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20 Jan 06:16

Watch Josephine Baker do the original Charleston, 1927


 
We have a tendency to perceive long-since-passed pop culture crazes as “tame,” especially in our current, Miley Cyrus-infected times. The Charleston definitely falls victim to that misconception. Beyond the knee-cross, hand-switch move that has become short-hand for old fogies, most people don’t even know what the dance actually looks like. So I insist you watch this Josephine Baker number from the 1927 silent film, La Sirène des Tropiques, which features the dance in an amazing, grandiose routine. It may be her first film appearance (release dates for others are debated), but it is her first acting role.

Though Baker’s talent was never as celebrated in her home country as it was in France, she was beloved for far more than dancing topless in a banana tutu. The consummate entertainer, she could go from glamour-puss to comedienne, from a sweet smile to a smoldering gaze. Her acting was captivating, her singing voice sweet, and she remains, to this day, one of the most bombastic, athletic, and creative dancers ever to grace the stage.

Baker’s title card comes in at 1:50, but it’s worth watching the chorus line number that proceeds her, which provides a dramatic contrast to Baker’s fresh, new moves and unorthodox grace. Don’t get me wrong—I love a chorus line, but the great Josephine Baker blows them right out of the water.
 

20 Jan 06:11

It didn’t always suck to be a woman in Afghanistan

afghanminiskirtskabul
 

Women in Afghanistan were not always under house arrest and forbidden by law to leave their homes unchaperoned by a male relative. Once upon a time in pre-Taliban days Afghan women had access to professional careers, university-level education, shops selling non-traditional clothing, public transportation, and public spaces, all of which they happily navigated freely and without supervision.

According to a State Department report from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor from 2001:

Prior to the rise of the Taliban, women in Afghanistan were protected under law and increasingly afforded rights in Afghan society. Women received the right to vote in the 1920s; and as early as the 1960s, the Afghan constitution provided for equality for women. There was a mood of tolerance and openness as the country began moving toward democracy. Women were making important contributions to national development. In 1977, women comprised over 15% of Afghanistan’s highest legislative body. It is estimated that by the early 1990s, 70% of schoolteachers, 50% of government workers and university students, and 40% of doctors in Kabul were women. Afghan women had been active in humanitarian relief organizations until the Taliban imposed severe restrictions on their ability to work. These professional women provide a pool of talent and expertise that will be needed in the reconstruction of post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Even under Hamid Karzai’s government, with the recently approved Code of Conduct for women, all of the women shown in these photographs, taken in the ‘50s, ‘60s, and early ‘70s, could still can be faulted with improper behavior, according to clerics and government officials. 

record store in kabul
 
A record store in Kabul

bioclasskabul
 
A co-ed biology class at Kabul University

girlsatuni1967
 
Afghan university students, 1967. Photo credit: Dr. Bill Podlich, Retronaut

afghanbus
 
Public transporation in Kabul

afghancollegegirls
 
University students, early 1970s

afghanlab
 
Women working in one of the labs at the Vaccine Research Center

afghan mom kids
 
Mothers and children playing at a city park—without male chaperones

afghanqueen
Queen Soraya reigned in Afghanistan with her husband King Amanullah Khan from 1919 to 1929. She would be slut-shamed or worse for wearing this dress in modern Afghanistan.

Compilation of vintage amateur footage of Afghanistan:

Via Retronaut and Zilla of the Resistance.

19 Jan 22:42

A Different Celebrity Photo Session

by Miss Cellania

Photographer Jeremy Cowart did a photo shoot of the cast of the TV series The Haves and Have Nots. One of the stars of the Oprah Winfrey Network show is John Schneider, who you remember from The Dukes of Hazzard. After a pleasant session shooting all the cast members, Schneider asked if Cowart could do a few additional pictures. I don't want to give the story away, but it's short and touching and well worth reading at Cowert's blog. -via Metafilter

(Image credit: Jeremy Cowert)

19 Jan 22:35

No More Bananas for the Monkeys

by Miss Cellania

Who could possibly be so cruel as to separate a monkey from his bananas? Look at that poor little guy -his face tells you how he feels about eating a Brussels sprout instead of a banana. That's what's happened at Paignton Zoo in Devon, England. Bananas are no longer on the menu at the monkey house.

