Russian Sledges

As found in Curiosities of Puritan nomenclature (1888), a collection of Puritan names chosen "to remind the child about sin and pain." My favorite? "Kill-sin Pimple."

20 Puritan Names That Are Utterly Strange

1. Dancell-Dallphebo-Mark-Anthony-Gallery-Cesar. Son of Dancell-Dallphebo-Mark-Anthony-Gallery-Cesar, born 1676.
2. Praise-God. Full name, Praise-God Barebone. The Barebones were a rich source of crazy names. This one was a leather-worker, member of a particularly odd Puritan group and an MP. He gave his name to the Barebones Parliament, which ruled Britain in 1653.
3. If-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned. Praise-God's son, he made a name for himself as an economist. But, for some inexplicable reason, he decided to go by the name Nicolas Barbon.
4. Fear-God. Also a Barebone.
5. Job-raked-out-of-the-ashes
6. Has-descendents
7. Wrestling
8. Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith
9, Fly-fornication
10. Jesus-Christ-came-into-the-world- to-save. Brother of "Damned Barebone". I can only imagine this name shortened to "Save."
11. Thanks
12. What-God-will
13. Joy-in-sorrow. A name attached to many stories of difficult births.
14. Remember
15. Fear-not. His/her surname was "Helly", born 1589.
16. Experience
17. Anger
18. Abuse-not
19. Die-Well. A brother of Farewell Sykes, who died in 1865. We can assume they had rather pessimistic parents.
20. Continent. Continent Walker was born in 1594 in Sussex.

A Boy Named Humiliation: Some Wacky, Cruel, and Bizarre Puritan Names [Joseph Norwood/Slate]

(Image: Gallery of famous Puritans, Wikimedia Commons/Book Academy, Public Domain)

Have you guys seen Katy & Laney around the blog world yet? I hope so because they’ve got some serious style. I totally fell in love with Laney’s beautiful polka dot chambray Archer the minute I saw it. Not only is the garment beautiful – such a good idea to use the pearl snaps to compliment the polka dots – but her styling is right up my alley too. Check out what she has to say about her Archer below and then make sure you head over to Katy & Laney to check out more photos, info, and gobs of beautiful garments!

Name  Laney

Pattern  Archer Shirt

Laney’s Blog  Katy & Laney

Her Project Post  Chambray Archer

What type of fabric / materials did you use? “Lightweight chambray with a woven polka-dot pattern, and vintage pearl snap buttons. ”

Tell us more about your project! “This was my first Archer so I sewed it up without making any alterations to the pattern and I am so pleased with the fit! I finished all the interior seams with french seams, including the set-in sleeves. I opted for pearl snap buttons to complement the polka dot pattern of the fabric and casual fit of the shirt. It is one of my favorite wardrobe pieces and I wear it all the time – I’ve convinced myself it goes with everything!”

[If you'd like to be featured on a future Sew & Tell, make sure you upload your garment to the Grainline Studio Flickr Group!]

 

The bunny has been watching the dog herding; now bunny thinks he can herd too

A spooky clown has been scaring Northampton residents in full costume and make up. He is red haired and white faced and has appeared in several locations in the Abington and Kingsley areas. A Facebook page has now been set up for the clown called Spot Northampton's Clown which has already achieved over 3,000 likes since it went live yesterday. The clown has proved a sensation on social media and has its own Twitter hashtag #northamptonclown. According to reports it has knocked on someone's door and offered to paint their sills despite having no painting equipment. Let us know if you see it too.

Remember last week's post about NSA boss General Keith Alexander's stage-trick for selling surveillance to Congress? The General realized that if he made his "Information Dominance Center" look like the bridge of the Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and let Congresscritters come over to "play Picard," that they'd be so excited that they'd greenlight his plan for spying on everything and everyone. After all, Alexander's motto is the Stasi-like "Collect it all!"

Glenn Greenwald dug up a brochure describing the Information Dominance bridge, courtesy of the architects who designed it.

