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Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Sept 25-Oct 1, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

We’re rounding the bend to the weekend. Fortify yourself by getting your mental corn popping.

Amanda Connolly reports that Black public servants face trauma amid class action. Global News

Kimmy Yam and Shakshi Venkatraman reveal that Adnan Syed faced racial stereotypes in court that weren’t scrutinized. NBC News

Torture and ill-treatment of Haitian asylum-seekers rooted in anti-Black racism. Amnesty International

Jon Gambrell and Adam Schreck: Russia’s call-up splits EU; Ukraine says it shows weakness. Associated Press

Nadeem Badshah summarizes what we know on day 214 of the invasion. The Guardian

Ivana Saric: Nord Stream pipeline leaks were an act of sabotage, EU says. Axios

Amir-Hussein Radjy says Iran’s anti-veil protests draw on long history of resistance. Associated Press

Darren Major: on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Murray Sinclair challenges Canadians to be mindful, year-round. CBC

Peter Sagal puts a face on the senseless gun violence in the US: killed for walking a dog. The Atlantic

Rob Ferguson reports that Ontario tries to delay shutdown of Pickering nuclear station amid electricity “supply crunch,” sources say. The Toronto Star

Julia Simone-Rutgers: no place to live. One person’s search for a place to call home reveals a public housing system stretched to its limits. The Walrus

Jessica Stillman: a neuroscientist explains when it’s time to start worrying about your memory. Inc.

Shape-shifting fat cells fuel breast cancer growth. And they may lead to new treatments (!) Medical Xpress

Allie Volpe shares the sleep advice no one tells you. Vox

Ashawnta Jackson: vampires and public health. JSTOR Daily

Jenna Benchetrit says “quiet quitting” isn’t really quitting, but it’s forcing employers to adapt. Essentially, it’s the backlash against hustle culture. CBC

Clark Quinn considers the power of emotion. Learnlets

The fatal physics of falling objects. Veritasium

James Doubek: Jupiter is coming its closest to Earth in decades. NPR

NASA’s Juno shares first image from flyby of Jupiter’s moon Europa. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Ashley Strickland reports that NASA’s DART mission successfully slams into an asteroid. One small collision for humankind … 🙂 Then, Webb, Hubble space telescopes share images of DART slamming into an asteroid. CNN

Sarah Collins says there’s new evidence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. University of Cambridge

Smriti Mallapaty: China’s Mars rover finds evidence of catastrophic floods. Nature

Elizabeth Howell announces that SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission will carry Native American woman to orbit for first time. Space.com

Grace Toohey reports that Mexico earthquake triggers “desert tsunami” 1,500 miles away in Death Valley cave. Phys.org

John Bartlett: Gran Abuelo in Chile could be the world’s oldest tree. The Guardian

Dogs love the smell of stress. SciShow

More on the same: dogs can smell when we’re stressed, study finds. Phys.org

Thank you for spending a little time with me, 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: Popping your mental corn, Sept 11-17, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy equinox, to those who celebrate. Welcome fall!

It’s time to get your mental corn popping in time for the weekend.

Robin Maynard: Canadian education is steeped in anti-Black racism. The Walrus

Michelle Cyca presents the curious case of Gina Adams, “pretendian.” McLean’s

Vasilisa Stepanenko: Zelenskyy states burial site contains torture victims. Associated Press

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: a visual explainer. The International Crisis Group

Greg Allen: in a surprise, the defense rests early in the Parkland School shooting trial. GPB News

Michael Tarm and Joey Cappelletti report that R. Kelly convicted of child porn, enticing girls for sex. Associated Press

Julia Métreaux says, before long covid, there was post-polio syndrome. JSTOR Daily

New study reveals mechanism for how disease-spreading prions migrate from one species to another. Phys.org

Sanah Ahsan is a psychologist, and she believes we’ve been told devastating lies about mental health. The Guardian

Simon Lewson takes us inside the mental health crisis facing college and university students. The Walrus

Where did Mercury’s spots come from? SciShow Space

Jesus Diaz says a new satellite brighter than any star could ruin the night sky. Fast Company

Will Sullivan: scientists discover planet with the potential to support life. The Smithsonian Magazine

Hannah Devlin reports that Saturn’s rings could be the result of a moon that strayed too close. The Guardian

Connie Lin explains why Changesite-(Y) could fuel a goldrush for lunar mining. Fast Company

Wyatte Grantham-Philips reports that NASA’s Perseverance rover finds organic matter in rock samples, begging the question, did life ever exist on Mars? USA Today

Two new papers on the Fagradalsfjall eruption published in the newest issue of Nature. Institute of Earth Sciences

Bob Yirka reports that a new study of the Gough map shows what might be the lost islands of Welsh folklore. Phys.org

Laura Fletcher reveals a breakthrough discovery in carbon capture conversion for ethylene production. Phys.org

The biggest myth about climate change. Be Smart

Chinese researchers test maglev cars. The Byte | Futurism

Ian Rose tells a precautionary tale. JSTOR Daily

Adele Peters: a NASA scientist designed a platform to track the carbon in every tree on the planet. Fast Company

Conifer communication is complex and can be altered by air pollution. The University of Eastern Finland

Thank you 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: Popping your mental corn, July 3-9, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to thoughty Thursday, your opportunity to get your mental corn popping. And happy Friday eve, all!

