Morning Coffee (11/30/16)

This is an important photo essay: Black Skies Above Mosul

Donald Trump Wants You to Burn the Flag While He Burns the Constitution

Good for them: Kellogg Pulls Ads From Breitbart Over 'Values As A Company'

2016! Kremlin Spokesman Says He's "Proud" of Wife's Holocaust Ice-Skating Number

Trump’s lies have a purpose. They are an assault on democracy.

Well, there's plenty to be worried about here: The Disruptive Career of Michael Flynn, Trump's National-Security Adviser

Donald Trump tweeted Britain asking for a crony as ambassador. That's a problem.

The lesson of Trump University: how little Trump’s supporters mean to him

"A certain kind of liberal makes me sick. These people traffic in false equivalencies, always pretending that both nominees are the same, justifying their apathy and not voting or preening about their narcissistic purity as they cast their ballot for a person they know cannot win."

This saga just keeps going: More Fresh Hell for Theranos

Louisa May Alcott on Little Women: “I grow tired of providing moral pap for the young”

Morning Coffee (11/29/16)

Obama Expands War With Al Qaeda to Include Shabab in Somalia

The Last Hospital In Eastern Aleppo Is No More

Donald Trump is now questioning the legitimacy of the election he won

Fact-check: Did 3 million undocumented immigrants vote in this year's election? (No. But it's worth paying attention to where this nonsense came from.)

Nate Silver: Why I Support An Election Audit, Even Though It’s Unlikely To Change The Outcome

The Times profile of Bannon is a bit too... mild, maybe, but it includes some interesting and alarming things.

And: Steve Bannon’s disturbing views on ‘genetic superiority’ are shared by Trump

Maybe You Should Show Some Empathy for the Flesh-Eating Blob Monsters

Interesting: A bot crawled thousands of studies looking for simple math errors. The results are concerning.

The Ottoman Turkish Zenanname (ʻBook of Womenʼ)

Morning Coffee (11/28/16)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Syria war: Key Aleppo rebel area captured by forces

Good for them: ThinkProgress will no longer describe racists as ‘alt-right’

And them: Facing a massive boycott, Target CEO doubles down on support of LGBTQ rights with these words

"It is unconscionable, this know-better recrimination, directed at the very people who just put the most work and energy into defeating Trumpism, coming from those who will be made least vulnerable by Trump’s ascension."

This is really good and important: Progressive fundamentalism: how Hollywood and the media fortify the bubbles we all live in

What the alt-right really wants, according to a professor writing a book about them

How the DNC chair election works

China is trying to counter the West’s influence in Africa by exporting its literature there

In Praise of Paris Geller and Her Anger

Morning Coffee (11/27/16)

The Clinton campaign is participating in Stein's Wisconsin recount. Here's the statement.

It would have been great if we could have had this reporting earlier, but here we are: Potential Conflicts Around the Globe for Trump, the Businessman President

Trump Tower security may take over 2 floors — and cost millions

Russian propaganda effort helped spread ‘fake news’ during election, experts say

11 things we learned from Donald Trump’s meeting with the New York Times

"There’s a fine line between whipping up panic and informing the citizenry so that people can respond in orderly, considered fashion. But this is an emergency and people need to be prepared for it—even if, in the end, the category-five hurricane is downgraded."

Gender Colors Outrage Over Scandal Involving South Korea’s President

This looks extremely useful: Kayak’s App Will Now Help You Navigate the Airport

133-Million-Year-Old Pebble Discovered to Be First Fossilized Dinosaur Brain

Hahaha: I Can’t Be a Jerk, I Was a Geek in High School

Morning Coffee (11/26/16)

Whoa: Castro died. The Times obituary is quite good.

A relief, given everything else going on in the world! Angela Merkel to Seek 4th Term as Germany’s Leader

Well this isn't worrisome or anything: Trump turning away intelligence briefers since election win

Trump Foundation admits to violating ban on ‘self-dealing,’ new filing to IRS shows

Can Anything Stop the Confirmation of Jeff Sessions?

