Most of the manuscripts in Timbuktu are safe, thanks in no small part to librarians. The Islamists "damaged or stole only a limited number" of them before fleeing; none of them destroyed an entire library or collection.The manuscripts cover subjects from science, astrology and medicine to history, theology, grammar and geography. They date back to ( Read more... )

No, really. In 2012 there was still a body of water in the U.S. called Jew Pond, which the voters of Mont Vernon, NH chose to rename (new name not picked yet) by a vote of 124-33."I don't know if it was meant to be offensive or not, but if people are offended by the name I don't see why we shouldn't change it," said Bill Davidson, who has lived in ( Read more... )

Daniel Fincke reports that Lee Hirsch's film Bully has received a rating of R from the Motion Picture Association of America, due to profanity in the film. Therefore, children as old as 16 cannot legally go to see Bully without an adult present. Many schools are also forbidden from showing R-rated movies or clips from them ( Read more... )

Breitshart flips. his. shit. at Occupy protestors outside the right-wing CPAC conference:

Click to view

Holy hell, does that call for a remix. Many remixes.

CPAC, by the way, is notable for how its speakers and attendees aren't even bothering with dogwhistles anymore.

Trigger warnings for the next three stories:

Some 200 priests suspected of sexual abuse ( Read more... )

I've been too busy to write much lately, but I do have a bunch of links to share.

Gender
( Read more... )

"Uterus" is a naughty word in Flori-DUH. A Democratic state rep who suggested during debate that his wife's "incorporat[ing] her uterus" would keep Republicans out of it was reprimanded for "discussing body parts on the House floor ( Read more... )

Confederate general and first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan Nathan Bedford Forrest might become honored on a Mississippi license plate. Forrest's biggest claim to fame was directing the 1864 massacre of hundreds of black Union soldiers who had already laid down their arms at Ft. Pillow.

Via Digby, who points out that it doesn't behoove us to ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

Not unlocking, because I don't much care whether she ever sees this or not. ETA: Unlocking 5/31/12.

She posted this long spiel on bigoted words and phrases, including all the supposedly "ableist" ones, and she included the pot calling the kettle black. Which has nothing to do with racism - it comes from the days when iron cooking vessels were ( Read more... )

You'd think Rivendell Sanctuary were some kind of meditation center for Tolkien fans. No such luck: It's a junior college for fundie kids. Thers:Suppose you have home-schooled your advanced blastocyst in the best evangelical wingnut way, to the age of 18. And suppose you recognize that no matter how much you would like to pray otherwise, your ( Read more... )