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04 Nov 00:56

Turkish Yataghan Sword Dated: early 19th century Culture:...













Turkish Yataghan Sword

  • Dated: early 19th century
  • Culture: Ottoman (Turkish)
  • Medium: steel, walrus ivory, copper, pink coral, gold, silver

This Turkish Ottoman sword, a yataghan, has its massive grips carved from walrus ivory. The mounts made of gilt-copper ‘tombak’ are set with pink coral and other semi precious stones. The blade of thick steel is curved and comes with panels of silver inlaid calligraphy and a deep Arabic stamp on it which is the maker’s mark.  

Source: Copyright © 2013 Ashoka Arts

04 Nov 00:55

Saber with Scabbard Blade signed by Acem Oglu (Turkish, active...









Saber with Scabbard

  • Blade signed by Acem Oglu (Turkish, active 19th century)
  • Dated: 19th century
  • Culture: Turkish
  • Medium: steel, silver-gilt, gold, agate, wood, leather
  • Measurements: overall length, 37 1/8 in. (94.30 cm)
  • Classification: Swords

The blade is signed by its maker, Acem Oglu. The Arabic inscriptions decorating it include: “Oh from the gentle God whose gentleness is without end, You are the Powerful, we will love You in Your palace on the day of judgement.” The foliate ornament on the guard and scabbard mounts shows the strong influence of European design in Turkish art of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.  

Source: Copyright © 2013 The Metropolitan Museum of Art

03 Nov 22:36

Walls of Freedom: Street Art of the Egyptian Revolution

by Callum Gibson

Walls of Freedom: Street Art of the Egyptian Revolution

Ever wondered how the past few years of trouble have effected art in Egypt? Well, Walls of Freedom is a collaborative project of about 50 artists who have come together to produce a book about the revolution in the form of its artwork. Some of the pieces are political, while others pay tribute to the martyrs who have given their lives for the cause.

While the book will not be published until 2014, there is a Facebook group that distributes a few images and gives us some idea about what the book will feature.

Egyptian street art Egyptian street art Egyptian street art Egyptian street art

The post Walls of Freedom: Street Art of the Egyptian Revolution appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

03 Nov 21:42

The Star Wars Blooper Reel Turned into a Trailer for Star Wars

by John Farrier


(Video Link)

You've seen the wonderful blooper reel from the filming of the first Star Wars movie. Now you can see it mashed up with the narration from the first Star Wars trailer. Slackstory blended the two perfectly into a tale of courage and stupidity. It's great, but I'd rather see a remake of Episode IV with every character is played by a Gungan.

-via Geekosystem

03 Nov 21:03

The Man Who Loved Harry’s Bar. Ernest Hemingway, Venice,...

Russian Sledges

via multitasksuicide



The Man Who Loved Harry’s Bar.

Ernest Hemingway, Venice, Italy.

03 Nov 20:51

Netflix Wants In on the Oscar Race

by Delia Paunescu

Earlier this week, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos unveiled yet another idea for shaking up the movie business: making films instantly available on streaming services (likely his own) as soon as they are released. Though that keynote address at the ninth annual Film Independent Forum angered National Association of Theater Owners president John Fithian, Sarandos is going forward with his idea, even adding the Oscars to his likely "industry institutions to take on" list — the one that already has Emmys crossed off.

Variety reports that, "Netflix is set to join the awards hunt on the film front with its first documentary acquisition in several years." Though the company hasn't yet commented on the reported negotiations for exclusive rights to Jehane Noujaim's documentary about Egyptian unrest, it's notable that The Square is actually in physical movie theaters now (in New York and LA) so it qualifies for the Oscars. The crossover sure looks like old- and new-school distributors need each other after all, so maybe it’s time they learned to work together for the time being.