Trump's Hamilton outburst ignores the theater's history as a place for political protest

Want to Know if the Election was Hacked? Look at the Ballots

Eight steps reporters should take before Trump assumes office

Fascinating: For Deaf Tennis Player, Sound Is No Barrier

Cool: Slo-Mo Video Reveals How WW1 Fighters Didn't Shoot Their Propellers Off

Morning Coffee (11/25/16)

Time for some happy Friday links. And pie for breakfast. Don't forget the pie for breakfast.

A US college student who grew up with few books returned to her native Afghanistan to build a library

Whoa: Harvard Researchers Print World’s First Heart-on-a-Chip

50 Years Ago, Truman Capote Hosted the Best Party Ever

Hedgehog-Based Authentication Is the Only Way to Be Truly Secure

I love holiday gift guides. Here's Vox's, which is always a treat.

I still wish Legends of the Hidden Temple was coming back as a game show, but this clip of the movie made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

NBC’s The Good Place knows nothing's as simple as good vs. evil. It’s perfect for 2016.

15 of the world’s most beautiful train stations

Lipstick shaped like wine bottles!

Mysterious Items Found in 2000-Year-Old Cooking Pot

Morning Coffee (11/24/16)

Happy Thanksgiving! In honor of the holiday I wrote a thank you note to Hillary Clinton.

On its 80th anniversary, the perfect Thanksgiving reading takes on a melancholy note

Basically everything Todd VanDerWerff writes is brilliant, including this: Don’t avoid politics this holiday season. Use these 5 tips for productive conversations.

How to talk to your climate denier uncle this Thanksgiving

Showing Up for Racial Justice Thanksgiving Toolkit (PDF)

Thanksgiving tech support survival guide

This was unexpectedly moving: My Day at the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line

Use Two Quarters to Measure Perfect Pie Dough Thickness

Don’t use your drone to cook Thanksgiving dinner

6 states produce almost all the turkey in the US

The Plymouth Hero You Should Really Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving

Morning Coffee (11/23/16)

Some good news! Turkey withdraws child rape bill after street protests

ISIS Used Chemical Arms at Least 52 Times in Syria and Iraq, Report Says

Whoa: Pope Francis Extends Priests’ Ability to Forgive Abortion

Oh, sad: William Trevor, Writer Who Evoked the Struggles of Ordinary Life, Is Dead at 88

Why Jared Kushner is Donald Trump's truest heir and most trusted adviser

This is fascinating: Covering Trump: An oral history of an unforgettable campaign

Long but worth reading: Shirtless Trump Saves Drowning Kitten: Facebook's Fake-News Problem and the Rise of the Postmodern Right

Was Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s Attack Dog, Paid Illegally?

Hahaha: Oracle Just Bought Dyn, the Company That Brought Down the Internet

Now We’ll Finally Get to See the American Revolution Through the Eyes of King George

Morning Coffee (11/22/16)

Important! Throw That Sabra Hummus in Your Fridge Away Right Now

ISIS demolished a 2,900-year-old Assyrian ziggurat

This is extremely troubling: For foreign diplomats, Trump hotel is place to be

Related: A running list of how Donald Trump’s new position may be helping his business interests

And... um. Trump spokeswoman says Americans should ignore conflicts-of-interest, focus on Trump’s ‘sacrifice’

"Warren and Sanders are wrong, and in a way that signals a significant misreading of the landscape on the part of the most influential Democrats."

Donald Trump’s feud with the cast of Hamilton, explained

Why Keeping Only the Popular Parts of Obamacare Won’t Work

This is so cool: Space Archaeologist Sarah Parcak Uses Satellites to Uncover Ancient Egyptian Ruins

The Russian Schools Training Women To Be Housewives

Morning Coffee (11/21/16)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

In case you missed it over the weekend, here's the Hamilton cast's statement to Mike Pence.

Obama Is Warning America About Trump’s Presidency. Are You Listening?

Let's make sure we're all aware that Trump's tax plan means single parents can't file as head of household.

