An irregular hodgepodge of links gathered together … Omnium Gatherum for February 16, 2022.

Here’s a variety of notable things I’ve recently found that you may also be interested in checking out:

• 15 days to go: “Humble Comics Bundle: Vampirella XOXO by Dynamite“—”A bloody good time. Uncover a macabre library featuring one of horror’s most enduring comic-book heroines in our latest bundle from Dynamite! Unearth classic Vampirella tales and discover modern interpretations in volumes like Vampirella: Hollywood Horror and the Vampirella Masters Series, featuring stories from some of comics’ most celebrated writers including Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Kate Leth, and more. Plus, your purchase helps support NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.”
• 17 days to go: “Humble Book Bundle: The Art of Happiness featuring Thich Nhat Hanh by Parallax Press“—”Discover the power of mindfulness. Join Parallax Press in celebrating the life and legacy of their founder, Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh! The Art of Happiness bundle includes over 25 mindfulness and meditation books by Thich Nhat Hanh and his disciples. Discover practical techniques for coping with difficult emotions (NO MUD, NO LOTUS; RECONCILATION) and finding peace in the present moment (HAPPINESS). Dive into Buddhist philosophy (THE OTHER SHORE) and get Buddhist wisdom on how to enact social change (INTERBEING). Best of all, a portion of the bundle’s proceeds will be shared with the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation, a charity dedicated to promoting Thich Nhat Hanh’s mission around the world. Thich Nhat Hanh, who passed away peacefully at the age of 95 in January 2022, has been hailed as “the monk who taught the world mindfulness” (TIME) and “one of the most influential spiritual leaders of our times” (Oprah Winfrey). Through his teachings, the Western perception of Buddhism shifted: It was no longer a mysterious religion of ‘oms’ and smiling Buddha’s, but a guide for how to live as a compassionate, socially engaged citizen of the world.”
• “Why are people calling Bitcoin a religion? Some Bitcoin evangelists see the currency as an answer to problems that plague society.”
• “Wordle game jam transforms the daily puzzle into spells, prophecies, and more. Take part in a letter ritual or tell the future through emojis.”
• Climbing the Tree of Life: A Manual of Practical Magickal Qabalah, Second Edition, Revised & Expanded [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by David Rankine, foreword by Stephen Skinner—”Qabalah is a dynamic system of esoteric philosophy that explores the nature of divinity, the universe, the human soul, creation, the function of life and a whole range of other philosophical and metaphysical subjects. Qabalah offers a challenge to anyone who chooses to practice it, for it presents a path to the infinite, which unfolds conditioning and challenges views, whilst at the same time reinforcing all of the best qualities in the student. The success of Qabalah is demonstrated by the effectiveness of its practices, and the way that it has come to permeate so much of modern magical practice. It provides a panoramic worldview and one can practice Qabalah with or without including ritual practice in your life. As with all other aspects of Qabalah, the choice of how you climb the Tree of Life is up to you. Subjects covered in this comprehensive volume include: – The history and development of Qabalah – The Tree of Life: The Four Worlds, Sephiroth, Three Pillars, Triads and Seven Palaces – The Veils on the Tree of Life – The Lightning Flash, Tzim-Tzum, Tetragrammaton, Adam Kadmon and Qliphoth – The Shekinah and the Divine Feminine in Qabalah – The Human Soul, Reincarnation and Guardian Angels – Practical methods for working with the Tree of Life, the Gods, Archangels and the Planets – Colour and Number Correspondences – The Sephiroth, their symbols, temples and more. – Ritual Techniques such as Pathworking, The Vibratory Formula, Divine Names, Fragrance, Magical Images, Assumption of Deity, The Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, License to Remain, Middle Pillar, Lightning Flash Affirmation, and how to structure Qabalistic Ritual. – Talismans, including Kameas, Sigilisation, AIQ Beker and Planetary Timing. – Also included: additional ideas for Qabalistic practices, including The Tree of Life Tarot Spread, further invocations and meditations, Permutation meditation on the Divine Name and using the Qabalah in daily life.”
• In Defence of Witches: Why women are still on trial [Amazon, Publisher, Local Library] by Mona Chollet—”A source of terror, a misogynistic image of woman inherited from the trials and the pyres of the great early modern witch hunts – in In Defence of Witches the witch is recast as a powerful role model to women today: an emblem of power, free to exist beyond the narrow limits society imposes on women. Whether selling grimoires on Etsy, posting photos of their crystal-adorned altar on Instagram, or gathering to cast spells on Donald Trump, witches are everywhere. But who exactly were the forebears of these modern witches? Who was historically accused of witchcraft, often meeting violent ends? What types of women have been censored, eliminated, repressed, over the centuries? Mona Chollet takes three archetypes from historic witch hunts, and examines how far women today have the same charges levelled against them: independent women; women who choose not to have children; and women who reject the idea that to age is a terrible thing. Finally, Chollet argues that by considering the lives of those who dared to live differently, we can learn more about the richness of roles available, just how many different things a woman can choose to be.” Also In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Mona Chollet, trans. Sophie R Lewis, introduction by Carmen Maria Machado—”Mona Chollet’s In Defense of Witches is a “brilliant, well-documented” celebration (Le Monde) by an acclaimed French feminist of the witch as a symbol of female rebellion and independence in the face of misogyny and persecution. Centuries after the infamous witch hunts that swept through Europe and America, witches continue to hold a unique fascination for many: as fairy tale villains, practitioners of pagan religion, as well as feminist icons. Witches are both the ultimate victim and the stubborn, elusive rebel. But who were the women who were accused and often killed for witchcraft? What types of women have centuries of terror censored, eliminated, and repressed? Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and persecuted: the independent woman, since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman, since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman, who has always been an object of at best, pity, and at worst, horror. Examining modern society, Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harrassed and oppressed. Rather than being a brief moment in history, the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny, while women today are direct heirs to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions. With fiery prose and arguments that range from the scholarly to the cultural, In Defense of Witches seeks to unite the mythic image of the witch with modern women who seek to live their lives on their own terms.”
