(no subject)

[conuly]

Medieval manuscripts and Xmas recipes, abbey library a trove

How Ernst Haeckel made plankton beautiful

The Empire Strikes Back RUINED Star Wars (LOL)

New York joining states requiring paid family leave

In LGBT-welcoming Britain, Church of England tries to find its path

Navigation Apps Are Turning Quiet Neighborhoods Into Traffic Nightmares (I might suggest that if we want to fix this, improving our national public transportation infrastructure wouldn't be a bad place to start....)

Hoping to extend maritime reach, China lavishes aid on Pakistan town

Charles Dickens’ “Sledge Hammer” for the Poor Man’s Child - The Fascinating Story Behind “A Christmas Carol”. (Also, Orwell's commentary on Dickens)

Trump travel ban should not apply to people with strong US ties, says court

The Music I Love Is a Racial Minefield

How to make millions selling passports to Africa

The search for the next great chess prodigy is constantly underway. And the candidates are getting younger and younger

Dimming Christmas lights reflect Venezuela's grim crisis

Judge Sides With ACLU, Ruling American Detainee In Iraq Has Right To Lawyer

Healthcare's wasted $ (I've probably posted the articles before, but I always enjoy reading the comments at MetaFilter)

The Philip Morris Files

Rough times for smugglers who knitted North Korea to the world

Thinking About Investing in Bitcoin? Take a Look at How It’s Ruining the Planet in Real Time. (Also: Inside the booming, risky world of digital currencies)

The material that built the modern world is also destroying it. Here’s a fix

‘We Are Afraid of Christmas’: Tensions Dampen Holiday in India

In 'China's Jerusalem', Christians say faith trumps official Sunday School ban

In Turkey, Repression of the Kurdish Language Is Back, With No End in Sight

How Iran, the Mideast's new superpower, is expanding its footprint across the region – and what it means

Guatemala says it is moving embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

Beirut activists hold vigil in tribute to murdered women

As Winter Snows Disappear, Dogsled Racers Are Trading Skis for Wheels

Young offenders in juvenile detention don’t get the best education. But those held in solitary confinement can go weeks, even months, without any instruction at all.

All They Want for Christmas Is a Limit on Solitary Confinement

The Body Trade

No sign Rohingya will be allowed to return home

2017: The Year Pot Policy Stood Still as Opioids Ravaged the Nation

Embedded with the suburban cops confronting the opioid epidemic.

How Tough Is It to Change a Culture of Harassment? Ask Women at Ford

Inside the Taser, the weapon that transformed policing (I've posted some of the articles from this series before, but not all of them.)

Comments

Re:“Orwell's commentary on Dickens”

[nodrog]

Thank you very much for that.  Your links are often fascinating.

[I was telling a friend of mine about how “A Christmas Carol” wasn't as weird as it seemed:  Even now, in the tune “It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,”

        There'll be parties for hosting
        Marshmallows for toasting
        And caroling out in the snow
        There'll be scary ghost stories
        And tales of the glories of the
        Christmases long, long ago…

“There'll be” - what?!  Yes - ghost stories were a Victorian Christmas tradition, sort of a memento mori; on Christmas Eve the ghosts of the departed may visit the living, and do.]

Re: “Orwell's commentary on Dickens”

[conuly]

Yes, being on the solstice makes it a liminal period where the veils between worlds were believed to be thinner, like Midsummer or Halloween. (Well, Halloween is between a solstice and equinox, but same dif.)

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

Sheesh, how Orwell does go on; I can't believe I read that entire essay. He's not wrong, though.

Hope your Christmas was merry and bright!

[conuly]

Hah, and that's one of the pieces I definitely didn't skim, so believe it! But I did take it in parts.