Elsewhere for November 18, 2017

You should read this for 11/18/2017:

Art and Film

“Comfort Woman” Memorial Statues, A Thorn In Japan’s Side, Now Sit On Korean Busses
15,000-Year-Old Rock Art Found In Egypt “Adel Kelani described the discovery as important because it dates to the same period of markings founds in caves in southern France, Spain and Italy, which confirms the idea that art and civilisation during that time spread from Africa to Europe and not vice versa.”
A Guide to Fantasy and Science Fiction Made for Black People, by Black People

Books, Writing, and Language

The real reasons so many young people can’t write well today — by an English teacher
Scurrilous manuscript that could have undone John Donne discoveredOstensibly a library catalogue in Latin, this early parodic work relies on disreputable jokes about contemporary figures—in Latin.
On Academic Precarity We have an exploitive academic environment in which grad students, adjuncts and lecturers are exploited, in which students have no choice but to go into debt to finance their education, and then, are exploited again as adjunct labor.
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein via The Atlantic: The Odyssey and the Other “What the epic can teach about encounters with strangers abroad and at home.”
In historic move, Christopher Tolkien resigns as director of Tolkien Estate This change is in large part what lies behind Amazon’s success at licensing Tolkien materials for a television series; Christopher was a true scholar, not only of his father’s work, but of Medieval literature, and that sensibility informed much of his editorial decisions, as well as his genuine care with his father’s literary vision. I hope the 93 year-old Christopher is able to enjoy his respite.

Food and Drink

The Forgotten, Fascinating Saga Of Crisco People keep telling me Crisco is lard; it is not it is, like lard, a form of shortening, as is butter. But lard is made from animal fat; Crisco is made from vegetable oil.
Sweet & Sour Roasted Brussels Sprouts “A dash of sweet white wine and some simple spices already in your pantry form a Brussels sprouts glaze that pairs perfectly with a classic roasted chicken.”
Pear Bundt Cake “Cardamom, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon add warm spice to this pear bundt cake.” This recipe is from a wine site, and I think it would pear well with wine, but it also looks like a great holiday brunch or savory-sweet dessert play too.

Geekery

She Warned of ‘Peer-to-Peer Misinformation.’ Congress Listened. “How a small group of self-made experts came to advise Congress on disinformation campaigns is a testament to just how long tech companies have failed to find a solution to the problem. For years, the informal group — about a dozen or so people — have meticulously logged data and published reports on how easy it was to manipulate social media platforms.”

History and Archaeology

Found: Never-Developed Photos of Mount St. Helens Erupting “Photographer Kati Dimoff found the film at a Portland Goodwill.”

Science

The Fungus That Turns Ants Into Zombies Is More Diabolical Than We Realized This is one of those things I really wish I could share with Alice Sheldon | James Tiptree Jr. She would have been all over it.
The Channeled Scablands of Eastern Washington State. I haven’t seen these—yet, but I’ve got plans. See also this video about the Channeled scablands narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart
First visitor from beyond our solar system has an origin “They realized it wasn’t a comet at all, since it lacks a comet’s trademark fuzzy bubble surrounding its core. That meant it must actually be an asteroid, a hunk of space rock from a distant solar system.” It’s probably from somewhere near the Carina and Columbia constellations, and started our way about 40 million years ago.
Prehistoric, Dinosaur-Era Shark With Insane Teeth Found Swimming Off Coast Of Portugal
Aboriginal people spread native plants by hand, new study finds
No Excuses, People: Get the New Shingles Vaccine I’m less sure about the new two-shot Shingles vaccine (Shingrix) than the article author is; I’d like to see more data in particular about people who have already had shingles and / or the previous Shingles vaccine. The CDC panel that voted on whether to endorse the new vaccine was not unanimous.

Society

“The fact that a great many men I have spoken to genuinely seem to think that the main issue here is how and whether they’re going to be able to get laid in the future is… I’m going to swallow a scream, and say that it’s “interesting.”
Keystone Pipeline leaks 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota This is exactly what protestors and experts predicted would happen. Keep in mind that Federal and other U.S. authorities sprayed protestors with water in freezing temperatures, and caused one woman to lose an arm.

Pay It Forward and Make It Better

Australia votes YES to Marriage Equality Good on ya!

Women’s Work

Victorian Marine Biologist Margaret Gatty’s Stunning Drawings of Seaweed