Page 1813 – fakuto

November 23, 2016

Newsletter Item for (89146): The Abandoned ‘Dark Crystal’ Sequel Is Being Turned Into a Comic Book

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The Abandoned Dark Crystal Sequel Is Being Turned Into a Comic Book

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Fans of Jim Hensen’s The Dark Crystal have been waiting 35 years for a sequel. They’re about to finally get their wish—in the form on a 12-issue comic series.

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Comics

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The Abandoned 'Dark Crystal' Sequel Is Being Turned Into a Comic Book

November 23, 2016

Newsletter Item for (58895): The 16th-Century Dance Plague

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The 16th-Century Dance Plague

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When an entire town started putting on its dance shoes, the medieval community realized something was out of step. This is the story of the dance plague that hit Strasbourg, France, in 1518.

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History

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The 16th-Century Dance Plague

November 23, 2016

Newsletter Item for (88889): 9 Breathtaking Images of the Botanical World

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9 Breathtaking Images of the Botanical World

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A new book traces how people have depicted flora from ancient times through the modern era. The images are nothing short of spectacular—check them out.

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9 Breathtaking Images of the Botanical World

November 23, 2016

Over 1 Million More People Than Last Year Will Travel for Thanksgiving

Abbey Stone

filed under: holidays, traffic, travel

Image credit:

Michael Gil via Flickr // CC BY 2.0

Taking off for Thanksgiving weekend? According to AAA, you’ll be joined by 48.7 million Americans—over 1 million more people than traveled for the holiday last year. And the vast majority—more than 89 percent—will be hitting the road.

“Most will travel on the tried and true holiday road trip, thanks to gas prices that are holding at close to $2 per gallon,” AAA president and CEO Marshall Doney said in a statement. Thanksgiving gas prices are the second-cheapest they’ve been in a decade, and Americans have saved an estimated $28 billion on gas this year compared to 2015.

Perhaps because they’re saving money at the pump, Thanksgiving travelers are willing to shell out more for luxe accommodations during the holiday weekend. According to hotel chain STR, luxury hotels saw the highest occupancy rates (62.8 percent) over Thanksgiving, while economy hotels were less than half full. Tis the season to treat yourself.

For more statistics about Thanksgiving travel, check out the infographic created by Hotel News Now below.

November 23, 2016 – 1:00pm

November 23, 2016

Amazon’s Great Wednesday Deals Get Closer to Black Friday

Smart Shopping Team

filed under: shopping

Image credit:

amazon / istock

As a recurring feature, our team combs the Web and shares some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. Here’s what caught our eye today, November 23.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!

November 23, 2016 – 9:18am

Amazon Product Id:

B00QIUBPA0

November 23, 2016

20 Vintage Photos of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

A look back at 90 years of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Jennifer M Wood

Wednesday, November 23, 2016 – 12:00

Rich Title:

20 Vintage Photos of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

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This year marks the 90th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. To celebrate a near-century of the beloved Turkey Day tradition, we’re looking back at parades past.

November 23, 2016

All the Presidents’ Pardoned Turkeys

Stacy Conradt

filed under: History, holidays, Lists, presidents

Image credit:

whitehousehistory.org

Later today, as many presidents before him have done, President Obama will pardon a couple of turkeys. “The office of the presidency—the most powerful position in the world—brings with it many awesome and solemn responsibilities,” Obama said in 2013. “This is not one of them.”

Gifting a turkey to the president is certainly nothing new. The tradition dates back at least to 1873, when Ulysses S. Grant benefited from the poultry present. But until the past couple of decades, the presentation of a bird was more or less a private photo op for representatives of the Poultry and Egg Board or the National Turkey Federation. And—surprise, surprise—the presidents typically ate the birds, with the exception of Kennedy.

The whole pardoning event is fairly new, though, and giving the fortunate turkeys monikers is even newer. Here’s what we know about the names of those lucky suckers:

1863: Jack, allegedly. As one story goes, Abraham Lincoln’s son, Tad, became a little too attached to the gift that was destined to end up on the dinner table, naming him Jack. His father agreed to let the turkey live, and Jack ended up as part of the menagerie the Lincoln boys had at the White House.
1873: The Vose Turkey. Turkey farmer Horace Vose formally started the tradition of presenting the president with the main entree for his meal. We’re sure Grant was grateful.
1987: Charlie
1994: Tom (how original)
1999: Harry
2000: Jerry. You can see Bill Clinton dutifully performing the pardon here:

Beginning in 2001, two turkeys were always on tap—the one that would look best on camera, and a backup in case the first choice got skittish in front of the crowd. Traditionally, both the main turkey and the understudy have been pardoned.

2001: Liberty and Freedom, in the wake of 9/11.
2002: Katie and Zack, named after the children of the chairman of the National Turkey Federation.
2003: Stars and Stripes, which narrowly won over Pumpkin and Cranberry in an online poll.
2004: Biscuits and Gravy
2005: Marshmallow and Yam
2006: Flyer and Fryer
2007: May and Flower
2008: Pumpkin and Pecan
2009: Courage and Carolina
2010: Apple and Cider
2011: Liberty and Peace
2012: Cobbler and Gobbler
2013: Caramel and Popcorn
2014: Mac and Cheese
2015: Honest and Abe

The 2016 turkeys, Tater and Tot, come from Storm Lake, Iowa; their names were suggested by the classmates of the children of Chris and Nicole Domino, the turkey farmers who raised the birds. Tater and Tot will live out the rest of their days at Virginia Tech, in a specially built enclosure called Gobblers Rest.

You can read more about the history of the presidential turkey pardon here. Whether or not you agree with John Oliver that this is a particularly ridiculous American tradition, we can all be thankful that at least we’ve come a long way from the Nixon era, when one doomed bird had his feet nailed to the table because he wouldn’t behave for the press.