But now, on the website of DBI Architects, Inc. of Washington and Reston, Virginia, there are what purports to be photographs of the actual Star-Trek-like headquarters commissioned by Gen. Alexander that so impressed his Congressional overseers. It's a 10,740 square foot labyrinth in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The brochure touts how "the prominently positioned chair provides the commanding officer an uninterrupted field of vision to a 22'-0" wide projection screen"

The glossy display further describes how "this project involved the renovation of standard office space into a highly classified, ultramodern operations center." Its "primary function is to enable 24-hour worldwide visualization, planning, and execution of coordinated information operations for the US Army and other federal agencies." It gushes: "The futuristic, yet distinctly military, setting is further reinforced by the Commander's console, which gives the illusion that one has boarded a star ship":

Inside the mind of NSA chief Gen Keith Alexander [Glenn Greenwald/The Guardian]

(Thanks, Xeni!)

Whiskey And Cigars With Peter.

Mr. O’Toole, 1962.

A 3-year-old girl enters a hospital with severe Vitamin A deficiency and micronutrient malnutrition. The cause: Her parents had self-diagnosed her with so many food allergies that her entire diet consisted of chickpea milk, bison meat, and salicylate-free vegetables. (Which, basically, means very few vegetables.) An older sister on the same diet had developed scurvy and rickets. The case report is technical and dry, but the story you can see happening underneath is just heart-wrenching. Especially the point at which the parents refuse Vitamin A supplementation and the doctors have to call child protective services.

A profile of Chencho Dorji, Bhutan’s first psychiatrist, who has treated “more than 5,300 depressed, anxious, psychotic and drug-addled” people since 1999.

[Full Story]

How a series of lies and an incompetent lawyer led to a Florida woman’s wrongful conviction.

[Full Story]

Photographer Douglas Friedman (Bernstein & Andriulli) masterfully captured for Elle Decor stunning personal spaces of three celebrated New York based designers,  Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, and Reed Krakoff.

(...)
Read the rest of Designers in Their Homes by Douglas Friedman for Elle Decor

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35-year-old expected to survive attack in Helmand province, which comes months after murder of her predecessor

Gunmen shot and wounded the top female police officer in a troubled southern Afghan province on Sunday, just months after her predecessor was killed, officials said. It was the latest in a series of attacks on prominent women in Afghanistan, where just 1% of the police force is female.

The officer, identified only as Negar, was getting into her car to go to work when two gunmen drove up on a motorbike and shot her in the right shoulder, said Omar Zawak, a spokesman for the governor of Helmand province. The 35-year-old, who has been in the police for five years, was expected to survive.

Her bodyguards fired back at the gunmen but they escaped.

Negar serves as a sub-inspector in the police criminal investigation department in Helmand province. She had taken over the duties of Islam Bibi, a well-known police officer who was shot dead in July by unknown gunmen as she headed to work. Bibi, 37, told reporters she had even been threatened by male members of her own family over her job.

Several prominent Afghan women have been attacked or kidnapped in recent months.

Earlier this month, a female parliamentarian who had been held captive for about four weeks was freed by the Taliban in exchange for several detained militants, a regional official told Associated Press. The Taliban said the freed prisoners were "four innocent women and two children".

In August, insurgents ambushed the convoy of a female Afghan senator, seriously wounding her in the attack and killing her eight-year-old daughter and a bodyguard.

Female police officers seem to be a favourite target of insurgents, and several have been threatened or killed. Lieutenant Colonel Malalai Kakar, who worked in southern Kandahar province and was perhaps the best-known female police officer in the country, was shot dead by the Taliban in 2008.

According to a report released this month by Oxfam, efforts to recruit more women into Afghanistan's police force have met with limited success. In 2005 the national police force employed just 180 women out of 53,400 personnel, the report said. By July 2013 that had risen to 1,551 policewomen out of 157,000.

The female officers, especially in the deeply conservative southern provinces, face numerous challenges, including disapproval from their own families. Many also face sexual harassment and assault by male colleagues and some in the job are given menial tasks such as serving tea, the report said.

Despite the challenges, recruiting more women police officers could have major benefits for the Afghan population, especially women and girls who feel uncomfortable or afraid reporting crimes to male police, Oxfam said.

NYFW Recap: LuisaViaRoma #Socialyte Gala

Menswear Dog recently got the chance to schmooze with the fashion elite this past Sunday at the LuisaViaRoma #SocialyteGala as the evening’s host and the only dog blogger in attendance.