There are a lot of scary things in here: Anti-Defamation League decries Stephen Bannon, while many other Jewish groups stay silent

Why misogyny won

Inside the fight to save Obamacare: how one longtime advocate plans to fight repeal

!!! Congressional panel calls for new Smithsonian museum of women’s history

Welp: Oxford Dictionaries announces 'post-truth' as its word of the year

What's Life Really Like For Women In Russia?

Protect Your Library the Medieval Way, With Horrifying Book Curses

Morning Coffee (11/20/16)

(Still in New York. Back with more current links tomorrow.)

Facebook fake-news writer: ‘I think Donald Trump is in the White House because of me’

Take. This. Stuff. Seriously. Immigration hardliner says Trump team preparing plans for wall, mulling Muslim registry

Rebecca Traister is a must-read at this point: Shattered

Sigh: Republicans are suddenly realizing the economy is actually in good shape

With Trump’s Election, a Bonanza for Washington Lobbyists

The Cinemax Theory of Racism

The Onion, but, again... really just true: Area Man Considers Self Ally To Women Unless They Threaten His Status In Literally Any Way

How to weather the Trump administration: Head to the library

Using Math to Build the Ultimate Taffy Machine

What made these people dance themselves to death?

Morning Coffee (11/19/16)

(I'm in New York to see Hamilton so this post was written in advance; I'll catch up on whatever new horrors have befallen us next week.)

It's Time to Pay More Attention to Jared Kushner

Good for him: Lindsey Graham Calls For Senate Investigation Into Whether Russia Hacked DNC

An Unabashed Misogynist Is in Charge of Our Country. Now What?

The Onion, but... true: Report: It Still Nowhere Near Okay To Act Like Donald Trump

Some good basic info: A primer on executive power: Trump can't end same-sex marriages, but he could speed up deportations

I meant to link this days ago, but Clinton's concession speech was lovely and moving and you should read it if you haven't heard/seen it yet.

Facebook's fake news problem, explained

The desperation of Indian housewives in the United States of America

When Curious George Made a Daring Escape From the Nazis

Heh: Woman Thanks Boyfriend For Putting Up With Her Totally Reasonable Behavior

Morning Coffee (11/18/16)

Let's take a break for some happy Friday links.

National Book Award winners! I want to read all of them.

I'm glad the BBC understands that what the world needs now is more Mary Berry.

Oh, this could be fun: Broadway's 'She Loves Me' to Screen in Movie Theaters (I went when they did something similar with Company and it was great.)

!!! Dan Stevens & Christopher Plummer To Star In Charles Dickens Tale ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’

This is an amazing headline: Cats colonized most of the planet by boat

A great escapist read if you like this kind of thing: Sex, Drugs, and Bestsellers: The Legend of the Literary Brat Pack

I haven't had a change to start watching The Crown yet but here's some good background info.

Let's go curl up with some tea and blankets and read the books that shaped President Obama.

I bet you need to see a polar bear petting a dog.

MATH KNITTING

Morning Coffee (11/17/16)

I think we're at the point at which it's getting hard to separate out election-related stuff, because... it's just part of what's going on in the world now. However, I will continue my usual habit of putting more newsy/current affairs links toward the top and history/science/arts/entertainment toward the bottom, so if you want to avoid Trump-related stuff, start at the end and read up.

Everything is fine: "The State Department confirms that, like the Pentagon and the Justice Department, it has not heard from anyone on President-elect Trump’s team, a week after the election."

Everything is fine! Russia quits International Criminal Court

What a surprise: Total abortion ban proposed in Indiana

Wow: "The message was sent on a special channel created in 2013 as part of the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, using a template designed for crisis communication. . . . 'The fact that we used this channel was part of the messaging.'"

Trump can now loot millions of dollars from the Secret Service with no disclosure

Meanwhile: This Is What Canada’s New LGBTQ2 Special Advisor Is Facing In His New Role

Hahaha, The Onion: DNC Aiming To Reconnect With Working-Class Americans With New ‘Hamilton’-Inspired Lena Dunham Web Series

Joshua Johnson is a great choice to replace Diane Rehm.

