climate change

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Aug 8-14, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve! Get your mental corn popping in time for the weekend 🙂

Melissa Kimble covers Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and the revolutionary power of Black women’s rest. Glamour

Genelle Levy: the real history of Black Martha’s Vineyard. Narratively

Related: the history of Wampanoag (on Martha’s Vineyard).

Frankie Huang: can we solve America’s food appropriation problem? Grub Street

Alex Hern reports that a student proves Twitter algorithm “bias” toward lighter, slimmer, younger faces. The Guardian

You’re not dumb. You’re just not wealthy and/or *whispers* white. Khadija Mbowe

The Warrior Walk for Healing Nations honours children and residential school survivors. CBC

Terry Tang reports that there have been over 9,000 anti-Asian incidents since the pandemic began. Associated Press

Matthew Wills explains how blind activists fought for blind workers. JSTOR Daily

Josie Fischels shows you how to watch “the best meteor shower of the year.” NPR

Rivka Galchen declares that NASA’s new telescope will show us the infancy of the universe. The New Yorker

Maya Wei-Haas shares what we know about the Mars rover failed sample attempt. National Geographic

Joey Roulette reports that NASA’s new space suits are delayed, making a 2024 Moon landing “unfeasible.” The Verge

Livia Gershon bets you’ll never believe who invented curbside recycling. JSTOR Daily

Tom Pattinson: the wonders of Greta Thunberg. Vogue Scandinavia

Olivia Box warns of climate change’s dangerous effects on the boreal forest. JSTOR Daily

Nina Chestney and Andrea Januta: UN climate change report sounds “code red” for humanity. Reuters

Lizzie Marx tells the tale of a beached whale (and ambergris): picturing scent. The Public Domain Review

A purr-fect match! Animal shelter posts lonely pets on Tinder. Reuters

And that was thoughty Thursday. Thanks for stopping by. 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, July 25-31, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to thoughty Thursday, your chance to get your mental corn popping. The weekend’s in sight! We’ll get there 🙂

Christian Spencer reports that the majority of Americans want the history of racism and slavery taught in schools. The Hill

Li Zhou explains why Illinois’s new law requiring Asian American history in schools is so significant. Vox

Dianne Lugo: 100 years after forceful removal, Nez Perce people celebrates reclaimed homeland. Statesman Journal    

Matthew Wills considers vaccine hesitancy in the 1920s. See, it’s nothing new 😦 JSTOR Daily

Andrew McKevitt shares some foundations and key concepts about guns in America. JSTOR Daily

InSight reveals the deep interior of Mars. NASA

How do supermassive black holes grow? Dr. Becky

What the new black hole discovery tells us. Physics Girl

Climate tipping points are now imminent, scientists warn. Deutche Welle (DW)

Sara Burrows: woman turns non-recyclable plastic into bricks seven times stronger than concrete. Return to Now

Kim Fahner: we, and those who come after, have a stake in what happens to the Laurentian Trail System. Sudbury.com

Mary Hynes interviews Robin Wall Kimmerer about the spirit of life in everything. CBC’s Tapestry

Why is sex a thing? It’s okay to be smart

Weird body parts. SciShow

Siobhan Leddy: Leonora Carrington brought a wild, feminist energy to surrealist painting. Artsy

Maya Wei-Haas reports that this 890-year-old sponge fossil may be the earliest animal yet found. National Geographic

Thanks for taking the time to stop 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, May 23-29, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Thoughty Thursday has arrived to get your mental corn popping! Enjoy 🙂

On the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, some consideration of the progress that’s been made since. Baby steps, yes. But steps, nonetheless.

Farnoush Amiri, Colleen Slevin, and Camille Fassett report that the Floyd killing prompts some states to limit or ban choke holds. Associated Press

Fadel Allassan: “Defund the Police” lives on as a local movement. Axios

Then again … 967 people have been shot and killed by police in the last year. The Washington Post

Two officers charged with Manuel Ellis’ murder. USA Today

Lisa Theodore-Vachon says, interracial couple representation in pop culture isn’t as progressive as we think. The Undefeated

Justin Dunnavant, Delande Justinvil, and Chip Colwell want to craft an African American graves protection and repatriation act. Nature

Grace Hauck: Jewish groups sound the alarm on the rise of anti-Semitic hate crimes amid tensions between Israel and Hamas. USA Today

The overlap of autoimmune disorders and mental health conditions. SciShow Psych

Can you be awake and asleep at the same time? Masako Tamaki. Ted-ed

Matt Egan and Alexis Benveniste report that activist investor ousts at least two ExxonMobil directors in historic win for pro-climate campaign. CNN

Related: Dutch court rules oil giant Shell must cut carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 in landmark case. Chloe Taylor for NBC.