The event featured award presentations by Style.com’s Dirk Standen and celeb stylist Pierre Michel, while guests enjoyed performances by emcee DJ AcE and Natalia Kills.

It was a fantastic night, and it was all for a good cause (with proceeds going to the Rescue Paw Foundation). Check out all of this year’s winners and the full event recap over at Socialyte.

The Heritage Foundation wants us to consider an analogy.

After over a century of promoting Mandarin as the official language of China, almost a third of the population still doesn’t speak what the government calls putonghua or the “common tongue.” According to a new Chinese government study, 400 million Chinese citizens can’t speak Mandarin, reports Xinhua.

Over 90% of the population is Han Chinese, but Han Chinese speak some 1,500 dialects. (Most of those are spoken in the south of the country.) While the dialects are said to be just variations of Mandarin, linguists say some of them are so different they are practically distinct languages.

That has troubled Chinese leaders who have long striven for something they have recently termed “linguistic unity.” Modern Chinese leaders have seen a common tongue as one way to establish a stable, strong, unified China—after centuries of warring kingdoms and disunity on the mainland. In today’s China, it would help smooth over language barriers between the country’s millions of migrant workers who move from villages to cities.

To further this goal, the government passed a law in 2000 requiring that Mandarin be the official language in all major media and that governments “popularize putonghua.” When officials announced the recent data on the country’s Mandarin speakers, they also said they would begin pushing a language campaign in the countryside. One former official of China’s Ministry of Education proposed canceling English classes in primary schools to make room for more Mandarin.

The campaigns appear to be working, to some degree. A government study published in 2004 found that 53% of the population could communicate in putonghua, compared to 70% in the most recent survey. But Chinese officials have admitted they may never get the entire country to speak the common tongue. In 2010, thousands of Tibetan students demonstrated against a proposal to limit the use of Tibetan in schools. That same year, thousands of residents in southern China protested an order to broadcast the Asian Games in Mandarin instead of Cantonese. They marched with signs calling Cantonese their “mother tongue” and saying “Get lost, Mandarin!“

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has apologized for twenty years' worth of police torture under the stewardship of former Chicago PD Commander Jon Burge, and set aside $85M to compensate victims -- mostly black people from Chicago's South Side. At least two of Burge's victims spent 21 years in jail before being released and paid off. In a City Council meeting, Emmanuel called the torture "a stain on the city’s reputation." His predecessor, former Mayor Daley, refused to apologize for -- or admit -- torture, and used out-of-court settlements to avoid testifying in court about his administration's complicity in the torture.

For Burge’s crew to have carried out the torture successfully and for so long, it would have taken the quiet cooperation of the county prosecutor’s office, says Leonard Cavise, a law professor at DePaul University in Chicago and a member of the state commission against torture that reviews cases related to police misconduct.

“Every single one of those people who confessed in front of a [Cook County] prosecutor who had them sign a prepared statement came into those prosecutor’s offices bleeding, lumpy, and injured, and not one of those prosecutors said, ‘Hey, they are beating the hell out of these guys, and they should stop,' " Mr. Cavise says.

Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves received the settlements of $6.15 million each. Their convictions in a 1988 multiple-murder case that put them behind bars was overturned in 2009, when they received certifications from the county verifying their innocence.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel apologizes for two decades of police torture (+video) [Mark Guarino/Christian Science Monitor]

clits-inaction:

theravensden:

Peace in the woods

Wow

A gay couple together for 20 years has gotten married at their senior living home for veterans in a first for the facility.

John Banvard, 95, and 67-year-old Gerard Nadeau, who served in Vietnam, said they wanted to have their ceremony among friends, so they chose to have it at the Veteran’s Home, where they’ve lived for the last three years. They decided to get married after the Supreme Court’s actions earlier this year, which allowed same-sex couples to marry. “We were waiting on the Supreme Court to make that decision,” said Banvard. Many of the couple’s friends who live at the veteran’s home attended the small and simple ceremony. “The world is changing, we have to go along with it,” said one guest. Facility director Neal Asper said news of two men getting married at the VA home wasn’t well received by everyone. A town hall meeting was held at the VA home to address concerns from other residents.

There's video at the link.

