Quotulatiousness

April 30, 2021

Period drama costume designers these days

Filed under: Europe, History, Humour, Media — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Karolina Żebrowska
Published 15 Aug 2019

Piero Tosi died last week and it made me really sad. he was one of the first to understand how staying close to history can actually make the film costumes fascinating, not boring. sadly, I’m beginning to think he was also one of the last — today’s mainstream cinema is all about “making things relatable for the modern viewer”.
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QotD: The battle of Bannockburn

Filed under: Britain, History, Humour, Quotations — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 01:00

The Scots were now under the leadership of the Bruce (not to be confused with the Wallace), who, doubtful whether he had slain the Red Comyn or not, armed himself with an enormous spider and marched against the English, determined if possible to win back the Great Scone by beating the English three times running.

The fact that the English were defeated has so confused Historians that many false theories are prevalent about the Bannockburn Campaign. What actually happened is quite clear from the sketch map shown above. The causes of the English defeat were all unfair and were:

  1. The Pits. Every time the Wallace saw some English Knights charging at him he quickly dug one of these unnatural hazards into which the English Knights, who had been taught to ride straight, galloped with flying colours.
  2. Superior numbers of the English (four to one). Accustomed to fight against heavy odds the English were uneasy, and when the Scots were unexpectedly reinforced by a large body of butlers with camp stools the English soldiers mistook them for a fresh army of Englishmen and retreated in disgust.
  3. Foul riding by Scottish Knights. This was typified even before the battle during an exhibition combat between the Brace and the English Champion, Baron Henry le Bohunk, when Brace, mounted on a Shetland pony, galloped underneath the Baron and, coming up unexpectedly on the blind side, struck him a foul blow behind and maced him up for life.

W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman, 1066 And All That, 1930.

April 29, 2021

QotD: Searching for useful reading lights

Filed under: Books, Humour, Quotations — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 01:00

The room, in addition to its other drawbacks, was always underlit. But it’s proving a major challenge to find nifty lamps that also give enough light to read by. All the cool Art Nouveau sort of stuff only go up to 60 watts max, which, for a reader, is like switching on the darks. And the lamps in stores are not logically arranged by wattage; one has to wander about turning them upside down and peering at the little sticky labels on the sockets for a clue, for yea verily, the sales staff has none. They are not readers either, sigh.

Lois McMaster Bujold, letter to Baen’s Bar, 2004-10.

April 26, 2021

Was GENERAL SHERMAN a WAR CRIMINAL?!?!?!?!

Atun-Shei Films
Published 11 Aug 2020

Checkmate, Lincolnites! Debunking the Lost Cause myths surrounding William Tecumseh Sherman during the American Civil War, including the Atlanta Campaign, the March to the Sea, and the burning of Columbia — and tackling the “slavery would have gone away on its own” thing while we’re at it. Surprisingly, Johnny Reb gets in one or two really solid points.

[Updated 8 Feb 2023: Vlogging Through History’s reaction video to Atun-Shei’s interpretation is here – https://youtu.be/CTVr4YgB5VI]
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QotD: Maple-flavoured schadenfreude

Filed under: Cancon, Humour, Media, Quotations, USA — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 01:00

Schadenfreude is of course the German word for taking pleasure in the discomfort of others. There should be a specific Canadian variant to indicate our enjoyment of Americans’ discomfort, which is and always has been a major source of satisfaction for many of our media elites. Maybe schadenfreud-eh?

William Watson, “Smug Canada probably wouldn’t let in a caravan of migrants either”, Financial Post, 2018-10-26.

April 17, 2021

QotD: Erasing the Maldives from the atlas

Filed under: Asia, Books, Britain, Environment, Humour, Quotations — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 01:00

Maldivian media outlets this morning published as fact a satirical Telegraph news blog citing “unconfirmed rumours” that the 14th edition of the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World will omit the Maldives, Tuvalu, “and major parts of Bangladesh” as a statement on global warming.

The blog post, written by climate change skeptic James Delingpole who describes himself as “a writer, journalist and broadcaster who is right about everything”, features comments by a “Times Atlas spokesman” David Rose.

In a UK press scandal this year, “David Rose” was found to be a psuedonym used by left-wing Independent journalist and climate change writer Johaan Hari to edit his own Wikipedia entry, advocate his own position and attack his critics.

Rose, who in Delingpole’s article holds “a doctorate in Cambridge in Climate Change and Sinking Islands Studies so I know what I’m talking about, and if you don’t believe me, ask my friend Johaan Hari who taught me everything I know”, acknowledges that it “may not be strictly geographically accurate to say the Maldives and Tuvalu will definitely have disappeared in about ten years time when our next edition appears.”

“But did you see that picture of the Maldives cabinet holding a meeting underwater? If the Maldives government says the Maldives are drowning, they must be drowning. And frankly I think it’s despicable, all those deniers who are saying it was just a publicity stunt, cooked up by green activist Mark Lynas, to blackmail the international community into giving the Maldives more aid money while simultaneously trying to lure green Trustafarians to come and spend £1500 a night in houses on stilts with gold-plated organic recyclable eco-toilets made of rare earth minerals from China. Why would a government lie about something as serious as climate change?”