• Sacred Sex: The Magick and Path of The Divine Erotic [Amazon, Publisher, Local Library] by Gabriela Herstik, due July 2022—”A modern, nonjudgmental guide to reclaiming and embodying your sexuality as nothing short of divine. There has never been a more vital time to embrace the union of sex and spirit. With Gabriela Herstik’s expert and inclusive guidance, learn to shed societally ingrained shame and reclaim your birthright to sacred sex as a foundational part of your spiritual path. Sacred Sex covers topics including: how to work with the divine erotic and sex magick. how mystical traditions from around the world, such as tantra, kundalini, Kabbalah, and Taoism, work with sexuality in a mystical context. how to use the tarot as an archetypal framework to go deeper in your practice. how honoring your boundaries, tuning into your intuition, and having a personal set of values around sex are necessities. why releasing judgment and shame is a vital piece of the puzzle. rituals to activate self-love and self-lust, to embody your higher sexual self, to heal, to manifest your power, and to release judgment. the paths available for your individual journey, such as the union of the self and the higher self, sexual alchemy, devotion, sacred kink, glamour and embodiment, and redefining the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine. guided journaling and affirmations for each chapter. interviews with sex therapists, sex workers, and sexuality professionals. and much more. Honoring the sexual as a path to the sacred is life- and heart-changing work that begins with you, respecting your desires, and standing in your erotic power. Whether you are single or in a relationship(s), embracing the divine erotic can infuse your life with purpose, love, self-lust, and plenty of magick, which you can then share with partners, lovers, and the world.”
• The Town with the Feather Crest [Amazon] by Lita-Luise Chappell, illo. Francisco Enciso—”This adventure in poetic rhyme by poet Lita-Luise Chappell tells the story of Drew, a young man who comes across a fantastic castle. He learns from Will, the guard at the gate, that the town is under a spell. By day all are safe, but at night a hungry dragon haunts the area looking for people to eat. But Will sees that Drew has a true heart and is the one to break the spell. So the lad sets off to the mountain in the distance where the dragon lives, not knowing how to accomplish the undertaking. All he knows is that there is the feather which can accomplish the task and change everything. The lad’s ingenious delivery system wins the day. The book teaches empathy for the greater good, courage to go forth in the world, and ingenuity to fulfill a difficult task.”
• “One Good Thing: The Left Hand of Darkness showed us that the greatest romances in life can be friendships. Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1969 sci-fi tour de force can still teach us something about human connection.”
• “Why MIT physicists say they’ve just made “a breakthrough” in quantum mechanics. The transition from classical to quantum physics has been achieved.”—”Physicists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have announced a breakthrough in their research of quantum physics. According to a study published last month in the journal Nature, they have observed the moment in which ultra-cold atoms switch locations with one another. The study conducted by the MIT team discovered that the movement of changing locations has led to the formation of so-called ‘quantum tornadoes.’ To realize the awesome nature of this discovery, one will remember that two laws of physics govern the universe: classical physics and quantum physics. Classical physics govern our movements, pace, and location, all based on the law that we can only be in one place at any one time. Meanwhile, in quantum physics, particles may exist in numerous places simultaneously. These particles can tunnel through obstacles and immediately communicate information across great distances.”
• “US sea levels will rise rapidly in the next 30 years, new report shows“—”A new report provides an alarming forecast for the US: Sea level will rise as much in the next 30 years as it did in the past 100 — increasing the frequency of high-tide flooding, pushing storm surge to the extreme and inundating vulnerable coastal infrastructure with saltwater. The interagency report, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows how scientists are increasingly confident that US coasts will see another 10 to 12 inches of sea level rise by 2050. The implications of that forecast are enormous. ‘This report is a wake-up call for the US, but it’s a wake-up call with a silver lining,’ NOAA chief Rick Spinrad said at a news conference on Tuesday. ‘It provides us with information needed to act now to best position ourselves for the future.'”
• “Study finds Western megadrought is the worst in 1,200 years“—”The Western U.S. and northern Mexico are experiencing their driest period in at least 1,200 years, according to the new study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The last comparable — though not as severe — multidecade megadrought occurred in the 1500s, when the West was still largely inhabited by Native American tribes.”
• Watch “‘Mega’ iceberg releases 152 billion tons of fresh water as it melts into the ocean“—”When the massive A68A iceberg snapped off its ice shelf in July 2017, it was the sixth-largest iceberg on record. Now more than half of it is gone — and it has left 152 billion tons of fresh water in an area known for being a wildlife haven.”
• “Climate Scientists Encounter Limits of Computer Models, Bedeviling Policy. Supercomputer simulations are running up against the complex physics of programming thousands of weather variables such as the extensive impact of clouds.”