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Nearly two dozen lighthouses along Maine's coast are opening their doors to the public.

sexycodicology:

Medieval SHARKNADO.

Enough said.

MS. Douce 134

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The name John Lobb stands for elegance, quality, luxury, and classic English style. With nearly 150 years of shoemaking history, John Lobb incorporates the finest materials with craftspersons using decades-old techniques to produce what are arguably some of the finest ready-to-wear shoes available today. We are very pleased to offer a selection of shoes from the John Lobb Classic and Prestige collections.

Here we have the William II, Lobb’s faultless take on the double monkstrap. They can live as many lives as you need them to: sport them with jeans for a casual look, or pair them with a suit or sportcoat for something a little more formal. They’re also easy to wear — just slip them on, fasten the buckles, and you’ll be ready for anything.

9795 Last, Black or Chestnut Misty Calfskin, Double Leather Soles

Pilot of Finnair flight from Copenhagen to Helsinki says he is not superstitious about flying on unlucky date

Would you board flight 666 to HEL on Friday the 13th? For superstitious travellers, that might be tempting fate. But Finnair passengers on AY666 to Helsinki apparently were not too bothered. Friday's flight was almost full.

"It has been quite a joke among the pilots," said Juha-Pekka Keidasto, who will fly the Airbus A320 from Copenhagen to Helsinki. "I'm not a superstitious man. It's only a coincidence for me."

The daily flight AY666 from Copenhagen to Helsinki falls on Friday the 13th twice in 2013. Friday the 13th is considered bad luck in many countries and the number 666 also has strong negative biblical associations.

Some airlines, such as Scandinavian Airlines, take such fears seriously and do not have a row 13 on board. However, the negative connotations are a relatively new phenomenon for northern Europeans, and Finnair and other regional carriers such as Norwegian and Estonian Air keep row 13.

"Less than 100 years ago the number 13 did not have this sinister meaning. It's quite recent in the north," said Ulo Valk, professor of comparative folklore at the University of Tartu in Estonia.

"There are 12 hours, 12 months and in Christianity 12 apostles and this is a divine number. Add one more and it brings in a certain element of chaos," he said.

Passengers on flight 666 to HEL should have a calm flight over the Baltic at this time of year. "It's hopefully smooth skies," said Keidasto. "And if there's some passenger who is anxious about this 666, our cabin crew is always happy to help them."

Pumped For White Tie.

Cary Grant.

The team has announced that Wednesday, Sept. 18 will be “Dollar Beard Night” at Fenway Park. Any fan who shows up with a beard — real or fake — will receive one $1 ticket to that night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Baby sea lion is too tired.

OnlyMrGodKnowsWhy

buuuurn

The Order Sons of Italy in America, Massachusetts Grand Lodge (OSIAMA), has made a late decision not to march in Boston’s North End 2013 Columbus Day Parade. Citing a changing demographic, the Italian-American organization told the North End organizers that it will instead march in the City of Revere this year.

“They really left us hanging, citing a demographic shift that supposedly shows a greater percentage of Italians in Revere than the North End,” said Louis Strazzullo, President of the North End Columbus Day Celebration Committee. “It doesn’t make sense. Even with the changes in the neighborhood, this is still Boston’s Little Italy,” he added.

Encompassing one of the three divisions of the North End parade, the OSIAMA member lodges have marched in the North End since the early 1990′s, according to Strazzullo. The Grand Lodge makes the decision that directs all its member lodges in cities and towns throughout Massachusetts.

The City of Revere is attempting to restore its Columbus Day parade for the first time since it was discontinued in 2009 due to budget cuts. In Boston, the annual Christopher Columbus Day Parade alternates each year between the North End (odd years) and East Boston (even years).

OSIAMA President Carmelita Bello, reached via phone, offered no comment other than to say “the council voted.” She said that someone in their office would provide more information but no further response has been received. (Ed: 9/12/13 update: Ms. Bello has since responded in the comments section.)

In an letter dated August 28, 2013, the Grand Lodge made its announcement to its lodge leadership, “The annual Columbus Day Parade will be held on Monday, October 14, 2013 in Revere. … We hope that a large contingent from your lodge will join us at this prominent event, which provides the Order Sons of Italy in America with a tremendous opportunity for visibility and recognition throughout the Italian-American community.” The letter did not address why the group’s two decade support for the North End has ceased. Apparently, the group decided not to march in both parades with the North End on Sunday and Revere on Monday.

