"Swiper, No Swiping!": The Demonology of Dora the Explorer Having two young children, I am all too aware of the cartoon and marketing phenomenon Dora the Explorer. Dora’s smiling face is a ubiquitous presence throughout children’s culture. For those who are unfamiliar with the series, the plotline of each story, both on television and in books, follows a similar formula. Dora and her monkey friend named Boots (who incidentally wears nothing but boots) encounter some animal that needs help getting somewhere, and with aid of a talking map and backpack, they find directions, ready supplies, and begin their adventure. Along the way, they encounter numerous talking animals and trees, small animals who appear from nowhere to play a transitional-scene theme song, and other marvelous creatures on their enchanted romp through the (super)natural world. While watching an episode with my kids one day, it dawned on me: Swiper was being expelled with an incantation to ward off demons. Preschoolers are our least powerful citizens. “So, is Swiper a bad guy?”
The Old Astronomer The Old Astronomer Reach me down my Tycho Brahé, -- I would know him when we meet, When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet; He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how We are working to completion, working on from then to now. Pray remember that I leave you all my theory complete, Lacking only certain data for your adding, as is meet, And remember men will scorn it, 'tis original and true, And the obloquy of newness may fall bitterly on you. But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learned the worth of scorn, You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn, What for us are all distractions of men's fellowship and wiles; What for us the Goddess Pleasure with her meretricious smiles. You may tell that German College that their honor comes too late, But they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant's fate. Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.
Margaret Thatcher and misapplied death etiquette | Glenn Greenwald News of Margaret Thatcher's death this morning instantly and predictably gave rise to righteous sermons on the evils of speaking ill of her. British Labour MP Tom Watson decreed: "I hope that people on the left of politics respect a family in grief today." Following in the footsteps of Santa Claus, Steve Hynd quickly compiled a list of all the naughty boys and girls "on the left" who dared to express criticisms of the dearly departed Prime Minister, warning that he "will continue to add to this list throughout the day". This demand for respectful silence in the wake of a public figure's death is not just misguided but dangerous. But the key point is this: those who admire the deceased public figure (and their politics) aren't silent at all. Whatever else may be true of her, Thatcher engaged in incredibly consequential acts that affected millions of people around the world. Exactly the same is true of Thatcher.
34 Grandmothers Around The World And What They Cook - BuzzFeed Mobile 5 Unintended Consequences of America's War on Pubic Hair America's merciless war on pubic hair continues, with hair removal -- a trim or totally bald -- growing in popularity across gender and age groups, especially among the young: a recent study by the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University found that the younger the woman the more likely she was to wax or shave all of her pubic hair. Meanwhile, alarmed health providers and researchers have launched a counter-offensive, publicizing the wide variety of nasty health effects. Here are 5 unintended consequences of our battle against pubes. 1)The Spread of STI’s:The universe has decided humans need more ways to exchange diseases during sex.Earlier this year,a French médecin observed a surge of pube-less patients bespotted with the Molluscum contagiousm virus (MVC). Skin, especially the soft epidermis of your nether regions, is made vulnerable when hair is yanked out, or burned, slashed, or pruned off.
Easy, Do-It-Yourself Ghost Today is a good time as any to scare your friends. And here’s a new trick on how to get a few good screams. You simply need the fence you would normally use around your house. This should be easy to shape and stand up on its own. The Indiana Jones Cartoon That Never Happened (But Still Might) You can relive the complete adventures of Indiana Jones on the new Blu-ray box-set titled ‘The Complete Adventures of Indiana Jones’ (ahem), did you know that in addition to those films, we almost had an Indiana Jones cartoon? And, God willing, it could still happen? Back in February, artist Patrick Schoenmaker was commissioned by Lucasfilm to create the above print plus a series of illustrations for a new set of trading cards all based on an animated take on Indiana Jones. Lucasfilm sold the print online but Schoenmaker had the itch; he actually wanted to make this project for real. So though Lucasfilm wouldn’t give Schoenmaker the official go-ahead to work on an animated Indiana Jones, he’s moving ahead anyway, working on an unofficial video (likely with the hopes he can use that video to pitch Lucasfilm again). Below you can see some designs Schoenmaker previously made plus a bonus few seconds of test footage from the upcoming video.
