Black Lives Matter

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, March 7-13, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

The season rolls over on Saturday. Welcome spring by getting your mental corn popping.

Susan Ormiston: George Floyd murder trial tests how much—if anything—will change in the US. CBC News

Liz Navratil and Maya Rao report that Minneapolis to pay record $27 million to settle lawsuit with George Floyd’s family. Is this justice? How do you put a dollar amount on something like this? Star Tribune

Andy Mannix introduces us to Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence: blood relatives. Star Tribune

Kelly Murray and Alta Spells: Amanda Gorman, inaugural poet, tailed by security guard on her walk home. This is every Black woman’s life. CNN

Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to appear in court. Al Jazeera

WHO study finds that 1 in 3 women face physical or sexual violence. In the week of International Women’s Day, we still have a way to go. Associated Press

Laura Smith-Spark: Sarah Everard case prompts outpouring from women sharing stories of abuse and harassment on UK streets. CNN

Katherine Angel explains why we need to take bad sex more seriously. On the intersection of #metoo, feminism, and consent culture. The Guardian

Naomi Milthorpe and Eliza Murphy: sick party! The history of parties (real and fictional) spreading illness. JSTOR Daily

Benjamin Wallace-Wells wonders, who’s in charge of cancel culture? The New Yorker

Alison Campsie announces that the Pictish-era book that shares the first example of written Gaelic is coming home. The Scotsman

Sara Barnes introduces us to Nicolas Bruno and his hauntingly beautiful Somnia Tarot photographs. My Modern Met

The Golden Ratio: is it myth or math? It’s okay to be smart

Alastair Gee: is this the end of forests as we’ve known them? The Guardian

Related: Olivia Box shares good news for the lodgepole pine. JSTOR Daily

The truth about “green” grocery bags. SciShow

Seth Borenstein and Mayuko Ono: some sea slugs grow new bodies after decapitation. Associated Press

Natasha May announces that Wisdom the albatross, the world’s oldest known wild bird, has another chick at age 70. The Guardian

Jordan Mendoza reports that a rare yellow cardinal is spotted in Illinois backyard—a one-in-a-million chance. USA Today

Thank you for visiting. I hope you took away 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, Feb 28-March 6, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to thoughty Thursday, your chance to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Anna Spoerre, Katie Moore, and Glenn E. Rice report that KC police officer who fatally shot Donnie Sanders will not be charged. The Kansas City Star

Cara Anna: Amnesty report describes Axum massacre in Ethiopia’s Tigray. Associated Press

Ryan Patrick Jones and David Cochrane report that the Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine becomes the fourth to receive Health Canada approval. Now if we can only get our distribution ducks in a row … CBC

Adam Carter reveals that judge finds Toronto van attack perpetrator guilty of murder. 10 counts of first degree and 16 counts of attempted murder. CBC

Eric Cheung reports that Hong Kong protestors come out as 47 pro-democracy activists appear in court. CNN

Myanmar protests see deadliest day as 38 protestors killed. BBC World News

Is cancel culture real? What does it meme? The Take

Justine Calma: countries are polluting like it’s 2019 again. The Verge

See the whole replay for the latest Starship launch, flip, and landing. Then, she ‘splodes. The exciting part is in the last two hours. NASA Spaceflight

Susanna Wolff goes beyond hygge (by which she really means “Google-translating words from English to Danish in an attempt to pass off the true and pathetic details of your depressing existence as amusing, relatable content.”). The New Yorker

Molly McCully Brown says, “I am a woman who wants”: on disability and desire. The Guardian

Connor McGovern is exploring legends on the Isle of Skye: warrior queens, faeries, and feuding clans. National Geographic

Cath Pound explains how Alphonse Mucha’s iconic posters came to represent Art Nouveau. Artsy

Michelle Starr announces that a cephalopod has passed a cognitive test designed for human children. Science Alert

James Crombie photographs of murmurations over Lough Ennell. Absolutely stunning. The Irish Times

Kalpana Sunder explains how the world’s smallest wild hog was saved from extinction: pig in clover. The Guardian

True Facts: deception in the rainforest. Ze Frank

Elle Hunt: researchers discover three deep-sea sharks glow in the dark. The Guardian

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. I hop you took away 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, Feb 21-27, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve 🙂 It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Daniel Prude protest in Rochester ends, but organizers vow to return. Democrat & Chronicle

