CultureDesk

CultureDesk, 3 days ago to conservative

As Ishana Shyamalan’s directorial debut film “The Watchers” hit theaters this weekend, the whole family had reason to celebrate. Later this summer, her father, M. Night Shyamalan also premieres his latest mystery, “Trap,” which will feature music and performances from another daughter, Saleka. IndieWire describes how the family may be on the cusp of becoming a dynasty. https://flip.it/mRJ8nq
#Culture #Entertainment #Movies #Shyamalan

CultureDesk, 5 days ago to Disney

The bumbling and fiery-tempered Donald Fauntleroy Duck made his debut in a short animation film on June 9, 1934. Nearly a century later, he remains one of animation's most beloved characters, DW reports:
https://www.dw.com/en/donald-duck-turns-90/a-69255461

#Disney #Donaldduck #Animation

CultureDesk, 6 days ago (edited 2 days ago) to restaurants

The World's 50 Best Restaurants list has just been announced and CNN has the complete ranking. One country dominated the top five. Which do you think it was?

https://flip.it/XRqvq0

#Restaurants #Food #Culture #FoodCulture #Quiz #Poll

CultureDesk, 7 days ago to books

What's next in America's book ban battle? The book ban ban. Minnesota's Gov. Tim Walz has signed into law a measure prohibiting the removal of “a book or other material based solely on its viewpoint or the messages, ideas, or opinions it conveys.” The law allows books to be challenged, but mandates that trained and licensed librarians be part of the review. Minnesota's librarians and educators told CNN they welcome legal criteria for how to address book challenges, since some are worried about losing their jobs if they order books that prove controversial.

https://flip.it/LZHRvd

#Books #Libraries #BookBans #USA #Minnesota @bookstodon

CultureDesk, 7 days ago (edited 3 days ago) to Parenting

This was the 32nd most popular girl's name in the U.S. in 2015, and then plummeted to rank 603, with parents in Germany even going to court in 2022 to have their daughter's name changed. The name, of course, is Alexa. Here, Parents.com looks at the children's names that are falling out of favor because of technology and pop culture.

https://flip.it/FwLo56

#Lifestyle #Families #Parenting #PopCulture

CultureDesk, 7 days ago to conservative

The Philippines is a conservative Catholic-majority nation, and many queer folk there feel excluded by the traditional church. They're turning to Roblox Filipino Catholics (RFC) as a more inclusive place where they can practice their faith. @restofworld's Patrick Kho spoke to queer Catholics about how they're finding community, preserving heritage, and even changing minds in this new space.

https://flip.it/AAvi7S

#Culture #Catholicism #Religion #Philippines #LGBTQ #Pride #LoveIsLove #Roblox #Gaming

CultureDesk, 8 days ago (edited 3 days ago) to television

All six seasons of "Lost" are arriving on Netflix in the U.S. on July 1 — that's 121 episodes, from the pilot to the divisive finale. Total Film's Emily Garbutt says that some fans are lobbying for a re-evaulation of the final twist. She quotes one: "My firm stance remains that 'Lost' is good and the finale is great and haters will be welcomed with open arms on the right side of history after they reevaluate." Time for the big question: 14 years after it aired, what are your thoughts on the finale of "Lost?"

https://flip.it/kBbi3V

#Television #TV #Entertainment #TuneIn #Lost

CultureDesk, 8 days ago (edited 3 days ago) to history

Hair jewelry — lockets, rings and other such items adorned with the locks of a loved one — is said to have come into fashion as an expression of mourning in the Victorian age. It was Queen Victoria herself who popularized the jewelry after her husband Albert died in 1861. @Allure's Kara McGrath writes about the history of this, how the craft of hairwork is being revived around the world, and why people continue to be repulsed by it.

https://flip.it/8iUqVx

#History @histodons #Jewelry #Fashion #Hair #Culture

CultureDesk, 9 days ago to television

"Halt and Catch Fire" premiered 10 years ago and went on for four seasons and 40 episodes. @polygon's Devan Suber describes how the beloved AMC show understood the draw of video games better than any show that's come before it. "In the words of Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace), the computer was always 'the thing that gets us to the thing,' a vector for connection, expression, or some other deeper human need."

https://flip.it/5WaRtN
#Television #Entertainment #HaltAndCatchFire #TuneIn #TV #VideoGames #Gaming

For more stories like this, follow Polygon's TV Shows Magazine, @tv.