It is not clear if the Revere parade will continue beyond this year on an annual basis, nor if the OSIAMA will again choose it over the East Boston parade in 2014.

For his part, the North End’s Strazzullo said, “The North End Columbus Day Committee is working hard to make the 2013 Columbus Day Parade the best one ever! We look forward to everyone coming out on Sunday, October 13th at 1:00 pm.”

The North End committee has the support of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and a full contingent of marching bands, military/veteran groups, religious/feast societies as well as various local organizations. Several Italian groups are also expected to participate including the Consul General of Italy.

Complimenting this year’s North End parade will be Stephen’s Run, a 5K charity run to honor Stephen Perez on Sunday morning, starting and ending on Hanover Street in Boston’s North End. In addition, the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park are planning a separate family event on Monday at the namesake park.

Original Source

Since moving to Park Slope, Sir Patrick Stewart has made it his business to be adorable 24/7, whether he was rubbing feet and giving acting lessons, trying pizza for the first time, bemoaning his Time Warner service, or soaking in a ball pit with his new wife. Recently, he's been in rehearsals with BFF Sir Ian McKellen (who officiated his wedding) for "No Man's Land" and "Waiting For Godot"—but the two took some time out today to pose in this classy photo with one of our beloved Times Square Elmos. Considering the look of concern on the face of the man behind them, we hope this didn't turn out to be an anti-Semitic Elmo. [ more › ]

Our new cognac french calf punched cap toe Oxford now available online! We hope you like it as much as we do!!

Learn more here: http://meermin.es/ficha_articulo.php?id=4142

Nerval's Lobster writes "Massachusetts lawmakers have agreed to repeal a six-week-old tax on computer services that generated such outrage that even the governor who proposed the tax in January now opposes it. The 6.25 percent sales tax on 'computer system design services' was proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick in January, but got little notice before it was slipped in mid-July into a $500 million supplementary funding bill meant to pay for improvements in the state's public transportation system. It was passed by the legislature with almost no debate, was signed into law by the governor with little public outrage, and went into effect – theoretically – July 31. IT businesses in the state used social media, business associations and angry letters to both lawmakers and local media to describe problems with the tax and show their opposition. Confusion over what qualifies as a 'computer system design service' and how to actually implement the tax – which was supposed to generate $161 million in revenue for the state – has been such a challenge to implement that the state has yet to collect a dime. The main logistical problem is figuring out what is covered and what isn't: data access, data processing and 'information services,' for example, are not taxed, which exempts most hosting, cloud, outsourcing and remote-access monitoring or security services. Democratic leaders announced Sept. 12 they would support repeal of the tax, which could be completed within weeks. 'It is now evident that the impact of the tax is broader than any of us ever anticipated or intended,' according to Mass. Senate President Therese Murray at a press conference Sept. 12."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Pasting from Twitter, where I just posted:

Reading a discussion of my commenting policy. Person is complaining that I Mallet comments that have substantive points. Well…

— John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 13, 2013

This is true. IF you have substantive points AND are also being an asshole, you will have comment deleted BECAUSE you’re an asshole…

— John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 13, 2013

 

This is because I don’t want a bunch of assholes on my site. BUT if you can make points I don’t like and NOT be an asshole, that’s good!

— John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 13, 2013

I don’t apologize for malleting assholes. Grown people should be able to converse in a non-asshole manner.

— John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 13, 2013

 

This “don’t be an asshole” thing is covered in the site rules. I make the assumption people read the rules. If they don’t: Oh, well.

— John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 13, 2013

There are a surprising number of people on the site who don’t agree with me AND can converse politely. Their comments stay, of course.

— John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 13, 2013

 

In any event, Pro Tip: Just because you HAVE an asshole, doesn’t mean you have to BE an asshole.

— John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 13, 2013

And who decides you’re being an asshole? Well, obviously, I do. It’s entirely possible that my standards on this score are higher than other people’s. This is both fine, and not my problem if other people disagree with where I draw that line. They can draw it where they want on their own sites.