CultureDesk

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Today, Hindus around the world celebrate Holi, the festival of colors, and nowhere is it more raucous than in India. Kids and grownups filled their water balloons and water guns yesterday, and have (flipboard.social)
 

Today, Hindus around the world celebrate Holi, the festival of colors, and nowhere is it more raucous than in India. Kids and grownups filled their water balloons and water guns yesterday, and have packets of colored powder ready to ambush friends, neighbors and strangers. "If you're spotlessly clean, you're a target," write Mithil Aggarwal and Max Butterworth for NBC. Here's their story about the meaning of the festival and how it is celebrated — complete with some absolutely stunning photography.

https://flip.it/riam1o

#India #Holi #Hinduism #Hindu #Festivals #Lifestyle #Photography #Photographs

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Pokémon Go has a new owner, Scopely, which is a subsidiary of a Saudi Arabian company called Savvy Games, which is itself owned by the Saudi government. @404mediaco's @jasonkoebler wonders what that (flipboard.social)
 

Pokémon Go has a new owner, Scopely, which is a subsidiary of a Saudi Arabian company called Savvy Games, which is itself owned by the Saudi government. @[email protected]'s @[email protected] wonders what that might mean for the location data of the game's 100 million players. [Story may be paywalled.]

https://flip.it/3RSCY5

#Gaming #VideoGames #Pokemon #PokemonGo #SaudiArabia #InfoSec #Tech #Privacy

#PCGaming

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The website of the U.S. Mint has removed medals honoring the police officers who protected the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot. "Former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who was injured by the (flipboard.social)
 

The website of the U.S. Mint has removed medals honoring the police officers who protected the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot. "Former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who was injured by the mob on Jan. 6, told NBC News that he tried to purchase a number of the replica medals this week, planning to hand them out as gifts, and was surprised to see they were no longer available." Gonell says the erasure of the medals fits a broader pattern. Here's NBC's full story.

https://flip.it/L9eq.Y

#USPolitics #History #Culture #USMint

A California legislator is seeking to bar the state's minors from buying "anti-aging" skin care products — items that contain active ingredients like retinol, vitamin C and alpha hydroxy acids. There in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

@[email protected] The term "anti-aging" is so problematic in that, why would we want to be "anti-age?" What is wrong with aging?

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A California legislator is seeking to bar the state's minors from buying "anti-aging" skin care products — items that contain active ingredients like retinol, vitamin C and alpha hydroxy acids. There (flipboard.social)
 

A California legislator is seeking to bar the state's minors from buying "anti-aging" skin care products — items that contain active ingredients like retinol, vitamin C and alpha hydroxy acids. There are a number of issues with the bill and it would be hard to enforce, but @Allure's April Daniels Hussar says it does serve to prove a point. "There is real emotional danger when it comes to anti-aging marketing and the psyche of children and teenagers," she writes, citing examples of a 14-year-old with a comprehensive routing to "slow down the aging process" and an 18-year-old showing off her Botox. Here's the full story.

https://flip.it/e_AKDx

#Beauty #Lifestyle #Parenting #Children #Skincare #Teenagers

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Adults are usually fairly tidy when dining out. But when kids and babies are along for the experience, a lot of the food meant for their tum tum ends up on the floor floor. So who’s supposed to clean (flipboard.social)
 

Adults are usually fairly tidy when dining out. But when kids and babies are along for the experience, a lot of the food meant for their tum tum ends up on the floor floor. So who’s supposed to clean up the mess? The server — who’s waiting on perhaps 20 other people — or the parents paying for the service? Luckily, @foodandwine sorts it all out for us:

https://flip.it/kPVgCi

#Culture #Dining #Parenting #Kids #Restaurants #Etiquette

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In 1960, 16 newly independent African countries, including Congo, became part of the United Nations. In 1961, Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected leader of Congo, was assassinated. In (flipboard.social)
 

In 1960, 16 newly independent African countries, including Congo, became part of the United Nations. In 1961, Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected leader of Congo, was assassinated. In the intervening six months, jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie traveled to Congo to perform, not realizing that they were acting as a smokescreen for the coup d'etat in which Lumumba would be killed, and in which the Belgian and U.S. governments may have been complicit.

"Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat," a documentary from Belgian artist and director Johan Grimonprez, tells that story, and it has been nominated for an Oscar. Robert Daniels wrote a review of the movie when it was released last year. "It’s difficult to watch Grimonprez’s intuitive telling of history without feeling the sinister truth of world history: the major powers of the world only see countries like the Congo as an exploitable resource, not as a sovereign state," he says.

https://flip.it/.HnKd1
#Movies #Documentaries #Africa #Congo #Oscars #History #Cinema #Film

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The winners for Rest Of World’s annual photography contest have been selected, and the images are as diverse as the countries in which they were taken. The nonprofit website received 227 entries, and (flipboard.social)
 

The winners for Rest Of World’s annual photography contest have been selected, and the images are as diverse as the countries in which they were taken. The nonprofit website received 227 entries, and a theme emerged: Tech is transforming lives in every corner of the world. Take a look:

https://flip.it/XsPnkb

#Culture #Tech #Photography #Art

With the Combahee River Raid of 1863, Harriet Tubman became the first woman in U.S. history to lead a major military expedition. Read about it @mental_floss, including how Tubman, who liberated in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

@[email protected] We should absolutely give her her rank! Changing the caption now!

