Some of Ann Arbor's streetlights can be distractingly bright. New LED lighting is helping with the city’s A2Zero Climate Action plan, but some worry over increased light pollution. WEMU's David Fair talked with Ann Arbor City Council member Dharma Akmon about how the city can move forward while addressing sustainability and accommodating public concern.

Tree Town is looking to find new and productive ways to avoid wasting wood. The City of Ann Arbor is partnering with the company “Urban Ashes” to repurpose storm-damaged and diseased trees. We often discuss the ecological benefits of planting and maintaining trees but rarely look at the environmental impact wood can have once it’s down. Urban Ashes CEO Paul Hickman joined WEMU's David Fair to look at the partnership, how it will work and the benefits it can provide.

Amazing Facts International is excited to announce that the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism (AFCOE) will hold its fall 2024 complete course in Granite Bay, California, beginning in August!

The three-month program aligns with Pastor Doug Batchelor’s upcoming Prophecy Odyssey evangelistic series in New York City in September. The class will help local congregations prepare for the reaping event through intensive training in outreach, including giving Bible studies, answering difficult Bible questions, organizing effective pre-work, discipling new believers, and much more.

However, the training provided for this series is not meant to benefit only our friends in NYC. Carlos Muñoz, AFCOE director, says, “We invite everyone, from everywhere, to come train and work for this event and learn how to replicate it in their local congregations. What you learn and practice here will help you grow your community of faith wherever you live.”

AFCOE is designed to help Christians from all backgrounds speak persuasively for Christ in public settings, develop a vibrant devotional life, confidently share their faith with others, and identify their specific calling in ministry. AFCOE can even teach you how to start and grow your own ministry.

Students will get winsome, empowering instruction from Pastor Doug and other experienced soul-winners, including Jëan Ross, vice president of evangelism; Carlos Muñoz; Daniel Hudgens, AFCOE assistant director; Dr. David Shin; Dwayne Lemon; Anil Kanda; and many more. Our instructors and guest speakers have excelled in their ministry fields and will give you a wider breadth of outreach and Bible knowledge.

Students will also go beyond the classroom to win souls for Jesus, working directly with Amazing Facts and churches to gain valuable outreach experience that will make an eternal difference. Says Pastor Doug, “AFCOE is about learning while doing. Students do real work in real communities and with real people, bringing real results for the Master.”

[PQ-HERE]

Is God Calling You?

Would you like to be a part of this amazing experience? Do you desire to become a better soul-winner, Bible worker, missionary, health evangelist, or whatever else God has called you to be? We invite you to learn more at afcoe.org today. Prayerfully ask God whether He wants you to receive this empowering, life-changing outreach training and win souls for Christ in these last days!

Quick Facts:

• Three-month outreach training course (August 15 to November 16).

• Classes are held in Granite Bay, California.

• Your AFCOE fee will cover airfare and lodging to New York City for Prophecy Odyssey outreach.

• Space is limited—housing enrollment deadline: July 18.

Apply today at afcoe.org!

It's only the first day of August, but the weather in Portland is such that it already feeling like plural dog days have elapsed. And yet, through it all, a podcast episode drags itself through the sun-baked streets to appear, sweating and winded, on your doorstep. Come along with Jessamyn and I as we...chatter about MetaFilter? Basically what we normally do. This one's about an hour and 45.

Helpful Links

Podcast Feed
Subscribe with iTunes
Direct mp3 download

Misc
- the wikipedia article on 175 has, since recording, lost the specific nag it had when we were discussing it!
- jessamyn has been catsitting
- more like the hooey decimal system
- wellllll, Godot? We're WAAAAAAITTIiiiing!
- freedom to tinker
- you ever (Stevie) Wonder about the clavinet?
- it's a BEACH that makes you OLD
- jessamyn's maple dealer


Projects
- Quarantine Happy Hour concert archive by hades
- Recollections Of A Summer by dng
- The Sound of the Far Future by ignignokt