David K. Li reports that an independent probe accuses police and paramedics of wrongdoing in the death of Elijah McClain. NBC News

Marcus P. Nevius delves into the legacy of racial hatred behind the January 6 insurrection. JSTOR Daily

Malcolm X’s family demands his murder investigation be reopened. BBC

Erin Blakemore: Black women have been writing history for over a century. JSTOR Daily

Katelyn Burns: why police single out trans people for violence. Vox

Stella Chan and Leah Asmelash: Angelo Quinto dies after police kneel on his neck for five minutes. CNN

Meaghan Beatley introduces us to Frida Guerrera, the Mexican detective hunting the men who kill women. The Guardian

Andrea Hill and Ryan Kessler report that the lack of funding for piped water on Saskatchewan First Nations means some of reserves can’t drink from their taps. Global News

Andrea Warner: for decades, Buffy Sainte-Marie has had to navigate systemic barriers to cultivate her art. The Globe and Mail

Robert Reich: Texas freeze reveals chilling truth—that the rich use climate change to divide us. The Guardian

Jennifer Moss says, brain fog is a real thing. CBC

Vignesh Ramachandran: Stanford researchers identify four causes of “Zoom fatigue” and their simple fixes. Stanford News

Chi Luu considers the punk rock linguistics of cottagecore. JSTOR Daily

Percy returns a recording of the wind on Mars. SoundCloud

And here’s video of the landing and some of the first images courtesy of CBC.

Kim Fahner writes a love letter to Laurentian University. The Republic of Poetry

Artist “finger paints” masterpieces in the dust of dirty Moscow trucks. Return to Now

Helena Smith reports that a 20-million-year-old petrified tree is found intact in Lesbos. The Guardian

Molly Blackall: rare Amazonian cactus flowers for the first time in UK. The Guardian

Krista Langlois explains why scientists are starting to care about cultures that talk to whales. The Smithsonian Magazine

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you found something to inspire your next creative project.

This weekend, I should be putting up my next chapter update.

Until then, 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, Feb 14-20, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve 🙂 Fortify yourself for the weekend to come by getting your mental corn popping.

Brakkton Booker reports that Amy Cooper, better known as the Central Park Karen, has her charge dismissed. NPR

Taylor Moore profiles the Chicago plant that sparked a hunger strike amid environmental racism claims. The Guardian

Melissa Quinn: NAACP and Democratic congressman sue Trump and Giuliani over Capitol assault. It ain’t over yet. CBS News

‘Dark’ origins, decentering romantic relationships, & my best & worst Valentines Day | Khadija Mbowe

Ellen Feingold says, a Harriet Tubman $20 is just the beginning. Politico

Jenna Kunze wants you to meet the Inuk woman giving youth daily “reasons to stay alive” through social media. Native News Online

Terry Gross: almost a year into the pandemic, working moms feel forgotten. NPR

Ian Austen reports that delays turn Canada’s vaccination optimism into anxiety. The New York Times

Brooks Fallis: Canada is sleepwalking into a third wave, and it could be the worst one yet. What have I been saying? The Globe and Mail

Sean Davidson reports that Ontario moves 27 regions from stay-at-home order to reopening framework effective Feb 16. CTV News

Steve Almasy, Jason Hanna, and Madeline Holcomb: officials slam grid operator as dark comes and millions go without power. CNN

Oliver Milman: heating arctic may be to blame for the snowstorms in Texas, scientists argue. The Guardian

Experts identify a variety of cotoneaster that absorbs roadside pollution. The Guardian

Ashley Strickland reports that the Perseverance rover (Percy) has successfully landed on Mars and sent back its first images. CNN

Joe Hanson (channels the Smiths): when is now? It’s okay to be smart *For more on this, read Dean Buonomano’s Your Brain is a Time Machine: The Neuroscience and Physics of Time

Emma Taggart: photographers gain access to a traditional African village where every home is a work of art. My Modern Met

Mead Gruver introduces us to Elizabeth Ann, the black-footed ferret cloned from 30-year-old DNA. Associated Press

Richard Luscombe shares video of nearly 200 manatees basking in the shallows with frolicking dolphins. Because peace and joy. The Guardian

Thanks for stopping by, and 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, Feb 7-13, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

As you prepare for the coming weekend, don’t forget to get your mental corn popping.