Rose goes on to state that “I’m pleased to say that this is a view of the world shared by my colleagues at Times Comprehensive Atlas Of The World. They understand that maps based on accurately recorded geographical features belong in the Victorian age of child chimney sweeps. What we need now is maps that change the world, transforming into something which it isn’t actually yet but might be one day if we don’t act NOW!”

“Delingpole Satire Dupes Maldives Media”, The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF), 2011-09-21.

April 16, 2021

Following Bienville: The Founding of New Orleans

Filed under: France, History, Humour, USA — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 06:00

Atun-Shei Films
Published 15 Apr 2021

The origin story of New Orleans is a tale of rampant corruption, unchecked greed, fiendish vice, and gross incompetence – not much has changed!

Join me on an epic journey of discovery as I trace the route of the first French explorers to this area by paddling down Bayou St. John and walking overland to the French Quarter, exploring the geography and history of the city along the way.

Support Atun-Shei Films on Patreon ► https://www.patreon.com/atunsheifilms​

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~REFERENCES~

[1] B.F. French. Historical Collections of Louisiana and Florida, Including Translations of Original Manuscripts Relating to Their Discovery and Settlement (1875). Albert Mason, Page 24-25

[2] Lawrence N. Powell. The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans (2012). Harvard University Press, Page 11-15

[3] Philomena Hauck. Bienville: Father of Louisiana (1998). Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Page 12-13

[4] Richard Campanella. “Link to the Past: From French Colonists to the Beginnings of Jazz, Spanish Fort Traces its History Across Three Centuries” (2019). Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate https://richcampanella.com/wp-content…

[5] Hauck, Page 23-25

[6] Hauck, Page 6

[7] Hauck, Page 44-57

[8] Powell, Page 25-32

[9] Richard Campanella. Bienville’s Dilemma: A Historical Geography of New Orleans (2008). Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Page 109-110

[10] Campanella, Page 77-78

[11] Andrea P. White. “Archaeology of the New Orleans Area.” 64Parishes https://64parishes.org/entry/archaeol…​

[12] Campanella, Page 111

[13] Powell, Page 43-51

[14] Powell, Page 68-73

[15] Karen Ordahl Kupperman. A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbados by Richard Ligon (2011). Hackett Publishing Company, Page 19

[16] Hauck, Page 89

[17] Powell, Page 56-58

Shakespeare Summarized: King Lear

Filed under: History, Humour, Media — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 22 Jul 2014

Sorry it’s been a while. Summer vacation plays merry hell with both my work ethic and my voice. *discreetly hacks up a lung*

King Lear! He’s not a very good king, and he’s not a very good father! Good thing that, by the end, he’s neither of those things.

April 13, 2021

Was it REALLY the WAR of NORTHERN AGGRESSION?!?!?!

Filed under: History, Humour, Military, USA — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Atun-Shei Films
Published 28 Apr 2020

Checkmate, Lincolnites! Debunking the Lost Cause myths that Abraham Lincoln was a tyrant, that nobody in the North cared about slavery or abolitionism, and that the warmongering Union invaded the South without provocation or just cause during the Civil War. Featuring some special guest appearances from your favorite kooky historical characters!

[Update, 8 Feb, 2023: Here’s a Vlogging Through History reaction video that amplifies several of the points Atun-Shei makes – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTQzXG15QsU]
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April 10, 2021

Miscellaneous Myths: Loki

Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 9 Apr 2021

I started researching this goddamn video in june of 2019. I was so young. So innocent. This video is a precious relic of The Before Times, and unlike those inconsiderate vikings, I went out of my way to take *actual notes!*

Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.

PARTIAL TRACKLIST: Starfall, Hall Of The Mountain King, Sky Becomes Water, Flight Of The Silverbird, Lacrimosa, Reign Of Vengeance, He Who Brings The Night

“Scheming Weasel” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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“Elevator” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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April 8, 2021

The Weird Years of The Simpsons (1989-1994)

Filed under: Humour, Media, USA — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

J.J. McCullough
Published 2 Jan 2021

The show struggled for five years to figure out what kind of show it wanted to be, and how to treat its characters. It could have been much weirder than it was.

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April 6, 2021

QotD: Rap music

Filed under: Humour, Media, Quotations — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 01:00

I would like to think that nothing human is alien to me (as the Roman playwright and former slave Terence put it), but it is not quite true. I draw the line, for example, at rap music, which always puts me in mind of experiments I witnessed during physiology classes fifty years ago, in which electrodes were placed in the amygdala of cats and stimulation of which caused a reaction of insensate and undirected rage (in the cat). To change the analogy slightly, rap music is the noise that hornets, if they could vociferate, would make when their nest was disturbed.

Theodore Dalrymple, “Liars and Maligners”, Taki’s Magazine, 2020-11-13.