• Watch “Australia lists Koalas as endangered species – BBC News”—”Australia has listed the koala as an endangered species across most of its east coast, after a dramatic decline in numbers. The once-thriving marsupial has been ravaged by land clearing, bushfires, drought, disease and other threats. Australia has been urged to do more to protect koalas from rapidly diminishing habitats and climate change. The species was listed as “vulnerable” in those states and territory only in 2012. Despite the rapid deterioration, governments have been accused of dithering.”
• Watch “Flock of yellow-headed blackbirds mysteriously drop from sky in Mexico“—”Hundreds of yellow-headed blackbirds have been filmed falling out of the sky and dying in mysterious circumstances in the northern Mexican city of Cuauhtémoc. The cause of death remains unclear but experts said it was most likely the flock was ‘flushed’ from above by a predatory bird swooping down to make a catch.”
• “Mysteries of Stephen Hawking’s doodle-filled blackboard may finally be solved. What is ‘Exxon gravity,’ and why was it on the legendary physicist’s chalkboard?—”What, for example, does ‘stupor symmetry’ mean? Who is the shaggy-bearded Martian drawn large at the blackboard’s center? Why is there a floppy-nosed squid climbing over a brick wall? What is hiding inside the tin can labeled ‘Exxon supergravity?’ Hopefully, the world’s great minds of math and physics can rise to the occasion with answers.” Watch “Stephen Hawking’s mystery blackboard and other belongings go on display“—”An exhibition at the Science Museum will give visitors an insight into the mind of renowned British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.” About “Stephen Hawking at Work. Explore incredible objects, including some never seen by the public before, from Professor Stephen Hawking’s office in this new, free display. A new special display, Stephen Hawking at Work, will give an insight into the working life of the world-renowned theoretical physicist. Come and marvel at the extraordinary contents of Hawking’s office which was acquired for the nation by the Science Museum Group in May 2021. Highlight objects going on display for the first time include a rare copy of Hawking’s PhD thesis, his wheelchair and Hawking’s most treasured office possession—a blackboard filled with academic doodles and jokes.” An exhibit at Science Museum, London, 10 February 2022 – 12 June 2022.
• “Astronomers discover a new type of star covered in helium burning ashes“—”A team of German astronomers, led by Professor Klaus Werner of the University of Tübingen, have discovered a strange new type of star covered in the by-product of helium burning. It is possible that the stars might have been formed by a rare stellar merger event. The fascinating results are published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. While normal stars have surfaces composed of hydrogen and helium, the stars discovered by Werner and his colleagues have their surfaces covered with carbon and oxygen, the ashes of helium burning – an exotic composition for a star. The situation becomes more puzzling as the new stars have temperatures and radii that indicate they are still burning helium in their cores – a property typically seen in more evolved stars than those observed by Werner and his team in this study.”
• “New NASA Image Shows Venus Glowing Like an ‘Iron Pulled From a Forge’. Parker is designed to study the Sun, but the plucky probe is unexpectedly teaching us new things about Venus.” Also “Parker Solar Probe Captures its First Images of Venus’ Surface in Visible Light, Confirmed.”
• “Promising skin probiotic could be a way to reduce antibiotic treatments for acne. University of Antwerp researchers show how specific lactobacilli change the skin microbiome and reduce acne lesions.”
• “‘Energy crisis’ in fat cells behind inflammation associated with obesity. In a new study published in Nature Metabolism, KI researchers show how disturbances in the energy metabolism in human fat cells, can lead to the development of inflammation and insulin resistance.”
• Scientists discover how caffeine protects against cardiovascular disease“—”Coffee and tea lovers can enjoy their caffeine, as McMaster University scientists have identified how caffeine can help fight cardiovascular disease. Researchers say that just two to three average-sized cups of coffee per day contains enough caffeine to trigger a cascade effect, which reduces the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or ‘bad’ cholesterol. High bloodstream levels of LDL cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.”
• “Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depression Effective for Up to a Year for Most Patients, Study Shows.”
• “Creation of First Human-Monkey Embryos Sparks Concern. Called chimeras, these lab-grown creations have been hailed as a major scientific breakthrough. But some ethics experts see reason for worry.”
• “How our Stone Age ancestors tried to colonise western Europe 10,000 years earlier than previously thought. The nature of the flint tool technology found in the cave has led the archaeological investigators to conclude that the colonists or their parents or grandparents had travelled to France from the Middle East.”
• “Neanderthal extinction not caused by brutal wipe out. New fossils are challenging ideas that modern humans wiped out Neanderthals soon after arriving from Africa.” Also “A tiny tooth unearthed from a French cave is upending what we know about early humans.”
• “Stonehenge’s Richest Man | The Bush Barrow Chieftain“—”Today we’re doing something a little different. We’re taking Curator’s Corner on the road! Wiltshire Museum in Devizes has very kindly lent us the objects excavated from Bush Barrow for our upcoming ‘The world of Stonehenge’ exhibition. But before they were taken off display, we grabbed some time with director David Dawson, to find out what makes the Bush Barrow Chieftain such an important figure for our understanding of British prehistory and the world of Stonehenge.” About The world of Stonehenge exhibit, British Museum, London, through July 2022.