Laila El Mugammar announces that an emotional documentary about Canada’s legendary Black cowboy is streaming free now. Chatelaine

Samantha Kubota reports that the brand formerly known as Aunt Jemima reveals new name. NBC News

Azi Paybarah: KKK member who drove into BLM protesters gets more than three years in prison. The New York Times

Emotional intelligence, racial stereotypes, and the politics of emotional expression | Khadija Mbowe

Michele Debczak: new spacecraft named after Katherine Johnson honors the pioneering NASA mathematician. Mental Floss

How did the Milky Way get its spiral? SciShow Space

WHO says coronavirus unlikely to have leaked from Wuhan lab. CBC

Micheleen Doucleff: extraordinary patient offers surprising clues to coronavirus variants. NPR

Jaclyn Diaz reports that a second person dies of Ebola in the Congo, marking the virus’s return. NPR

Jason Slotkin: tens of thousands rally in Myanmar, protesting military coup. NPR

Eric Levenson, Stephanie Becker, and Dan Simon report that the rise in attacks on elderly Asian Americans in Bay area prompts new special response unit. CNN

Leah Brennan and Josh LaBella report that a Yale graduate student identified as the victim of Saturday’s fatal shooting in New Haven. New Haven Register

Michelle Ghoussoub announces that women’s rights activist Loujain Alhathloul released after 1,001 days in Saudi prison. CBC

Oliver Milman shares that air pollution in US subway systems stuns researchers. The Guardian

Sharon J. Riley explains how a public uprising caused a province built on fossil fuels to reverse course on coal mining. The Narwhal

Sandy Schaeffer compiles all the Joss Whedon abuse and misconduct allegations. #metoo ScreenRant

Deiter Buse: now is the time to ask what you can do for Laurentian. The Sudbury Star

Health Sciences North faces lawsuit over misread breast imaging results. CBC

Why you read slower as you age. SciShow Psych

Brenda Knowles examines imposter syndrome and how it can be a blessing in disguise. Space2Live

Stonehenge may have been first erected in Wales. Aljazeera

Listen to the sweet, soft warble common ravens sing to their partners. Audubon

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you took away 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, Jan 31-Feb 6, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve. It’s time to get your mental corn popping.

Former Columbus police officer Adam Coy indicted for murder in shooting of Andre’ Hill. Will justice prevail? Time will tell. WTOL 11 News

William Wan reports that coronavirus kills far more Hispanic and Black children than white youths, according to the CDC. Yes, this is from last September, but it speaks to the next article I’ll share. The Washington Post

Yueqi Yang: New York City initial vaccine data show deep race disparity. Bloomberg

Grace Hauck announces that Black Lives Matter nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for carrying forward “a movement of racial justice.” USA Today

Then, Terje Solsvik and Gwladys Fouche announce that US voting rights activist Stacy Abrams also nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. Reuters

David Crary reports that the ACLU elects its first Black president. Associated Press

Canada labels the Proud Boys and other neo-Nazi groups as terrorists. CBC News

Hanna Beech reports that Daw Aung Sun Suu Kyi is detained amid coup. Several countries have already spoken out against the move despite Myanmar’s problematic human rights record (read Rohinga genocide). The New York Times

Mohammed Elnaiem: what was the Zanj Rebellion? JSTOR Daily

Jenny Gross and Melena Ryzik reveal that Evan Rachel Wood accuses Marilyn Manson of abuse. #metoo The New York Times

Amy Judd reports that Amanda Todd’s accused cyberbully extradited to Canada to face charges. Global News

Why some people can’t listen to music while they work. SciShow Psych

Heidi Ulrichsen: financially struggling Laurentian says filing for court protection was ‘best path forward’ as it restructures. Sudbury.com

Mary Winston Nicklin: Parisians want to recover legendary river now covered in concrete. National Geographic

Foxes might use magnetic fields to hunt. SciShow

Jan Wesner Childs shares the massive coral colony found in American Samoa. The Weather Channel

True facts about tardigrades. Because TARDIGRADES! Ze Frank

Karen McVeigh reports that sea level rise could be worse than feared. The Guardian

Damian Carrington says that plant-based diets are crucial to saving wildlife globally. Time to consider going vegetarian? The Guardian

Thanks for spending some time with me, and I hope you took away something to inspire your next work in progress.