Read more posts by Delia Paunescu

Filed Under: oscar race ,netflix ,movie theaters ,the square

03 Nov 20:46

HISTORY | Buffalo Plaid

by Lizzie
Russian Sledges

via saucie

I love buffalo plaid. The classic red and black checked fabric symbolizes cold weather and being outdoors, hot chocolate, pine trees, Jeep Grand Wagoneers, and all that good stuff. It also conjures great American brands that have made it part of their signature like Woolrich, Ralph Lauren, and Pendleton. But Buffalo Plaid is not an American invention. Its origins lie in Scotland as the Rob Roy tartan of Clan MacGregor. One of the family's descendants, Jock McCluskey, who settled in Montana in the 1800s traded buffalo pelts (hence the name buffalo plaid) with Native Americans for heavy woven Scottish blankets made in the style of his family's tartan. Legend has it that both Sioux and Cheyenne warriors were in awe of the rich red color that was rumored to have been dyed from "the spirit blood and ghostly souls of McCluskey's prey and enemies", a belief McCluskey apparently did little to correct. Why is tartan called plaid in the US? Neither the Native Americans nor those living at the U.S. Army outpost could pronounce the Gaelic word for blanket, pladger, and instead referred to them as plaid. This is supposedly why Americans use the term plaid instead of tartan.

P.S. Woolrich makes an American-made Rough Rider throw blanket ($79) and a mean Buffalo Check Flannel Shirt ($59)—but I believe both are made without the use of spirit blood and/or ghostly souls. Happy Halloween!
03 Nov 20:11

China U. | The Nation

by overbey
Russian Sledges

'The tenth and last of the “General Principles” in the constitution and bylaws (Chapter 1) states: “The Confucius Institutes conduct Chinese language instructions in Mandarin using Standard Chinese Characters.” What is here misleadingly called “Standard Chinese Characters” is the simplified script officially promulgated by the PRC as a more easily learned alternative to the traditional characters in which everything was written in China for thousands of years, and in which much that is not to the liking of the regime continues to be written in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the many other Chinese communities beyond Beijing’s direct control.'

via overbey

Confucius Institutes censor political discussions and restrain the free exchange of ideas. Why, then, do American universities sponsor them?
03 Nov 19:34

UK farms sore over French oyster herpes - Nature - Environment - The Independent

by russiansledges
French cultivators, not content to import only ready-to-shuck oysters to cope with the herpes-prompted shortfall, are also invading prime seabeds off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland to establish satellite farms.
03 Nov 18:38

hackedy: I’m pretty pleased with the 12th doctor







hackedy:

I’m pretty pleased with the 12th doctor

03 Nov 18:13

We Want Morrissey!

by Marie
Russian Sledges

this is where I get my morning coffee


With the news that rock legend Morrissey's Autobiography is being published in hardcover in the U.S. on December 3, we would like to offer Porter Square Books as a venue for his U.S. launch.

We know you love independent bookstores, Morrissey, and we know we'd be a great place for you to have an event. Our cafe offers vegan snacks and our staff is full of dedicated fans.

We would be so honored to help launch your book! Visit our webpage at portersquarebooks.com to learn more about our great store and staff!

In the mean time, please visit the Pinterest board we made just for you, with books you may be interested in!


03 Nov 14:53

Hazel Kirke at the Worcester Theatre, Madison Square Theatre...



Hazel Kirke at the Worcester Theatre, Madison Square Theatre Company, January 18, [no date]

TCS 46

Harvard Theatre Collection, Harvard University

03 Nov 14:53

More bone churches

by Bryan Alexander

Europe seems to be fond of decorating its churches with human remains.  Yesterday's post about a Polish bone chapel elicited helpful suggestions of more such architecture.

For example, the Chapel of Bones in Evora, Portugal.

rather than interring the bones behind closed doors, the monks, who were concerned about society's values at the time, thought it best to put them on display. They thought this would provide Evora, a town noted for its wealth in the early 1600s, with a helpful place to meditate on the transience of material things in the undeniable presence of death.

