'She is going all in on socialism'

'It makes us withdraw'

“Our ’10 Classic Rock Songs About Boredom’ article presents a series of songs that capture, in multiple ways, the sadness and despair of the concept of boredom. Boredom comes to us in many forms. Some people choose to live boring lives and somehow find joy in that. Others who live exciting lives actually become bored very easily. These are usually adrenaline junkies who just can’t take living a simple life. So, there are all different levels of boredom and various factors that contribute to it. We tried to pick a wide selection of songs that look at all the different The post 10 Classic Rock Songs About Boredom appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Books Terry Pratchett Book Club Terry Pratchett Book Club: Raising Steam, Part I Vetinari vanquishes the crossword lady once and for all… By Emmet Asher-Perrin | Published on August 16, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re back to the Disc with the surest sign of the industrial era: the steam engine. Summary Dick Simnel, whose father died in a steam explosion when he was a baby, has learned mathematics and engineering, and figured out how to build a steam engine. Lord Vetinari goes to visit Lady Margolotta and they talk of progress in service of maintaining peace, namely that war is always coming eventually and how they must both do their utmost to prevent it while not standing in the way of new ideas. Young Magnus Magnusson gets beaten up by Bonk dwarves for looking too “Ankh-Morpork” and is rescued by Bashful Bashfulsson, who tells him not to looks so different next time he comes home to visit his granny. Harry King ruminates on his legacy and his wife, Effie, wishes that he could make their sizable fortune on something other than feces and urine. Moist and Adora Belle are married and very happy together, particularly because they are both so busy—she running the clacks system and he running the Post Office and the bank and the Mint. They employ a butler and his wife (Crossly and Mrs. Crossly) as well as a handyman named Crisp and a league of goblins who are now the primary employees of the clacks system. Simnel comes to Harry King and tells him that he’s got an incredible opportunity for him, if King will give him money to develop the idea. He brings the steam engine to show Harry and asks to lay track around his yard to show him what it can do; Harry gives him two days to do this. He winds up giving them another week, taken with the scent and the look of the thing. Adora Belle works with the goblins at the clacks and worries over the fact that they never want to stop working. Harry King tells Dick Simnel that they need to draw up their business properly with lawyers because he doesn’t want anyone saying he took advantage of the lad. They find him a lawyer in Mr. Thunderbolt—a troll lawyer who is nephew to the Diamond King of Trolls—who suggests that he work out the deal for both of them because he can see their desire to be fair to one another. Moist is brought before Vetinari who is beside himself at being rumbled by the crossword and trying to come to terms with the fact that he himself allowed the steam engine to come into existence. He brightens up and demands Moist follow him. In Llamedos one half of a marrying couple in killed when grags arrive with weapons. Vetinari brings Moist to Sir Harry’s yard and tells him that he and Drumknott will be the ones going aboard for the demonstration of the Iron Girder. Moist is instantly taken with the concept, knowing this will change the world. He and Vetinari begin to ask questions about who has vetted the machine so far and how it might be used; Vetinari is particularly interested in how it might transport people to places far away more comfortably. He lets Simnel know that he plans to speak to the Times tonight about the project, and Harry wants to charge city denizens to ride the very first locomotive. The clacks toward at Sto Kerrig has been left in ruins by dwarfs, and Angus is on the scene to learn all about it from Adora Belle. Vetinari hears about this and puts out a message that anyone destroying clacks towers is to be put to death, including those who order it. The Low King of the dwarfs is having a meeting where all the dwarfs and angry and fighting, but he insists that they must work together and stop the grags in order to protect their people, and Albrecht Albrechtson agrees with him, though Ardent is still causing trouble. Maelog Cheeryson warns his son against siding with the grags just because his brother has, and reminisces about what happened at Koom Valley. Vetinari takes the pleading notes from Cheeryson to heart and decides not to execute his son, since he was being ordered about by older men. He sends Moist to go look at the train again the next day (Drumknott is also there, and obsessed with the thing). Moist has a talk with Harry and meets Mister Thunderbolt, who suggests that the railway have a third partner, being the city, to break any disagreements between Harry and Simnel in the construction of the railway project. Harry has Dick come in and tell him the plan, agreeing to bankroll whatever he has in mind. Simnel wants to run