Steve Karnowski reports that Chauvin sentenced 21 years for violating George Floyd’s civil rights. Associated Press

Samantha Beech and Dakin Andone: Jayland Walker suffered at least 60 wounds in fatal police shooting, Akron police chief says, as authorities release bodycam footage. CNN

Ashley Domingo Hendricks explains what dance activism is. JSTOR Daily

Aborting the sun: the facts, the feels, the action. Khadija Mbowe

Rebecca Deczynski says that, with Roe gone, entrepreneurs and brands are fundraising for reproductive rights organizations. Inc.

Crystal Echo Hawk: women’s bodies are no longer their own. For Native people, they never have been. Elle

Cazembe Murphy Jackson is a trans man who had an abortion: reproductive rights is everyone’s fight. Esquire

Satoshi Sugiyama and Chang-Ran Kim reveal that Shinzo Abe’s assassin used a handmade firearm. Reuters

Martin Finucane reports that Boston researchers may have found the biomarker for long covid. The Boston Globe

Clark Quinn wants instructional designers to think about activities beyond the course. Learnlets

Guy Kawasaki interviews Esther Dyson on what’s after success. The Remarkable People Podcast

Joe tries to land a plane (to prove a point). Be Smart

The Next Big Idea Club says it’s time to reframe our thoughts about anxiety. Here’s how to use it productively. “Treating all anxiety as a disease hinders us from finding ways to manage and use anxiety to our advantage, and from benefiting from treatments when we do need extra support.” Fast Company

Alex Pasternack wonders what physicists have found and what they’re looking for next at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Fast Company

Meet the microbes that could eat your trash. TED-Ed

Olivia Box admires sacred trees in Japan. JSTOR Daily

Thank you for taking the time to visit. 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: Popping your mental corn, May 29-June 4, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Kelly Hayes: hope is not a given. We must cultivate it together. Truthout

Patrick Washington says that white supremacy is America’s love language. Word in Black

Ashawnta Jackson explains how Black radio changed the dial. JSTOR Daily

Ali Breland unpacks mass shootings and our never ending doomcycle. Mother Jones

A message from the Future II: The Years of Repair. The Intercept

100 days of war in Ukraine: a timeline. France 24

Andrea Woo and Marcus Gee report that BC to decriminalize possession of small amounts of “hard” drugs, like cocaine, fentanyl, and heroine. The Globe and Mail

Guy Kawasaki interviews Jennifer Kerns about women’s rights. The Remarkable People Podcast

Janice Gassam Asare interviews Dr. Raquel Martin talks race-related stress and why burnout must be treated as a systemic issue. Forbes

The euphoria of Elliot Page. Esquire

Ina Fried predicts the future of the office could look like a Starbucks. Axios

Douglas Perry: clinging to an 8-hour workday? Research suggests 5 hours is better. The Seattle Times

Clark Quinn recommends that instead of asking what’s in it for me, ask, what’s in it for them? Learnlets

Forgetting doesn’t reverse the learning process. Neuroscience News

Livia Gershon: scientific seances in twentieth-century Iran. JSTOR Daily

The absurd search for dark matter. Veritasium

Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne reports that a new law unchains fusion energy. Phys.org

Princeton University reveals that electrons in a crystal found to exhibit linked and knotted quantum twists. Phys.org

This machine makes hurricanes! Be Smart

Olivia Box considers the imperiled inland sea. JSTOR Daily

Craig Welch: will the oldest tree on Earth survive climate change? National Geographic

Thank you for visiting, 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: Popping your mental corn, Oct 3-9, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

The weekend is in sight! It’s time to pull your head out of work and get your mental corn popping 🙂

Kimberly Brown Pellum reveals how Maryrose Reeves Allen taught Black women’s self-care during Jim Crow. JSTOR Daily

Renée Lilley reports that residential school day scholars may be able to start claims process in December. Students who went home at night suffered the same abuses but weren’t included in the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. CBC

Literacy program launched for Indigenous elders, residential school, and day school survivors. CBC

Amar Chebib (film) and Dan Greene (text) present the story of how Cree skateboarding legend Joe Buffalo grapples with the trauma of Canada’s residential schools. The New Yorker

University of Sudbury transfers online Indigenous studies courses to Kenjgewin Teg. CBC

Joe can’t believe he’s making another Covid video. It’s okay to be smart

Lizzy Davies reports that the WHO endorses use of first malaria vaccine in Africa. The Guardian

True facts: the mosquito. Ze Frank

Key findings from the Pandora Papers. The Washington Post

Our first glimpse of the dark side of the moon. SciShow Space

Stuart Campbell, Elizabeth Healey, Yaroslav Kuzmin, and Michael D. Glascock reflect on John Dee’s obsidian mirror: the mirror, the magus, and more. Yes. An actual scholarly paper 🙂 Cambridge University Press

Guy Kawasaki interviews Olympia Yarger: entrepreneur and maggot evangelist. The Remarkable People podcast

Olivia Box: what does a tree see? On the importance of “witness” trees. JSTOR Daily

Robby Berman says, crows are self-aware, just like us. Big Think

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: Popping your mental corn, Sept 12-18, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to fall! It’s thoughty Thursday, your opportunity to get your mental corn popping in time for the weekend!