CultureDesk, 9 days ago to conservative

The term "fan" to mean avid supporter only came into popular use in the 19th century. Before that, words like "kranks," "habitués" and "lions" were used. There were even equivalents of today's fandoms that focus on a specific performer (like Swifties and Cumberbitches) in the form of Lisztians, who loved the composer Franz Liszt. Atlas Obscura spoke with Daniel Cavicchi, an American Studies scholar, about the history of fans and the words we've used to describe them. “How you name yourself says a lot about what you think of yourself and your very intense passions,” Cavicchi says. “But at the same time, another name or variation on the name, or another use of your name, maybe in a derogatory sense, may say something about what the culture thinks about you.”

https://flip.it/F1tS5z
#Culture #Etymology #Fandoms #Words #Language

CultureDesk, 9 days ago to television

Stephen Colbert has sat in the "Late Show" spinny chair for a decade now. He spoke with Entertainment Weekly about his office decor — his kids' old art projects hang beside a copy of Donald Trump's impeachment resolution — how he fell in love with the monologue, and the fine art of blending stupid and smart.

https://flip.it/cLsbZk

#Television #Entertainment #Comedy #StephenColbert #TuneIn #TV

CultureDesk, 10 days ago to conservative

Cinema has gifted us with a steady stream of post-apocalyptic movies that often make us ponder real life in a such a hellscape. Fortunately, one brave writer took up the task of watching 51 dystopian films to determine which ones he could survive. It nearly killed him. Read his story on The Ringer: https://flip.it/Eg00gs
#Culture #Entertainment #Movies #Dystopia

CultureDesk, 12 days ago to music

If you have a Samsung washing machine, you'll probably be familiar with its self-satisfied "I'm finished" chime — the 40-second jingle that plays when your wash cycle is complete. It's a version of Schubert's "Die Forelle," which was composed in 1817. Now, it's sparked an absurd copyright abuse flag on YouTube, with a Twitch streamer claiming his play-through of Fallout was demonetized because his washing machine finished while he was streaming. Seemingly YouTube's automatic scan had detected the washing machine chime as a song called "Done," which was uploaded to YouTube by a musician known as Audego nine years ago. Albino suggested that YouTube had potentially allowed Audego to make invalid copyright claims for years. Here's more from @arstechnica

https://flip.it/Ex3rOm

#Music #Technology #Lifestyle #Streaming #YouTube #Gaming #Twitch #Copyright

CultureDesk, 12 days ago to television

"I’ve been thinking, lately, about the theme of 'American presidents who commit felonies.' I don’t know why; it’s just been on my mind recently for some reason," writes Crime Reads' Olivia Rutigliano. She's created this list of fictional presidents from TV and and film who've committed felonies, including President Fitz from "Scandal," President Frank Underwood from "House of Cards," and more. "As I just said, these are fictional examples, so if some real guy who was elected the President of the United States of America committed anything equivalent to these things in real life, it’d be way, way worse," Rutigliano concludes.

https://flip.it/rf3deR

#Television #Entertainment #Movies #Film #Cinema #Trump

CultureDesk, 13 days ago (edited 13 days ago) to conservative

Camp Lost Boys, in the woods between Denver and Colorado Springs, is the world's only sleep-away camp and largest gathering space for adult trans men. Its goal is to encourage trans men to take up space and express love for their own masculinity. “Being a man is often seen as a terrible thing, particularly if you come from a queer space … and we internalize that,” says Rocco Kayiatos, founder of the Intentional Man Project, the nonprofit that makes camp happen. @19thnews talked to some of the men who attend Camp Lost Boys, who range from their teens to their 70s. “I have never seen that many trans guys in one space. To be honest, I haven’t seen this many trans adults, ever,” says 19-year-old Orion Pevehouse. “I have never seen an old trans person. And it just gives me a lot of hope that … I’m gonna live my entire life like this. And that’s just really exciting.”

https://flip.it/8eeqLd

#Lifestyle #Culture #LGBTQ #TransRightsAreHumanRights

CultureDesk, 13 days ago to Cats

We know the fediverse needs no excuse, but just FYI, today is International Hug Your Cat Day. Here's a @Flipboard Storyboard from Reader's Digest about where cats like kisses and get the zoomies, how to train them, and more.

https://flipboard.com/@readersdigest/give-your-cat-a-hug-today-nnsbbe5e9tbt209c

#Cats #CatsofMastodon #Lifestyle #Pets

CultureDesk, 13 days ago to science

A beluga can change the shape of its "melon" (the bulbous mass on its head) at will. Could this be used as a form of communication? A new study indicates that it might. Here's a story from @hakaimagazine with a six-panel comic illustrating the five different melon shapes and in what contexts some are used.