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, Jan 24-30, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s Thursday, and you know what that means. Tomorrow is Friday! Prepare yourself for the weekend by getting your mental corn popping.

Dalton Walker reports how the “parade across America” has an Indigenous touch. Indian Country Today

Mali Obomsawin: this land is whose land? Indian country and the shortcomings of settler protest. Smithsonian Folklife

Mildred Europa Taylor wants you to meet the eight-year-old neuroscientist who teaches online from a lab in her bedroom. Face2Face Africa

Russell Contreras: Biden picks up his pen to change the tone on racial equity. His first set of executive orders puts a “down payment” on the promise of racial justice in America. Axios

John Haltiwanger notes that Biden administration speeding up process to put Harriet Tubman on $20 bill. Business Insider

Maudlyne Ihejirika announces that the Emmett Till childhood home is now an official city landmark. Chicago Sun Times

Stephen Humphries reveals the new museum celebrating African American music from Ella to Beyoncé. Christian Science Monitor

Amir Vera and Raja Razek: two Kenosha police officers, on administrative leave since the Jacob Blake shooting, are back on duty. No justice. CNN

Doha Madani reports that the Black woman whose children were handcuffed and held at gunpoint by police sues Aurora, Colorado. NBC News

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demands US military sexual assault reports. The Guardian

Lauren Frayer: protesting farmers flood India’s capital, storm historic fort. NPR

The pandemic that lasted 15 million years [Say what, now?] | PBS Eons

L.D. Burnett posits that there is no such thing as cancel culture. Only culture, shapeshifter that it is. Arc Digital

Kim Fahner responds to Bell’s let’s talk day: of whales, icebergs, and mental health … The Republic of Poetry

Sara Jaffe: notes on queer conception and the redefinition of family. JSTOR Daily

Dr. Becky shares the new evidence against dark matter.

Robert Z. Pearlman shares that Axiom Space names the first private crew to visit the ISS. Scientific American

Earth has a second magnetic field. SciShow

Fiona Harvey: global ice loss accelerated at record rate. The Guardian

These pools support half the people on Earth. Veritasium

Cal Flyn reports that as birth rates decline, animals prowl out abandoned “ghost villages.” The Observer

Nina Munteanu: when nature destroys … and creates.  

Thank you for spending some time with me. I hope you took away something to inspire your next creative project.

This weekend, I should be posing my January 2021 next chapter update.

Until then, 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, Jan 17-23, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s been another eventful week. Time to take stock and get your mental corn popping.

I’m not going to share anything about the inauguration itself. Everyone either watched it live or after the fact, I’m sure. The first 100 days is the proof in the pudding. I’m hopeful, but 2021’s rocky start enforces a certain caution. America has been collectively traumatized over the last four years and, as Chuck Wendig points out, healing takes time, and healing is painful.

Using your voice is a political choice | Amanda Gorman TED

Alexander Smith reports that the world watches as Biden leads a humbled US struggling to contain its crises. Day one gets off to a good start. NBC News

Maegen Vazquez: Trump administration releases racist school curriculum report on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. And then, on inauguration day, the 1776 report disappeared. CNN

Huw Jones and Estelle Shirbon report that London will remove statues linked to the slavery trade. Reuters

Ye Charlotte Ming: trapped in museums for centuries, Maori ancestors are coming home. Atlas Obscura

Marieke Walsh reports that as Pfizer covid-19 vaccine delays worsen, deliveries cut by 60%. And it’s not just Canada. The delays are affecting the US and some European countries, too. The Globe and Mail

Meanwhile, in Sudbury, where vaccines haven’t even been delivered yet, the health unit reports eight new confirmed cases of covid-19. On the large scale, it’s a drop in the bucket, but it just reflects that no where is safe, especially if people choose to travel and visit family in defiance of the stay-at-home order. Sudbury.com

Ashley Burke, who’s been following the story since the earliest allegations surfaced, gives us the scoop on the independent review into the claims of toxic workplace under Julie Payette. I am so disappointed that someone I respected could be capable of such abuse and mismanagement. CBC

Ian Austen: Canada’s Governor General resigns amid reports of a toxic workplace. The New York Times

Moonscapes. Dr. Noah Petro, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team, NASA Goddard

Astronomical records in trees. SciShow Space

Damian Carrington reveals that electric car batteries with five-minute charging times have been produced. The Guardian

Sneaky ways green chemistry is making our world safer. SciShow

Olga R. Rodriguez reports that the monarch butterfly population moves closer to extinction. Associated Press

There’s so much we got wrong about corals. SciShow

Natasha Daly shares joy over first White House shelter dog reflecting increasing embrace of rescue pets. National Geographic

Thanks for stopping by, and 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, Jan 10-16, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to another thoughty Thursday! Time to get your mental corn popping. Read on …

Everything we can’t say. A new project by Black journalists that will totally be worth watching.