track for the first locomotive to Swine Town where his workshop is, just outside Sto Lat. Harry has a few of his men head up to the workshop to protect their assets. Moist brings Drumknott back to the palace and tells Vetinari that the railway is going to work and could probably create armored cars and such to transport important dignitaries. The Patrician is intrigued, but still not sold. Moist then begins the work of convincing landowners to allow railway track to be built through their lands, being plied with drink by wealthy folk, but always being clever enough to stay sober and secure the best deals for the railway. Commentary Dick Simnel is a Discworld counterpart to Richard Trevithick, the British inventor and engineer from Cornwall who invented the first high-pressure steam locomotive. It took forty entire books to push the Disc into the Industrial Age, and I’m genuinely heartbroken that we didn’t get to see it push further, but it does force one to wonder how much the tone would have shifted with the advent of so many new technologies. It’s one thing to have a magic computer that likes a piece of cheese, but laying tracks across the world is another matter altogether. Even more so than a printing press. Vetinari’s layers of self-audit are charming as all get-out in this one, particularly as we watch him reel himself in multiple times in the introduction of the steam engine. I respect it, is what I’m saying. I respect it more when his response to being upset by all this news is “I’m angry; get Vimes. He’ll hate it, and that will level me out.” He’s allowed himself simple pleasures, like torturing his favorite employee (who is, not coincidentally, his best accountability meter). We’ve got dwarfish fundamentalism on the rise, and perhaps my only quibble is that we don’t get to see said rise building from the inside. Pratchett generally prefers to write his stories this way, and while it gives the reader a perspective more aligned to your average citizen, confused about the attacks being perpetrated across the world, we are robbed of the mounting fundamentalist thought process. We don’t see how this group formed itself over time into something large and/or mobile enough to cause this kind of damage. I have to assume it simply wasn’t that interesting to Pratchett as a writer (which is fair), but I’d love just a little bit more there at the beginning. The setup of this one is fun because Moist doesn’t have to be convinced much of anything this time around. He doesn’t need to be told what his next great opportunity is because he can smell this one. It’s gaining momentum all on his own, and he’s happy to be shoved right to the front of the line. It’s new and exciting and he can already see how it’s going to cause trouble and reshape the world. There’s talk, of course, of who will be displaced when trains start becoming a primary transporter of goods (and people), but not much is being said yet aside from the fact that it always happens this way. Which is true, of course, new technologies put old ones out of business and certain groups lose their livelihoods, but it’s never so cut and dry as all that. And using that as juxtaposition against the dwarfish incursions is an interesting place to begin a tale of unmitigated progress. Well. It’ll be a little mitigated. But that’s to come. Asides and little thoughts Lagniappe being the word Vetinari got hung up on in the crossword is perfection. This is the book where we learn that dwarfs have their own word for the “lawn ornament” insult. I’m assuming this entered their language as a form of reclamation, and I’m very curious as to when. I just have feelings about how often Vetinari’s reactions are described as something a fancy old lady does? (See below.) It makes his relationship with Margolotta make more sense—they’re kinda in lesbians with each other. Pratchettisms He was widely known as the King of the Golden River because of the fortune he had made minding other people’s business. There was a difference between a banker and a crook, there really was, and although it was very, very teeny Moist felt that he should point out that it did exist and, besides, Lord Vetinari always had his eye on him. The villains of the storybooks had found their place in society, at last. All it needed was technology. Moist looked at the Patrician’s grey expression. He had articulated the term “rail way” in something like the voice of an elderly duchess finding something unmentionable in her soup. But, if you watched the weather of Lord Vetinari, and Moist was an expert in the Patrician’s meteorology, you would notice that sometimes a metaphysical cloudburst might very shortly turn into a lovely day in the park. Moist turned to Vetinari and said, with a flat face, “Yes, how about it… gaffer?” And got a look like a stiletto. A look that said, we’ll have words about this later. Moist groaned. It was the crack of seven, and he was allergic to the concept of two seven o’clocks in one day. Next week we’ll read up to: “It’s easy, Dick, you’ve just got to be yourself. They can’t ever take that away from you.” [end-mark] The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Raising Steam</i>, Part I appeared first on Reactor.