The zoo says the high calorie and sugar content of bananas grown for human consumption -- which are sweeter than those found in the wild -- are bad for the monkeys' health and can rot their teeth.

"Bananas grown for human consumption are full of sugar and calories, and bear no relation to fruit grown organically," said zoo spokesman Philip Knowling.

"Life in the wild is hard work and in a zoo you can sometimes look after the animals too well and it isn't good for their health."

Zoo staff tried but are having difficulty securing a supply of wild-grown bananas with lower sugar content. In place of bananas, monkeys are being fed more leafy greens. The results so far is that their fur is thicker and the younger monkey are less aggressive. They still don't look too happy about the change. -via the Presurfer

19 Jan 20:03

Student Rickrolls his teacher in this ingenious quantum physics essay

by George Dvorsky

Student Rickrolls his teacher in this ingenious quantum physics essay

We've seen creative Rickrolls before, but this one takes the cake. Physics student Sairam Gudiseva Rickrolled his teacher by surreptitiously inserting every word of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" into — of all things — a quantum physics essay that still makes perfect sense.

Read more...


    






19 Jan 19:40

Two fans broke onto Star Trek: TNG sets to film their own documentary

by Lauren Davis

In 1988, two fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation broke onto the Paramount lot and wandered through the Enterprise sets, filming a homemade documentary as they went along. They also caused a little accidental mayhem along the way.

Read more...


    






17 Jan 13:44

Woman bites car during argument with driver

by David Pescovitz
Rhian Jeremiah, 26 of Cardigan, Wales caused $360 worth of damage to a Fiat 500 when she bit into the roof during an argument with the driver. Jeremiah had allegedly gotten drunk at a memorial for her boyfriend before the incident occurred. "There was a bit of an argument and she sunk her teeth into the part of the car above the window," the car's owner Selina Day said in court. "I could hear metal crunching." According to the BBC News though, Jeremiah's defense attorney argued that the situation was "'not quite like' the scene involving the character Jaws in a James Bond film."
    






17 Jan 13:44

Author makes $30k/month selling self published Bigfoot erotica

by Mark Frauenfelder

Without Pesco, she'd be making half that.

Monster Porn Is the Latest Wrinkle in Self-Published Smut

    






17 Jan 13:43

Pizza reheatable in skillet, sources say

by Rob Beschizza
Tom Scocca: "Just put a slice or two of pizza in the skillet, turn on the burner, and wait. How will you know when it's done? Get this: The cheese will start to melt. That's it. Crisp, hot, leftover pizza." I am going to order a pizza today exclusively to verify this allegation.
    






17 Jan 13:42

Incredible digital animation brings master paintings to life

by Rob Beschizza

From hazy Pre-Raphaelite beauty to shadowy baroque allegory, this short film weaves hundreds of years of art history into an amazing and unsettling narrative of human beauty. Directed and animated by Rino Stefano Tagliafierro (previously at BB), it is "a path of sighs through the emotions of life, a tribute to the art and her disarming beauty."

Tagliafierro also has an awesome tumblr full of GIFs.


    






15 Jan 13:35

Walt Disney Was No ‘Gender Bigot’

by Amid Amidi
While we've already debunked Meryl Streep's accusations that Walt Disney was a "gender bigot," let us use her commetns as an opportunity to dig even deeper and find out what actions Disney actually undertook to encourage the advancement of women at his studio.
15 Jan 12:56

LEGO Albums

by Miss Cellania

Harry Heaton digitally creates images that are famous album covers as if they were made of LEGO bricks for his Tumblr blog LEGO Albums. The effect is a low-res pixilation that you'll recognize if you have ever owned the album (squinting helps). He takes requests and submissions, too, if you want to make your own LEGO album cover! But look through the archive first, because there's a lot of album covers there, from many musical eras. -via Flavorwire

15 Jan 12:55

Classical Sculptures Created With Cardboard And Packing Tape

by Zeon Santos

Classical sculptors generally used hard materials like marble and bronze to create their masterpieces, but artist Dylan Shields has shown us that it’s not about the material you use, it’s how you use it, in his new series of classically inspired works which are made out of cardboard and packing tape.