How we made: The Rocky Horror Picture Show Richard O'Brien, writer and actor I'd been in Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair, and was starting to think I wouldn't mind seeing a musical that appealed to me, an eternal adolescent. I loved B-movies, rock'n'roll and glam, so thought I'd do a parody – or homage – to all those things. Then Jim Sharman, the director of Jesus Christ Superstar, asked me to audition for a play at London's Royal Court. It grew a lot in rehearsals. It's astonishing that the US movie industry bought into it: there we were with a fringe theatre event that hadn't even gone to the West End, and not only were we allowed to make it into a film, we also all got to star in it – with Jim directing. We filmed in the UK, in an old building next to the Hammer House of Horror studios. The birthday party for Rocky, the gold-panted creation of Dr Frank N Furter, was the most fun to film, with Peter Hinwood wrapped up in bandages in the laboratory, and all those Transylvanian extras in tailcoats. Richard Hartley, composer
Pictures You’ll Remember From Your Childhood [150 Pictures] | Virals A very 80s trip down memory lane Okay, maybe not everyone, but if you grew-up in the UK during the 1980′s, then you’ll almost certainly recognise some of these. What can you name from the images below, and more importantly, what has been missed? Comments comments 10 Psychological Experiments That Went Horribly Wrong Psychology as we know it is a relatively young science, but since its inception it has helped us to gain a greater understanding of ourselves and our interactions with the world. Many psychological experiments have been valid and ethical, allowing researchers to make new treatments and therapies available, and giving other insights into our motivations and actions. Sadly, others have ended up backfiring horribly — ruining lives and shaming the profession. Here are ten psychological experiments that spiraled out of control. 10. Prisoners and guards In 1971, social psychologist Philip Zimbardo set out to interrogate the ways in which people conform to social roles, using a group of male college students to take part in a two-week-long experiment in which they would live as prisoners and guards in a mock prison. 9. Wendell Johnson, of the University of Iowa, who was behind the study Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber, also seen top 7. 6. The Milgram Experiment underway 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
gdfalksen.com What is steampunk? In three short words, steampunk is Victorian science fiction. Here “Victorian” is not meant to indicate a specific culture, but rather references a time period and an aesthetic: the industrialized 19th century. Historically, this period saw the development of many key aspects of the modern world (mechanized manufacturing, extensive urbanization, telecommunications, office life and mass-transit), and steampunk uses this existing technology and structure to imagine an even more advanced 19th century, often complete with Victorian-inspired wonders like steam-powered aircraft and mechanical computers. Where did steampunk come from? In some sense, steampunk has existed since the 19th century. Where does the sci-fi come in? The line between steampunk and period Victorian is extremely narrow, and often the two are indistinguishable. Where does the steam come in? Where does the punk come in? Ironically, it doesn’t. What about gears? What about goggles? Steampunk sounds great!
The lampshade that drives its owners mad: Strange truth behind 20th century's most disturbing object - Europe - World When you run your finger around the edges of a small square that a DNA analyst cut out of one of the panels, you notice the surprising thinness of the taut covering. Leave anybody to examine this object for long enough and I think they would experience two reactions: a slow but mounting repulsion of the kind that occurs instantaneously when you see a rat, and an impulse to ask: "What is this thing made of?" Before I handled it, I'd been sceptical of the psychological impact this lampshade is supposed to have had on people. Its last owner was troubled by dreams so grotesque that he felt compelled to get it out of his house. His nightmares continued. "What do you think?" "I don't think I need to see the DNA test," I tell him. Witness accounts of such lampshades being discovered at Nazi concentration camps are so common that I'd never questioned the idea that these gruesome ornaments existed. Jacobson acquired the lamp four years ago. In The Lampshade, Jacobson has finally found his niche.