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All Aboard! Highly Flammable Matchstick Train Rolls Into Ripley's

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It's a simple, down-home recipe.


Take one million matchsticks, 35 gallons of glue, and a patient artist named Pat Acton, who had 3,000 hours on his hands.


Mix it all together and, voila, you have the latest attraction at Ripley's Times Square -- a 22-foot-long, 9-foot-high, 750-pound choo-choo made almost entirely out of something you'd keep in your pocket to light a candle.


Indeed, this train, dubbed "Plane Loco," is bound for glory. But no smoking please, for obvious reasons. It's highly flammable. 


"This train is an incredible work on its own, but the fact that Pat built it one single matchstick at a time is what visitors will find truly mind-boggling," said Edward Meyer, Ripley's VP of Exhibits and Archives.


This behemoth takes its place alongside a 15-foot gorilla made entirely of car tires, a stunning portrait of Frank Sinatra rendered in butterfly wings, the world's largest collection of authentic shrunken heads and other bizarre Ripley's goodies.  



In true steampunk style, this train has wings, and can theoretically fly, though it came to Manhattan from Acton's Iowa studio by truck in 70 separate pieces. 


When kids visit, they can climb aboard into the engineer's cabin, pull the throttle, and work the breaks. 


The train covers a good portion of Ripley's main floor, nearly dwarfing the life-sized statue of Robert Wadlow, who, at 8-foot-11, was the world's tallest man.


Don't let the big train overshadow the rest of the "Odditorium," as it is called. After wandering around, HuffPost Vine artist Chaz Smith managed to have some fun in "The Black Hole."




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More Equality And Dinosaurs: People Share How They'd Change The World

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Given carte blanche, what would you want to change most in the world?


SoulPancake rounded up this question with the video "0-100: Change the World" featured above. In the short clip, individuals -- ranging in age from 5 to 105 -- were asked what they'd transform if they could. Answers ranged from solving critical domestic problems to getting rid of homework. A sampling of respones included:


- "Stop focusing on the look of perfection" 


- "[Changing the] stigmatism of mental illness" 


-"[Changing the] the prison system in America" 


- “I would just change the amount of fear that’s in the world” 



Many respondents addressed inequality, tackling everything from the wealth gap to issues related to race and sexual orientation.


Others spoke about the fact that society feels more disconnected and asked for change in the way we simply interact with one another. 


Watch the video above and think about what you'd change -- because while one young video participant's request for bringing dinosaurs back is probably beyond our control, reaching a state of equality and understanding is in our hands.


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One Woman's Stunning Found Photos Launch A Hashtag Mystery

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It's hard to resist a real, bonafide Internet mystery. Particular when said mystery involves a hashtag like #‎FindTheGirlsOnTheNegatives‬. 


We have Richmond, Virginia-based photographer Meagan Abell to thank for this latest effort in crowd-sourced sleuthing. According to a Facebook post submitted to the World Wide Web on Wednesday night, Abell is searching for the identities of the two women who appear in the found vintage snapshots featured here.



Abell came across these photos at a thrift shop on Hull Street in Richmond a few weeks ago, nestled happily in a box full of plastic sleeved images. She guesses that the retro photos date back to the 1940s or '50s, but she has no idea who the mysterious women might be. 


"NOW this is where I need the Internet's help," she wrote on Facebook. "I would absolutely love to find the women in these photographs/the photographer who took them." She describes the photos as medium format, and no, the owner of the thrift store has no idea where they came from either.


"I'm posting the best/clearest scans of the images, so if y'all could share this around, HOPEFULLY we can make it go viral and find the original photographer/subjects!!!!" she added.



And viral they may go. Jezebel writer Jia Tolentino wrote about the curious women, one dressed in a light blue dress, the other in red. Both are either peering into the ocean or eerily walking into the water, clothes and all.