Are you looking for an easy way to preserve fresh carrots from the garden? Let me teach you how to freeze carrots – with or without blanching, in any shape you desire! Then they’re ready and waiting to toss into future soup, stew, stir fry, baked goods, and more. This is one of my favorite quick ways to preserve homegrown carrots. This post will cover the easy step-by-step process of freezing carrots, address frequently asked questions, along with best practices on how to store, defrost, and cook frozen carrots too. Disclosure: Homestead and Chill is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. RELATED: Get tips on how to plant and grow carrots here. In addition to freezing carrots, we like to make fermented carrot pickles and this delicious creamy roasted carrot and sweet potato soup to freeze and preserve our bounty. Frequently Asked Questions Do I have to peel carrots before freezing them? No, it’s not necessary to peel carrots before freezing. If you prefer your carrots peeled, you can of course, but we don’t! Some of the best nutrients and antioxidants found in carrots are most concentrated in the skin, so why get rid of it – and add an extra tedious step? We never peel carrots before eating them in general, especially since they’re homegrown. Can you freeze carrots without blanching? Yes, you can absolutely freeze carrots without blanching them first. It’s an extra quick and easy way to preserve them when you’re in a hurry! All you have to do is wash, chop, dry, pack, and freeze the carrots as explained below – simply skip the blanching and ice bath steps. However, keep in mind that raw (not blanched) carrots won’t hold up quite as long in the freezer. Blanched vs not blanched: what’s the difference? Blanching carrots in boiling water (or steam) quickly deactivates certain enzymes found in carrots, which in turn helps to slow the natural degradation process. This means blanched carrots retain better color, flavor, texture, and overall quality longer – for up to a year in the freezer. On the other hand, it’s best to use frozen carrots that were not blanched within a few months. The quality will start to decline thereafter. For instance, we often freeze raw carrots without blanching in the fall to use in soups that winter. So, if you want your frozen carrots to stay good for as long as possible, it’s best to blanch them first. Particularly if you hope to eat them on their own later, such as a side of sautéed carrots. Yet if they won’t be the star of your future meals (e.g. in something like soup) then freezing carrots raw is a great quick option! Supplies Needed Fresh carrots. The fresher, the better! I don’t recommend freezing carrots that are already going limp. Keep raw carrots fresh and crisp by storing them in the refrigerator inside a plastic bag with a tiny splash of water. For blanching: a large pot or steam blancher (what we prefer to use) along with a large mixing bowl to make an ice bath A baking sheet and clean lint-free towels for air drying Air-tight freezer containers of choice. I like to freeze carrots in these reusable silicone food storage bags or these durable BPA-free freezer containers with lids. Instructions Step 1: Wash and Cut Begin by thoroughly washing your carrots. I recommend scrubbing them with a clean brush to remove dirt from any cracks and crevices, especially if you are choosing not to peel them first. Next, trim off the stem end and cut the carrots into your desired shape or size, such as rounds or sticks. You could even leave small carrots whole. I like to cut ours into bite-size rounds and half-moons, perfect for future soup or stir fry. You can also use a box grater to make and freeze shredded carrots. (See more tips about freezing shredded carrots towards the end of this post.) Also cut out and discard any damaged spots. To freeze raw carrots without blanching, skip straight to step 4. Step 2: Blanch To blanch carrots before freezing, you can either use the boiling water method or a steam blanch. Have your ice bath ready and waiting too! Bring a large pot of water with a pinch of salt to a rolling boil, OR use a pot with a steamer basket insert and lid. If using a steamer, add enough water so that it covers the bottom of the pot but not so deep that it touches the steamer insert. Either way, ensure the pot is fully heated and steamy before adding the carrots. Once the water is boiling (or the pot is filled with steam), add the carrots. Cover the pot with a lid and set a timer right away. Do not overcook them! Blanch cut carrots for 2 minutes (3 minutes if steam