History

David Clarke’s National Folklore Survey

Dr. David Clarke, Associate Professor in the Department of Media Arts and Communication at Sheffield Hallam University, UK, is preparing to launch a National Folklore Survey in the U.K.

“The National Folklore Survey, funded by UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Catalyst award, addresses the lack of robust research evidence into the cultural value of folklore in post-Brexit, post-pandemic, multicultural England. It aims to create new data to answer two research questions:”

‘How have folkloric beliefs and practices shaped England’s social, cultural, and spiritual identity?’
‘To what extent are ideas of nationalism and colonial attitudes informed by contemporary notions of English folklore?’

More details are available here:

Source: https://drdavidclarke.co.uk/2024/10/09/the-national-folklore-survey/

Source: https://folklore-society.com/blog-post/announcing-the-national-folklore-survey/

Source: https://www.positive.news/society/for-the-love-of-folklore/

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2025-04-02

History / Philosophy / Politics / Society

Trump Criticizes Smithsonian for Accurately Portraying US History

He is continuing his push to remove from our history anything that might be perceived as negative or critical of U.S. history. He calls it “improper ideology”. 🙄

“It marks the Republican president’s latest salvo against cultural pillars of society, such as universities and art, that he considers out of step with conservative sensibilities. Trump recently had himself installed as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with the aim of overhauling programming, including the annual Kennedy Center Honors awards show. The administration also recently forced Columbia University to make a series of policy changes by threatening the Ivy League school with the loss of several hundred million dollars in federal funding.”

“Under Trump’s order, Vance will also work with the White House budget office to make sure future funding for the Smithsonian Institution isn’t spent on programs that ‘degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy.'”

Sounds like another another fascist regime from 80 years ago. Seriously? Federal law and policy is controlling ideologies?? How long before he starts referring to his administration as a “Reich” and using adjectives like “glorious” and “ever-victorious”?

Source: https://apnews.com/article/trump-smithsonian-executive-order-improper-ideology-558ebfab722f603e94e02a1a4b06ed4d

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2025-03-28

History

History of the Barber Pole

“The barber’s pole reflects a time when barbers not only cut hair, but performed medical operations such as bloodletting. Prior to the barber pole, barbers would place bowls of blood in their window to advertise their bloodletting capabilities, though that act was prohibited by a 1307 law in London. Hence, the barber’s pole was born, and it has remained a popular symbol ever since.”

“The look of the barber pole is linked to bloodletting, with red representing blood and white representing the bandages used to stem the bleeding. The pole itself is said to symbolize the stick that a patient squeezed to make the veins in his arm stand out more prominently for the procedure. In Europe, barber poles traditionally are red and white, while in America, the poles are red, white and blue. One theory holds that blue is symbolic of the veins cut during bloodletting, while another interpretation suggests blue was added to the pole as a show of patriotism and a nod to the nation’s flag.”

Source: https://www.history.com/news/why-are-barber-poles-red-white-and-blue

Source: https://estelarbarbers.com/barber-pole-history-and-significance-explained/

Source: https://interestingfacts.com/symbol-meanings/

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2024-07-23

History / Society

Perfect Spheres Carved Over 1,000 Years Ago

These large stones (up to 2.57m diameter) were carved into amazing perfect spheres and are estimated to be from 600 CE. They are located in the Diquís Delta in southern Costa Rica.

“On the small island of Isla del Caño and the Diquís Delta in Costa Rica are over 300 stone Petrospheres often referred to as the Diquís Spheres, that have been attributed to the now extinct Diquís culture.”

Source: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/06/the-mysterious-stone-spheres-of-costa-rica/139375

Source: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1453/

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2024-07-22