Chapelofskulls_EvoraPortugal

This is made clear by the thought-provoking message above the chapel door: "Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos," or: "We bones that are here, for your bones we wait."

The place is lined with human remains, apparently.

We can find a similar structure in the middle of the Czech Republic, the Sedlac Ossuary.  It welcomes visitors thusly:

Chapelofskulls_Sedlec_Ossuary_Entrance

The Wikipedia entry reads like a death metal fantasy:

Four enormous bell-shaped mounds occupy the corners of the chapel. An enormous chandelier of bones, which contains at least one of every bone in the human body, hangs from the center of the nave with garlands of skulls draping the vault.

This is how you do an impressive coat of arms:

Chapelofskulls_Sedlec_coat of armsInfocult: your tour guide to the Gothic world.

Previously on Infocult: a Polish bone chapel.

(many thanks to James Caruso and Alan Wolf on Facebook)

03 Nov 14:38

Basia Bulat and Casey Mecija at The Polish Combatants Hall in Toronto

by Frank Yang
Russian Sledges

new basia bulat album is super weepy sad

Photo By Frank YangFrank YangWhen you reach a certain age and/or have blogged for a certain amount of time, the years do tend to blur together some. For example, I couldn’t believe that it was just four years between when I first saw a mostly-unknown Basia Bulat playing in a little basement tavern on Rue Saint-Denis at Pop Montreal 2006 and when I saw her last, with two acclaimed albums to her name, performing with the full Symphony Nova Scotia orchestra at Halifax Pop Explosion 2010; that, folks, is some kind of trajectory and velocity. And I also couldn’t believe that that show three years ago was the last time I saw her perform, having seen her more on the streets of Toronto than any stage.

The opportunity to turn that trend around came this past weekend with three intimate shows at the Polish Combatants Hall to mark the release of her third album, Tall Tall Shadow. It’s a record presented as something of a shift, being recorded in a legion hall in Toronto rather than the Hotel 2 Tango studios in Montreal that birthed the first two albums, and incorporating more electronic textures into her heretofore traditionally folk-based sound. None of this constitutes a reinvention and on initial listens, the listener is probably more occupied with welcoming the return of Bulat’s rich vocals delivering her first new material in almost four years than any of the sonic accoutrements. But if you’re listening for them, the shift in production aesthetic does indeed distinguish Shadow from its predecessors, as does the more sophisticated phrasing of her vocals, introducing new emotional shading into her work. Given that her first album came out when she was just 23 years old, a maturing over the course of her records is inevitable but to hear it captured so elegantly without losing the wide-eyed brightness that marked her earlier work is pretty special.

For each of the three nights of these release shows, a local solo artist was tapped to open and on the Friday night I was pleased to be able to see Casey Mecija, until very recently of Ohbijou and also one half of electronic pop project Warm Myth; it was a bill that took me way back to December 2007, where it was Bulat who was opening up for Ohbijou at Lee’s Palace. Opening up with the title track of Ohbijou’s final album Metal Meets, Mecija moved between intricately fingerpicked electric guitar, grand piano, and electronic loops and samplers – her sublime vocals gliding overop them all – and her too-brief set was an excellent reminder of just how good she is in whatever project she’s working on. While it’s sad that Ohbijou are no more, we should be thankful that she continues to make art for our ears.

If there’s any sort of downside to having seen Bulat perform so many times in the early part of her career – nine times from Fall 2006 to Summer 2008, by my Flickr count – it’s that my notions of what to expect from her shows were pretty fixed. So conversely, not seeing her live for a few years ended up being all kinds of great, not least of all because sometime between then and now, she’s started playing the autoharp standing up. Not that she was just standing; she was dancing and swinging as she led her band through the new songs, an impressive vivaciousness in her stage presence to go with her giddy sweetness of old. With her, as always, was brother Bobby on drums, Holly Coish on backing vocals and also now keys, and Alison Stewart on viola; new to the mix was Ben Whiteley of New Country Rehab on bass – hardly a stripped-down lineup but a far cry from some of those early shows where she seemed to have a veritable orchestra at her command (unlike the Halifax gig where she actually did).