• “This New Implant Reversed Paralysis Within a Single Day. Three paralyzed patients regained the ability to walk, cycle, and even swim.”—”For years now, researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne have been working on a groundbreaking approach to reverse paralysis in people with spinal cord injuries, by reactivating dormant neurons with electrical stimulation. The treatment has now taken a massive leap forward, thanks to new findings published in Nature Medicine in which vertebrae implants restored the ability to walk and move around in three paralyzed patients—all in just a matter of hours.”
• “Watch this mama chimp treat her son’s open wound by applying insect ‘poultice’. Observed behavior could be evidence of ‘prosocial’ human-like empathy in primates.”
• “North Korea Hacked Him. So He Took Down Its Internet. Disappointed with the lack of US response to the Hermit Kingdom’s attacks against US security researchers, one hacker took matters into his own hands.” Also watch “Some Guy Just Hacked North Korea.”
• Oops. Apparently not a billionaire’s war on the moon after all. It’s a state actor. Not sure that’s better. “A rocket is still set to slam into the Moon next month — but it may not be from SpaceX after all. Mistaken rocket identity.”—”Last month, an astronomer and space tracking expert made a bit of a splash when he predicted that a piece of an old SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket left in space for the last seven years was going to collide with the Moon this March. But now he’s changing that prediction in a big way. While the rocket part he’s been tracking is still on a collision course with the Moon, he now believes that the vehicle is not an old Falcon 9 part, but an old Chinese rocket instead.”
• But, maybe we’ll become Martians and start a war on Earth by launching missile at Earth. “NASA picks Lockheed Martin to build rocket that can launch samples of dirt off of Mars. A big piece of the Mars sample return puzzle.” Just, you know, listen to Ripley and stick to quarantine protocols.
• “We Almost Forgot About the Moon Trees. A collection of tree seeds that went round and round the moon was scattered far and wide back home.”
• “NASA Plans To De-Orbit The ISS By 2031 So We Have 9 Years To Figure Out How To Hijack It. I hate to see good space hardware go to waste, and if NASA is just going to chuck it into the ocean…”
• Tweet—”The funniest consequence of the huge increase in graphical fidelity is gamers finding out what women look like.”
• “Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Gets Quiet Rollout in Facebook-Wary D.C. Meta’s team is laying out its vision for this imaginary world in calls with conservative think tanks, nonprofits.”
• “Why some Australians are paying real money for virtual land in the metaverse. ‘We’re looking at buying plots for our children. I see this absolutely becoming a money earner.'” Wait. what.
• “Inside Facebook’s African Sweatshop“—”Despite their importance to Facebook, the workers in this Nairobi office are among the lowest-paid workers for the platform anywhere…some of them taking home as little as $1.50 per hour…”
• “Making ‘Dinobabies’ Extinct: IBM’s Push for a Younger Work Force. Documents released in an age-discrimination case appear to show high-level discussion about paring the ranks of older employees.”
• Tweet—”.@cracked made a great video about plagiarism and other problems with NFTs … Scammers then took assets from that video and attempted to sell them as NFTs”. Watch the first video “If NFTs Were Honest | Honest Ads (Bored Ape Yacht Club, Azuki, CloneX Parody)“—”What if NFT collections like Bored Ape Yacht Club, Azuki, CloneX, and other such stupid crap were actually honest about what they were?” And then, watch “My Fake NFTs Got Stolen”
• “Opera browser now allows emoji-only web addresses. A company named Yat will sell you a string of emoji as a URL.”—”Yat pages are unique domains generated when someone purchases a string of emoji (which itself is called a Yat). The owner of a Yat can create an NFT of their emoji string, and the company plans to eventually let users connect their Yats to electronic payments. According to the company, musicians are among the early adopters of Yats; for instance, singer Kesha’s Yat page is the emojis Rainbow Rocket Alien (editor note: Vox’s CMS doesn’t allow rendering of emojis), followed by y.at, which redirects to her Kesha’s World website.” “With the Opera integration, users won’t have to type in the y.at part of the Yat page web address as they do in other browsers — so to get to Kesha’s Yat page in Opera, you’d just type in the Rainbow Rocket Alien emojis.” That’s a host name not a domain name. The domain name is still there, it’s just the intergration means you don’t have to type the fully qualified hostname. They’re just selling emoji URLs at their own domain name and redirecting them to some a landing page of links. It’s simply the way URL shorteners work, like Bit.ly. Here. Try this, I set it up in about 2 seconds, it should work right now: ???.hrmtc.com. I added the ??? hostname in my own DNS and redirected it to the root HRTMC page of links. And, it gets worse, because of course they’re making this a fucking stupid NFT thing: “You Can Now Visit Websites Using Only Emojis ?. Opera’s web browser now supports emoji-only URLs, which doesn’t sound that useful.”—”These unique emoji strings are called Yats and their owners can tokenize them as an NFT on the Ethereum blockchain and sell or hold a short animation of the string on OpenSea. The company plans on letting users connect their Yats to electronic payments. Yats are between one and five characters and can sell from anywhere between a few dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars: The most expensive Yat was a single-character gold key that went for $425,000 in mid-2021.” smdh. I mean, shit, I’ll sell you an URL shortened emoji hostname redirect for the low, low flat price of only $666 and I won’t use any effin NFTs shite or force you to use a page of links on my site. … so, buddy, what would it take to get you into this scam TODAY?!