Dylan may have gotten his start when the Amazon and Ebay packaging materials started piling up in his garage, but whatever the backstory his corrugated sculptures are quite stylish despite the low cost of materials.

His goal is to reflect classical artistic ideals in his works while using modern materials, and while these papercraft works may not stand the test of time like their marble predecessors they are a fitting tribute to the art of sculpture.

Via Beautiful/Decay

15 Jan 12:55

Zach King's Magic Vines

by Miss Cellania

(YouTube link)

A 6-second vine video is the perfect place to show off some complicated special effects without the magic getting lost in exposition. When you put a lot of those great 6-second videos together, it's a non-stop barrage of delight that doesn't have to hang together or make sense. That's fine with me!  

Film student Zach King (previously at Neatorama) has been having a lot of fun making short clips at Vine to blow your mind with one "magic" effect in each. FarlyTeem compiled about 75 or so of them to make it easy for you to enjoy. -via Daily Picks and Flicks

15 Jan 01:01

The Mangalitsa is a Sheep-Pig

by John Farrier

(Photo: Orycteropus)

The Mangalitsa is a rare breed of pig from Hungary. It’s the result of a Nineteenth Century experiment in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to breed a pig with very high fat content in order to produce large amounts of lard.

The breed faded in popularity and almost died out. The pigs take a full year to grow to 350 pounds—twice the time of more popular breeds. But in the 1990s, interest in the breed revived. There are now about 60,000 Mangalitsa pigs around the world, including some in the U.S.

(Photo: Derzi Elekes Andor)

The deep red meat consists of 50% fat, giving it a buttery flavor that is treasured by gourmands around the world. The lard is also prized by elite chefs who prefer to cook with it.

-via Makin’ology

15 Jan 00:50

Amazing concept art from Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

by Meredith Woerner

Amazing concept art from Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

Okay, now we're really excited for Terry Gilliam's long-delayed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The director just released some pretty compelling concept art,which has us hopeful for the film's future. We need a good one from you, Gilliam!

Read more...


    






15 Jan 00:45

Emerson Lake & Palmer: Do they suck?

Bbvermillion

sharing for the headline


 
Over the weekend and for half the day yesterday, I tried—TRIED—to figure out if there was anything worthwhile in the Emerson Lake & Palmer catalog.

The answer is yes, but not that much! For the most part, they’re bloody horrible, exhibiting the very worst muso excesses of any of the progrock bands. Musical hubris on a very grand scale, pop pomposity writ large. Genesis seem humble compared to these guys. Even Yes never got even close to the edge of what ELP were all about. One album after another struck me as tedious, boring and just “virtuoso” shite, but there was occasionally a number—or a snatch of something, a moment in one of their longer pieces—that was not just good, but excellent. Those highlights were, quite honestly, to my ears, few and far between.

At their best, ELP could be sublime. No really. Carl Palmer is a truly great drummer. Keith Emerson is a keyboard god. Greg Lake, that man could sing! At their worst, they sound like three goofballs whose best idea was to rip off B. Bumble & The Stinger’s “Nut Rocker”, play it on the Moog and add an orchestra!

My wife politely inquired at one point “What the fuck is this shit?” When I told her, she rolled her eyes, shook her head and walked away from me, disappointed.
 