MetaFilter
- Patterns by They sucked his brains out!
- A unanimous vote for the right to repair. by mhoye
- Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates joining Howard University by Nelson
- Whammy Clavinet by Harald74
- His last purchases—beer, cigarettes, pot—occurred 18 years ago. by Grandysaur
- Happy birthday, Metafilter! by Melismata
- Shawty Got Low in Those Apple Bottom Memes by jonp72
- All mountains are old, but the Appalachians are incomprehensibly old by Karmakaze
- The world's first 1541 disk drive graphics demo by JHarris


Ask MetaFilter
- What to do in Vermont when traveling companion has mobility issues? by The Pluto Gangsta
- How does MetaFilter have such a high user engagement compared to others? by oracleia
- Nouns that you would never say "the" before? by ftm
- Library book with potentially valuable author's signature by clair-de-lune
- What song is this? by Trespassers William
- Songs with radio clips? by ftm
- Voices coming out of my iPad in the middle of the night by squink
- Why is my gas bill so high? by artificialard
- Friends' anxiety makes me angry/anxious by unicorn chaser
- Dating Failure by Aranquis
- How commonplace is crossing one's arms at Catholic communion? by Charity Garfein


MetaTalk
- Metatalktail Hour: Sneaky pet/kid stories by LobsterMitten
- MetaFilter's new Privacy Policy document by cortex
- A change in moderator coverage of the site by cortex
- 1. money 2. budget 3. ??? 4. profit!! by bendy
- Donated By "Anonymous" by cursed


MeFi Music
Featured in this episode:
- Car Music by gt2
- You Should Eat Your Yellow Vegetables by not_on_display
- Brazilian Brooks by CarrotAdventure
- Signal Tower by edlundart

It's episode 185 of the MeFi Monthly Podcast, with Jessamyn and I talking for a good chunk up front about the whole process over the last couple months of figuring out transferring ownership of the site from me to her. We also talk about, like, good stuff from the site for most of it.

Helpful Links

Podcast Feed
Subscribe with iTunes
Direct mp3 download

Once again I am gloriously doing almost no work in causing this post to be here; thanks again to eotvos who has once again done all the actually fiddly bits in turning Jess and I rambling on mic into an actual mix down and pile of text as seen below.

Projects
- I made Some Tools by bondcliff.
- The Daily Brief -- News as Information by jkrobin.
- ... a look back at your Amazon shopping history by ph00dz.
- Every .horse domain by Shepherd.
- Dark Patterns Now Available on Android and iOS by cosmic owl.

Metafilter
- Mechanical Watch by Devils Rancher.
- blank blank in the blank of blankety blank, blank blank? by Ten Cold Hot Dogs.
- The "FU" is how you answer the phone when the man tries to bring ya down by not_on_display.
- The Uselessness of Phenylephrine by brainwane.
- Something Went Very Wrong by cavenet.
- Things that Make White People Uncomfortable by box.
- The Mefi-wiki page about Givewell.
- Now you know your A-B-Trees by secretdark.
- You're welcome, Matt, by zenon.

Ask Metafilter
- Everything Everywhere All At When? (streaming) by fleecy socks.
- How should I learn Linear Algebra? by cortex.
- Expressing a line figure as a set of triangles by Tell Me No Lies.
- Advice on Art Appraisals, by Saxon Kane.
- Navigating complicated grief for alcoholic father by showeringsuns.
- What happened to the squatters? by wesleyac.
- Is saying "I'm proud of you" patronizing? by Dressed to Kill.
- Is it wrong to use these antique postcards as postcards? by The corpse in the library.

Metatalk
- Paperwork & Bodywork: short virtual anti-procrastination calls by brainwane.
- [MeFi Site Update] May 25th by loup and staff.
- MetaFilter: A Utopia of Rules? by General Malaise.
- A MetaFilter User Survey by curious nu and the transition team.