• “The NFT Accounts Of The Couple Who Allegedly Tried To Launder $4.5 Billion In Stolen Crypto Have Disappeared. The couple may have attempted to use NFTs to launder some stolen Bitcoin, the Department of Justice complaint says.” Also “Accused Bitcoin Mega Crook Made Rap Videos. And Dear God, Are They Cringey. Feds seized $3.6 billion in Bitcoin linked to a 2016 Bitfinex hack from Heather Morgan, who also raps under the name ‘Razzlekhan,’ and husband Ilya Lichtenstein.”—”Heather Morgan is a lot of things: A 31-year-old economist and self-proclaimed ‘serial entrepreneur’ who’s worked in tech for a decade, a Forbes contributor from 2018 to 2021, a surrealist artist whose beyond-trippy pieces are often inspired by her synesthesia and sometimes include prosthetic eyeballs, and an outlandish rapper who spits about villainous capitalists. She has also been accused by the Department of Justice of participating in criminal activities.”
• “Boston’s Federal Reserve says it has solved technical challenges of a ‘digital dollar’ It could settle payments in under two seconds and handle 1.7 million transactions a second.”
• “Jeff Bezos’ superyacht will see historic bridge dismantled – BBC News”—”Rotterdam has confirmed it will dismantle a historic bridge to allow a superyacht built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to fit through. The record-breaking luxury yacht is being built by Dutch firm Oceanco and was linked to Mr Bezos last year. The vessel is reported to be 417ft (127m) long and too tall to fit through the Koningshaven Bridge. A spokesman for the mayor confirmed the plan to reporters, with Mr Bezos set to foot the bill through Oceanco. Reports emerged in Dutch media on Tuesday that the middle section of the Dutch city’s bridge, known locally as De Hef, would be temporarily removed to allow the 130ft (40m) high boat to sail through. The move is controversial because the steel bridge has a long history, and is now a national monument. It previously went through a major renovation which saw it out of action from 2014 to 2017, when officials said it would not be dismantled again.”
• “Fired Peloton employees crash new CEO’s first all-hands. You can’t make this stuff up.”
• “Astronomers Rally to Stop Starlink and Other Satellite Constellations From Ruining the Sky. Satellites are increasingly interfering with optical and radio astronomy, prompting the coordinated response.”
• “Deer in New York Test Positive for Omicron, Researchers Warn of Future ‘Spillback to Humans’. Many wild deer in Staten Island have been infected by the coronavirus, and some have even recently caught Omicron.”
• “A Highly Virulent Variant of HIV Has Been Discovered in the Netherlands. Though the VB variant seems to be more transmissible and harmful, it can still be effectively treated and isn’t spreading widely.”
• Watch “How Rome’s sewage could help prevent future pandemics. Modern cities spew out a constant surge of sewage, but floating in the smelly sludge are vital cellular clues about Covid-19 and its spread among the population.”
• “An Undiscovered Coronavirus? The Mystery of the ‘Russian Flu’. Scientists are grasping for any example that could help anticipate the future of Covid, even a mysterious respiratory pandemic that spread in the late 19th century.”
• “USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a Flock of Commercial Broiler Chickens in Kentucky and Backyard Mixed Species Flock in Virginia.”
• Wait. Birds are dinos. That kinda makes this prehistoric bird flu! “First dinosaur found with a respiratory disease. Odd growths in the fossilized neck bones of a sauropod suggest the animal suffered from infected air sacs about 145 million years ago.”
• Tweet—”WI State Sen. Felzkowski (R), presenting a natural immunity bill, says she has had both delta and omicron infections. WI State Sen. Larson (D): ‘I would note that if natural immunity was something that would prevent you from getting COVID, you wouldn’t have gotten COVID twice.'”
• “Masks work, even for kids. But sometimes science isn’t enough.”
• “Why Do People Love QAnon? | The Problem With Jon Stewart Podcast | Apple TV”—”What led to QAnon’s success? In this week’s podcast, Jon talks to BBC Newsnight International Editor and Foreign Correspondent Gabriel Gatehouse about how QAnon can attract people desperately looking for reasons to explain their misfortunes, and how the mainstream media often leads to the virality of conspiracies. Like the pee tape. Remember the pee tape? We gotta talk about the pee tape.”
• “Archives Found Possible Classified Material in Boxes Returned by Trump. The National Archives consulted with the Justice Department about the discovery after the former president sent back documents that he had improperly taken from the White House when he left office.”
• “The Right-Wing Conspiracy Theorists and the Butterflies. Marianna Wright, executive director of the QAnon-attacked National Butterfly Center, gets candid with Sierra.”
• Talking to demons, he says? You know what that makes him, right? “Tennessee preacher Greg Locke says demons told him names of witches in his church. Controversial Tennessee preacher Greg Locke has turned from claims of election fraud to conversations with demons.”
• “Arizona Politician Promotes Far-Right Event Featuring Hanukkah-Basher. Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers is the latest politician to praise an annual conference that promotes extremist and racist figures.”
