Matt Mason

Washington, D.C.

Writer at Freelance

Staff Product Manager, Growth at U.S. News and World Report

Articles

Poets on the Plains: On To be Indigenous is to Mourn

1 month ago | hppr.org | Matt Mason

On To be Indigenous is to Mourn by Aliyah American Horse,Nebraska Youth Poet Laureate 2023Midwestern Youth Poet Laureate 2024by Matt Mason, Nebraska State Poet emeritusHi, my name is Matt Mason, I’m the 2024 State Poet of Nebraska, here for Poets on the Plains. Today, I’m here reading Nebraska poet Aliyah American Horse’s poem “To Be Indigenous Is to Mourn.”The poem is from Aliyah’s brand new chapbook Shed No Tears Unci (oon-shee).
A scoping review of published reports of the infection prevention and control assessment framework: a comparison to the findings of the global report on infection prevention and control

Mar 27, 2025 | ijic.info | Matt Mason |Gold Coast |Sippy Downs |Peta-Anne Zimmerman

1. World Health Organization. Global report on infection prevention and control. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022. 2. World Health Organization. Global strategy on infection prevention and control. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023. 3. World Health Organization.
Heartworm Poses a Rising Threat to Pets in the Inland Northwest

Mar 10, 2025 | inlander.com | Matt Mason

click to enlarge Not long ago, a cat or dog catching heartworm disease in the Inland Northwest was so unlikely I once thought I could go my entire career without ever diagnosing one. It used to be that unless you were vacationing with your pets in warmer areas where the parasite can thrive, heartworm medication wasn't recommended by most veterinarians in the Pacific Northwest.
The Finger

Feb 5, 2025 | independent.com | Matt Mason

The Finger By Matt Mason, S.B. Wed Feb 05, 2025 | 4:26pm Add to Favorites I have done many things in my life to deserve the middle finger. I’ve been no saint. I have cut people off in traffic, sometimes by accident, and sometimes not. I have driven too fast through neighborhoods. I stopped doing that, along with all my fast driving, since I got that ticket for driving over 100 on the 101 freeway, and weaving in and out of traffic. The judge was clear in his punishment that I needed...
Shrykull - Beyond Subconscious Realms - Road To Masochist / Eggy Tapes

Nov 7, 2024 | avenoctum.com | Matt Mason

I have stated before in reviews on this estimable site that I believe music and the enjoyment of it is situational. In the same way the fact that you arrive home in your beaten up car at midnight after a four-hour drive screaming along to Under the Sign of the black Mark at the top of your lungs does not mean that you greet Quorthon with the same glee when you turn your ignition the following morning at 6:30 am. Well maybe you do.
It pays to know your cat's urinary habits

Nov 5, 2024 | inlander.com | Matt Mason

click to enlarge Cat owners love their cats, but when it comes to cat pee, they don't want to see it, smell it or — you get the idea. Ironically, though, knowing your cat's urinary habits could be what saves its life. Feline lower urinary tract disease, also known as FLUTD, is a broad term that encompasses multiple disease processes.
Schammasch – The Maldoror Chants : Old Ocean (Prosthetic Records) ⋆ Ave Noctum

Oct 29, 2024 | avenoctum.com | Matt Mason

I seem to have a knack of picking up “controversial” bands for reviews recently. OK Schammasch have not got the same kinda traction as Escuela Grind when it comes to net gossip but I have read a fair few KVLT types getting upset about their blending of Black and Post Metal. The bands name refers to Shamash – an Akadian sun god but being a bloke of a certain age all I can think of is robotic aliens with a love of instant mash potato. So far so Gen X.
Poltergeist – Nachtmusik (Bad Omen Records) ⋆ Ave Noctum

Oct 23, 2024 | avenoctum.com | Matt Mason

Calgary Alberta. The home of the famous (infamous) Stampede and land of cowboys north of the border. It is also the home of Poltergeist – self proclaimed Death rockers extraordinaire. Frontman Kalen Baker was in trad metal band Whyte Diamond (shivers) in his teens but has now taken a step into the dark world of eyeliner and hairspray with this ghostly crew. Now poltergeists are known to be mischievous blighters, causing rumblings and movement of objects whilst remaining unseen.
Escuela Grind – Dreams On Algorithms (MNRK) ⋆ Ave Noctum

Oct 17, 2024 | avenoctum.com | Matt Mason

Upstate New York’s Escuela Grind are one of those acts that seems to keep the metal gossip columns of the interweb in business. Not a week goes by that some “outrage” featuring EG doesn’t float up via the usual suspects online. It is so easy to get mired in the calls for cancellation and counter claims of lies that it is easy to forget that the band are exactly that rather than Hollyoaks with blastbeats.
Oranssi Pazuzu – Muuntautuja (Nuclear Blast) ⋆ Ave Noctum

Oct 7, 2024 | avenoctum.com | Matt Mason

I often ponder the madness of subgenres and micro genres in music. I love to discuss and argue them with my son in law George who also writes for Ave Noctum. A blastbeat paired with a sub drop in a different place can move an act from one genre to another before the average person can even type “gatekeep”. In 2024 there appears to be more “post” in descriptions than the Royal Mail can fraudulently charge innocent people for.