Music clips
- Bigass Pizza Blues by CarrotAdventure
- Look At Me by transitional procedures.
- One Month Dragon by srednivashtar
- For Each One To Discover (AO) by q*ben.
- End Credits by CarrotAventure.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: A famous paper, a few months ago, described fighting the pandemic as the hammer and the dance. Officials would put down the hammer, shutting down businesses to slow the disease, and then try various maneuvers to dance back toward normal life. RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: California lowered the hammer last spring. Then came the dance. It's been gradually reopening businesses and beaches over the past couple months. But now Governor Gavin Newsom says he's got to go back to the hammer because COVID is spreading again. (SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE) GAVIN NEWSOM: A week or so ago, I was reporting just six lives lost. And then a few days later, well in excess of a hundred lives lost. And so this continues to be a deadly disease. MARTIN: It's not just businesses closing. The two biggest school districts in California say they won't have kids back in the classrooms for the foreseeable future. INSKEEP: Which is what we're going to discuss

Updated at 12:45 p.m. ET The dramatic collapse of the U.S. economy from the coronavirus is pummeling America's largest banks, raising new concerns about how much growth is slowing. Wells Fargo lost $2.4 billion in the second quarter — its first quarterly loss since 2008 during the financial crisis — and said it expects to cut its dividend to shareholders by 80%. Citigroup saw its profit drop 73% in the quarter. And JPMorgan Chase, the nation's biggest bank, was forced to set aside billions of dollars more to cover bad loans during the second quarter, although money it made from trading in the frothy financial markets assured it made a profit anyway. The results underscore the toll that the recession is taking on big banks, which serve as a barometer of how the broader U.S. economy is faring. Hopes that the economy will rebound as fast as it declined — a so-called V-shaped recovery — seem increasingly unlikely. "We still face much uncertainty regarding the future path of the economy,"

Updated at 4 p.m. ET Months after approving some limited involvement by the Chinese technology giant Huawei in constructing the U.K.'s next-generation wireless data network, British regulators reversed course Tuesday. Beginning in January, U.K. regulators will implement a ban on telecom operators buying Huawei equipment. Existing Huawei 5G equipment will need to be removed from the U.K.'s 5G network by 2027. The decision comes after relations between the U.K. and China declined sharply over China's actions in Hong Kong, and in the face of a potential rebellion by parliamentarians from the U.K.'s ruling Conservative party who are concerned about the security implications of Chinese involvement in the 5G rollout. But it also follows sustained U.S. pressure on the U.K. and other European countries to exclude Huawei from 5G development. The U.S. says Huawei's equipment can be used for espionage by Beijing, and it has threatened to withhold intelligence from its allies that continued to use

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: A bipartisan delegation of Congresspeople is just back from Ukraine. It was a trip designed to strengthen the U.S.-Ukraine alliance, and it was planned before news broke of the whistleblower complaint against President Trump involving that same country. Congressman John Garamendi led the delegation as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. And the Democrat from California joins us now. Welcome, Congressman. JOHN GARAMENDI: Good to be with you. SHAPIRO: One central question in the impeachment inquiry is whether President Trump demanded help investigating a political rival in exchange for U.S. aid to Ukraine. And I know that aid was a central topic on your trip, so what did you learn about Ukraine's reliance on American assistance? GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, Ukraine is an extraordinary country. These citizens of that country are determined to be independent. They have been fighting a war against Russia for the last five years. They've lost 13- to 14

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: A bipartisan delegation of Congresspeople is just back from Ukraine. It was a trip designed to strengthen the U.S.-Ukraine alliance, and it was planned before news broke of the whistleblower complaint against President Trump involving that same country. Congressman John Garamendi led the delegation as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. And the Democrat from California joins us now. Welcome, Congressman. JOHN GARAMENDI: Good to be with you. SHAPIRO: One central question in the impeachment inquiry is whether President Trump demanded help investigating a political rival in exchange for U.S. aid to Ukraine. And I know that aid was a central topic on your trip, so what did you learn about Ukraine's reliance on American assistance? GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, Ukraine is an extraordinary country. These citizens of that country are determined to be independent. They have been fighting a war against Russia for the last five years. They've lost 13- to 14

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: A bipartisan delegation of Congresspeople is just back from Ukraine. It was a trip designed to strengthen the U.S.-Ukraine alliance, and it was planned before news broke of the whistleblower complaint against President Trump involving that same country. Congressman John Garamendi led the delegation as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. And the Democrat from California joins us now. Welcome, Congressman. JOHN GARAMENDI: Good to be with you. SHAPIRO: One central question in the impeachment inquiry is whether President Trump demanded help investigating a political rival in exchange for U.S. aid to Ukraine. And I know that aid was a central topic on your trip, so what did you learn about Ukraine's reliance on American assistance? GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, Ukraine is an extraordinary country. These citizens of that country are determined to be independent. They have been fighting a war against Russia for the last five years. They've lost 13- to 14