"The most beautiful thing about this photo set isn’t the women," Tolentino wrote, "it’s where they are, what is saturating them, the alchemical earthbound psychedelia of where the light and water meet. These photos were taken at a moment when day and night were slipping into each other, but this moment, simultaneously heavy and weightless, seems paralyzingly total ... "



So, do you recognize these women? Though their faces remain obscured in most of the picturesque shots, Abell remains hopefuly that someone, somewhere, will be able to identify these two anonymous ladies. Why not help her out? Spread the word, and don't forget the hashtag. 


#‎FindTheGirlsOnTheNegatives‬




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The New David Foster Wallace Film Is Exactly The 'Grotesque Parody' He Feared

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“The End of the Tour” opened Friday with a well-deserved 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg have, by many accounts, given career-best performances in this “biographical road trip” of the five days Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky spent with literary heavyweight David Foster Wallace as his book Infinite Jest was rising to national acclaim.


It’s a good film, maybe a great one. It’s also a cultural and artistic tragedy.


Because, regardless of the actors’ performances and script’s well-wrought pathos, “The End of the Tour” betrays and undermines the work of the author it portrays. It commodifies someone who criticized the danger of media commodification. It bolsters Wallace’s celebrity aura instead of his writing or thinking. It is the epitome and essence of what is wrong with American culture in 2015. And it is all those things not in spite of being a good film -- but because it is a good film.


These are bold claims, it’s true, and to substantiate them requires revisiting David Foster Wallace. Not the depressed maniac qua spiritual guru qua average American the film makes him out to be. But the actual writer -- the sort of writer, as the film notes, who is born once a generation, maybe less frequently. He’s known for the much-lauded, oft-bought, but little-read tome Infinite Jest, as well as the more digestible graduation speech “This Is Water.” He wrote brilliantly about lobster festivals, cruise ships and the intersection of mathematics and competitive tennis. 



His best work addresses the insanely clever ways media and advertising corporations take advantage of our loneliness and laziness -- to sell us products that make us even lonelier and lazier. Their brilliant technique, Wallace argues, is to subtly package easy, seductive material along with a feigned critique of that very material.


In the essay “E Unibus Pluram,” for example, Wallace tackles the relationship between television and American consumer: the many who, in watching alone, are one. Television, he explains, gives us the sense that we’re interacting with people without requiring us to do the difficult emotional work of real connection. The result is an “alienating cycle,” in which we are lured into a vibrant, lively world we will never be able to access. It is a drug we were consuming for six hours a day when Wallace wrote in the ’90s.


Wallace was not, however, simply reiterating that age-old critique that TV destroys our sensibilities and intellectual capacities. After all, he himself watched copious amounts of television. He was more interested in why we’re so attracted to this simple, prurient medium. Why is its spell so seductive? What emotional void does it fill? 




“TV-type art’s biggest hook is that it’s figured out ways to reward passive spectation,” said Wallace in an interview. “It discerns, decocts, and represents what it thinks U.S. culture wants to see and hear about itself,” he wrote. With little emotional and no physical input, the screen bestows upon us plentiful rewards. So when we’re home alone at night, feeling lonely, looking desperately for external validation and satisfaction, we can access a sedative fantasy world with a button click. Wallace often compares it in the the film to candy: delicious, easy, devoid of nourishment. 


The argument transposes well from TV to today’s consumer-friendly movies, especially since the dawn of Netflix has made films the objects of solitary binges rather than social outings. In fact, “E Unibus Pluram” all but predicts the insidious rise of personal media machines. Though some thought they would liberate us from the dictatorial owners of cable, Wallace pointed out that that supposed consumer independence would be derived from corporations realizing that we wanted to feel independent. False agency would become the new mass commodity. 


Wallace took these ideas to their extreme in Infinite Jest, the central plotline of which revolves around a film called “The Entertainment,” so captivating it destroys the minds and volitions of all who watch it. Its presumed creator wanted it to solve “the womb of solipsism, anhedonia, death in life,” but the film is too successful. It removes all difficulty from human life, returning viewers to an infinitely entertained state.