 
This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to figure out if there is anything decent in ELP’s recorded output. A double A-side of “Lucky Man” and the even better “From the Beginning” was one of the very first 45s I ever bought and I had most of their albums, purchased at a garage sale for 25 cents each. For a nine-year-old kid, the die-cut, fold-out H.R. Giger cover of Brain Salad Surgery seemed extra mysterious and cool, but the music left me totally cold. It’s not like I didn’t try to listen to it. A) I only had so many records at that age and B) because they were such a monster group, I wondered if maybe it was something that I wasn’t getting. (I listened to Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music around that same time, over and over again on headphones, because it irked me that I didn’t quite understand it.)

By the time Never Mind the Bollocks was in my hot little hands, I never gave Emerson Lake and Palmer another thought. Probably like the vast majority of you reading this, I would imagine.

Indeed, one would be hard-pressed to name a band so more or less forgotten, but who were once so MASSIVELY POPULAR. During their heyday, ELP sold over 25 million albums. There were basically tied with Led Zeppelin for the top-grossing touring act of 1974 and they co-headlined (with Deep Purple) the massive “California Jam” concert that year, a gig that drew over 250,000 people.
 

Awards? We got ‘em!

The next time I was reminded of them, they were hawking their box set on Live with Regis and Kathy Lee in the early 90s looking rather well-fed.

This is not a troll post, I promise. Maybe I’m the one still missing something… I’m happy to listen to anything by ELP that anyone cares to post in the comments. Here’s the best of what I found, my (admittedly short) list of Emerson, Lake and Palmer favorites.
 

“From the Beginning”—this song, a typical acoustic “Greg Lake number”—is killer. I’d rate this song a perfect 10/10. It’s awesome. Check out that fantastic Moog work from Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer’s delicate percussion. Why couldn’t they always be this restrained?
 

“Lucky Man”—another “Greg Lake number” (and written when he was just twelve years old!). This one’s a stone classic, nothing controversial in that statement, right? A great pop song. One for the ages.
 

Here you can see Emerson Lake & Palmer play Mussorgsky’s 1874 piece, “Pictures at an Exhibition” at London’s Lyceum Theater in 1970. Because this composition is often used to demonstrate “prowess” by concert pianists, I’m including this out of respect for Keith Emerson’s prodigious talents, but… yeah. This is all kinds of Spinal Tap…
 

“Still… You Turn Me On” from Brain Salad Surgery, and yes, another Greg Lake number.
 

This live-workout of Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown” is… interesting.
 

More Aaron Copland, this time it’s his “Fanfare for the Common Man,” given the ELP treatment. This was taped on the orchestral “Works” tour of 1977 at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
 

“Knife Edge,” live in Switzerland, 1970
 

Just because one can play Bach backwards does not mean that one should play Bach backwards!
 

A stripped-down ELP, sans orchestra and pomp—but with a tiger!—in 1977. This is utterly ridiculous. Was “Tiger in the Spotlight” supposed to be their reaction to punk or something?

14 Jan 04:43

Muppets Most Wanted Outrage Ad

by Miss Cellania

(YouTube link)

The latest ad for the upcoming movie Muppets Most Wanted skewers the trend of using Tweets from random internet users for advertising and pop culture journalism. When everyone's a critic, you can find a quote that says anything you want. That's not really a new tactic in the movie marketing trade, but with Twitter, it's much easier -and sillier. The Muppets just take it to the next level to point out how silly. -via Daily Picks and Flicks 

14 Jan 04:39

Let Me Play You The Song of My People

by Miss Cellania

I wish I knew the story behind this picture. It went viral in Russia a little over a year ago, but it may be much older than that.

Russia makes sense as a point of origin, though. When it's that cold and snowy in Moscow, a harpist will both stay warm and draw attention by busking in a bear suit. And to own both a harp and a perfect bear suit, you have to get out and work every day. At least that's the story from the shallow reaches of my imagination. Can you come up with a better one?  -via Arbroath

14 Jan 04:39

Electroplating the Dead

by John Farrier

Electroplating is an electrical process that plates an object in dissolved metals. In the Nineteenth Century, some inventors thought that it would be an excellent way to preserve a dead body. Why rot away? Inside a thin but solid metal skin, your corpse could slowly mummify.

