firehose

archaeologicalnews:

Archaeologists in southern England have discovered what may be one of the largest medieval royal palaces ever found – buried under the ground inside a vast prehistoric fortress.

The probable 12th century palace was discovered by archaeologists, using geophysical ground-penetrating ‘x-ray’ technology to map a long-vanished medieval city which has lain under grass on the site for more than 700 years.

Located inside the massive earthwork defences of an Iron Age hill fort at Old Sarum in Wiltshire, the medieval city was largely founded by William the Conqueror who made it the venue for one of Norman England’s most important political events – a gathering of the country’s nobility at which all England’s mainly Norman barons and lords swore loyalty to William. Read more.

Take the A Train, Danny Lyon

Musician Brett Domino (previously) gives a quick guide on how to make a hit Christmas pop song in his latest video. Domino also features his new holiday song “Everybody Needs To Know It’s Christmas“, which is available to purchase online from Bandcamp.

The newly launched Shokunin video series by hosts Rachel and Jun takes a look at amezaiku, the traditional Japanese art of candy sculpting, which was imported to the country from China around 800 AD.

In the old days of Japan, candy sculptures were often made into very traditional Japanese shapes, like cranes and dragons. But these days cute animals and anime characters are commonly made, cleverly matching the peculiarity of present day Japan.

via Digg

New York City-based Gear Patrol took a trip through the Kentucky Bourbon Trail to learn from expert distillers the step-by-step process by which the distinctive spirit is made. Among the distilleries visited were Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Willett, Jim Beam American Stillhouse and Woodford Reserve.

We toured 12 distilleries in a five-day blitz, asking everyone we met to walk us through the bourbon-making process. Here, you’ll find all of the steps that go into making America’s unique take on whiskey.

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images via Gear Patrol

via Digg

Lo-Fi SES is an open-source, hackable musical instrument shaped like a gaming controller that offers a simple way to create 8-bit chiptune music. The device, which is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, also has a slot for cartridges to add different sound option. It can also be connected with a computer via USB for hacking purposes.

There are infinite possibilities once connected: swap out the sounds with some wavs you designed, tweak the timing of things to match your style, upgrade the software, or make it control your favorite sequencer.

images via Lo-Fi SES

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Pippi Longstocking, the independent and preternaturally strong (she can lift a horse one-handed, everyone!) heroine of Astrid Lindgren’s books and a 1969 TV show, helped popularize “girl power before it was known,” according to Lindgren’s grandson, Nil Nyman. And now the nine-year-old, a cultural icon in Sweden since the first book was published in 1945, has received a much-needed modern update to remove racial slurs and reflect Sweden’s diversity—and fans are not happy about it.

As The New York Times explains, the Swedish broadcaster SVT announced in September that two scenes would be edited before airing on national television this Saturday and in a newly restored DVD of the series. In one, Pippi’s reference to her father as “king of the Negroes” has been removed. In another, “Pippi no longer pulls her eyelids upward, pretending to be Asian, yet still sings a mock Chinese song.”

Those might seem like two relatively minor edits (considering the show originally aired in 1969, I expected the need for a larger overhaul) but literally thousands of Pippi fans, many of them respected Swedish journalists and educators, strongly disagree. Swedish playwright and novelist Jonas Hassen Khemiri isn’t surprised by his country’s reaction: “When it comes to feminism, we’re better; when it comes to racism, we’re behind.”

Erik Helmerson, a columnist at Stockholm daily news outlet Dagens Nyheter, criticized the edits as censorship: “I’m very sensitive to the fact that people are offended by the N word [...] I’d never use it myself.” But he views SVT’s decision as “a huge interference into freedom of speech [...] Where do we draw the line? What do we cut and what do we keep? Who should decide? Who needs to be offended before we cut a word?”

Nyheter isn’t alone in opposing the edits; according to The Times, “When the country’s leading daily, Aftonbladet, took a poll on Facebook asking, ‘Is it right to remove the racist parts from Pippi Longstocking?,’ 81 percent of the first 25,000 responses said no.” According to SVT’s head of development, initial responses on social media to the broadcaster’s announcement were “hateful.”