This is the central horror of “The End of the Tour”: a good movie about a book that cautions against movies that are too good. Indeed, you can feel Wallace’s language pushing through the film’s glossy sheen -- less so than in Lipsky’s book, but still some. It’s as if Wallace’s ghost is trying to say: “This thing you’re watching is wrong! This is the problem!” Many will argue that this the point of the movie: it is a self-aware take on its own cinematic production.


But Wallace knew, too, that the industry’s greatest innovation was to incorporate its own critiques. In other words, TV and movies have kept up with their ironic, savvy audiences. They’ve learned that we’re skeptical of media, so they add in a dose skepticism into their own media.



"For to the extent that TV can flatter Joe about ‘seeing through’ the pretentiousness and hypocrisy of outdated values,” Wallace wrote, “it can induce in him precisely the feeling of canny superiority it’s taught him to crave, and can keep him dependent on the cynical TV-watching that alone affords this feeling."



It’s a brilliant marketing move. Because we still end up watching the films and consuming the advertisements and buying the products -- but we feel superior and distanced by pointing out the product’s irony. Wallace’s keen insight was that a self-aware addiction is still an addiction, that a junkie who spends his highs intelligently ruminating on the dependency is no more likely to quit than one who does not think at all. “The End of the Tour” is a good film like Reese's are a good candy or heroin is a good drug. It performs its role beautifully, rewarding passivity, pretending to empower us as critical watchers, and ultimately lacking nourishment.



Any film covering Wallace’s life would, on these terms, be subject to suspicion: for smoothing out his ideas, engulfing his critiques, and nullifying them in viewing pleasure. But “The End of the Tour” is particularly culpable. It presents him as more schmuck than polymath genius, bogs his brilliance down with Lipsky’s questions about fame, and delivers an out-of-touch saccharine ending: a voiceover after his suicide paired with a slowmo reel of Wallace dancing joyfully in a Baptist church. Who cares about all that time he spent thinking and writing, it seems to say -- all he really wanted was to dance!


For Wallace devotees, it’s a despairingly enjoyable scene. His biggest fear, as the film notes, was to be known for his celebrity aura instead of his writing, to have fans instead of readers, to become a “grotesque parody” of Infinite Jest -- which strikes as just the right epithet for “The End of the Tour.”


The question here is simple: Why have we chosen to move further and further away from Wallace’s brilliant work? Why have we opted to read an interview or to watch a feel-good movie about the interview?



Part of the answer is that reading Wallace is hard. Whereas watching Segel talk and dance like Wallace is easy -- as grotesque parodies tend to be. Infinite Jest, as the movie says again and again, is 1,079 pages long. It includes footnotes and interweaving plots; it requires patience with dense vocabulary and a good attention span. It is no Hollywood. But, as Wallace’s writing reveals again and again, that is exactly the point.


Wallace once described his desire to make the reader “put in her share of the linguistic work.” He argued that active engagement is what differentiates higher art from “commercial entertainment” and in particular television. “You teach the reader that he’s way smarter than he thought he was,” Wallace says about great art, “I think one of the insidious lessons about TV is the meta-lesson that you’re dumb. This is all you can do. This is easy, and you’re the sort of person who really just wants to sit in a chair and have it easy.”


Wallace, in a sense, was a committed avant-gardist. Someone who thought that readers should be pushed beyond their apathetic norms. Some call this elitism, but it’s actually a very optimistic way of viewing the world: believing that people will rise to the challenge when they confront great art. It’s why we teach Shakespeare to Middle Schoolers and why gifted readers are often given classic novels long before they could understand them. Because though we may not quite be ready for the arduous material, we can always push a bit harder, and someday we will become its equal. 


Movies like “The End of the Tour” never asks us to push, never make us lean into discomfort. Television and film today serve us up candy and popcorn, let us lean back in the seat, and become children. A perfect novel rattles and matures you; perfect media anesthetizes and infantilizes. It approaches “The Entertainment.”


The problem may be a cultural and artistic tragedy, but the solution is actually simple: Read. Cancel your plans to see “The End of the Tour,” and take those precious 105 minutes to sit down with Wallace.


What is wonderful about literature is that it always allows a personal, primary return. No matter how commodified or warped the author has become, you can always grab the book and get straight back to its potent source.