In a lengthy article, Atlas Obscura describes the history of this idea. Its proponents argued that it was an inexpensive and sanitary process. And since it preserved a body from decay, you could keep your relatives around the house as memorial statues.

-via VA Viper

14 Jan 04:38

Root Beer Pancakes Sound Fantastic

by Jill Harness

Root beer and pancakes might sound like an odd coupling, but when you think with the buttery, vanilla flavors of most pancakes, makes sense to throw in the sweet and savory flavors of root beer. Plus, like all batters, adding in something carbonated is bound to help the texture, making your pancakes lighter and fluffier than you've ever imagined. 

So how do you make root beer pancakes? Just head over to Fantastical Sharing and check out their simple recipe and you too can make delicious, fluffy root beer pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.

14 Jan 04:38

Coffee Table That Looks Like A Flying Carpet

by Zeon Santos

Here’s a coffee table that will open up a whole new world of conversation, and get your guests quoting Aladdin when they come over to visit- it’s a magic carpet coffee table from Duffy London that, thanks to the addition of a bottom shadow shape, appears to be floating above the living room floor.

The rug pattern looks like something out of an old NES version of Arabian Nights, but the floating illusion does look pretty cool, albeit a bit bulky compared to conventional legs. But if you're thinking about picking up a magic carpet table for your palace you'd better start saving up, because this table costs well over two thousand dollars, so if you want one you'd better start looking for an old lamp with a genie inside!

Via DesignTAXI

14 Jan 04:37

Surprise Bear in the Bathroom

by Miss Cellania

It's a tradition for the outgoing governor of Virginia to leave some surprises behind to prank the incoming governor in Virginia. Terry McAuliffe was recently sworn in, and outgoing Virginia governor Bob McDonnell left the executive mansion in fine shape for the new residents. In addition to an alarm clock hidden in a desk drawer that woke Mrs. McAuliffe, this stuffed bear was in the bathroom, which no doubt caused a second of panic. -via Buzzfeed

(Image credit: Joe St. George)

14 Jan 02:54

When ice attacks

by David Pescovitz

This incredible video shot at Izatys Resort at Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota shows an "ice shove," where currents, winds, or temperature differences push chunks of lake ice onto land like a drifting iceberg. (via karenstan, thanks Sean Ness!)

And here is a CNN story from last year about this phenomena destroying homes in the Minnesota region. (Thanks, Jason!)

    






14 Jan 02:53

Conan O’Brien lookalike says he's Conan’s son

by Mark Frauenfelder
Laughing Squid: "Greg Keating claims he was conceived while his mother was working for NBC at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in 1993 (the year O’Brien began hosting Late Night with Conan O’Brien at NBC’s 30 Rock studios)." He says later in this video that Conan is his dad.

The resemblance is uncanny, but it doesn't mean Conan is Keating's dad. For instance, these two men were unrelated:

    






14 Jan 02:42

Psychedelic new trailer for 17th century mind job A Field in England

by Meredith Woerner

From the creators of Kill List and Sightseers comes the psychotic horror show A Field in England. The premise is simple: a couple of guys (and an alchemist!!) are in a field looking for treasure, when everything goes straight to hell. Watch the new trailer now.

Read more...


    






14 Jan 02:29

Are you one of those people who thinks hot water is ice cold?

by Esther Inglis-Arkell

Are you one of those people who thinks hot water is ice cold?

Some of you will not know what this headline means. Others will have stuck your hand (or your whole body) under a shower and felt as though you were in an ice bath for a millisecond before you realized you've scalded yourself. For some people, sufficiently hot water will, for a moment, feel ice cold.

Read more...


    






14 Jan 02:20

Peter Capaldi rides a horse in his pajamas on the set of Doctor Who

by Lauren Davis

We still don't know what Peter Capaldi will be wearing for his regular Twelfth Doctor duds, but in this video from the set, he's been spotted wearing white pajamas while on horseback.

