front-line workers

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Jan 30-Feb 5, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

Another week, another opportunity to get your mental corn popping.

Alisha Ebrahimji, Holly Yan, and Paul P. Murphy: “I’m just tired of being terrorized like my grandparents were.” More than a dozen HBCUs got bomb threats on the first day of Black History Month. CNN

Omar Jimenez: former officer who shot Laquan McDonald leaves prison. CNN

Julie Hollar: NYT twists stats to insist we need more policing. Fair

Lexi McMenamin: fast-food workers are getting shot on the job. Teen Vogue

Paul Solotaroff introduces us to the man who spent 25 years infiltrating Nazis, the Klan, and biker gangs. Here’s what he learned about far-right extremists in America. Rolling Stone

Terry Trembath reports that puppeteer born in Tsuut’ina Nation says work on Fraggle Rock reboot a dream come true. CBC

The brain trick that makes video possible. Be Smart

Raimund Muscheler explains how ancient ice reveals mysterious solar storm. Lund University

A supermassive black hole forming new stars. Dr. Becky

Katie Hunt introduces us to the man who can explain the first 3 billion years of life on our planet. CNN

Katie Hunt reports that 99-million-year-old flowers found perfectly preserved in amber once bloomed at the feet of dinosaurs. CNN

How you could survive (and prosper) in the Middle Ages. melievalists.net

Ann Powers presents this tiny desk (home) concert by Tori Amos. NPR

True facts about the proboscis monkey. Ze Frank

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project, or that you were educated or entertained by this round up. Maybe both?

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!