Go do that with Wallace. Read his words, link his unparalleled mind to yours without the muddling clouds of media or celebrity. No candy, just slow-simmered stew. 


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Laughs Come And Go, But The Characters Shine On Netflix's 'Wet Hot American Summer'

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As soon as Jefferson Starship’s “Jane” starts playing, you can’t help but imagine cracking open a beer, sitting around a campfire and embarking on a summer of shenanigans. At least that’s the imagery triggered in the minds of “Wet Hot American Summer” fans. The 2001 summer-camp comedy may have been an embarrassing box-office flop that suffered an even worse fate at the hands of critics, but David Wain and Michael Showalter’s film eventually found its place in the cult cannon, and now, a larger spot in the pop-culture lexicon.


Thanks to Netflix, and a cast whose names went unrecognized when the film first opened, “Wet Hot American Summer” is back and garnering more attention than anyone could have imagined 14 years ago. On July 27, 2001, when the film first hit theaters, Amy Poehler wouldn’t make her "Saturday Night Live” onscreen debut for another two months, future Oscar darling Bradley Cooper hadn’t yet appeared in a feature film and Paul Rudd was just Josh from “Clueless.” Now, it’s a miracle to get the three, much less the rest of the large cast, together again in the same room. But, with the exception of "a bit of magic" employed to remedy scheduling conflicts, Wain and Showalter managed to pull it off for “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp,” the new prequel series that debuted on Netflix on Friday.


Originally a parody of summer-camp movies and teen comedies of the ‘70s and ‘80s, the film thrived on its inane humor and absurd jokes -- like Chris Meloni’s Gene mumbling about humping the kitchen refrigerator, or the counselors randomly ditching camp to shoot up heroin. The comedy was certainly not for everyone’s taste, but it’s hard to turn down a chance to watch a group of comedy actors exercise free reign over a youth camp, and even harder to deny watching them do it again 14 years later. That’s precisely the selling point of “First Day of Camp,” which jumps back in time two months before the events of the movie to introduce us to Camp Firewood’s counselors at the start of the summer. For eight half-hour episodes -- the first six of which were provided to press in advance -- we watch Poehler, Cooper, Rudd, Janeane Garofalo, Marguerite Moreau, Elizabeth Banks, Molly Shannon and more play younger versions of themselves.



The prequel isn’t as sharp as the original movie, with some airless jokes and over-exhausted plotlines that leave you waiting to laugh or hoping the next backstory will take over. For example, Coop (Showalter) is still in desperate pursuit of a girl, this time played by Lake Bell, in a plot that quickly turns monotonous and should end after one episode. The camp’s overarching crisis -- a conspiracy fueled by the U.S. government -- is too silly and off-kilter, even for Showalter and Wain, to garner laughs. It's rescued (quite literally) by Beth (Garofalo) and Greg (Jason Schwartzman), though, who prove to be a solid comedy duo. Together they enlist a lawyer (Michael Cera) to fight President Reagan's (also played by Showalter) evil schemes and attempt to save the camp. In other words, appreciating the illogical nature of "Wet Hot" is essential for enjoying the series. Like the film, the show disregards continuity and basic sense of reason (like Kevin Sussman's Steve hacking into the government with one click on an '80s-era computer). In this fictional world, that's okay.


Even though the prequel suffers from forgettable plotlines, it's watching the actors embrace their Camp Firewood aliases once again, as well as the characters' interactions, that makes “First Day of Camp” worth the four-hour visit. We get to see Ben (Cooper) and McKinley (Michael Ian Black) fall in love pre-tool-shed sex, Susie (Poehler) scream at more children for her musical production (all of which is cast, rehearsed and performed in one day), and Victor (Ken Marino) and Neil (Joe Lo Truglio) up to no good once again. All credit is due to Gene (Meloni), though, who provides the biggest laughs and has the most inventive origin story. We meet the camp chef as Jonas, before his Vietnam War PTSD transforms him into the sweater-fondling, hallucinating Gene. Jon Hamm also shows up for a showdown with Gene, guest starring as "President Reagan’s Hired Assassin," The Falcon. (Anything is worth watching to witness Hamm play a character with that name.)