In the live setting, the shifts in aesthetic were more pronounced and arrangements bolder, with Bulat spending as much time on keyboards and grand piano as the autoharp and when the picked up the guitar, it was an electric (semi-hollow; thanks) run through an actual pedalboard. This wasn’t in an attempt to “rock” – though I’ve never wished I’d brought earplugs to one of her shows before this one – but to have the tools to properly explore new territory. All little things, maybe, but nigh-unimaginable a few years ago and now perfectly reasonable.

Of the new material, Shadow closer “From Now On” received an especially gorgeous treatment, with Bulat on grand piano and Whiteley and Coish on backing vocals, topped only by the record’s emotional centre – the stark “Never Let Me Go” – in which her powerful voice was lifted by four-part harmonies to close out the main set. Many of the older songs were made fresh with re-arrangements and re-contextualization: on grand piano, “I Was A Daughter” sounded from the perspective of an adult reflecting on the past tense than a girl in the moment, while “Heart Of Mine” was completely re-cast with synths, drum pads, and vocoder for the moving parts. The encore brought things back home, though, with the hammered harp of “The Shore” perfect as is, and joyous “Before I Knew” a sublime show closer. Well, almost – the sight of Bulat standing onstage, wide-eyed and hands over her mouth before a standing ovation, was just that much better.

The Grid, The Globe and Mail, JAM, and The Huffington Post all had conversations with Basia about the new record and release shows.

Photos: Basia Bulat, Warm Myth @ The Polish Combatants Hall – October 11, 2013
MP3: Basia Bulat – “Go On”
MP3: Basia Bulat – “Gold Rush”
MP3: Basia Bulat – “In The Night”
MP3: Ohbijou – “Anser”
MP3: Ohbijou – “Mossy Lungs”
Video: Basia Bulat – “Tall Tall Shadow”
Video: Basia Bulat – “In The Night”
Video: Ohbijou – “Niagara”
Video: Ohbijou – “New Years”
Video: Ohbijou – “The Woods”

With the release of Flying Colours as of today, CBC Music has turned the reins of their website over to Shad who is blogging up a storm with readables. And if you’d rather hang with Shad in meatspace, remember that he’s playing an in-store at Sonic Boom in the Annex tonight at 7PM, has a sold-out show at The Opera House on October 19, and returns to the Danforth Music Hall on January 31.

Yamantaka//Sonic Titan have made another new song from their second album Uzu available to stream via Pitchfork, and also recently stopped in at the CBC for a Q video session. The album is out October 29 and they’ve scheduled a date behind it at The Garrison for November 6.

Stream: Yamantaka//Sonic Titan – “Windflower”

DIY has details on a new EP from No Joy entitled Pastel And Pass Out, which will be out on November 4. One of the new songs from the release is available to stream below.

Stream: No Joy – “Last Boss”

Beatroute and The Ottawa Citizen interview The Sadies about their latest album Internal Sounds. They get external with them at Lee’s Palace on November 15.

Dears frontman Murray Lightburn talks to aux.tv and The Toronto Star about his solo work.

03 Nov 11:38

orientallyyours: Hazel Ying Lee 李月英 (1912-1944), a native of...

Russian Sledges

via firehose ("meanwhile, in Portland")


WASPs being briefed in ready-room, Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, May 1943. Hazel Ying Lee is second from the right in the back row.