April 5, 2021

QotD: NYC goes out of its way to “afflict the comfortable”

Filed under: Government, Humour, Media, Quotations, USA — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 01:00

In July, the city moved 700 homeless single men into hotels on the densely populated and famously tolerant Upper West Side, purportedly as a response to the pandemic. Residents were stunned to find their neighborhood turned overnight into a skid row, with nonstop open drug sales and drug use, public sex acts, and rampant street harassment of women and girls. During a contentious local community board Zoom meeting about the issue, Erin Drinkwater, a deputy commissioner of intergovernmental and legislative affairs at the Department of Social Services, spoke blandly about the need for “compassion” and implied that the concerned neighbors were racist for opposing the city’s move. Following the meeting, Drinkwater tweeted “Comfort the afflicted; afflict the comfortable.” When asked what she meant by this, she said that it was a quotation from the Bible’s Book of James, and that it spoke to her sense of mission.

One might ask why a social-services functionary in New York City would cite the Bible in defense of public policy — except that the quotation is not even from the Bible. In fact, it is from Finley Peter Dunne, a popular Chicago columnist from the 1890s who invented a humorous character named “Mr. Dooley,” an Irish bartender who delivered his wisdom in dialect.

The original quotation, in which Mr. Dooley described the function of the newspaper: “Th’ newspaper does ivrything f’r us. It runs th’ polis foorce an’ th’ banks, commands th’ milishy, controls th’ ligislachure, baptizes th’ young, marries th’ foolish, comforts th’ afflicted, afflicts th’ comfortable, buries th’ dead an’ roasts thim aftherward.” Somehow, in a bizarre game of “cultural telephone,” this mock-sonorous fiddle-faddle has gathered the effulgence of holy writ for progressives, who take it as descriptive of their “joyous responsibility.”

On the one hand, it’s comical that this scrap of tabloid wit is taken so gravely by self-righteous officials. Properly speaking, isn’t it their job to make people more comfortable, not to diminish comfort? But on the other hand, it’s frightening to consider that New York is now run by progressive militants who appear to believe that their vocation is to “afflict” their constituents by disrupting their undeserved calm and comfort. Mass immiseration is not a side effect of bad policy; it is the policy.

Seth Barron, “The Politics of Affliction”, City Journal, 2020-12-17.

April 2, 2021

QotD: Sex and the grad student lifestyle

Filed under: Education, Humour, Quotations, USA — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 01:00

For normal women, getting laid is a two-step process:

  • Show up; and
  • Bring beer.

For 75-90% of women under 40, step 2 is optional. It would’ve been for Chloe. Especially in a bar full of grad students, who despite their extensive academic training on “the rhetorics of hegemony” and whatnot, still aren’t quite sure how the naughty bits fit together. She might’ve had to draw the guy a map, but surely that’s no problem for someone so assertively in control of her own sexuality as was Chloe …

And that’s just normal people, who know what pronouns to use and never hesitate when choosing a public restroom. The real freakazoids actually have it much easier, since loudly proclaiming a deviant sexuality is a status symbol in the ivory tower. Perhaps your deepest, most secret fetish involves cocktail onions and a Shop-Vac … and let me stop you right there, I do NOT wanna know, I’m only bringing this up to say that hey, I sympathize, love is real and you’re having a hard time finding yours.
You should consider academia, my friend, where not only are such things not shameful, but they’re positively celebrated. If you’ve actually got video of yourself doing the nasty under those conditions, they’ll pretty much hand you a PhD in Performance Art on the spot …

… and yet, nobody does.

I’m not saying people don’t have sex in grad school. If I myself wasn’t getting my ashes hauled every day in the ivory tower, I assure you it wasn’t for lack of trying. What I am saying is that academia is the only place on earth where not only is your fetish — whatever it is — not shameful, but easily satisfied. Those of us who actually enjoy the missionary position with committed partners of the opposite-sex used to joke that ours was the only sexual deviancy so perverse, you’d be shunned by all your colleagues if you admitted to it. These people, on the other hand, talk like their gonads rule their lives, but they never actually do anything about it.

I have no idea why, but finding out would tell us a lot about the psychology of the average Leftist.

Severian, “Gettin’ Busy in College Town”, Rotten Chestnuts, 2020-12-04.

April 1, 2021

How to Make Preserved Lemons in the Workshop

Filed under: Food, Humour, Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Uri Tuchman
Published 12 Jul 2019

Preserved lemon recipe:
For the lemons:
– 6 lemons
– 300 gram salt
Cutting board:
– 40x25x1.5 cm cherry wood
Knife:
– 20x5x0.2 cm O1 steel
– 10x3x2 cm Maple wood
– 4x3x2 cm walnut wood
Airtight container:
– 14x14x1.5 cm cherry wood x2
– 10x14x1.5 cm cherry wood x4
– brass screw rod x8
– brass thumb nut x8
Serving board
– 20x6x1.5 cm beech wood
– 6x1x0.5 cm walnut
Fork:
– 6x1x0.2 cm brass plate
– 1cm brass tube
– 10 wooden handle from some nice burl

Mix everything in a bowl and you’re golden!

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/urituchman
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Music:
Acid Trumpet
Kevin MacLeod
incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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