Rupert Neate reports that airships for city hops could cut flying’s CO2 emissions by 90%. The Guardian

Matthew Wills says that solar housing is actually kind of retro! JSTOR Daily

Christi Carras announces that a new rainbow set of Lego arrives just in time for Pride Month (everything is awesome!). The Los Angeles Times

The Curiosity rover captures shining clouds on Mars. “Viewed just after sunset, their ice crystals catch the fading light, causing them to appear to glow against the darkening sky.” NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Chelea Gohd wants to teach you (yes, it says your kids, but why exclude adults?) about the Super Flower Blood Moon. And, of course, it was overcast here … Space.com

Jess Romeo introduces us to Chien-Shiung Wu, the first lady of physics. JSTOR Daily

5 beautifully complex ways to fly. SciShow

Graeme Green: “huge surprise” as giant river otter feared extinct in Argentina appears. The Guardian

Charlie Campbell says that covid-19 has slashed Asia’s appetite for wild animals. Time

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

This weekend, I should be putting together my next chapter update for May 2021. Until then, be well and stay safe, my writerly friends!

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!

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, March 14-20, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Spring has sprung, the grass is ris’, do you know where your informal writerly learnings is? Sorry. Old rhyme from childhood (if you substitute birdies for informal writerly learnings). I prolly should have left it there, eh?

Karen Abbott-Trimuel asks, are you happy? Vaughn Roycroft is waking from a dream. Then, Dave King shares another episode of the reality show. Stacey Allagood offers six writing lessons from an actual backyard gardener. Writer Unboxed

Does your book need a prologue? Reedsy

Janice Hardy shares four ways a strong point of view strengthens a novel. Later in the week, Bonnie Randall considers the intersection between cathartic writing and cathartic reading. Fiction University

What is a denouement and how do you write one? Reedsy

K.M. Weiland continues her archetypal character arcs series with part six: the crone arc. Helping Writers Become Authors

Self-care for writers. These are truly excellent. Shaelin Writes

Monya Baker offers six tips for writing in deep third person point of view. Then, Nancy Stohlman considers jealousy in the age of quarantine: the green-eyed monster. Jane Friedman

For St. Patrick’s Day, Emily Zarka looks at the leprechaun: from gold-loving cobbler to cultural icon Monstrum | PBS Storied

Julie Glover explains what happens when illness interrupts your writing. Writers in the Storm

Lucy V. Hay points out three things worth thinking about before you start your novel. Writers Helping Writers

WandaVision’s sitcom universe. The Take

Nathan Bransford recounts a year of covid.

Ambre Dawn Leffler recommends you sync your creative process with birdsong. Heather Campbell lists five ways writing a novel is like running a marathon. Then, Alexander Weinstein introduces us to 4th person perspective: the we without an I. DIY MFA

The origins of the e-girl. The Take

Chuck Wendig tackles the craft question, should writers write every day? Terribleminds

Chris Winkle helps you understand conflict and tension. Then, Oren Ashkenazi is (facetiously) taking the politics out of six popular stories. Mythcreants

El Jones’ poem, “Glass Hands,” is everything I want to say about the pandemic. CBC’s “The Current”

Sierra Garcia: how early sci-fi authors imagined climate change. JSTOR Daily

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you found something to support your current work in progress.

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

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, 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 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, Dec 6-12, 2020

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s thoughty Thursday, your opportunity to get your mental corn popping!

Brakkton Booker: federal investigators join probe into Casey Goodson shooting death. NPR

N’dea Yancey-Bragg reports that the Seattle police who fired pepper spray and blast balls at BLM protestors violated order, according to judge. USA Today

Liz Navratil reveals how a divided Minnesota city council votes to cut 8 million from police budget. Star Tribune

Emmanuel Acho talks to the police. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.

Hailey Fuchs: Brandon Bernard’s planned execution stirs debate over punishment for your offenders. The New York Times

Karen Hao read the AI ethics paper that forced Timnit Gebru out of Google. Here’s what it says. MIT Technology Review

Luis Martinez reports that 14 senior army leaders at Fort Hood suspended or fired after broad review of sexual harassment and abuse allegations. ABC News

Colin Dwyer: Canada authorizes Pfizer vaccine. NPR

Joe takes us inside the lab that developed the covid-19 vaccine. It’s okay to be smart

Margot Sanger-Katz, Claire Cain Miller and Quoctrung Bui compiled this article on how 700 epidemiologists are living now, and what they think is next. The New York Times

Jackie Wattles explain how the Starship explosion was still a success. Spoilers: we learn from our failures. CNN

Nadia Drake introduces us to the astronauts of the Artemis Mission, eight of whom are women (!). National Geographic

Jim Daley says Earth’s orbital shifts may have triggered ancient global warming. (From Sept 2019, but still interesting.) Scientific American

Marco Hernandez and Cassandra Garrison report that the world’s biggest iceberg heads for disaster. Climate change is still happening. Reuters

Grace Eber explains how precisely arranged stones coil and surge across the land in Jon Foreman’s mesmeric works. This is Colossal

Fun, and so much better than the original. Walk Off the Earth and Harm & Ease cover Toxic.

Thank you for stopping by, 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.