Hazel Lee (43-W-4), Alice Jean Starr (43-W-4), Virginia Hagerstrom (43-W-4)


Hazel Ying Lee (43-W-4)


Hazel Lee in Link trainer



orientallyyours:

Hazel Ying Lee 李月英 (1912-1944), a native of Portland, Oregon, took her first flight in 1932 at the age of 19. She joined the Chinese Flying Club of Portland and in that same year, received her pilot’s license, becoming one of the first Chinese American women to do so, and among the 1% of American pilots who were women. Following the Japanese attack on China in 1933, Lee traveled to China and volunteered to serve in the Chinese Air Force. As the Air Force did not accept women pilots, Lee settled in Canton and took a job flying for a private airline, before returning to the United States in 1938. In 1943 Lee joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (“WASP”) which was created in an effort to sustain the war effort and overcome the shortage of male pilots at home. She became the first Chinese American women to fly fighter planes for the U.S. Army Air Forces. Lee was killed in a flying accident at Great Falls, Montana on November 23, 1944, while ferrying a P-63 from Buffalo, New York.

More images: Texas Woman’s University Libraries

Documentary by Alan Rosenberg and Montgomery Hom, “A Brief Flight: Hazel Ying Lee and the Women Who Flew Pursuit”: www.hazelyinglee.com

Sources: National Museum of the US AIr ForceTexas Woman’s University Libraries, Levine Museum of the New SouthFantasy of Flight, Asiance Magazine, East Coast Asian American Student Union

03 Nov 11:36

Sex Workers Embrace Obamacare

Russian Sledges

'The risqué performance was part of an Obamacare registration drive last week in San Francisco, dubbed the "Healthy Ho's Party."

'Organized by "Siouxsie Q," a Bay Area sex worker, the event was meant to encourage other sex workers to enroll in the new insurance exchanges.'

In the all-cash, off-the-books sex industry, workers can be particularly high risk and insurance is often out of reach, but that could all change with the Affordable Care Act.
03 Nov 06:04

Photo

Russian Sledges

via snorkmaiden

#craft #cocktails



02 Nov 19:44

Rescued Polar Bear Cub Makes a Splash at Assiniboine Park Zoo

by Andrew Bleiman
Russian Sledges

via firehose via Kara Jean

1 polar bear

Assiniboine Park Zoo’s newest Polar Bear is comfortably settling into her new home less than 24 hours after arriving on October 28 from Churchill. Officials from the zoo, located in Winnipeg, Canada, travelled to northern Manitoba to rescue the female cub after she was found wandering alone near the airport last week. 

Believed to be 11 months-old, the 94-pound (38 kg) cub wouldn’t have otherwise survived on her own, as Polar Bears rely on protection from their mothers for up to two years. Now that she’s at Assiniboine Park Zoo's International Polar Bear Conservation Centre (IPCC), the wild bear seems to feel right at home: she is eating well on her own, playing with enrichment toys, and splashing around in her kiddie pool. For the next 30 days, she will remain in quarantine, as is zoo standard procedure. This will allow close monitoring of her health and ensure that the new bear will not pass on any pathogens when she is eventually introduced to the two other bears at the zoo. Besides a few broken teeth and some bumps, she is generally in good condition, and does not appear to be stressed by her new surroundings. 

2 polar bear

3 polar bear

4 polar bearPhoto credits: Assiniboine Park Zoo

See a video of the curious bear as she investigates her new surroundings:
 
See a news story about the bear:
 
The yet-unnamed bear is the third resident bear at the zoo and could eventually be placed into a breeding program to help conserve wild Polar Bears. She will be the center's first resident female, and their first orphaned rescue. 

"It's one of those feel-good stories that we can save her. It's a shame that you have an animal like this that you have to take from the wild, but with no chance of survival, it's the only thing that makes sense," says Don Peterkin, chief operations officer for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. "The IPBCC was built for orphaned cubs. We recognized that there would be other needs, but we all have a soft spot for an 11-month-old cub who has lost Mom and has no chance of survival in the wild at all. She's just too young to ever hope to survive on her own." 

“Without the Center here, the options are fairly limited. We have tried in the past to adopt out orphan cubs with a mother and one cub, but those attempts have all failed,” says Dr. Jim Duncan of Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship.