Beyond Hamm, the series also hosts a handful of perfectly cast cameos, from Kristen Wiig as a horny counselor at the preppy version of Camp Firewood next door, Josh Charles and Rich Sommer as douchey jocks, John Slattery as a dignified theater director, “Weird Al” Yankovic as a magician, Chris Pine as a reclusive rock 'n' roll genius, Jordan Peele as a newspaper editor and Michaela Watkins as a hip-thrusting choreographer. Do you need more reasons to watch?


But more than just cramming a bunch of funny celebrities together in one series, “First Day of Camp” also signals a refreshing perspective on the reboot era Hollywood is drowning in. If anything, Netflix reviving a cult classic like “Wet Hot” is proof that pop culture's revival craze has more potential for giving under-appreciated films and series a second life.


Whether or not you were a fan of the original film, or if you never saw it in the first place, it’s hard to refuse the opportunity to watch Cooper and Black dance in a two-person zoot suit. Go for the cast reunion, stay for Rudd singing on the electric chair, then stick around even longer for those “Mad Men” cameos.


"Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp" is now streaming on Netflix.


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Erotic Embroidery Artist Is Not Your Grandma's Craft Maker

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Two edgy, platinum blonde girls in black bikinis pose, showing off tongue rings. Another badass pair gossips behind cupped palms; another lazes on beach towels, sipping beer. This isn't a hip Instagram feed, an Urban Outfitters catalog or even a photography series. These fun, relaxed scenes were embroidered by artist Alaina Varrone, whose work rethinks the limitations of a needle and thread.


That's because for her often erotic works, Varrone isn't inspired by other embroiderists; in an interview with The Huffington Post, she said she was mostly influenced by "history's pervs and weirdos."


"My absolute favorite saucy perv is bar none Nell Gwynne and wicked weirdos like Aleister Crowley and Helena Blavatsky, paranoid occultists like H.P. Lovecraft." 


Since we last featured Varrone's designs, her aesthetic interests have evolved; she's begun incorporating trendy fashion choices into her designs. Long, highlighted hair with pops of color, Peter Pan collars, and American Apparel-esque tube socks dress up her works.


She's also nurtured a budding interest in occult imagery -- one of her subjects rocks a Tarot tattoo -- and has begun entertaining the idea of creating a series of designs strung together by a cohesive storyline.


"I put so much thought into all these imaginary people and my little worlds, and I'd like to give them some meatier story lines in the future," Varrone says. "I do have these ongoing stories in my head, I've even reused characters."


Of course, a series isn't necessary to lend Varrone's work a narrative quality; her individual images already possess enough subtle details to inspire a story in the mind of an imaginative viewer. Check out her latest, kickass embroidery works below:



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The New Teaser For 'The Affair' Shows There's No Good Way To Leave Your Lover

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"The Affair" has promised to showcase the scorned perspectives of Helen (Maura Tierney) and Cole (Joshua Jackson) in Season 2, but the show's new promo -- exclusive to The Huffington Post -- hews closely to the dual narrative that revolves around Noah (Dominic West) and Alison (Ruth Wilson). The fallout from their romance continues to unravel, with a beachside dinner that gives way to panicked driving, unnerved swimming and the damning admission, "I think we're making a terrible mistake."


The Golden Globe-winning series returns to Showtime on Oct. 4. You can leave suggestions for which breakup anthem these characters should rock out to in the comments below. We'll nominate "Living for Love."




 


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Stunning Photos Capture The Majestic Beauty Of The Animal Kingdom

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This week the nation was collectively stunned and saddened by the unexpected loss of Zimbabwe's beloved lion Cecil, who, at 13 years old, was shot and killed for sport by Minnesota-based dentist Dr. Walter Palmer. 


It's true, the way humans treat the wild creatures who too inhabit this earth is often ugly and heartless. So Huffington Post Arts & Culture challenged its readers this week to instead celebrate the endlessly diverse beauty of the animal kingdom, living beings that deserve our civility and respect. "An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language," philosopher Martin Buber once said. 