• “G.O.P. Declares Jan. 6 Attack ‘Legitimate Political Discourse’. The Republican National Committee voted to censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for participating in the inquiry into the deadly riot at the Capitol.” Also tweet—”Ronna McDaniel on 1/6: ‘What these violent protesters are doing is the opposite of patriotism’ Mitch McConnell on 1/6: ‘A failed insurrection’ Kevin McCarthy on 1/6: ‘What is unfolding is unacceptable and un-American'”
• “Column: Extremists are set to take over this California county. Will more of the state be next?“—”Standing near a Confederate flag, militia leader Woody Clendenen said the militia assembled a list of local politicians that includes the county elections official and the district attorney. He said his group plans on ‘cleaning house.'” Also “A day before Capitol attack, pro-Trump crowd stormed meeting, threatened officials in rural California. A Shasta County supervisors’ meeting was faced with verbal threats to government officials and talk of civil war. “You have made bullets expensive. But luckily for you, ropes are reusable,” one person threatened.”
• “Protesters blocking a US-Canada border crossing over Covid-19 mandates can face severe penalties, official says.” Also “The whole world should be worried by the ‘siege of Ottawa’. This is about much more than a few anti-vaxx truckers. How did this ‘grassroots’ rebellion paralyse the Canadian capital? With funding from the far right and a boost from Facebook misinformation.” Tweet—”BREAKING: GiveSendGo, the crowdfunding website used by the Freedom Convoy, is now redirecting to the domain GiveSendGone[.]wtf. A video from the Disney film Frozen now appears alongside a manifesto condemning the website and the Freedom Convoy.” “An S3 bucket run by GiveSendGo was found to be leaking pics of drivers licenses, military IDs, passports, & other sensitive docs just days ago. Source tells me that despite an attempted fix, the bucket was exploited again to allow the takeover of the site.” Also tweet—”I feel some readers outside the capital might benefit from context about how utterly gob-smacking it is for Ottawans to take to the streets, and how it signifies the most massive failure of police, officials and government to protect citizens.” Tweet—”I believe the situation in Ottawa has changed.”
• “A protester thought he was heckling Mayor Wu. It wasn’t her. ‘If only being a 5’4″ Asian woman imbued in me the powers of being mayor of Boston.'”—”Wu has been no stranger to protestors, as a vocal minority have raised opposition to the city’s employee and indoor COVID-19 vaccination mandates in recent weeks, including by staging demonstrations outside the mayor’s Roslindale home. But Monday’s incident appeared to succinctly highlight the sexism and racism Wu, the first woman and person of color elected to serve as mayor, has experienced since taking office in November. She and other public officials have spoken out about and denounced the persistent issue during her short tenure in the mayor’s office.”
• “Please Delete Your Recordings: Inside a Police Conference. Police, surveillance tech companies, and government contractors gathered to joke about law enforcement robots in locker rooms and talk about getting close to senior police officers by giving them hunting holidays.”
• “San Francisco police linked a woman to a crime using DNA from her rape exam, D.A. Boudin says. The San Francisco police crime lab has been entering sexual assault victims’ DNA in a…” Tweet—”Jesus fucking christ. Because reporting a sexual assault was so easy for women to begin with. Guarantee if SF is doing this, so is everyone else.”
• “The long arc: 3 years on, the Cyprus gang rape case begins to bend the other way. A UK teen convicted of lying about being gang raped by Israeli tourists in Ayia Napa has cleared her name. Will the truth of what happened in that Cyprus hotel room now prevail?”—”In interviews to The Times of Israel, the lawyers also described working amid a sea of misinformation — mainly in the Israeli press — that denigrated the complainant’s character, shamed her for perceived sexual promiscuity, and presented an inaccurate telling of events that influenced public opinion and even the behavior of the presiding judge. Had she not been acquitted by Cyprus’s top court, they were ready to go all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, if needed, to clear her name. The Times of Israel also spoke to journalists, activists, and experts who criticized what they saw as a botched investigation followed by an unjust trial in which a British tourist who reported a gang rape then stood accused of a crime in a foreign country. For many, Emma became a symbol of ‘rape culture’ run amok, a young woman not only disbelieved but made into a criminal by a public out to defend the honor of its young men against a ‘loose’ woman out to ruin their lives.”
• New team named (intentionally?!) after the patriarchs of A Handmaid’s Tale. Who could have guessed? “NFL says league, not Washington Commanders, will oversee investigation into Dan Snyder allegation“—”The NFL says the league — and not the Washington Commanders — will conduct an independent inquiry into Tiffani Johnston’s allegations of sexual harassment against team owner Dan Snyder.”
• “People Are Creating Sexbot Girlfriends and Treating Them as Punching Bags. As people turn to digital spaces for sexual fulfillment, it’s clear we need to identify abusive behaviors no matter who or what is on the receiving end.”—”Give humans a virtual space and an avatar to hide behind, and they’ll find a way to turn it into a hotbed of sexual abuse and harassment.”
• She was less than a year from finishing a master’s degree. Then classmates discovered her OnlyFans page.” Tweet—”Must-read piece on rampant hypocrisy in academia that derail the lives and careers of sex workers. Too many people are OK with this casual violence. It must stop.”
• Watch “How Conservative Book Bans Don’t Protect Kids Part 1“—”Conservatives are making a concerted effort to purge schools of books written by people of color and LGBTQ authors. But book bans don’t protect kids. They just turn them into assholes. Part 1 of 2. This is a digital exclusive.” Also “How Conservative Book Bans Don’t Protect Kids Part 2.”
• “How a Secret Assault Allegation Against an Anchor Upended CNN and Jeff Zucker. The network’s top-rated host and its president were forced out following ethical lapses, an office romance and a letter from a lawyer for ‘Jane Doe.'”
