships. The Guardian

Matthew Barakat and Michael Kunzelman: high court rules that Charlottesville can remove confederate statues. Associated Press

Elissa Nadworny introduces us to the people cleaning a college campus during a pandemic: “without us, this campus shuts down.” NPR

Emma Graham-Harrison reports that Beijing cuts Hong Kong’s democratically elected seats in radical overhaul. The Guardian

Women/yn/xn, origins, labels, and the right to self-identify | Khadija Mbowe

Jacqueline Rose examines the damage silent forms of violence against women cause. The Guardian

Matthew Wills explains how women first learned self-defence. JSTOR Daily

Anton Troianovsky: hunting ghost particles beneath the world’s deepest lake. The New York Times

Amanda Kooser: dubbed “one who causes fear,” newly discovered dinosaur was a true, meat-eating terror. CNet

Elle Hunt reports that the rediscovery of a rare gecko delights experts. The Guardian

Kathryn Schulz explains why animals don’t get lost. The New Yorker

Lily Feinn tells the sweet tail (pun intended) of Sisu, the stray who kept trying to steal the same purple unicorn from a dollar store. The Dodo

Thank you for taking the time to visit. I hope you found something to inspire your next creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, 21-27, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

No April fools today! Just an opportunity to get your mental corn popping.

Illinois becomes the first city to offer Black residents reparations. Associated Press

Kim Barker, Mike Baker, and Ali Watkins: in city after city, police mishandled Black Lives Matter protests. The New York Times

Ashawnta Jackson explains how Mary Fields became “Stagecoach Mary.” JSTOR Daily

Lawrence Hurley: SCOTUS expands the ability to sue police for excessive force. Reuters

Related: Jacob Blake file excessive force lawsuit against officer who shot him in the back. CBS News

Whittney Evans reports that Virginia becomes the first southern state to repeal the death penalty. NPR

Li Zhou: the Atlanta shootings can’t be divorced from racism and misogyny. Vox

Kareem Fahim reports that Erdogan pulls Turkey out of European treaty aimed at protecting women from violence. The Washington Post

Nahal Toosi: US, UK, EU, and Canada announce sanctions on China for Uighur genocide. Politico

This is why we can’t have nice things. Real conspiracies. Veritasium

Ian Austen highlights Winnipeg’s new showcase and meeting place for Inuit art and artists. The New York Times

The history of throwing shade. The Take

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal win a humble prize for architecture. Christian Science Monitor 

Breakthroughs in artificial wombs and growing heart valves. SciShow News

Jenny Stevens offers some big vagina energy: the return of the Sheela na gig. The Guardian

The biggest lie about nuclear energy. ASAP Science

In honour of World Water Day, Nina Munteanu writes about water protectors.

“Our biggest challenge? Lack of imagination: the scientists turning the desert green. Steve Rose for The Guardian.

Stuart Clark: Elsa-d mission to clean up space debris set for launch. The Guardian

Robin George Andrews: scientists spot a “space hurricane” for the first time. National Geographic

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you took away something to inspire your next creative project.

This weekend, I should be posting my March next chapter update.

Until then, be well and stay safe, my writerly friends!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, March 14-20, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve! It’s time to get your mental corn popping for the weekend.

Chloee Weiner: hundreds gather to demand justice for Breonna Taylor 1 year after her death. NPR

Tanisha C. Ford reveals how socialite Mollie Moon used fashion shows to fund the civil rights movement. Harper’s Bazaar

Meghan and Harry. Kadija Mbowe (your fun, millennial auntie)

Rhiannon Johnson announces that the Poundmaker Cree Nation welcomes bison back to traditional territory. CBC

“Unspeakable tragedy”: local leaders, Asian-American groups react to deadly shooting. WSB-TV 2 Atlanta

UK police under fire after crackdown on vigil for Sarah Everard. Bangkok Post

My amazing friend, Kim Fahner offers a message for those of us who are women who walk: in memory of Sarah Everard. The Republic of Poetry

Jaclyn Diaz reports that thousands march in Australia as another #metoo wave hits the country. NPR

Lakin Brooks: women dominated beer brewing until they were accused of being witches. The Smithsonian Magazine

Stephen Humphries: what does resilience sound like? Ian Brennan and Marilena Umuhoza Delli travel the world to find out. Christian Science Monitor

The National World War II Museum reveals Bea Arthur, US marine.

Shaina Ahluwalia and Roshan Abraham report that Europe becomes the first region to exceed 1 million deaths from covid-19. Global News

Katy Steinmetz: Elliot Page is ready for this moment. Time

Japan court finds same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. BBC

Amy McKeever explains what the faces on its currency tell us about a country. National Geographic

Jillian Ambrose: bladeless turbines could bring wind power to your home. The Guardian

SNOLAB launches art and dark matter online platform, Drift. The Sudbury Star

The first science result from Perseverance on Mars! Night Sky News March 2021 | Dr. Becky

Robin George Andrews reveals the fresh clues of a new theory about where Mars’ liquid water went. National Geographic

What’s impossible in evolution? It’s okay to be smart

Philip Hoare: sperm whales in the 19th century shared ship attack information. The Guardian

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you took away something to inspire you next creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!