The International Polar Bear Conservation Centre opened almost two years ago and is part of the larger Journey to Churchill exhibit that is still under construction, but is expected to open in the summer of 2014. The Centre has outdoor habitats for the polar bears as well. Eventually the three resident bears will move into one of the larger outdoor Polar Bear habitats in Journey to Churchill. The zoo is also looking at a fourth bear from Argentina that may join the others as early as the spring.

02 Nov 17:41

NRK TV - Nasjonal strikkenatt

by russiansledges
Russian Sledges

attn saucie: sheep are being sheared

Ein sau, ein klippar og sju spinnarar/strikkarar på Trikotasjemuseet i Salhus. "Frå sau til genser" er eit ambisiøst rekordforsøk. Minutt for minutt skal me sjå sauen mista ulla, ulla bli til garn og garnet bli til genser. Klarer me det på under 4 timar, 51 minuttar og 14 sekundar?
02 Nov 17:29

Jailed Pussy Riot Member Missing Following Prison Transfer

Russian Sledges

via firehose

Nadya Tolokonnikova’s relatives have had no contact with the jailed punk rocker for 10 days.
02 Nov 17:27

Portland Airport Carpet Tee | Teespring

by gguillotte
Russian Sledges

via firehose

Wear this nostalgic piece of history that is soon to be removed from the Portland Airport. Keep the icon alive in the form of a wearable carpet print shirt.
02 Nov 16:40

Photo

Russian Sledges

via everyone



02 Nov 16:26

Why Do Poor People 'Waste' Money On Luxury Goods?

by russiansledges
Another hiring manager at my first professional job looked me up and down in the waiting room, cataloging my outfit, and later told me that she had decided I was too classy to be on the call center floor. I was hired as a trainer instead. The difference meant no shift work, greater prestige, better pay and a baseline salary for all my future employment. I have about a half dozen other stories like this. What is remarkable is not that this happened. There is empirical evidence that women and people of color are judged by appearances differently and more harshly than are white men. What is remarkable is that these gatekeepers told me the story. They wanted me to know how I had properly signaled that I was not a typical black or a typical woman, two identities that in combination are almost always conflated with being poor.
02 Nov 15:44

Cheerwine Vinegar Pie

by kalexander
Russian Sledges

via saucehose

Here’s something you may not know: You can make vinegar from just about any sugary liquid. Sweet tea, fruit juice, even soda—with time and a little bit of effort, they’ll all transform. And before supermarkets brought Heinz and other big brands to the masses, people across the country brewed vinegar at home.

At Comfort, in Richmond, Virginia, chef de cuisine Travis Milton is bringing back a delicious tradition with vinegars made from locally grown ingredients such as turnip greens, tomatoes, and honeydew melon. He isn’t just drawing from the garden, either. Milton glazes wings with a barbecue sauce made from Mountain Dew vinegar, and bakes homemade Cheerwine vinegar into a pie that harks back to the days when Appalachian cooks, lacking citrus, substituted a more common ingredient with a similar bite.


(Photographs by Margaret Houston)

Milton’s vinegar pie, which he tops with a dollop of corncob jelly cream, is a popular dessert at Comfort. His recipe for Cheerwine vinegar makes enough for a season’s worth of pies—with plenty left over for other projects. And if you’re not a fan of Cheerwine, there’s no reason why you can’t use a different soda. Mountain Dew vinaigrette, anyone?
 

Cheerwine Vinegar Pie
From Travis Milton, Comfort, Richmond, Virginia 

Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
½ cup cornmeal*
2 tbsp. lard
½ cup butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup chilled buttermilk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and cornmeal together, and sift into a large mixing bowl. Add lard and work it into the dry ingredients with your fingers until it is well incorporated. Repeat with butter, and then transfer the contents of the bowl to a food processor.

Pulse the ingredients 3-4 times, or until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Return the mixture to the bowl, add buttermilk and cider vinegar, and stir until it begins to form a dough. Then knead the dough into a coherent shape, folding it over itself in order to give the crust a layered, flaky texture. 