Take a look at the magnificent creatures of the wild, and the many feathers and furs and scales and horns and snouts that make the world a brighter place. 



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10 Adorable Mutts You've Got To Follow On Instagram

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Instagram is chock full of beautiful dogs. Picturesque pooches steal our hearts and earn our "double taps" with ease, and we're always on the search for some more tail waggers to follow. Today, we've rounded up 10 magical mutts who deserve a moment in spotlight. Though mixed breeds are often treated like underdogs, they're just as worthy as any other pup. Check out a few of our favorites below, and make sure to follow @RuffPost on Instagram for plenty more.


@life_with_charlie



 


@friendsoffinn



 


@muttadventures



 


@thefugee



 


@mightymutts



 


@sputziepit



 


@lifewithleroy



 


@mountain.mutts



 


@mrfoxshots



A photo posted by Mr. Fox (@mrfoxshots) on



 


@smokeyfranco



 


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13 Classic Baby Names, Reborn

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nameberry

Every year, new baby names vault onto the Social Security Administration's Top 1000 list. While some of them join the list for the very first time, others return after many years of missing the mark. Here are 13 names that made comeback on the latest list.  


Bonnie



The Scottish name Bonnie, which means "pretty," was a midcentury favorite, reigning in the Top 50 in the 1940s and 50s thanks to its use for the ill-fated little girl in Gone With The Wind. From there it went on a long decline, falling off the Top 1000 in 2003 only to return this year at Number 833. Why the comeback? It might be because its GWTT parent names Scarlett and Rhett are ascending decades after the book and movie, or because Bonnie was showcased in popular contemporary films and TV shows like "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Hunger Games."


Clementine 


Clementine has been fashionable in England for many years now, but for many American parents it’s been too closely tied to the folk song "Oh My Darling, Clementine."  That’s finally changing, with Clementine back on the Top 1000 after a more than 60-year absence. Ethan Hawke and Rachel Griffiths are both parents of Clementines, and the name is also popular in France, its country of origin. In Europe it’s sometimes pronounced clemenTEEN, but in the U.S. it always rhymes with fine.


Cordelia  



The lovely Shakespearean (she was the favorite daughter of King Lear) Cordelia hit its peak in the U.S. way back in 1880, then went on a long slide to 1950 when it fell off the Top 1000. Now it’s back at Number 993 but we predict it will climb much higher thanks partly to its similarity to other new vintage darlings such as Cora and Adelaide.  There were Cordelias in both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spinoff "Angel."


Emmet


Emmet is a bit of a cheat given that it’s a variation on the more popular spelling Emmett, which has been climbing for three decades and is now all the way up in the Top 200.  But this sleeker spelling, off the Top 1000 since all the way back in 1932, deserves its revival too. Emmet and variations owe their new life to mother name Emma, Number 1 for girls.


Faye



Faye may not be more lovely than Fay, but more than ten times as many parents choose to use that e at the end, vaulting the Faye spelling into the Top 1000 for the first time since the late 1970s. Whichever spelling you use, this simple, enchanting name means “fairy.”


Ford


Why has Ford suddenly broken its 60-year connection to the car company to rise back into the Top 1000 as a baby name?  It may be Owen Wilson’s choice of the simple, strong name for his son. Ford has been famous as both a first name and a last, sometimes for the same person -- as with writer Ford Madox Ford. And it’s also presidential.


Judson



Judson is a handsome patronymic which may owe its revival to the popularity of Hudson, and maybe Justin too. Meaning “son of Jordan” (or theoretically Judd or Jude), Judson peaked way back in 1880 but remained on the list for more than a century before falling off. We predict a climb back up through the ranks.


Khalid


One of the most enduring Arabic names in the U.S., Khalid climbed back onto the Top 1000 in 2014 after more than a decade’s absence. The name means immortal and was most famous as a seventh century military leader.


