Eclectic Mix

New osteological evidence contradicts earlier assumptions based on grave goods, such as the presence of swords and other weapons, regarding the sex of the individuals buried. In the 14 Viking burials in Eastern England examined by the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Western Australia, as reported in the Early Medieval Europe journal, 6 were women, 7 were men, and the sex of 1 has not yet been determined. 

Monica Surfaro Spigelman reports on her blog that Ben's Bells <<http://bensbells.org/>>; is hosting a demonstration of Japanese textile art by Origamic Artist Fukumi this Wednesday, May 15, 2013. The event is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend, please RSVP.

I find this line very telling: "So the age-old question comes knocking: why does the decent majority allow itself to be governed by a brutal, antisocial minority? Part of the reason is that the minority controls the story."

The fabulous gown worn by actress Ellen Terry in her 1880s role as Lady Macbeth has been restored by England's National Trust. This dress includes hand-crochet work intended to evoke both snakeskin and chain mail, as well as the naturally shed wings of 1,000 green jewel beetles.

Thanks to the interwebz, we often see instances of interspecies adoption, often between domesticated animals, but there is almost always some form of human mediation involved. This grouping, however, seems to be a choice made by the cetaceans, without human interference.

This image is, and the woman in it, important, not just for the statement being made, but for the conversations provoked.

On Tumblr and on Facebook, assuredly on other social media, although I've not yet witnessed it, conversations are taking place. From these online conversations, "real life" in-person conversations have started. I quote, here, the portion of the conversation from Tumblr which has been shared on Facebook:

"but then again, its kind like putting a meat suit on and telling a shark not to eat you"

"We (men) are not fucking sharks!

We are not rabid animals living off of pure instinct

We are capable of rational thinking and understanding. 

Just because someone is cooking food doesn’t mean you’re entitled to eat it. 

Just because a banker is counting money doesn’t mean you’re being given free money.

Just because a person is naked doesn’t mean you’re entitled to fuck them. 

You are not entitled to someone else’s body just because it’s exposed. 

What is so fucking difficult about this concept?"

This is not the first time these conversations have occurred. This will not be the  last time. But with each such conversation, we move a little closer to the time when the conversation will no longer be needed because all men (and not just the more civilized among them, who are more numerous now than they used to be, and continuing to become so) will no longer feel that it's acceptable to treat women as prey in any context.

"You didn't pronounce that correctly." We all hear this sometimes, but is it true? Our pronunciation and even word choice vary greatly, based on where we grew up and where we currently live. This article links to an interesting site with lots of detailed information about the dialects found in North America. Of interest to historians, genealogists, teachers, and writers, as well as anyone who's interested in linguistics.

By comparing the sounds of commonly used words across language families, linguists have identified a handful they believe may have been present from our earliest beginnings. The "proto-Eurasiatic" language, these linguists suggest, may be the ancestor of seven language families, with words that were essential for daily life being the most likely to survive to the present day.

I love seeing innovative technologies that can help us to reduce our dependence upon fossil fuels. I also imagine a residential application in which the sides of a cooling tower are the site for the wind harvesting modules.