blanching or boiling whole carrots). When boiling, start counting once the water returns to a boil after adding the carrots. When using a steamer, toss the carrots halfway through to promote even blanching. If blanching several batches, return the pot to a full boil/steam before processing the next batch. Step 3: Ice Bath Quickly transfer blanched carrots to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Set up an ice bath (a large bowl of water and ice) and have it ready before you blanch the carrots. Immediately after blanching, carefully transfer the carrots into the ice water. Use tongs or a wire skimmer to fish them out of the boiling water, or simply lift and dump out the inner basket if using a steamer.  Allow the carrots to chill in the ice bath for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add more ice between batches as needed to keep the water icy cold.  Step 4: Air Dry Whether raw or blanched, it’s important that carrots are fairly dry before freezing them. Too much extra moisture can easily lead to freezer burn, causing an unpleasant flavor. After the ice bath (or if freezing raw, after washing), let the carrots drip-dry in a strainer in the sink. Then lay the carrots out on a clean towel on a baking sheet or on the counter to air dry after their wash or ice bath. Use another clean towel to gently pat them dry or set a fan nearby to help expedite drying if needed. Step 5: Flash Freeze (Optional) Depending on how you plan to use your carrots, you may want to consider flash-freezing them before packing them into freezer containers. Flash freezing is the process of pre-freezing food in a single layer, which helps prevent them from sticking together. This makes it easier to take out just a handful of frozen carrots to use in a meal as needed. Or, you can skip this step and simply freeze the carrots in smaller portions that you can use all at once. Once the carrots are fairly dry, lay them out on a baking sheet or other freezer-safe tray that will fit inside your freezer. Spread the carrots in a single layer, touching as little as possible. Put the tray into the freezer for one to two hours, until the carrots are frozen solid. Once frozen, transfer the carrots into their final freezer storage containers. Step 6: Pack and Freeze Finally, pack up the carrots into freezer-safe containers of choice. I personally love to use these durable BPA-free freezer pint containers – the perfect size to add to a pot of soup. They come in other sizes too! We also like to freeze carrots in these reusable silicone food storage bags. It’s best to fill your containers nice and full (with as little empty air space as possible) to help reduce the risk of freezer burn. If you use freezer bags, try to press or suck out as much air as possible before sealing the bag. Be sure to date and label everything! Use blanched carrots within 12 months for the best quality, and unblanched carrots within two to three months. Can you freeze shredded carrots? Absolutely! Freezing shredded carrots is an ideal way to preserve carrots to use in future stir fry, baked goods, or other dishes that call for grated carrots. Shredded carrots are especially quick and easy to freeze raw. Use a box grater to shred them, pack them into containers, and put them in the freezer. You can also blanch them to increase quality and shelf life. Follow the same process explained above, but blanch for only one minute instead of two to three. Since they’ll all clump together, it’s best to freeze shredded carrots in small portions that will be easy to use later – such as in pint containers (2 cups) for your favorite carrot bread recipe. These 1-cup silicone molds are also really handy for freezing small portions. Simply pack, freeze, then pop them out of the silicone mold to store the small blocks together in an air-tight freezer bag. Defrosting and Cooking Frozen Carrots Like any frozen vegetable, you can’t expect frozen carrots to be the same as fresh. Don’t plan on snacking on them like raw carrot sticks! Yet since they’re so crunchy, carrots are more forgiving and less prone to getting mushy than other veggies. They make a perfect side dish, or addition to any recipe that calls for cooked carrots. To defrost frozen carrots, you can put the container in the refrigerator to defrost overnight or let it sit out on the counter for just a few hours. The smaller the pieces of carrot, the less time it will take. We often only let ours partially defrost before tossing them into a pot or pan (especially when using them in soup), and then let them finish