Jelani Cobb: the man behind critical race theory. The New Yorker

Matt Lavietes reports that the Department of Justice limits use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants. Axios

Patty Nieberg: police in Elijah McClain’s hometown racially biased, officials say. Associated Press

Alysia Harris: “We have to evaluate the motives of health care institutions.” Scalawag

Curtis Bunn: digital records from 19th century give Black families a glimpse of their ancestry. NBC News

Ashawnta Jackson explains how Eyes on the Prize, one of the most influential historical documentaries of all time, almost didn’t get made. JSTOR Daily

Sagamok Anishnawbek, Mississauga, and Serpent River First Nations to host ceremony before searching residential school site. CBC

Kelly Hayes reports that Line 3 resisters light the way in a battle for life on Earth. TruthOut

Lindsey Bark reports that Lawrence Panther teaches first Cherokee language class at University of Arkansas. Cherokee Phoenix

Leila Fadel: for many American Muslims, the legacy of 9/11 is the fight for civil rights. NPR

1,000 Dreams shares the stories of refugees. Compelling.

Livia Gershon: evading abortion bans with mutual aid. JSTOR Daily

Brian Naylor: Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, and Maggie Nichols blast the FBI’s mishandling of their allegations about Larry Nassar. NPR

Joe Friessen and Molly Hayes: Western University reels as student dies from assault; social media sparks investigation into sexual violence. The Globe and Mail

Avis Favaro, Elizabeth St. Philip, and Alexandra Mae Jones take us inside an Ontario ICU where all the covid-19 patients are largely young, and all unvaccinated. CTV News

Guy Kawasaki interviews Juliet Funt (daughter of Alan, of Candid Camera fame) about how you can really be productive at work (spoiler: it’s not do more with less). The Remarkable People Podcast

The entire SpaceX Inspiration4 launch. The exciting part is in the last 30 minutes or so, but if you have the time, the commentary throughout is fascinating. NASA Spaceflight

Frank Jacobs: did dark magic conjure up the British Empire? Big Think

Alice Albina reviews history from Boudicca to modern Britain: the dream of island utopias ruled by women. The Guardian

Olivia Box explains how wind energy could affect marine ecosystems. JSTOR Daily

Jessica Steward shares Albert Dros’ enchanting photos of Madeira’s ancient Fanal Forest filled with 500-year-old trees. My Modern Met

The mystery of Earth’s disappearing giants. In our nature | It’s okay to be smart

Thank you for visiting, 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, Aug 1-7, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

And now, it’s time to get your mental corn popping.

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: did last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests change anything? The New Yorker

Matt Stroud relates how an automated policing program got one Black man shot—twice. Shades of Minority Report? Not quite, but close. The Verge

Anthony Conwright: today, it’s critical race theory; 200 years ago, it was abolitionist literature. Mother Jones

He lasting legacy of racist pseudosciences. Kadija Mbowe

Bertrand Cooper unpacks the issues around who actually gets to create Black pop culture? Current Affairs

The magical minority trope is still a problem. The Take

Premilla Nadasen explains how capitalism created the care economy. The Nation

Livia Gershon exposes life in Indigenous boarding schools (in the US). JSTOR Daily

Ben Westcott and Hilary Whiteman: Australia to establish $280 million dollar reparations fund for “stolen generation.” CNN

Sarah N. Lynch: FBI agent used provocative photos of office staff in sex-trafficking sting. Reuters

Ed Simon: return to pirate Island. “The history of piracy illustrates a surprising connection to democratic Utopian radicalism—and, of course, stolen treasure.” JSTOR Daily

Caroline Wazer considers healing and memory (and Mnemosyne) in ancient Greece. JSTOR Daily

Charlie Jane Anders: dear James Webb Space Telescope. How you will show us the future. National Geographic

Brian Heater shows us how Cassie the bipedal robot runs a 5k. TechCrunch

Eric Brain reports that Honda has developed an in-show navigation system for the visually impaired. Next feat: ensuring that all accessibility tech is, in fact, accessible to everyone who needs it. HypeBeast

Amanda Schupak: is working from home better for the environment? Not necessarily. The Guardian

Olivia Box wonders, could more urban trees mitigate runoff and flooding? JSTOR Daily

Helena Horton: Norfolk’s rediscovered “ghost ponds” offer up trove of long-lost plants. The Guardian

The real circle of life – In our nature. It’s okay to be smart

Giant panda in French zoo gives birth to “lively” twin girls. Associated Press

Thank you for visiting 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 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, 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, 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!