Read more...


    






14 Jan 02:16

Documentary trailer for Fantastic Four movie Marvel wanted to forget

by Meredith Woerner

In 1994, monster movie maker Roger Corman made a $2 million adaptation of The Fantastic Four, was never released in theaters for obvious reasons. But now the documentary DOOMED! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four will show you the lunacy that is this creation, and all the bananas behind-the-scenes goings on. Watch the trailer now.

Read more...


    






13 Jan 13:38

Read Dictator Kim Jong-il’s Writings on Cinema, Art & Opera: Courtesy of North Korea’s Free E-Library

by Ilia Blinderman

kim jong il books

Kim Jong-Il (1941-2011), son of North Korea’s despotic Kim Il-sung and a tyrant in his own filial right, had as many titles as he did talents, with honorifics including the Sun of the Nation and the Shining Star of Paektu Mountain. Highfalutin nicknames aside, the younger dictator was a pretty able guy. North Korean sources assert that the Dear Leader once shot a 38 under par with 11 birdies (in his first and only game of golf), and could alter the weather using the power of his mind. Having turned his intellect to academia, Kim wrote 1500 books while studying at university. He also theorized extensively about art, cinema, and opera.

Kim once served as the Movie and Arts Division Director in North Korea’s Propaganda and Agitation Department, and was a renowned cinephile. As befitting a man whose personal video library reportedly housed over 20,000 titles, Kim (or some unfortunate ghostwriters) published numerous lectures and pamphlets on film, some of which are available in the Democratic Republic of Korea’s E-Library. In his text The Cinema and Directing, for example, Kim shows off his talents for writing stilted academic prose while discussing ideology:

The ideological kernel of a production is the seed which the director and all the other creative workers should bring into flower through their collective efforts and wisdom. It is not only the basis of the interpretation by the individual creative workers, but also the foundation on which they all combine to produce one single cinematic presentation. When all interpretations are conducted on the basis of one seed, they form the components of one cinematic presentation because they are built on the same foundation [et cetera, ad nauseum].

Kim also pontificated on matters of literature. The treatise, entitled Life and Literature, offers the Ever-Victorious, Iron-Willed Commander’s thoughts on the essence of writing:

Literature belongs to the domain of humanics [sic]. The essential characteristic of literature as a humanics [sic] consists of describing real people and serving man… To say that literature portrays people means that it describes people and their lives, people who live, breathe, think and act as they do in real life. That literature serves man means that it solves urgent and important human problems through people and their lives and thus teaches them what life is and influences them to lead an honourable life. It is only through an accurate portrayal of people and their lives that literature can provide proper solutions for valuable human problems, and exert a great influence on people.

The key words here are “people” and “lives.” Got it?

Lest you dismiss these writings as pseudo-intellectual nonsense, it’s important to note that some philosophical interpretation is required. It’s the meanings behind the words, and the things that Kim leaves unsaid, that make up the real meat and potatoes of the piece… Or something.

You can find more of Kim Jong-il’s writings (alongside those of his father, Kim Il-sung) at the Democratic Republic of Korea E-Library. Other titles include On the Art of the Drama and On the Art of Opera, which gets some pretty stellar reviews on Amazon. Take for example: “With over five books published per year in North Korea, it is a challenge to pick a single favorite. However, this book is a standout for North Korean opera connoisseurs and beginners alike.”

Ilia Blinderman is a Montreal-based culture and science writer. Follow him at @iliablinderman.

Related Content:

North Korea’s Cinema of Dreams

A Slo-Mo Look Inside North Korea

Orchestral Manoeuvres in North Korea Prove Yet Again That Music is Universal

Read Dictator Kim Jong-il’s Writings on Cinema, Art & Opera: Courtesy of North Korea’s Free E-Library is a post from: Open Culture. You can follow Open Culture by signing up for our Daily Email. That is the most reliable and convenient option. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.