https://flip.it/xAQKg0

#Science #Animals #Nature #Communication #Language #Comics

CultureDesk, 13 days ago to cars

The 1998 Fiat Multipla is almost always included on clickbaity listicles about the ugliest ever cars. The Autopian's Adrian Clarke makes the case for why its design, while aesthetically challenging, was actually brilliant. "A constant criticism of car design I hear a lot is the ‘form should follow function’ bulls***," he writes. "Be careful what you wish for, because the Multipla is what you could end up with."

https://flip.it/_2dwLH

#Cars #Automotive #Design #Aesthetics #ProductDesign

CultureDesk, 14 days ago to television

The most popular TV show you've never heard of is called "The Chosen." It tells the story of Jesus and his disciples and there are seven seasons planned (the fourth season starts streaming June 2). Around 200 million people around the world have watched at least an episode, and the show also sold $63 million in theatrical ticket sales. The Hollywood Reporter talked to director Dallas Jenkins, who set out to make an elevated Christian TV series, and now has his sights on the Jesus Cinematic Universe.

https://flip.it/RcIEer

#Television #Christianity #Entertainment #TV #TuneIn

CultureDesk, 14 days ago to food

When students from Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon, cleared invasive Himalayan blackberry from a meadow on campus, a bank of camas seeds sprouted. "The university found itself with a thriving patch of Indigenous first foods," says @Toastie. For High Country News, they write about how this discovery birthed a festival, the Linfield Camas Festival. The one-day event is devoted to the wildflower, its place in Indigenous cuisine, culture and ecosystems, and educating others about food sovereignty and more.

https://flip.it/gh_Xy8

#Food #FoodCulture #FoodHistory #Indigenous #IndigenousCulture

CultureDesk, 14 days ago to history

Baseball's all-time leaders lists have changed overnight with the integration of the Negro Leagues into Major League Baseball statistics. Josh Gibson is now officially one of the greatest players of all time, beating Ty Cobb for career batting average and Babe Ruth for slugging percentage and OPS. His great grandson, Sean Gibson, hopes that the MVP award will be renamed in his honor. The trophy was previously named after Kenesaw Mountain Landis, baseball's first commissioner, who played a key role in keeping baseball segregated. “How ironic would it be for Josh Gibson to replace the man who denied more than 2,300 men the opportunity to play baseball in the major leagues,’’ Sean Gibson told USA Today.

https://flip.it/0m6Fgc

#History #SportsHistory #MLB #Baseball #BlackMastodon @blackmastodon #JoshGibson #HIstory @histodons

CultureDesk, 14 days ago to conservative

The Chinese government has started a new social-media crackdown, this time targeting conspicuous displays of wealth. In April, the country's internet regulator announced a campaign against influencers who “create a ‘wealth-flaunting’ persona, deliberately showcasing a luxurious life built on money, in order to attract followers and traffic.” Wealth-flaunters are now being removed from platforms like Douyin, the equivalent of TikTok. The move comes as China is experiencing an economic slowdown. Here's more from NBC.

https://flip.it/d8c0qQ

#Culture #PopCulture #SocialMedia #China #Influencers

CultureDesk, 15 days ago (edited 13 days ago) to Sociology

Sociology professor Christopher T. Conner started looking into the QAnon movement four years ago, but his research soon broadened into all kinds of conspiracy theorists, from race scientists to New Age spiritualists. He writes for @TheConversationUS about why people are susceptible and how politicians and influential figures take advantage of them. Do you have conspiracy theorists in your life (if you don't know any, maybe it's you 👀)?

https://flip.it/Lyt0yN

#Sociology #Lifestyle #Politics #ConspiracyTheories #QAnon #Culture

For more stories like this, follow @ConversationUS's Arts & Culture Magazine, @arts,

CultureDesk, 15 days ago to Travel

President Biden has signed a new amendment in the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that will make it borderline impossible to track private jet activity. This puts the kibosh on social media attempts to hold famous folk accountable for their jet-related CO2 emissions, although @thrillist reports that a new study provides some insight into the worst celebrity polluters. Here's more.

https://flip.it/xg1egw

#Travel #TravelTuesday #Celebrity #Lifestyle #Environment

CultureDesk, 16 days ago (edited 15 days ago) to food

The "is a burger a sandwich?" debate rolls on and on without conclusion, but now a judge in the U.S. has entered the chat with a controversial new ruling. Superior Court Judge Craig Bobay of Allen County, Indiana, determined that "tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches" when presiding over a case brought to the courts by a restaurant owner hoping to open a location in the city of Fort Wayne. Here's more on the legal battle, but what do you think?

https://flip.it/1Ie3ze

#Food #FoodCulture #USA #Sandwiches #MexicanFood