• Watch “The Alt-Right in Tabletop Games“—”What you are about to watch contains explicit language, adult themes, violence, racism, and transphobia. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. DO NOT INTERACT with the persons mentioned in this video. This is not an invitation to harass and target. Block and move on.” Full disclosure, one person mentioned, Venger Satanis, was a use on the old Key 23 site archived at the library.
• “Notes on Work. There’s a masochistic pride to overworking. How heavy a workload can I truly handle? How many plates can I keep in the air?”—”The tacit competition was who can work the longest, the hardest, and, in exchange, be the most self-righteous about it.”
• “Build-A-Bear just launched an ‘After Dark’ series of horny teddy bears. I have no idea how to feel about this.”
• Watch “The Templar secret lurking beneath an Italian town“—”Under the hill town of Osimo in Italy, lies a hidden network of tunnels and chambers that connect the city’s palaces in a mysterious maze. The town was once strategically important for the Knights Templar, whose symbols can still be found throughout Osimo, both above and below the surface. Were these passageways and grottos used by the Templars to continue their secret activities long after the order had been disbanded?” Also watch “The tiny church at the heart of the Knights Templar“—”Just outside the city walls of Tomar, the last Portugese town to be commissioned for construction by the Knights Templar, lies a tiny church with a surprisingly important connection to this once mysterious and secretive religious organisation.”
• Watch “Feeding a Templar Knight” for a boar tenderloin recipe.
• Watch “Dwarka: Have archaeologists finally found India’s sunken kingdom?“—”The city of Dwarka is one of the seven holy pilgrimage centres in India. It is the only place which is contemporary with the events described in the epic Mahabharata, where it is described as the ancient kingdom of Krishna. It is written that upon Krishna’s death the city was sunk beneath the Arabian sea. Today, archaeologists searching for the lost kingdom believe they have found evidence of its existence off the coast of the modern-day Dwarka, and are trying to understand what could have caused it to be lost beneath the sea.”
• Watch “Cat Burglar | Official Trailer | Netflix”—”Classic cartoon craziness meets an interactive quiz in CAT BURGLAR. In this Tex Avery inspired toon from the creators of BLACK MIRROR, the viewer helps Rowdy Cat vex Peanut the Security Pup and break into a museum with the goal of making off with a priceless prize. With an average runtime of ten minutes, and over an hour and a half of animation to choose from, the viewer could play CAT BURGLAR a hundred times and never view the same cartoon twice!” “In this edgy, over-the-top, interactive trivia toon, answer correctly to help Rowdy the Cat evade Peanut the Security Pup to steal some prized paintings.”
• Watch “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio | Official Teaser | Netflix”—”Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reimagines the classic Italian tale of PINOCCHIO in a stop-motion musical adventure. Follow the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world. Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, the film features an all-star voice cast with Ewan McGregor as Cricket, David Bradley as Geppetto, and introducing Gregory Mann as Pinocchio. Other cast includes Finn Wolfhard, Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, with Academy Award® winner Christoph Waltz and Academy Award® winner Tilda Swinton.”
• Watch “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock — First Look | Apple TV+”—”The Fraggles are back! Get an exclusive first look at the new series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, streaming now on Apple TV+”. Also watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock — Foo Fighters Perform “Fraggle Rock Rock” | Apple TV+”
• Watch “In the Court of the Crimson King Official Trailer“—”Official Trailer for the long awaited documentary “In The Court of the Crimson King” by Toby Amies. An official selection for the 2022 SXSW film festival, with a world premiere in Austin in March. What began as a traditional documentary about the legendary band King Crimson as it turned 50, mutated into an exploration of time, death, family, and the transcendent power of music to change lives; but with jokes. In the Court of the Crimson King is a dark, comic film for anyone who wonders whether it is worth sacrificing everything for just a single moment of transcendence. It explores the unique creative environment of King Crimson, one in which freedom and responsibility conspire to place extraordinary demands on the band’s members – only alleviated by the applause of an audience whose adoration threatens to make their lives even harder. It’s a rewarding and perilous space in which the extraordinary is possible, nothing is certain, and not everyone survives intact.”
• The car is a Saab. Not a 99e, but still. Watch “DRIVE MY CAR – Trailer”—”Two years after his wife’s unexpected death, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a renowned stage actor and director, receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There, he meets Misaki Watari (Toko Miura), a taciturn young woman assigned by the festival to chauffeur him in his beloved red Saab 900. As the production’s premiere approaches, tensions mount amongst the cast and crew, not least between Yusuke and Koji Takatsuki, a handsome TV star who shares an unwelcome connection to Yusuke’s late wife. Forced to confront painful truths raised from his past, Yusuke begins – with the help of his driver – to face the haunting mysteries his wife left behind. Adapted from Haruki Murakami’s short story, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car is a haunting road movie traveling a path of love, loss, acceptance, and peace. Winner of three prizes at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, including Best Screenplay.” Based on “Drive My Car” collected in Men Without Women: Stories [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Haruki Murakami, trans. Philip Gabriel & Ted Goossen—”Across seven tales, Haruki Murakami brings his powers of observation to bear on the lives of men who, in their own ways, find themselves alone. Here are lovesick doctors, students, ex-boyfriends, actors, bartenders, and even Kafka’s Gregor Samsa, brought together to tell stories that speak to us all. In Men Without Women Murakami has crafted another contemporary classic, marked by the same wry humor and pathos that have defined his entire body of work.”