Sonia Moghe: New York attorney general sues NYPD for “brutal” handling of George Floyd protestors. CNN

Lois Beckett reveals that US police three times more likely to use force against leftwing protestors. The Guardian

Simukai Chigudu documents his life in the shadow of Cecil Rhodes: colonialism had never really ended. The Guardian

Marissa Evans shares the relentlessness of Black grief. The Atlantic

Gulbahar Haitiwaji and Rozenn Morgat recount how Haitiwaji survived a Chinese “re-education” camp for Uighurs. The Guardian

Why do we lie? It’s okay to be smart

Doyle Rice: 2020 falls just short of Earths hottest year on record as global warming continues. USA Today

Karla Cripps and Shawn Deng report that China’s new bullet train can withstand extremely cold temperatures. A precursor to Snowpiercer? CNN

Using microbes to mine on Mars. SciShow Space

We come from the stars: Indigenous astronomy, astronauts, and star stories. CBC’s Unreserved

Icelanders celebrate the end of Christmas with bonfires for the elves. Iceland Wonder

Timothy Roberts introduces us to photographer Drew Doggett, who captures fairy-tale-like horses roaming Iceland’s beautiful landscape. Greater Good News

Kevin Duong examines the symbolism of the French Revolution. Flash mob: revolution, lightning, and the people’s will. The Public Domain Review

Julian Lewis explains how El Anastui broke the seal on contemporary art. The New Yorker

Wild cephalopod ink. SciShow

Thanks for visiting. I hope you took away 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, Jan 3-9, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s thoughty Thursday! Fortify yourself for the weekend and get your mental corn popping (i.e. get those ideas ping-ponging around inside your skull)!

The Capitol insurrection held me horrified. It still does. And the continued attempts of a certain despot to assail social media to issue a call to arms to disrupt the inauguration have me once again fearing for the future. This is not just America’s problem. It has the potential to disrupt nations across the world.

Katrin Bennhold and Steven Lee Myers report how America’s friends and foes express horror as Capitol attack shakes the world. The New York Times

Aaron Morrison: race double standard clear in rioters’ Capitol insurrection. Associated Press

Todd Richmond and Michael Tarm: no charges for Wisconsin officer who shot Jacob Blake. No justice. Associated Press

Dylan Lovan reports that two police officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s death have been fired. Still, no justice. Associated Press

Allison Miller reveals the hidden meaning of a notorious experiment. In a 1961 grant application, filed before the Eichmann trial was in full swing, Milgram “proposed to study the conditions under which compliance with authority could be increased or decreased—knowledge that had obvious military and political applications.” JSTOR Daily

Some good news: Doha Madani reports that the Red Sox hired Bianca Smith for minor league team, the first Black woman to coach in pro baseball. NBC News

Ashawnta Jackson say that when mambo was king, its creators were stereotyped. JSTOR Daily

And all this political and racial injustice while we’re in the midst of a pandemic.

Darren MacDonald: lockdown in northern Ontario to extend until Jan 23rd, but schools reopen Jan 11th. “… the province said the positivity rate for kids aged 12-13 years old increased from 5.44 per cent in late November, early December to nearly 20 per cent in early January.” CTV News

We have to do better, people.

How alchemy led to modern-day chemistry and medicine. SciShow

Gabriella Marchant: Australian “super seaweed” supplement that reduces cattle gas production wins $1million international prize. And … it was discovered by accident (!) Australian Broadcast Corporation

Graham Averill announces that New River Gorge is the US’s newest national park. Outside

Three ways exoplanets rocked planetary science. SciShow Space

Andrew Fazekas lists ten spectacular stargazing events to observe in 2021. National Geographic

Brent Lang: women directed a record number of films in 2020. Variety

Sylvia Poggioli introduces us to the women uncovering the lost works of female Renaissance artists (because, who else?). NPR

Thanks for stopping by. 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!