Football Alters the Brains of Kids as Young as 8

Skipsea Castle was built on Iron Age mound, excavation reveals

Morning Coffee (11/16/16)

Post-election reading:

This is fine: Trump Transition Team Hasn't Reached Out To State, Defense Departments

Totally fine: Firings and Discord Put Trump Transition Team in a State of Disarray (Another article, which I didn't link because it was less comprehensive than this one, had a quote from a source describing things as "Stalinesque". I'm sure that's a good sign.)

Trump further undermines fake blind trust by seeking top secret clearance for his kids

There’s No Such Thing as a Good Trump Voter

Donald Trump Is Already Acting Like an Authoritarian

Other:

Some good news! Ava DuVernay’s ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Gets Spring 2018 Release Date

This is fascinating: The FBI’s Fake Russian Agent Reveals His Secrets

Why Does Fall/Autumn Have Two Names?

Incredibly useful: The Big Five US Trade Book Publishers

'The perfect dorm game': how the Fifa series helped sell soccer to the US

Morning Coffee (11/15/16)

Post-election reading:

I know it doesn't change anything at this point, but it makes me feel better: Clinton wins New Hampshire

LAPD will not help deport immigrants under Trump, chief says

Good for Markey: Sen. Ed Markey says Donald Trump’s top aide Steve Bannon is a ‘white nationalist’

A bit of good news: Google will soon ban fake news sites from using its ad network

Autocracy: Rules for Survival

Other:

Sad news: PBS's Gwen Ifill has died.

The gorgeous Beauty and the Beast trailer will make you feel better. At least a little.

Let's read about the history of ballpoint pens. That sounds soothing. (No, really, it's very interesting.)

How to Watch President Obama’s Essential Sci-Fi TV and Films

Discover One of History’s Most Ambitious Maps

Morning Coffee (11/14/16)

Current Events:

A letter to America from Leslie Knope, regarding Donald Trump

I have many issues with the Huffington Post in general, but I appreciate the way they're not mincing words: A White Nationalist Is The New White House Chief Strategist

Trump has no interest in living in the White House.

Trump U Lawyers Ask That Trial Be Postponed Until After Inauguration (Because then he thinks he won't be busy anymore???)

How Trump Conned America

Other:

This sounds like a thing some of you may need? PBS to air marathons of The Great British Baking Show spin-off

One Great Way to Reduce Gun Violence? A Whole Lot of Data

How Virtual Reality Is Helping Prosecute Nazi War Criminals

The age of streaming is killing classic film. Can Turner Classic Movies be its salvation?

Fact-Checking: the Polar Bear Test

Morning Coffee (11/13/16)

Current Events:

My friend Libby's letter to Hillary is the best thing I've read since the election.

Awww: Mother and Daughter Hikers Run Into Hillary Clinton in the Woods

Harry Reid is a hero.

Donald Trump’s Victory Proves That America Hates Women

The Onion, barely: Nation Throws Off Tyrannical Yoke Of Moderate Respect For Women

Other:

The Oregon Women Who Took Over the Government in 1920

Especially of interest to fans of Halt and Catch Fire: The Toxic Charisma of John McAfee

Illustrations of the People Who Want You to Work For Free

When to give up on a TV show: 7 simple rules to help you know when to bail

1,600-Year-Old Feast Unearthed in Alberta

Morning Coffee (11/12/16)

For the time being, I'm going to give you five current events links first and then five other links, labeled so you can find what you need. Take care of yourselves.

Current events:

Hillary Clinton Likely Received More Votes Than Any Presidential Candidate Beside Obama

Aww: Thanks to You, Team HFA

Go Nicola Sturgeon!

Fear is a totally rational reaction to the Donald Trump presidency

The Five Stages of Trump Grief

Other:

This, by my friend Amy, is lovely: Facing my fear: I'm a hopeless extrovert, and I adopted a nonverbal child

Chad Michael Murray is publishing a romance novel, because of course he is.