Transfer the dough to a floured surface, and roll it into a circle 12-13 inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick. Lightly flour the top of the crust and carefully roll it onto the rolling pin. Unroll it over a 9-inch pie pan, crimp the edges, and dot the base with a knife 8-10 times. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Pie Filling

3 tbsp. cornmeal* 
1/8 tsp. salt
1¾ cup sugar
3 whole eggs and 2 yolks, beaten together
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup Cheerwine vinegar
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift cornmeal, salt, and sugar together into a large mixing bowl. Then gently whisk in eggs. Once the eggs are thoroughly incorporated, add buttermilk, vinegar, and butter.

Pour custard mixture into an unbaked pie crust and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a medium-brown crust has formed on top and the pie has slightly less jiggle than Jello. Let cool and enjoy.

*Milton uses coarse sorghum flour instead of cornmeal. If you can find it, it adds extra flavor to both the crust and the filling.

Shared: 
22
02 Nov 14:40

Photo



02 Nov 14:36

Bipartisan Support Boosts Gay Rights Legislation

by Donna Cassata,

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Gay rights advocates -- Republicans and Democrats -- are newly upbeat about the prospects for Senate passage of a bill that would prohibit employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The outlook for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- the first test vote is Monday -- reflects the nation's growing tolerance of homosexuality and the GOP's political calculation as it looks for supporters beyond its core base of older voters.

Read More →
02 Nov 14:31

Franklin lawyer mocks prosecutor with demand to be called 'Captain Justice' | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

by russiansledges
If the court sided with Rettig, he demanded his client no longer be referred to as “the Defendant,” but instead be called “Mister,” “the Citizen Accused” or “that innocent man” — since all defendants are presumed innocent until a judge or jury finds them guilty. As for himself, clearly “lawyer” or “defense attorney” wouldn’t do him, well, justice. “Rather, counsel for the Citizen Accused should be referred to primarily as the ‘Defender of the Innocent.’ … Alternatively, counsel would also accept the designation ‘Guardian of the Realm,’ ” Justice wrote.
02 Nov 14:28

Thomas Kinkade + Star Wars = YES!

by Jason Kottke
Russian Sledges

#painteroflightsabers

Roland Deschane took a few paintings by cheeseball artist Thomas Kinkade and incorporated Star Wars characters into them.

Kinkade Star Wars

(via @Coudal)

Tags: art   remix   Roland Deschane   Star Wars   Thomas Kinkade
02 Nov 14:24

landscapelifescape: Crater Lake, Oregon, USA by Nagesh...

Russian Sledges

via firehose







landscapelifescape:

Crater Lake, Oregon, USA

by Nagesh Mahadev

02 Nov 11:25

Texas Man Arrested and Jailed for Overdue Library Book

by djempirical
Russian Sledges

via firehose ("never go")

While most libraries around the country are doing their best to remain relevant, one Texas town has decided to speed up its library's demise by threatening to arrest residents who don't return books on time.

A recently passed ordinance in Copperas Cove allows courts to issue arrest warrants for library patrons who have had a book checked out for over 90 days and have not responded to requests — by phone, email, or otherwise — to return the book.

Jory Enck was arrested last week after he was found to be in possession of a GED study guide that was checked out in 2010.

Municipal judge Bill Price told KWTX the law was passed because Copperas Cove was "spending a tremendous amount of money replacing these materials that people just didn't return."

Price acknowledged that there was "universal hatred" for the law among locals because "nobody wants to get arrested over a library book."

Which is apparently something that is happening "quite frequently," according to Sgt. Julie Lehmann of the Copperas Cove Police Department.

She told Yahoo News that her fellow officers are not "actively out there going after these felony book thieves," but often a run of someone's driver's license during a traffic stop will bring up a "library warrant."

As for Enck, KWTX reports that he returned his overdue book the day after he was released from jail on a $200 bond.

Original Source