defrosting as part of the cooking process. The key to avoiding mushy, soggy frozen carrots is to not overcook them. Cook only until they’re fork-tender, such as a quick saute in a frying pan with olive oil or butter. You can also cook frozen carrots in boiling water, a microwave, air fryer, instant pot, or roast them in the oven. Here is a simple guide on cooking frozen carrots. My favorite creamy roasted sweet potato and carrot soup Well folks, that concludes this lesson. I hope you found this guide to be useful. If so, please leave a review below – and feel free to ask any questions! Have more veggies to preserve? Get the best tips on how to freeze green beans, freeze basil in ice cube trays, freezing tomatoes whole, or two easy ways to freeze zucchini. Print How to Freeze Carrots – With or Without Blanching Learn how to freeze carrots – with or without blanching, in any shape you desire! This is a great way to preserve fresh carrots from the garden. Then they're ready and waiting to toss into future soup, stew, stir fry, baked goods, and more. We'll also cover tips on how to store, defrost and cook frozen carrots too. Course Preserved Food, Preserves, Side DishKeyword freeze carrots blanching, freeze carrots without blanching, freezing carrots, how to freeze carrots, preserving carrots Prep Time 10 minutes minutesCook Time 2 minutes minutesDrying 30 minutes minutes EquipmentLarge pot or steamer pot (if blanching)Large bowl for ice bath (if blanching)Lint-free towelsFreezer containers of choice Ingredientsfresh carrots InstructionsPrepWash and scrub the carrots clean. You do not need to peel them.Trim of the stem end, and cut carrots into desired size – such as sticks or bite-size rounds. You could also leave smaller carrots whole, or shred them with a box grater.If you're NOT blanching, skip to drying and packing the freezer containers.BlanchingBring a large pot of water with a pinch of salt to a rolling boil, OR use a pot with a steamer basket insert and lid. Once the water is boiling (or the pot is filled with steam), add the carrots When steam blanching, don’t overfill the pot – leave some room to toss them. Cover the pot with a lid and set a timer right away. Don’t overcook them!Blanch cut carrots for 2 minutes maximum. If using a steamer, blanch for 3 minutes but stop and toss the carrots with tongs halfway through to promote even cooking. When boiling, start counting once the water returns to a boil after adding the carrots.If blanching several batches, return the pot to a boil/steam before processing the next batch.Ice BathImmediately after blanching, carefully transfer the carrotsto the ice water. Use tongs or a wire skimmer to fish them out of the boiling water, or simply lift and dump out the basket if using a steamer. Allow the carrots to soak and cool in the ice bath for 3 to 4 minutes. Add more ice between batches as needed to keep the water icy cold. DryTransfer the carrots from the ice bath into a colander or strainer to drip dry, gently shaking to remove excess water. Then lay them out in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with a lint-free towel to dry further. If you’re processing a lot of carrots, it may be necessary to use several towel-lined pans or dry them right on the counter. Allow them to sit for 30 to 60 minutes until they’re decently dry.Using a fan nearby and/or patting dry with another towel can help expedite the drying process.  Pack and FreezePack cooled, dry carrots into freezer containers of choice – such as resealable freezer bags, reusable silicone bags, or other freezer-safe containers.Optional “flash freeze”: Before packing freezer bags, lay the carrots out in a single layer on a baking tray, freeze the whole tray for a 1-2 hours, and then pack the carrots into bags once frozen. Flash freezing prevents the carrots from sticking together in one big clump. Try to pack the containers as full as possible, and press out as much air as possible when sealing. Less air inside = less freezer burn and fresher carrotsDate and label your freezer containers.Frozen carrots will last in the freezer for up to a year, though quality (texture and flavor) decreases with time. Blanched carrots will be good for a year, while unblanched carrots are best to use within 2 to 3 months. Freezing Shredded CarrotsShredded carrots are especially quick and easy to freeze raw. Use a box grater to shred them, pack them into containers, and put them in the freezer. You can also blanch shredded to increase quality and shelf life. Follow the same process explained above, but for only blanch for