Looking back at more than 25 years in public service, Susan Rice — former U.N. ambassador for the United States and national security adviser to President Barack Obama — describes much of her career as a balancing act. Sometimes, that meant toeing the line between her personal and professional life. "My now 22-year-old son, in fact, learned to walk in the halls of the State Department," recalls Rice in an interview with NPR. "And there were those who thought that was a little bit inappropriate for the staid halls of the State Department." But luckily, she says, she had the support of then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Other times, Rice had to balance her ambition with her identity as a person of color: At the age of 28, having just started her career in government, Rice turned down a position working on African policy for the Clinton administration out of fear of pigeonholing herself. She worried "this predominantly white national security establishment would see [her] as

The Bible says before the Lord comes again there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It won't be just the Spirit giving comfort and conviction but a baptism of the Spirit with signs and wonders and miracles.

We are all called to be ambassadors for Christ.

rhubarb filtered and delayed

A little driving music for the Trump II era.

Oh snack! MetaFilter's 25 year anniversary is this weekend! East Bay (and other Bay Area) mefites, let's meet up! I couldn't think of an easy venue that is outdoors and works with who-knows-how-many-people, except for my back yard! Come hang out and eat some food! Sunday, Jul 14, 2pm until close. I probably won't start the grill until 4 or 5, so have brunch or late brunch (portmanteau: "lunch") beforehand.

It's last minute so I have no idea how much people will show up, so rather than provision based on guesses, let's just everyone potluck it up!

Both an idea (for outreach/promotion) and a confession. The day before I was set to table at the local zine symposium, I was scrambling for another mini-zine idea, and ended up excerpting some of the answers to an Ask Me I made earlier this year"What's your random (but regular) act of public service?" Here's a link to the one-page mini zine (mod note: link removed, see this note).

In retrospect, this is very much of the "ask for forgiveness not permission" M.O. that I usually hate on. But also it seems like an idea for getting the word out about Metafilter to potential members. My tablemate at the zine fair was all (paraphrase) "oooh, I'll check that out. I love the idea that it is old school." People whose answers I used and MeFi mods, please forgive me for not asking in advance. I didn't use any usernames, but obviously if someone finds the original post there is only the usual level of anonymity. People in general, what do you think about making a Metafilter zine series? I think the DIY ethos of zines is very much in the spirit of MeFi, and zines also spans across the generations (aka gen x-ers, millennials, gen z-ers etc). It could be an internal fundraiser (like stickers and magnets) but I think it would be more fun if it was directed to non-members?

Since the coronavirus pandemic battered China's economy, tens of millions of urban and factory jobs have evaporated. Some workers and business owners have banded together to pressure companies or local governments for subsidies and payouts. But many of the newly unemployed have instead returned to their rural villages. China's vast countryside now serves as an unemployment sponge, soaking up floating migrant workers in temporary agricultural work on small family plots. "Say a factory used to hire 1,000 temporary workers; now, without new orders, these business owners can't afford to hire this many people," Yan Xiyun, a labor intermediary, told NPR. "The factory I usually go to in previous years could easily hire 2,000 people. Now there is scarcely anyone [on the factory floor]." Ten years ago, Yan left her own village near the small city of Zhumadian in Henan province for the first time and joined the migrant workforce. Now, she's a headhunter working on commission, placing thousands

Our national fascination with sourdough starter appears to have stopped. Or at least slowed down a bit. The price of baking flour fell last month along with the price of eggs, suggesting that the baking craze that gripped hungry and housebound consumers in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic has cooled. "Sourdough is definitely a commitment," says Kristin Hoffman, who makes instructional YouTube videos for aspiring bakers. "I have heard a couple of people say that they really don't understand why somebody would want to put so much effort into a loaf of bread." Hoffman's Baker Bettie website saw a surge of interest from first-time bakers in late March and April, when tens of millions of Americans found themselves stuck at home with time on their hands. "I saw four to five times higher traffic than even during peak holiday-baking season," Hoffman says. "It has started to kind of level back out, now that things are reopening." Even if the bake-off was a turnoff for some, people

For the past almost 40 years, Treb Heining has engineered the balloon drops at every Republican National Convention and most Democratic National Conventions. I photographed how he and his team inflated and then dropped 100,000 balloons on the final night of the RNC this year in Milwaukee.