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With the Combahee River Raid of 1863, Harriet Tubman became the first woman in U.S. history to lead a major military expedition. Read about it @mental_floss, including how Tubman, who liberated (flipboard.social)
 

With the Combahee River Raid of 1863, Harriet Tubman became the first woman in U.S. history to lead a major military expedition. Read about it @mental_floss, including how Tubman, who liberated herself after being born into slavery, repeatedly returned to hostile territory to usher other slaves to freedom along the famed Underground Railroad:

https://flip.it/5kzoMJ

#Culture #History #BlackHistoryMonth #USHistory

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The Sims is 25 years old. @Smithsonianmag takes a look at its enduring appeal and cultural impact. (fedia.io)
 

The Sims is 25 years old. @Smithsonianmag takes a look at its enduring appeal and cultural impact.

Link: https://flip.it/X-lMNF

#TheSims #Videogames #Gaming #ElectronicArts

#PCGaming

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Black History Month began on Saturday across the United States, kicking off a celebration of Black history, culture and education. The history of the month dates back almost a century when historian (flipboard.social)
 

Black History Month began on Saturday across the United States, kicking off a celebration of Black history, culture and education. The history of the month dates back almost a century when historian and author Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week. “I think Black folks understood what they had contributed to America’s historical narrative, but no one was talking about it,” said Kaye Whitehead, president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. @AssociatedPress has more on the month’s origins, importance to the American story, and its perseverance in 2025.

https://flip.it/Wkuk.S

#Culture #History #BlackHistoryMonth #AfricanAmerican #USA

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There's a "Dungeons & Dragons" livestream happening on Jan. 30 to raise funds for those affected by the Los Angeles fires. Critical Role is hosting "Freaky Thursday," which will be streamed on Beacon, (flipboard.social)
 

There's a "Dungeons & Dragons" livestream happening on Jan. 30 to raise funds for those affected by the Los Angeles fires. Critical Role is hosting "Freaky Thursday," which will be streamed on Beacon, Twitch and YouTube at 7 p.m. PT. It will feature the characters played by Ashley Johnson, Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe, Travis Willingham, Sam Riegel, Laura Bailey, and Liam O’Brien and game master Matthew Mercer. The group has set a fundraising goal of $180,000. Here's more from @RollingStone on what to expect.

https://flip.it/Xgz73s

#Gaming #VideoGames #DungeonsAndDragons #DND #TTRPG #CriticalRole #LAFires #Wildfires #FreakyThursday

The U.S. Air Force last week halted its course on "airmindedness," which includes videos of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women's Airforce Service Pilots — the first Black and female pilots, respectively, in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

@[email protected] Yes, the course was halted on Jan. 23 and resumed today. Per the article, the Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin said: “The historic legacy and decorated valor these airmen embodied during World War II and beyond will continue to guide our newest recruits and all who serve in our ranks." However he also added that the Air Force will faithfully execute orders from the president and that “Disguising and renaming are not compliance, and I’ve made this clear ... If there are instances of less-than-full compliance, we will hold those responsible accountable.”

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The U.S. Air Force last week halted its course on "airmindedness," which includes videos of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women's Airforce Service Pilots — the first Black and female pilots, respectively, (flipboard.social)
 

The U.S. Air Force last week halted its course on "airmindedness," which includes videos of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women's Airforce Service Pilots — the first Black and female pilots, respectively, to fly for the military. This was in response to President Trump's order barring DEI programs. Now, the course has been reinstated, albeit in an adjusted form that no longer includes specific DEI material. Here's more from Air Force Times.

https://flip.it/9srcY1

#DEI #TuskegeeAirmen #WomensAirforceServicePilots #BlackHistory #WomensHistory

#history

What is the greatest video game of all time? What criteria would you even use to figure that out? @RollingStone say it's about how influential a game is when it was launched, and whether it still in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Once again, we're reminded of the inherent silliness of "greatest of all time" lists. How can this be empirically judged?! Even if it could, voters in this poll think that @RollingStone got it wrong. The magazine selected "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," saying: "More than anything else, 'Breath of the Wild' is a vibe, where you can spend your hours just doing whatever it is you want to do. Saving the day can wait. Mastodon chose "Tetris," with @[email protected] summing it up: "I beat BOTW in my house, by myself and over the course of a few months. It was an amazing game. It took an entire community of fans, players and hackers 40 years to beat Tetris and they're all still playing it. Tetris is #1 hands down."

Kmart enjoyed its heyday in the 1990s, when there were more than 2,300 branches across the U.S. It filed for bankruptcy in 2002, unable to stave off competition from Walmart and Target, but has limped in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

@[email protected] An Ayn Rand fan, you say? 🤔

Research by a short-selling firm claims that Roblox is dishonest about its daily active user count and that it is not doing enough to protect children from predators. Here's @Gizmodo's report. in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

@[email protected] Yes, that's definitely a consideration! Roblox stock was down 3.5 percent today, which is presumably Hindenburg's motivation for releasing this research. Then again, the firm did show all its workings — here's the report:

https://hindenburgresearch.com/roblox/

The Hidden Library of St. Paul's Cathedral in London will be available for its first overnight guests on March 15. Two lucky people will be able to peruse its 22,000-book collection and climb the dome in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

@marquisdegeek Imagine if it was some other St. Paul's Cathedral — could there be a St. Paul's Cathedral Pub in some grotty part of London?

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