one minute instead of two to three.Since they’ll all clump together, it’s best to freeze shredded carrots in small portions that will be easy to use later, such as one or two cup portions. Defrosting and Cooking Frozen Carrots Frozen carrots make a perfect side dish, or addition to any recipe that calls for cooked carrots.To defrost frozen carrots, put the container in the refrigerator to defrost overnight or let it sit out on the counter for a few hours. We often only let ours partially defrost before tossing them into a pot or pan (especially when using them in soup), and then let them finish defrost as part of the cooking process.The key to avoiding mushy, soggy frozen carrots is to not overcook them. Cook only until they’re fork-tender, such as a quick saute in a frying pan with olive oil or butter. You can also cook frozen carrots in boiling water, a microwave, air fryer, instant pot, or roast them in the oven.  You may also like: Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Fresh Tomatoes (Vegan) Crunchy Refrigerator Pickles: Quick & Easy Homemade Dill Pickles Best Cowboy Candy Recipe (Candied Jalapeños) Canning or Refrigerator  7 Ways to Preserve Green Beans: Can, Freeze, Dry, Pickle and More Did you enjoy this article? Want to hear more? Stay in touch! Sign up below to receive weekly updates on new posts from Homestead and Chill. The post How to Freeze Carrots (With or Without Blanching) appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. From the EU to Brazil, the battle that X has to wage against censorship-prone governments is not winding down. It’s been months now that X, and its owner Elon Musk, have been embroiled in disputes over censorship demands coming out of Brazil, specifically its Supreme Federal Court (STF). Musk dubbed the demand for X to comply with yet another batch of censorship demands as, “not right.” And instead of, say, a meme, he included screenshots of the orders (in Portuguese) as he replied to a post featuring the news. But Musk did repeat the well-known accusation: that these demands in fact break Brazil’s own law. And a familiar figure, supposed to protect that law, signed the demands: Alexandre de Moraes. What has changed is the additions to a growing list of new names. X’s Brazilian branch is supposed to be silent on behalf of the government. This fresh list out of Moraes’ office includes a pastor, a serving parliamentarian, and the wife of a former legislator – all of them popular and critical of the government (i.e. former President Bolsonaro supporter) accounts. Or as Moraes would have it, those engaged in “illegal activities.” X was supposed to block the accounts within 24 hours, but keep access logs, connections, and other data associated with them. X will otherwise pay about $10,000 for each day of non-compliance. Moraes is stressing the censorship push requires “confidentiality” in the interest of an investigation – that doesn’t seem to be working so well for him, at least where X is concerned. Other than Musk’s post, the social media company’s Global Affairs actually disclosed the censorship orders, adding, “We believe the Brazilian people should know what is being asked of us.” Another post from the same team revealed that even more demands came from Brazil, seeking users’ personal information and that this time, people in Argentina and the US are also affected. Again, Moraes’ desire to do his censorship work in the shadows seems to be ignored, and even taunted a bit: “We share those (orders) here in the interests of essential transparency,” wrote X’s Global Affairs. Meanwhile, it came to light that the letters came on August 8, but the accounts were still standing on X as of the 14th. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post X Defies Brazil’s Censorship Demands Again appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A legal battle, seen as a major privacy rights issue, came down to the extent to which the Stored Communications Act (SCA) protects user data, and is now headed to the Supreme Court of California. This comes after the California Court of Appeal ruled in the Snap, Inc. v. Superior Court case that the majority of remotely stored messages are not covered by the Act’s law designed to prevent unlawful access to stored communications – Section 2702. The CSA is there to stop platforms that provide online communications and storage from sharing contents of users’ online accounts (messages, emails, photos…). There are some exceptions in the legislation itself, e.g., unless the government obtains a warrant, that sets the bar