Hinge app founder hopes $7 and no swiping can avert the dating apocalypse

People Are Loving These Two Guys’ Conversation About Consent

Civil War-Era Cannonballs Unearthed by Hurricane Matthew

Morning Coffee (11/11/16)

I'm not sure I actually have enough HAPPY links for you this morning, but I'm going with... emotionally neutral, at worst, and not election-related. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to try to have roughly half the links each day about current events and half about other things, and I will label those sections so you can find what you need.

The New York Public Library’s book train will make your nerdiest dreams come true

Let's talk about The Harrying of the North, because why not?

My non-verbal son communicates through ‘Hamilton’

Utopians are so maddening and fascinating to read about, especially right... now.

This is nifty: City of Women

The secret behind Italy's rarest pasta

The Mysterious Origins of Tiramisu, the Dessert That Took the '80s by Storm

Gold Rings Found in Warrior's Tomb Connect Two Ancient Greek Cultures

The History and Future of the Once-Revolutionary Taxidermy Diorama

Aw: 24 Moms That Are Way Too Pure And Wholesome For This World

Morning Coffee (11/10/16)

Well, here we are. Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday; between the result and the sheer number of hours I'd been volunteering/not sleeping, I just couldn't make myself do anything but stay snuggled on the couch for most of the day. I'm still not up to reading many pieces about what happened, but I'm bookmarking interesting stuff to read later and I may share it then (properly labeled so you can avoid if desired) if you're interested. For now I'm going to give you two important links about where we go from here, and then a bunch of interesting and totally unrelated things I'd bookmarked over the last month or so and never had time to share. Hope you're all doing okay. Reach out if you need to talk.

A Letter to Young Women: How We Will All Move Forward Together Now

A List of Pro-Women, Pro-Immigrant, Pro-Earth, Anti-Bigotry Organizations That Need Your Support

I realize this is obvious to a lot of us, but the more actual research we can cite, the better: Study of adoptive families finds no differences for same-sex families

The Rolling Stone story had a lasting effect on the UVA campus

How One Man Was Wrongly Blamed for Bringing AIDS to America

American Child Brides and the Dangers of Underage Sex

“The Girl On The Train” And Women’s Dark Fantasies

Skeleton Offers Clue to Amelia Earhart's Fate

Andrew Jackson's Marco Polo

Ooh: Cartography Software for Fantasy Writers

Happy Election Day!

I've been home extremely few hours in the past four days, and by the time you are reading this I'm back volunteering more, so no links today. Go vote!

Morning Coffee (11/7/16)

Trump Is an Existential Threat

I love this, by my friend Margaret: Hillary Clinton and Hardworking Imperfection

The Economist: Why we would cast our hypothetical vote for Hillary Clinton

‘It Really Does Get Into Your Head.’ The Election, Through the Eyes of Teenage Girls.

The workers who have the most at stake in this election aren’t white men

Critics Say North Carolina Is Curbing Black Vote. Again.

I Had a Scary Dream About Donald Trump’: Muslim Parents Face a Tense Election

Putin, Assange, and Comey are doing Donald Trump’s work for him

Interesting: The Polls of the Future Are Reproducible and Open Source

Laughing Until We Cry: Conversations About Getting Flashed, Grabbed, and Groped

Morning Coffee (11/6/16)

This is going to come in very handy: Daily Kos Elections Nov. 8, 2016 poll closings times map

YOU DON'T SAY: Therapists Say This Election Is Traumatizing Women

I love every word of this: Goodbye to all that: I’m done with Election 2016

What a headline: FBI launches internal investigation into its own Twitter account

Fear And Anger When Trump Comes To Campus

Dumping on Bronx kids, Donald style

Freaking out about white supremacists’ voter harassment threats does their work for them

Trump's Secret Bundler List

Heh: A Legendary Hollywood Scheduler Imagines Trump TV's Lineup

These people are such self-centered babies but I guess it's better than NOTHING: Third-party voters are “trading votes” with Clinton voters to defeat Trump

Morning Coffee (11/5/16)

okay first WHAT IS GOING ON WITH AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN, you guys??