Leif



Whether pronounced as leaf or layf, Leif is back in the U.S. after a nearly-30 year absence. The name was introduced to North America by explorer Leif Erikson and then popularized in the 1970s by teen idol Leif Garrett. Its appeal today may be partly nature-oriented.


Rosalyn


Rosalyn is a midcentury spin on the classic literary name Rosalind, but it’s the variation that has risen back into the Top 1000 and not the lovely original. Is it the "True Blood" character Rosalyn that championed this version of the name? Or perhaps the fashion for names that end with lyn?


Louisa 



Lovely Louisa has finally made it back onto the Top 1000 after nearly half a century, and it’s exactly the kind of ladylike vintage name that has the qualities to climb to the top of the list as sister Olivia and Sophia have. Little Women author Louisa May Alcott may be an inspiration for modern parents looking for a literary namesake.


Thea


Sleek yet serious, Thea is a gorgeous goddess name that came from nowhere to vault onto the list all the way up to Number 773 this year. The last time it was on the Top 1000 was 1965, and it’s been underground for much of U.S. baby name history, also swimming beneath the surface for the first half of the 20th century. Yet Thea not only stands on her own but can be short for so many other lovely names, from Theodora to Dorothea to Anthea.


Stevie



Stevie Nicks propelled her boyish short form of Stephanie onto the charts in the early 80s, where it lingered for 15 years before going underground, only to reemerge last year. Stevie may be back in the limelight again also thanks to such stylish short forms for girls as Charlie, Sam and Frankie.


 


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The Secret Lives Of Tattooed Women

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This summer, I’ve been occasionally accessorizing with cheap temporary tattoos purchased by the packet at beauty stores. I festoon my arms with black line drawings of birds or floral designs and enjoy the semi-permanent decoration. Quickly, though, I noticed an unwelcome side effect to my fashion choice: constant attention. Friends, understandably, asked me if I’d gotten a tattoo. Strangers, less understandably, grabbed my arm to ask me if the design was real. A guy at a bar asked about one as an entrée into hitting on me. As complimentary as these queries always were, the spotlight on my arm was baffling and intrusive. 


I shouldn’t have been surprised. As Beverly Yuen Thompson points out in her new book, Covered in Ink: Tattoos, Women, and the Politics of the Body (NYU Press), women’s appearances are already subject to constant scrutiny and policing, and she’s found transgressive behavior, like visible tattoos, only encourages unwanted touching. “Men are considered more autonomous people, they are more intimidating physically, and touching a man has different repercussions and social meanings than touching a woman,” Thompson explained in an email to The Huffington Post. “Women’s bodies are more socially accessible.”



Thompson, who is herself heavily tattooed on the arms and back, has been studying the gender dynamics of getting tattooed, being tattooed and being part of the tattoo subculture for several years, and Covered in Ink surveys numerous ways women in the culture are marginalized. “When women [...] collect tattoos, especially when they become heavily tattooed and go outside the boundaries of 'feminine' tattooing, they begin to face social sanctions that remind them that they are not acting appropriately as a woman,” Thompson told me.


Studies, such as this survey from Fox News, suggest women have grown rapidly more comfortable with tattoos in recent decades; of the survey respondents, 47 percent of women under 35 are tattooed, while only 4 percent of women over 65 are. Thompson points out, however, that women tend to stick to the “small, cute and hidden” tattoos that have become socially acceptable -- dolphins, flowers and fairies, no more than a few inches, on the ankle, shoulder or hip are apparently common choices.



Women who violate these qualifications tend to face side-eye, and, in particular, women who choose to become heavily tattooed risk societal judgment. A full sleeve, especially of less traditionally feminine imagery, like skulls or zombies, signals masculinity to many, though often the women Thompson spoke to saw their tattoos as expressions of their womanhood. Perhaps this association with masculinity is why visibly tattooed women are frequently assumed to be LGBT, but while Thompson found LGBT women are overrepresented among heavily tattooed women, they were still the minority -- she estimated they comprised around 20 percent of those she surveyed.