That backlash is a little surprising, considering that both Lindgren (who passed away in 2002) and her estate have also criticized the problematic elements of Pippi. Lindgren apologized for the slurs in 1970, (just one year after the original series was released), saying she “didn’t mean to offend.” Her estate approved of SVT’s changes, and made edits in 2006 to the book’s introduction that place the slurs in context without covering them up—acknowledging and accepting some responsibility for a history of racism while simultaneously condemning it.

The family added a preface explaining that today, the word is considered “offensive,” but that when the books first appeared, “Negro was a common expression for people with black skin who lived in other parts of the world than ours.”

It continues: “Almost no black people lived in the Nordic countries, very few Swedish children had seen any in real life, and television didn’t exist here. Negroes were something exotic.” The preface points out that nowhere in the books is Pippi seen “acting biased or prejudiced.”

Some fans, such as Stockholm elementary-school teacher Kristina Belter, have criticized SVT’s changes as disingenuous, and wish the network had followed the example of the book’s preface: “I think Astrid Lindgren’s books are like a part of our culture, so I can understand why they did it [...] But if you leave it as it was, it can be an opportunity to discuss these things with children, about the difference between then and now.” But that’s placing a dangerous amount of faith on the power of context to save non-white viewers (primarily children, remember) from being made to feel like The Other. As SVT Head of Development Paulette Rosas Hott says, “We live in a Sweden that is multicultural, and the kids should feel included in what we broadcast.”

I recommend reading The Times article for a more in-depth look at problematic characters originally intended for children that have since become outdated cultural icons, such as Tintin. (American readers will be all too familiar with that phenomenon already—heck, look at most early Warner Bros. cartoons.) Sweden’s edition of the Pippi Longstocking books is in fact now more politically correct than the U.S. version, which hasn’t changed since the 1950s—Pippi’s father is still referred to as “king of the cannibals” on a South Sea island.

(Via Jezebel)

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Photographer Eirik Solheim took more than 16,000 photographs of a single spot in Oslo, Norway, in 2010, and selected 3,888 of those images to make this remarkable picture, which takes us from January on the left through December on the right, showing how the spot changes throughout the year.

Read more...

Luminous Being by Jerry Vanderstelt

Ltd. Art Gallery will be hosting their fourth annual Star Wars-themed group art exhibit at their new location inside the Raygun Lounge in Seattle, Washington. Star Wars Episode 4: A New Art Show will feature “original art from select artists and licensed works from Acme Archives Limited.” The group art show will open on Thursday, December 11, 2014 from 6-10 PM PST and remain on display through January 30, 2015. You can RSVP for the event online via Facebook.

Enlist Today by Cliff Chiang

Center of the Storm by Raymond Swanland

The Kessel Run by Jason Christman

Star Wars Episode 4: A New Art Show poster illustrated by Steve Thomas

images via Ltd. Art Gallery and credited artists

buy this print!

You know, turtles have a habit of showing up here, don't they? Listen y'all I'm just a lady who loves a good turtle joke.

I feel like there is also a frog on that table but I like to think that it is a very small turtle.

Again from our friends at the Bodleian Library, here is an image from The Scolding Wife


Topatoco's holiday shipping deadlines approach, so get it while it's hot/available!

Clicking on the image will take you to the store. Hooray!!

bonitaapplebelle:

After Jill Scott went on a mini twitter rant about how Bill Cosby is innocent, she then proceeded to tell rape victims that they should not shower and immediately have a rape kit taken.

In light of outrage in Ferguson and New York City over the failure to indict white police officers for the killings of unarmed black men, black rappers' criticism of white artists has taken on new light. In one instance, J. Cole called out Eminem, Iggy Azealia and Justin Timberlake on a leaked version of his upcoming album "2014 Forest Hills Drive." 