This is so important: Hillary Clinton’s quiet revolution

This happened here in New Hampshire: The ugliest Donald Trump rally of the campaign

'The FBI is Trumpland': anti-Clinton atmosphere spurred leaking, sources say

The chilling implications of the FBI’s latest attack on Hillary Clinton

Bret Baier Is Serving As A Mouthpiece For Unknown Sources On FBI Stories

Fun Fact: Clarice Starling Isn’t Real

Meet Donald Trump’s Top FBI Fanboy

Nate Silver's model gives Trump an unusually high chance of winning. Could he be right? (Please no please no please no)

Nothing to see here: Casting notice goes out for new 'up-and-coming' conservative news network

Morning Coffee (11/3/16)

Okay, let's take a QUICK break for some happy links to distract from the election...

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

I love everything about this up to and including all the puns: Tyler Hoechlin, Man of Steal-ing Your Heart

In other important Superman news: Here Is Barack Obama With a Tiny Superman to Remind Us That All's Not Lost

Aw, Tim Kaine made us a playlist.

The Obama Family's Stylish Private World Inside the White House

Ooh, the Hamilton Mixtape tracklist!

Hm, and Melissa de la Cruz has an Alexander and Eliza Hamilton YA novel coming out!

'Taylor Swift,' 10 Years Later

Recommend Me a Book is pretty fun to play with.

How 'Tumblr Pink' Became the Most Ubiquitous Color in Fashion Branding

Morning Coffee (11/3/16)

How should voters weigh the sins of these two uniquely corrupt candidates?

White nationalists plot Election Day show of force

The FBI Was Basing A Potential Clinton Foundation Case On This Garbage Right-Wing Book

Just imagine what the FBI saga would look like under a vengeful President Trump

How Donald Trump Used Fine Print To Make It Harder To Sue Wall Street For Fraud

Look to Europe to understand why Ivanka Trump is more dangerous than her father

Louis C.K., Michael Moore, Hillary Clinton, and the rise of benevolent sexism in liberal men

To be specific: "If we have to pretend this is a good opinion, I’m going to die."

2016! Bono named one of women of the year by 'Glamour,' is not a woman

What the Early Vote in North Carolina Means: A Daily Tracker

Morning Coffee (11/2/16)

How You Can Fight Donald Trump Right Now

Donald Trump Used Legally Dubious Method to Avoid Paying Taxes

That explosive story about Trump's secret server for talking to Russia doesn't add up

And/but: The New York Times’ very fishy article about Trump and Russia

BUT: Forget conspiracy theories. This is why Trump’s Russian connection is actually a problem.

Everything is very normal: A Senator with a Top Security Clearance Joked About a Bullseye on Hillary Clinton's Face

What a weird coincidence: Odd Timing: FBI Releases Closed Case Files On Bill Clinton Pardon Of Marc Rich

Who could have guessed? Hostility toward women is one of the strongest predictors of Trump support

Neat: Bits and Pieces of Old New York, in a New Digital Collection

This list is not entirely what I would have guessed: These Were the Most-Performed High School Musicals of 2015/2016

Morning Coffee (11/1/16)

This is terrifying: Woman Thrown Out Of Trump Rally: “I’m Not A Paid Protester”

Um: "The official said some government insiders are perplexed as to why Comey would have election timing concerns with the Russian disclosure but not with the Huma Abedin email discovery disclosure he made Friday."

Donald Trump's Companies Destroyed Emails in Defiance of Court Orders

A Veteran Spy Has Given the FBI Information Alleging a Russian Operation to Cultivate Donald Trump

"And even the hacking into Democratic emails, F.B.I. and intelligence officials now believe, was aimed at disrupting the presidential election rather than electing Mr. Trump." Okay, but...

Who could have guessed? Donald Trump is refusing to pay his campaign pollster three-quarters of a million dollars

There are so many fascinating, alarming things in this piece about the Trump campaign's final days that I don't know where to start.

I assume this weird piece about Biden for Secretary of State may just be someone trying to mess with Trump. (Not that I'd object if it were true, obviously.)

I don't even LIKE Chobani but now I want to buy it.

Novelist Gayle Forman has a great essay about deciding who should stay home with her kids.