relatively high. But now, it looks like Big Tech’s “standard” business model – exploiting user data for massive profits – is coming back to haunt those users in yet another way. Namely, the California Court of Appeal has found that if providers of that stored user data already have access to it, in order to monetize this content, then that content is effectively already disclosed and CSA has no business trying to protect it. We obtained a copy of the opinion for you here. And if this ruling stands, then tech companies can be asked to turn over user data without a warrant – a subpoena, the civil variety included – could potentially suffice. The state’s appellate court does draw the distinction between companies monetizing remotely stored data and those who refrain from accessing their users’ accounts in any way other than what is technically necessary to provide the service. Unfortunately for privacy rights overall, and obviously not only in the context of this ruling, this standard doesn’t apply to those involved here, Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, and Snap’s Snapchat. The proceedings originate from a murder case where the defendant, accused of killing his brother, asked (via subpoenas) to access the contents of the victim’s Instagram, Snapchat, etc., accounts, as a way to help his defense. Meta and Snap refused, citing Section 2702, but the Court of Appeals for reasons explained, ordered them to comply. Now both companies are asking the California Supreme Court to review this decision. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post California Appeals Court Limits Privacy Rights of Online Messages appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

More Walz Ties to Islamist Terrorists

Archaeological evidence of shark attack victims is extremely rare, so when the story of a 3,000-year-old Japanese victim was published in 2021, it caught people’s attention. At the time, the victim was thought to be the oldest recorded case of a shark attack victim, but soon after the study was published, other researchers identified what may be an even older case that dates back 6,000 years. So what do we know about these two ancient victims?Individual No. 24Around 3,000 years ago, sometime between 1370 and 1010 BCE, a man was fishing in the waters of the Seto Inland Sea of the Japanese archipelago when he was attacked by a large shark. Despite being recovered by his companions, the man suffered serious and extensive injuries. He had at least 790 deep, serrated wounds which were mostly confined to his arms, legs, and the front of his chest and abdomen.After his death, the individual was buried in his people’s community cemetery, an archaeological site known as the Tsukumo Shell-mound cemetery site, which was excavated in the early 20th century.For a long time, the man’s remains baffled researchers who could not figure out how someone could receive such extensive and varied injuries from another human using stone tools. Nor could they think of any commonly reported animal that may have been able to produce such marks.However, further examination of the skeleton as part of a larger project looking into violence in prehistoric Japan gave researchers a new opportunity to explore possible causes. The team, led by J. Alyssa White at the University of Oxford, noted that the lesions on the bones were extremely similar to reports of shark attack victims found on modern and archaeological remains.Individual No. 24 was found with extensive wounds that suggest he was killed by a large shark, probably a tiger or a white shark.Image credit: Kyoto UniversityBy working with George Burgess, Director Emeritus of the Florida Program for Shark Research, the team were able to reconstruct a picture of the Japanese individual’s fate. As they said in a statement, “Given the injuries, he was clearly the victim of a shark attack. The man may well have been fishing with companions at the time, since he was recovered quickly. And, based on the character and distribution of the tooth marks, the most likely species responsible was either a tiger or white shark.”The victim, known as “Individual No. 24” belonged to the Neolithic Jmon people of Japan, a semi-sedentary culture that lived mostly in pit dwellings arranged around open spaces. They were hunter-gathers, who were known to exploit a range of marine resources.