His bars include missives like:

"History repeats itself and that's just how it goes / same way that these rappers always bite each other's flows/ same thing that my n***a Elvis did with rock 'n' roll / Justin Timberlake, Eminem, and then Macklemore."

and

"While silly n****s argue over who gon' snatch the crown, / look around my n***a, white people have snatched the sound. / This year I'll probably go to the awards dappered down / Watch Iggy win a Grammy as I try to crack a smile." 

Meanwhile, Azealia Banks--never one to shy away from Twitter beef--called out Iggy Azalea (whom she dubbed "Igloo Australia")  in a series of tweets. Banks accused the pop star of appropriating black music but failing to stand up for black folks' civil rights. Banks wrote:

its funny to see people Like Igloo Australia silent when these things happen... Black Culture is cool, but black issues sure aren't huh?

-- AZEALIA ⚓️ BANKS (@AZEALIABANKS) December 4, 2014

"EVERYBODY WANNA BE BLACK, BUT DON'T NOBODY WANNA BE BLACK" - PAUL MOONEY

-- AZEALIA ⚓️ BANKS (@AZEALIABANKS) December 4, 2014

Yesterday the band sat down to answer questions on a Reddit AMA (AUA in this case) and, per request, released another song from their upcoming album No Cities To Love. You can hear the song, “Surface Envy,” below.

Hyundai recently held its Future Automobile Technology Competition in South Korea, pitting 12 teams against each other to see which autonomous tech comes out on top. Only four teams made it to the final round, and on the second day, disaster. A strange liquid fell from the sky.

Read more...

fishingboatproceeds:

Eric Garner’s last words.

Jade burial suit of Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan. China, 2nd century BC. 2498 pieces of jade sewn together with two and a half pounds of gold wire

Infantry shield with a Maltese cross, paint on wood and parchment, late 15th century, Germany.

A grand jury voted not to file any charges against David Pantaleo, the New York Police Department cop who took the life of Eric Garner after putting him in a chokehold — a maneuver banned by the police department.

The decision, announced through a source Wednesday afternoon to the New York Times and other news outlets, means Pantaleo may never face a public trial unless he is charged by federal or other authorities later.

The incident started with allegations that Garner had committed the very minor offense of selling untaxed cigarettes and ended with a violent chokehold that is banned by the New York Police Department. In the video, Garner is heard screaming, “I can’t breathe!” The incident was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.

Police crackdowns of “loose” cigarettes are part of a larger focus in New York City on what are known as “quality of life” offenses — minor infractions that police consider part of a “broken windows” policing that reasons targeting minor crimes prevents more major ones. But as the incident with Garner shows, additional arrests present new opportunities for violence. These arrests have overwhelmingly impacted African Americans and Hispanics.

“It should be a cautionary tale to the police department about how it’s going about enforcing low-level offenses,” said ACLU Associate Legal Director Christopher Dunn.

As in the grand jury presentation in Ferguson, the prosecutor in this case took the unusual step of presenting months of testimony to the grand jury, including two hours from the defendant.

This is a drastic, monumental contrast from how most grand jury indictments are handled for ordinary criminal defendants, rather than police defendants. Prosecutors in many jurisdictions go through as many as 40 indictments in a single day. The duration of the proceeding also suggests that District Attorney Daniel Donovan is presenting much more to the grand jury than is typical — or even appropriate — in a grand jury proceeding, when the prosecutor’s sole job is to show probable cause.

Holding police accountable is exceedingly difficult and rare, according to limited available data on police firings, charges, and prosecutions. By contrast, grand juries overwhelming vote to indict most criminal defendants.

Unlike in Michael Brown’s case, Garner’s death was videotaped by a bystander, Ramsey Orta. Orta’s video eliminated much of the conflicting eyewitness accounts that dominated hours of testimony in Darren Wilson’s grand jury. But the head of the largest New York City police union, Patrick Lynch, accused Orta of “demonizing good police work.”