This is a story I'd been wanting to do since I noticed the balloons suspended from the ceiling during the 2016 conventions. I though, "Huh, there's got to be a story behind these balloons." What I found was Treb Heining, who got his start in balloons at age 15 selling balloons on foot at Disneyland. Heining went on to invent the balloon arch and built a balloon decorating business that now spans the globe. He invented the Glasshouse Balloon, a clear balloon surrounding the Mickey-shaped balloon sold at Disney resorts worldwide. And he's been in charge of the balloon drops at every RNC since 1988 and most DNCs since then (he was not involved in the 2004 DNC failure). He's also been in charge of the Times Square New Year's Eve confetti drop for more than 30 years and engineered balloon events at Super Bowls and Olympics opening ceremonies. For the conventions, Heining and a team of balloon decoration professionals and some local volunteers spend a couple days before the convention inflating and tying approximately 100,000 balloons by hand, putting them into giant net bags, and rigging them to the ceiling of the arena. Then, after the final speech on the last day of the convention, the balloons are dropped onto the delegates. I pitched this story to Bloomberg Businessweek in 2020, but the conventions were initially cancelled and then held in a modified form without balloon drops, so the story was killed. I pitched it again for this year, and it all worked out. Here's the Businessweek piece online and the larger edit with some videos and animated gifs on my website.

[Link

Sandhouse’s latest single, “Bite Me Back,” is a strong follow-up to their debut release, “Sick Of Your Face,” and it plunges listeners into an atmosphere of intense, dark allure. With…

The sweet and soulful DJ Teddie Bear marries country music with the sounds of down south blues in his latest single “Southern Soul Twerk.” DJ Teddie Bear is a Georgia…

Today, we hear from young Native Americans on what the land back movement means to them. Then, a Coast Miwok family advocates for the native people of Tomales Bay.

Today, the contested future of SF's Great Highway. Then, a community group that’s building trust for better health. And, we honor Barbara Dane’s life and revolutionary music.

Today, London Breed’s reelection bid for San Francisco Mayor may be vulnerable to an upset. Then, the joy of transforming into iconic characters. And we revisit one of our local haunts.

Today, we get a glimpse into a local Goth scene and learn what makes it very Bay Area. And, we meet a florist who grows marigolds for Day of the Dead altars.

Today, we look into how elections are structured. How our ballots are designed. How ranked choice voting actually works. And, the people who work to ensure our elections run smoothly.

Today, we hear from unhoused people in the East Bay on their role in the presidential race. Then, photos and voices from the lives that are swept up when an encampment is cleared.

Today we go inside San Quentin’s mock elections. Then, we hear about comic books and mental health — for veterans. And, the passionate mix of music and movement of Flamenco.

Today, a local Iranian farmer grows the herbs of home. Then, an art exhibit encourages visitors to look inside themselves to feel empowered. And, Bay Poets brings us an oracle.

The Bible says before the Lord comes again there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It won't be just the Spirit giving comfort and conviction but a baptism of the Spirit with signs and wonders and miracles.

We are all called to be ambassadors for Christ.

The waterfront town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore provides a timeless getaway for nature seekers and admirers of early American history and architecture.

Explosive testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, has raised questions about President Donald J. Trump’s actions on the day of the Capitol riot.

What does the Bible say about how to take care of our bodies so that we could have a longer, stronger, more abundant life? - Part 1

What does the Bible say about how to take care of our bodies so that we could have a longer, stronger, more abundant life? - Part 2

There should be a difference in the way that Christians conduct themselves that shows what is in their hearts.

Dirige Diana Calderón

Dirige Diana Calderón

Dirige Diana Calderón

Dirige Diana Calderón

Dirige Diana Calderón

Dirige Diana Calderón

Dirige Diana Calderón

Dirige Diana Calderón

Diana Rodríguez habla sobre su concepción de feminismo

Laura Gallego habla sobre los estereotipos de género

Dirige Diana Calderón