• Watch “Men | Official Teaser Trailer HD | A24″—”From writer/director Alex Garland, starring Academy Award nominee Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear. MEN – In Theaters May 20″
• Watch “X | Official Trailer HD | A24″—”From writer/director Ti West and starring Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, and Scott Mescudi. X – In Theaters March 18.”
• Watch “After Yang | Official Trailer HD | A24″—”From writer/director Kogonada and starring Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Sarita Choudhury, Clifton Collins Jr. and Haley Lu Richardson. After Yang – in theaters and streaming on Showtime March 4.”
• “‘The Grimm Legacy’ YA Books In Works As Disney+ Film; David Gleeson To Adapt“—”David Gleeson is attached to pen the feature adaptation to Polly Shulman’s young adult book series The Grimm Legacy, which is being eyed as a potential franchise for Disney+, the forthcoming online streaming subscription service that is slated to launch later this year. First published in 2010, the series consists of three books: The Grimm Legacy, The Wells Bequest, and The Poe Estate. Set in a New York Circulating Material Repository, the story follows a group of teens who work at an old-style lending library that lends magical items to people from the Grimm collection.” Stub at “The Grimm Legacy“—”A group of misfits unleash mayhem in a labyrinthine archive where magical items from the Grimm collection are lent out to a chosen few.” Based on the book The Grimm Legacy, and the series (which has 3 books, for some reason not collected together, except by author), by Polly Shulman—”Elizabeth has just started working as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository – a lending library of objects, contemporary and historical, common and obscure. And secret, too – for in the repository’s basement lies the Grimm Collection, a room of magical items straight from the Grimm Brother’s fairy tales. But the magic mirrors and seven-league boots and other items are starting to disappear. And before she knows it, she and her fellow pages – handsome Marc, perfect Anjali, and brooding Aaron – are suddenly caught up in an exciting, and dangerous, magical adventure.”
• “‘The Witchverse’ Anthology Series Based On Baobab Studios’ “Baba Yaga” VR Experience In Works At Disney+“—”Disney Branded Television has teamed with Baobab Studios on The Witchverse, an animated anthology series based on Baobab’s Emmy-winning VR experience and animated short film Baba Yaga. Disney Television Animation is overseeing the development of the project for Disney+. Eric Darnell, writer-director of Baba Yaga, Madagascar, Antz and Baobab’s co-founder and chief creative officer, will executive-produce the series. The Witchverse is described as a global celebration of the international cultural phenomena of witches, their magic and their universal connection to nature. Each witch-i-sode will comically explore and upend common misconceptions surrounding global witch mythology and lore from a mélange of cultures and perspectives around the world.”
• Watch “Star Wars: The Book Of Boba Fett Theme | EPIC MEDIEVAL STYLE” and “Star Wars: WESTERN MUSIC MIX | Bad Batch Theme, Cad Bane Theme, The Mandalorian (Boba Fett Tribute)“.
• “Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series Rises: Inside The Rings of Power. One show to rule them all—the first look at a billion-dollar saga set thousands of years before J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary trilogy.” Watch “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Teaser Trailer | Prime Video”—”A new legend begins this fall. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, only on Prime Video Sept 2, 2022.” “Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”
• Watch “‘Lord of the Rings’ Medley – Solo Bass – Zander Zon.”
• Watch “Lions rescued from circus released into nature sanctuary – BBC News”—”The four lions were born in captivity and had spent their lives performing in a French circus. After one of the lions attacked the owner they went to an animal welfare group. Plans for the lions to be released into the sanctuary in South Africa were delayed by two years because of the global pandemic but they are finally free to roam their new home.”
• Watch “Antarctic quest to find Shackleton’s lost ship – BBC News”—”The Endurance was lost on Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic in 1914-17 and lies at the bottom of the Weddell Sea. Many have tried to identify its resting place but sea-ice cover in the region makes navigation very tricky. Dr John Shears and colleagues, however, are undaunted. Having been beaten on their last mission, they’re returning. The team will take different submersibles this time after the type of vehicle used on the previous quest went missing. If the group succeeds in finding Endurance, they’ll map it and photograph it, but they won’t retrieve any artefacts. Shackleton’s ship is a site of historic importance and has been designated as a monument under the international Antarctic Treaty. It mustn’t be disturbed in any way.”
• “Captain James Cook’s ship HMS Endeavour is FOUND at the bottom of the ocean more than 250 years after it reached Australia – here’s why experts are SURE they’ve solved the enduring mystery. HMS Endeavour has spent more than 200 years in Newport Harbour in the US. James Cook sailed in the South Pacific and landed on Australia’s east coast 1770 Ship was later scuttled in US waters during the American War of Independence. Maritime archaeologists unearthed shipwreck in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island Australian National Maritime. Museum is convinced it’s remains of the Endeavour US expert involved in discovery has since accused Australia of jumping the gun.”
• Watch “Bikini Kill, the Linda Lindas and a 30-year riot“—”As founder and frontwoman of seminal bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, Kathleen Hanna led the way for countless artists looking to meld art and activism. NewsHour Weekend’s Christopher Booker reports on how the punk rock legend inspired generations of musicians and feminists.”

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