Pantaleo has thus far not returned to work, and could still face other discipline from the police department.

The post BREAKING: Grand Jury Won’t Charge Cop Who Killed Eric Garner With Illegal Chokehold appeared first on ThinkProgress.

First time accepted submitter neoritter writes "The Korean pop star PSY's viral music video "Gangnam Style" has reached the limit of YouTube's view counter. According to YouTube's Google+ account, "We never thought a video would be watched in numbers greater than a 32-bit integer (=2,147,483,647 views), but that was before we met PSY. 'Gangnam Style' has been viewed so many times we had to upgrade to a 64-bit integer (9,223,372,036,854,775,808)!"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill to protect LGBT people from workplace discrimination that has been repeatedly proposed in Congress for over 20 years, was considered for probably the last time ever this week. Wednesday evening, House Democrats attempted to attach a version of ENDA to the 2015 defense spending bill in the Rules Committee, but it was defeated by a 7-3 party-line vote with no debate.

The version, devised by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), stripped some religious exemptions from the version passed by the Senate last year. Polis was not present to vote on it, nor was Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), one of eight Republican House sponsors of ENDA, but it doesn’t seem likely their presence would have shifted the outcome at all.

This is likely the bill’s last hurrah. In June, after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of companies like Hobby Lobby exercising religious privileges as corporations, many LGBT groups abandoned support for ENDA because of its religious exemptions. Since then, they have been emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive approach to LGBT protections — in not only employment, but in housing, credit, and public accommodations as well.

Next week, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin will speak at the Center for American Progress about the need for an LGBT civil rights act that includes all of these protections. This new goal will likely leave ENDA, with its employment-only focus and exemptions allowing for religious discrimination to continue, in the dustbin of history.

It’s unlikely that any LGBT protections will advance in the next two years while Congress is under the control of Republicans, but a new focus on ideal legislation for truly protecting LGBT people from discrimination will allow for new opportunities to educate both lawmakers and the general public about the need for such laws.

The post Republicans Defeat Bill Securing Employment Protections For LGBTs Without Debate appeared first on ThinkProgress.

Soon, satisfying your craving for Tagalongs will no longer require you to leave the house. To the delight of the cookie-loving masses, Girl Scouts of the United States of America announced this week that for the first time, Shortbreads, Thin Mints, and other favorites will be available via online orders.

The idea, GSUSA says, is to teach its scouts 21^st-century skills—an exercise in e-commerce that's part of a larger, years-long effort to revive a flagging institution. Though Girl Scouts can boast of positive outcomes—GSUSA’s research arm reports that its 59 million alumnae are more likely to volunteer, vote, and be otherwise civically engaged than the general population of American women—membership has fallen 27 percent since 2003, from 3.8 million to 2.8 million. The cookies sell, generating $786 million in 2012, but from 2012 to 2013, GSUSA’s operating revenues fell 7.5 percent.

Youth clubs by and large are losing members (the Boy Scouts aren't doing so well, either), but the Girl Scouts suffer from precisely the problem its cookies don’t have: The organization isn't a brand that inspires loyalty. “Girl Scout Dropouts” proudly air their delinquent status online. “After about age 12, it wasn’t cool anymore,” says former scout Laura Bradley, a Slate intern. She made it up to Junior level and then quit, as did almost all of her friends. In recent years, girl scouting has managed to retain about 57 percent of participants annually. By comparison, USA Swimming, a youth-centered sport nonprofit, retained 75 percent of its members this year, up from 64 percent 10 years ago. The Girl Scouts know how to cultivate cookie devotees, but it’s been less successful at articulating why one should remain devoted to the organization. 

Many nonprofits have worthy goals but trouble telling the story of how they plan to achieve them, says Rolf Wulfsberg of Siegel+Gale, a global branding firm. “I am helpless when I see a Thin Mint,” he says, but there’s only a vague notion that the money from buying a box or two of cookies goes to “supporting someone’s daughter”.

