Social Aesthetics

By Sarah McFalls

Culture
I Thought I Had To Deny My Sexuality When I Immigrated To The US. I Was Wrong.
buzzfeednews.com - Nicole Dennis-Benn
I learned very early that to be an immigrant in this country meant I didn’t have the luxury of choosing what I wanted. (An excerpt from the anthology …
Native Americans
What we get wrong about the roots of slavery in America
The Washington Post - Eric Herschthal is a postdoctoral fellow in African American and African studies at The Ohio State University and is completing a book on scientists and the antislavery movement.
Four hundred years ago, Sir George Yeardley, the governor of the fledgling colony of Virginia, bought “20. and odd Negroes” from an English pirate named John Jope. Having attacked a Portuguese slave ship
Science
Did Inbreeding Kill the Neanderthals? Experts Say Skeletons Hold Clues
Inverse
Things got a little "Game of Thrones." Today, Homo sapiens are the only humans left on Earth. But thousands of years ago there were more of us — other …
Halifax, NS
Mermen calendar raises $200,000 in attempt to target ‘toxic masculinity’
globalnews.ca - By Kevin Bissett
What started as a dare for a burly Newfoundland man to pose in mermaid flippers has turned into a globally known effort to combat gender stereotypes …
Public Health
Bandages with microscopic needles could be the next big thing in vaccine delivery
scmp.com - South China Morning Post
CommentsTo post comments please log in register or Login with facebookSubheadline: Going to a clinic for a vaccine shot may no longer be necessary …
Washington State
20 books can make a difference in home library
union-bulletin.com - Kathy McConnell
My dad was a grocery clerk, who read westerns. My mom was an elementary school teacher, who read mysteries. Instead of letting us watch Saturday …
Mental Health
Professionals describe stigma surrounding mental health support
dailytoreador.com - Mallory Rosetta Staff Writer
Across the Texas Tech campus, many students feel uncomfortable sharing their mental health experiences with their friends and family. However, there …
Indigenous Knowledge
An uneasy alliance: Indigenous Traditional Knowledge enriches western science
theconversation.com - George Nicholas
An article I published last year in The Conversation and republished in Smithsonian Magazine about Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and western science …
Swimming Pools
Hubertusbad
Atlas Obscura - mkanokova
An abandoned swimming pool decays on the outskirts of Berlin. This abandoned swimming pool crumbles within Berlin. It stands like a skeleton of its …
Civil Rights
In Louisiana, a frightening pattern emerges of people kept locked up long past their release dates
dailykos.com - Kelly Macias
According to a 2017 Louisiana state auditor’s report, the state’s prison system and local jails engage in a practice of routinely keeping people …
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity was inspired by Scottish philosopher
The Telegraph - By Sarah Knapton
Albert Einstein was inspired to propose his Theory of Relativity after reading the works of a 18th century Scottish philosopher, it has emerged. A new letter, discovered at the University of Edinburgh
Mesopotamia
The lifespans of ancient civilisations
BBC Future - Luke Kemp
In the graphic below, the University of Cambridge’s Luke Kemp compiled a list of civilisations to compare how long they lasted. One way to look at the rise and fall of past civilisations is to compare
George Washington
童絵解万国噺: a wonderfully bizarre 19th century Japanese fanfic history of America
boingboing.net - Cory Doctorow
Japanese historian Nick Kapur unearthed "Osanaetoki Bankokubanashi" (童絵解万国噺), a wonderfully bizarre illustrated Japanese history of the USA from …
Technology
Chinese surveillance company found tracking 2.5 million people
Engadget - Jon Fingas
A security hole revealed just how closely China monitors Uighur residents. Security vulnerabilities are horrible, but one of them is shedding light on the reach of the Chinese surveillance state. Security
Great Britain
Britain’s responsibility to right the wrongs of its colonial past
The Guardian - Letters
The Tory report and Johnson’s claims that the aid budget “could be spent to promote the UK’s interests abroad” is another worrying move towards slashing our commitment to ending global poverty, breaking
Civil Rights
45 Amazing Found Snaps of the 1964 New York World's Fair
vintag.es - Alogueben
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair held over 140 pavilions, 110 restaurants, for 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations …
Technology
UK parliament report will call for 'sweeping' regulation of Facebook
Engadget - Jon Fingas
It also claims Facebook's CEO has been 'duplicitous.' The UK Parliament's Facebook document dump is close to creating serious legal trouble for the social network. According to The Guardian, the Digital,
Foreign Policy
Anne Applebaum: In China, ‘never again’ is happening again
sltrib.com - By Anne Applebaum | The Washington Post
Because I write books about Soviet history, and because I often speak about them to U.S. or European audiences, I am frequently forced to confront …
University of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago unveils key findings in African art thanks to medical technology
phys.org
On February 16, the Art Institute of Chicago announced the results of significant new research on five terracotta sculptures—so named Bankoni after a …
Airports
Alabama Airport Opens First-Ever Sensory Room for Passengers with Autism, Anxiety Disorders
thepointsguy.com - Max Prosperi
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) recently became the first airport in the world to offer a sensory room, a space designed for …
San Francisco, CA
High times for cannabrides-to-be at Cannabis Wedding Expo in SF mall
sfchronicle.com - Sam Whiting
Cannabride-to-be Coral Reefer stepped into the sunlight beneath the Westfield San Francisco Centre dome at noon Sunday, modeling a white gown as a …
Culture
Here’s Where You Can Read All of This Year’s Oscar-Nominated Screenplays
slate.com - Matthew Dessem
Be the best-informed, most intolerable person at your Oscar party!
Japan
Jailed for stealing grapes: The motives of Japan's elderly inmates
BBC News - BBC World
Last month the BBC reported on the increase in the numbers of elderly Japanese being imprisoned. The biggest spike is among elderly women. One 68-year-old serving her fifth jail term - this time for stealing
Capitalism
Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude, Jr. points out the real problem with capitalism
dailykos.com - Egberto Willies
Every so often we watch someone say something profound on Sunday morning news shows. Today that went to Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude Jr. who …
Facebook
Could Facebook's Secret User Tracking Be Just A Preview Of What's To Come?
Forbes - Kalev Leetaru
As the story broke last week that Facebook was secretly using its own platform and smartphone app to quietly track users without their knowledge that it believed constituted “threats” to the company, saw
Immune System
Immune system discovery could lead to preventative drugs for allergies
newatlas.com - Michael Irving
The immune system is incredibly important, thanks to its role in fighting off dangerous invaders in our bodies. But sometimes it gets it wrong, …
Business (Australia)
The decoy effect: how you are influenced to choose without really knowing it
theconversation.com - Gary Mortimer
Price is the most delicate element of the marketing mix, and much thought goes into setting prices to nudge us towards spending more. There’s one …
Art Museums
Tom Howard | [Electrocution of Ruth Snyder, Sing Sing Prison, Ossining, New York] | The Met
metmuseum.org
Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings Inscription: Stamped in red ink on verso: "PHOTO BY // PACIFIC & ATLANTIC PHOTOS..."; typed caption affixed to …
Culture
A Chance Meeting Changes Lives In Sophie Kinsella's Latest
NPR - Lulu Garcia-Navarro
Sophie Kinsella's new novel I Owe You One centers around a family shop in London and a young woman trying to make her way in the world, and maybe even find love, while dealing with her self-centered siblings.