November 23, 2016 – 11:45am

November 23, 2016

The term “Hippie” is derived from the term…

The term “Hippie” is derived from the term “Hipster,” which described jazz fans in the 1940’s. Hipsters were known for pot smoking and sarcasm. 00

November 23, 2016

Some Parts of the U.S. Will Have a Dreary Thanksgiving

Dennis Mersereau

filed under: holidays, transportation, travel, weather

Image credit:

iStock

It’s an inconvenient irony that some of the busiest travel days in the United States also happen to land right in the middle of the stormiest part of autumn. Since the beginning of this decade, we’ve only had one Thanksgiving travel period that wasn’t seriously marred by hazardous weather in any of the country’s largest travel hubs. This year looks like it’ll follow the pattern of Thanksgivings before it by producing just enough dreary, sloppy weather to cause some headaches.

Things are slowly starting to return to normal after the long stretches of strangely quiet weather that have blanketed the country for the past couple of months. It’s easy to forget that enjoyable weather is not normal in November when you can wear shorts on Election Day and keep your windows open the week before Thanksgiving, but that’s been our reality these days. November is supposed to be a gloomy, bone-chilling time of the year, and that miserable normalcy is back in place just in time for everyone to head to grandma’s for the long weekend.

Dreary weather will plague the Midwest and West Coast on Wednesday, November 23, 2016. Image Credit: NOAA/WPC

The wavy jet stream that’s bringing normal back will spawn a large low-pressure system in the central Plains on Wednesday morning, quickly making its way toward the Great Lakes as it gathers moisture and strength. The combination of cold, Arctic air to the north and warmish, moist air from the south will allow this system to produce everything from thunderstorms in the south to a chilly rain and a few mushy inches of snow in the north.

If you’re flying anywhere for the long Thanksgiving weekend, the ease of your travels will depend on where you’re going and, more importantly, where you’re connecting. Things are looking pretty good if you’re mostly staying along the East Coast, with weather-related delays at major hubs like Atlanta and Washington looking minimal leaving this week or coming back home this weekend.

Folks flying into or out of Chicago, Detroit, or Minneapolis on Wednesday and Thursday might encounter some delays due to low clouds, gusty winds, and occasionally heavy precipitation. The impending low-pressure system will produce a couple of inches of snow in the Upper Midwest, likely blanketing Minneapolis with a small coating of snow on Wednesday before the storm lifts out of the area on Thursday. The weather-related delays in these hubs shouldn’t be as severe as we’ve seen in years past, but even minor delays can cause disruptions that trickle through the system with such a packed schedule of flights coming and going.

Flights along the West Coast might see some weather delays as well. A fast-moving series of small storm systems will come ashore from the Pacific Ocean over the next five days, with each system bringing with it gusty winds, steady rainfall, and poor visibility during the worst conditions. The greatest impacts should be limited to Seattle and Portland, Oregon, but they could extend as far south as San Francisco on Wednesday night.

Driving across the stormy areas won’t be much of a treat, either. Make sure to check the forecast before you head out so you know what you’re driving into before you get there. If you’re not able to drive in the snow or rain, make alternate plans or see if you can get someone else to drive for you. The weather won’t be much worse than what you experience during a normal commute, but there will be more people on the highways than you’d see on a normal day, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time and space to get to your friends or family safely.

November 23, 2016 – 11:00am

November 23, 2016

People Have Been Raising Turkeys in Mexico for 1500 Years

Kate Horowitz

filed under: Animals, archaeology, History, science

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The relationship between humans and turkeys may not be a great one, but it’s certainly enduring. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of domesticated turkeys at the site of a 5th-century CE ritual sacrifice in Oaxaca, Mexico. They published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

Archaeologists have theorized that humans had started raising turkeys by the year 400 or 500 CE, but they had relatively little evidence. Then, in 2009 and 2010, researchers excavating the famous ancient fortress of Mitla in Oaxaca uncovered piles of turkey bones and eggs.

One of those researchers was archaeologist Gary Feinman of The Field Museum in Chicago. “It was very exciting because it’s very rare to find a whole cluster of intact eggs,” he said in a press statement. “This was very unexpected.”

Bone expert and lead author Heather Lapham of the University of North Carolina recognized the remains and their significance immediately. Lapham counted five intact or unhatched eggs, plus the bones of seven newly hatched turkey poults: an offering. Nearby were broken eggshells and the remains of many other juvenile and adult turkeys.

Feinman, Lapham, and their colleague Linda Nicholas brought the turkey eggs back to the laboratory and examined them under high-powered scanning electron microscopes. They discovered that the eggs were not all the same age. Some were unfertilized, while others had been recently fertilized when they were buried under the floors and in the walls. Others still contained embryos that were nearly ready to hatch.

The presence of eggs and turkeys of all different developmental stages suggests that the fortress’s inhabitants had regular access to a flock. These birds weren’t hunted or collected from the wild. They’d been raised here.

The domestication of these birds by the Zapotec people would have been hugely beneficial to their culture and economy. “There were very few domesticated animals in Oaxaca and Mesoamerica in general compared with Eurasia,” Feinman said. “Eurasia had lots of different meat sources, but in Oaxaca 1500 years ago, the only assuredly domestic meat sources were turkeys and dogs.”

That changed with the arrival of the Spanish, who brought over domesticated pigs, chickens, and cows. Yet turkeys remain an important part of life in Oaxaca to this day. They’re given as gifts, included in important feasts, and are still used in ritual offerings. “The reasons might be different,” the authors write, “certainly the gods are different, but this practice among the Zapotec of ritually sacrificing turkeys and egg offerings shows amazing continuity over an extended period.”

November 23, 2016 – 10:30am

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