The Girl Scouts organization, founded in 1912 in part to instill a love of the outdoors in women, is also struggling to figure out what story it wants to tell. It has tried to stem decline by overhauling its programs to emphasize teaching leadership through business and STEM subjects. A revamped curriculum introduced in 2011 includes awards for practical skills like financial literacy. Focusing on leadership and contemporary skills is laudable, but critics have protested that the changes have pulled scouting too far from its roots.*

A big change to what a charity does can cause the brand to lose its cachet with older constituencies, says Nathalie Kylander of Harvard Business School. They become disconnected from the organization’s identity, even if the philanthropic aim (in this case, to empower girls) stays the same. Indeed, the Girl Scouts admit one of their biggest obstacles is a shortage of adult troop leaders. More than 30,000 girls are on waiting lists to join Girl Scouts but can’t due to the dearth of volunteers. It will be harder to recruit them if they don’t feel as deep of a connection to GSUSA’s purpose.

Donors are also less likely to give if a charity doesn’t offer something unique, says Wulfsberg—and robotics club, home economics classes, and internships teach business and STEM skills, too. But the bigger problem for GSUSA remains that most people’s relationship with Girl Scouts is with its cookies. When you buy your box of Savannah Smiles, all you see is an anonymous-looking uniform—or soon, a webpage.

GSUSA might solve these problems if it took a hint from the success of its cookie brand, instead of a touting a mish-mash of new and old values and offerings. The cookies come with elaborate back stories (Savannah Smiles are named for the city of Girl Scouts’ founding and represent “money management,” for example); the scout who sells them to you does not. It isn’t the sweets that deserve the spotlight.

*Correction, Dec. 3, 2014: This post originally misstated that the Girl Scouts do not have a geocaching badge, and this was cited as an example of a lag in their outdoor programming. They do. That reference has been removed.

On a Fox and Friends news segment, the former mayor of New York City said that the encounter between Officer David Pantaleo and Garner, in which Pantaleo put Garner in a fatal chokehold, was not an act of racism. On the flip side, he argued that current mayor Bill de Blasio’s failure to mention black on black crime in the city during his press conference Wednesday night did constitute racism.

De Blasio held a press conference after a grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo, despite the fact that he was filmed choking Garner to death on a sidewalk. The incumbent mayor expressed concerns that many families have about the safety of their children, given the number of deaths at the hands of police officers. He also talked about the conversation he would need to have with his son. “We are dealing with centuries of racism that have brought us to this day,” he said.

In response to the press conference, Giuliani implied that de Blasio’s comments were racist in and of themselves. If de Blasio were going to talk to his biracial son about being killed while black, he should mention black on black crime, Giuliani argued.

First of all, there’s no racism in this case. If this man were a white man resisting arrest at that same size, the same thing would happen. There was an African American sargeant on the scene observing, in charge of the situation, never did anything to stop it…As far as I know…she did nothing to interrupt it. To suggest that racism is involved, just because it’s a white man and a black man, and then also to talk about families worried about their children, there are a handful of police shootings of blacks. Ninety-six of the time, it’s a black child being killed by a black. If he wants to train young black men in how to avoid being killed in the city, you can talk about police. Police should never kill anybody unjustifiably. I’ve put them in jail when that happens. But you should spend 90 percent of your time talking about the way they’re actually probably going to get killed, which is by another black. To avoid that fact, I think, is racist.

He also said that the mayor and civil rights lawyers are undermining law enforcement. “One of the things the mayor, Sharpton, and the others are doing,” Giuliani claimed, is “tearing down respect for a criminal justice system that goes back to England in the 11th Century.”

Watch the full interview here:

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

The post Giuliani Suggests Bill De Blasio Is The Real Racist appeared first on ThinkProgress.

amuzed1:

ultravioletrai:

OMG JANELLE. JAAAANNNEEELLLLEEEEEE 🙌👏🙌

Why my fave is better than your fave

Dedicated to all of you librarians out there. Here are more snakes. And more libraries.