“It's not clear if Tsukumo 24 was deliberately targeting sharks or if the shark was attracted by blood or bait from other fish,” co-author Dr Mark Hudson explained. “Either way, this find not only provides a new perspective on ancient Japan, but is also a rare example of archaeologists being able to reconstruct a dramatic episode in the life of a prehistoric community.”Peru’s ancient victimSoon after the story of Individual No. 24 broke, two researchers looked back at archaeological work they conducted several decades ago. In 1976, bioarchaeologist Robert Benfer of the University of Missouri, Columbia, and Jeffrey Quilter, an anthropological archaeologist at Harvard University, helped excavate the remains of a teenage boy at a Peruvian village site called Paloma, whose skeleton exhibited marks that appeared consistent with those of a fatal shark attack – his left leg was missing, while his right hip and right forearm showed signs of deep serrated bite marks.If the boy was attacked by a shark, then the wounds likely occurred as he tried to fend it off, raising his arm to protect him as the animal bit down. Similarly, successful shark bites often involve tearing actions that, when applied to humans, can rip off limbs, especially legs.According to radiocarbon dating, the boy met his traumatic fate around 6,000 years ago before being buried among his community. If their assessment is correct, this would make the boy the oldest recorded example of a shark attack victim.The boy’s village was located about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) from the Pacific Coast of Peru. Between 7,800 and 4,000 years ago, various small communities intermittently lived in the area. They, like the Jmon people of Japan, exploited marine resources to survive, including fishing, diving for shellfish, and gathering plants.When the boy’s remains were excavated, they were found in a long, oval pit in an open area. His body had ben placed under some sort of covering made of canes tied together with mats. He had several grave items with him, including a seashell, a flat rock, and several ropes.After the excavation, Quilter described the young man’s injuries in two paragraphs of his book, Life and Death at Paloma, which was published in 1989. The results of this work were never published in any academic journals, so were unknown to White and her colleagues when they were researching Individual No. 24. The researchers have since been in touch, but it is still unclear whether the Peruvian case is definitely an example of a shark attack. Perhaps future research will confirm this tragic but fascinating fate.[H/T: Science News]

The world record for the widest female tongue has just been broken for the first time in 10 years. No need to adjust your display settings – you read that just right.The proud owner of the gargantuan glossa is Texan Brittany Lacayo. Her tongue measures 7.9 centimeters (3.11 inches) at its widest point. That’s about the width of a credit card. The total length of her tongue is only 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) more than that, making it almost a square – there's a fun fact for you!  IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Guinness World Records confirmed that attorney Lacayo’s tongue has surpassed the previous record of 7.33 centimeters (2.89 inches), which had been held by fellow American Emily Schlenker for 10 years. Schlenker’s father Byron also held the corresponding male record for a short time, before he was gazumped by Brian Thompson, whose tongue width was measured at an as-yet unbeaten 8.88 centimeters (3.49 inches).It was a video of Schlenker that inspired Lacayo to measure her own tongue to see how it matched up. Her family had often joked about the size of it when she was a kid, but she’d never seriously considered it might be record-breaking.“It is neat and kind of funny,” she said, adding that most people react with either “shock” or “curiosity” when they see her tongue for the first time… which is pretty much how we felt when we saw the pictures.The world records for the longest tongues have also gone unchallenged for some years. The female record was achieved by Chanel Tapper in 2010, an astonishing 9.75 centimeters (3.8 inches). Meanwhile, the male record stands at 10.1 centimeters (3.97 inches), set by Nick Stoeberl in 2012.But if you think those are impressive, they pale into insignificance when compared with certain members of the animal kingdom. The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) holds the record for longest tongue among land mammals, with reports of them extending as far as 61 centimeters (2 feet).And if you’re wondering whether your licker might be a record-breaker, it might be time to ask yourself: How well do you know your tongue?