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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address at the 80th UN General Assembly - "If a nation wants peace, it still has to work on weapons. It's sick, but that's the reality. Not international law, not cooperation -- weapons decide who survives."
posted by kliuless to MetaFilter on Sep 26 at 11:26 PM
35 users marked this as a favoriteAngela Collier on how the rise of pop science conspiracy is fueled by the audience. It's a long watch, but she breaks down how the audience responds to science content and how the media fuels bad faith arguments and the actors that capitalize on them.
posted by finalbroadcast to MetaFilter on Sep 30 at 7:46 PM
34 users marked this as a favorite"No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them." On 25 September, Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Liberation Army, died aged 78 in Havana, Cuba (Guardian) There's a great in-depth discussion of her legacy in this Millennials Are Killing Capitalism discussion stream. "Assata Shakur lived free, Assata Shakur left this earth a free woman. And the state couldn't get her - they couldn't defeat her. In the end Assata Shakur still won." Assata Shakur in her own words:
posted by Space Coyote to MetaFilter on Sep 26 at 1:37 PM
30 users marked this as a favorite"Beowulf" (2025), adapted and performed by Jess of the Shire, other puppeteers, and the insects attracted to the projector. Twelve years ago, a video featuring Mary Robinette Kowal gave some context for this medium and presented a brief example from the 18th Century: "Shadow puppets!"
posted by Wobbuffet to MetaFilter on Sep 25 at 11:14 PM
27 users marked this as a favoriteThe Nine Billion Names of God is a short film by Dominique Filhol adapting the short story of the same name by Arthur C. Clarke. It¡¯s been adapted by others too, including as a short comic book by Michael L. Davis. There are many interpretations of the story out there, and I like this recent video about the story as cosmic horror by Quinn Howard. And if you want a deep dive on the ¡°philosophical problem of some difficulty¡± mentioned in the story, here¡¯s Prof. Fran O¡¯Rourke¡¯s The
Triplex Via of Naming God.
posted by Kattullus to MetaFilter on Oct 2 at 2:05 AM
25 users marked this as a favoriteThe transmission of knowledge ¡ª the most ancient function of the university ¡ª is breaking down in front of our eyes. Writers like Shakespeare, Milton and Jane Austen whose works have been handed on for centuries can no longer reach the next generation of readers. They are losing the ability to understand them. from The dawn of the post-literate society by James Marriott [Substack; ungated]
posted by chavenet to MetaFilter on Oct 2 at 12:02 AM
24 users marked this as a favoriteDo Viruses Trigger Alzheimer's? "In the summer of 2024 several groups of scientists published a curious finding: people vaccinated against shingles were less likely to develop dementia than their unvaccinated peers. Two preprints came from the lab of Pascal Geldsetzer at Stanford University. Analysing medical records from Britain and Australia, the researchers concluded that around a fifth of dementia diagnoses could be averted through the original shingles vaccine, which contains live varicella-zoster virus. Two other studies, one by GSK, a pharmaceutical company, and another by a group of academics in Britain, also reported that a newer ¡°recombinant¡± vaccine, which is more effective at preventing shingles than the live version, appeared to confer even greater protection against dementia." ungated.
posted by storybored to MetaFilter on Oct 1 at 4:43 PM
23 users marked this as a favoriteOrdinary people and local groups in the US can research candidates for local elections and make endorsements. For example, Kelly Jensen explains how to build a voter's guide for public library board elections, and Frank Strong does similarly for school board elections (more details in the introduction to this Google Doc, "The Book-Loving Texan¡¯s Guide to the May 2025 School Board Elections"). Naomi Kritzer has written several useful guides as well (below), having researched and published endorsements in Minnesota for decades.
posted by brainwane to MetaFilter on Sep 25 at 9:32 AM
20 users marked this as a favoriteFolk tales are historical documents. They have evolved over many centuries and have taken
different turns in different cultural traditions. Far from expressing the unchanging operations of
man¡¯s inner being, they suggest that
mentalités themselves have changed. We can
appreciate the distance between our mental world and that of our ancestors if we imagine
lulling a child of our own to sleep with the primitive peasant version of ¡°Little Red Riding
Hood.¡± from The Meaning of Mother Goose by Robert Darnton [NYRB; ungated]
posted by chavenet to MetaFilter on Sep 29 at 11:03 AM
20 users marked this as a favoriteBoston Mayor's Blowout Victory Jolts CEOs Seeking New Direction [ungated] - "Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is coasting to reelection after her main opponent quit the race, giving her a commanding mandate that's putting city business leaders on edge."
posted by kliuless to MetaFilter on Oct 1 at 11:43 PM
19 users marked this as a favorite