Women more nominally beholden to gender norms -- particularly straight, married ciswomen -- still combat expectations of ladylike purity enforced by romantic partners, parents and peers. Mothers with tattoos might be perceived as unfit because they’re soiled or immoral; the very ink on their skin is perceived as tainting their feminine virtues. Tattooed women often feel pressured to cover up their work on their wedding day, perhaps the most traditionally ladylike day of their lives. Thompson, who covers her tattoos around her father, found this challenging due to her extensive ink. “The day I got married, I had to find a dress that would hide all my tattoos -- no easy feat!” she recalled. “Additionally, I felt I had to warn the bridal store clerks about my tattooed state, because I felt so out of place in that kind of store.“


The hyperfemininity and lingering purity connotations of the bridal industry -- the white dresses, the demure veils -- somehow don’t seem to jibe with visible ink. 


As recently as the 1950s, one artist, Samuel Steward, recalled enforcing a rule of spousal permission for women getting tattoos to avoid blowback from furious husbands; some women, such as the partners of bikers, were permitted to get tattoos… that branded them as “Property of” their men. During that time period, Thompson pointed out, "policies that required women to have parental or spousal permission for doing many things in their daily life were common." A tattooed woman might seem on the fringes of society, of questionable character, not appropriately deferential to a male authority. Even now, she said, this pressure continues informally: "Many tattoo artists report that after getting divorced, women come to tattoo studios in droves, and say things like, 'My husband would never let me get a tattoo. So now I can!'"


The association of visible ink with sexual promiscuity and deviant behavior somehow still lingers. Heavy tattoos aren't perceived as enhancing women's attractiveness; young, conventionally attractive tattoo aficionados especially report hearing annoying comments like "You're so pretty, why would you do that to yourself?" in reference to their body art. Yet the fact that they've chosen to ink themselves seems to signal sexual availability to far too many. "Men on the street approach them thinking that they are easy women or into partying," Thompson said. "Having tattoos does not protect women from sexual attention, it increases it."


Still, choosing self-expression through bodily markings may be a natural choice for women, who are more visible than men, and less likely to have their actual voices heard. “Some tattooed women say that by looking at them, you can understand their stories and where they are coming from, they don’t even need to speak,” explained Thompson. Of course, she adds, heavily inked women are shamed and criticized, just as outspoken women are.



But more and more women are finding the power in emblazoning their values, life events and cherished artworks on their skin, and at the same time, more women have been finding that tattoo work is a valid path for a working artist. While many male tattooists in the rough and tumble mid-century times worked from templates, as Thompson notes in her book, many women have broken into the industry from the other end, by going to art school, then learning to translate their original designs to a human canvas. One artist, Cindy Lael, told Thompson, “I have seen the most amazing artwork from ladies who have only been tattooing a couple years.”


The average American may still associate extensive tattoos with biker gangs and, perhaps, Suicide Girls, but as the tattoo form has evolved in recent decades, women are challenging what it means to be covered in ink and what is possible in the form. It's about time the rest of society started to get used to it.


For more, check out Beverly Yuen Johnson's 2010 documentary, "Covered."




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What Exciting TV Is When You're A Mom

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When you have young children, you may find yourself getting engrossed in TV shows of a more... infantile variety. 


That's the topic of this new funny video from The BreakWomb. The video starts out with two moms gabbing about the shocking plot twists in the most recent episode of a show they both watch. Is it "Scandal"? "Game of Thrones"? "How To Get Away With Murder?"


No. In fact, it soon becomes clear that the program in question is "Thomas & Friends."


That Sir Topham Hatt sure can be unpredictable.


 


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These Real Life Portraits Of Disney Princes Are A Fantasy Come True

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Riff Raff! Street rat! We certainly don’t buy that.


Aladdin is just one of the eight Disney dreamboats that Finnish artist Jirka Väätäinen has reimagined in "real life" illustrations that are, truly, a fairy tale come true.




 


Scroll to check out these Disney babes depicted as though they were real people. 


 


Aladdin, "Aladdin."


Prince Ali, fabulous who? Jasmine fled the kingdom to escape royalty, and land herself some fine street urchin. Purple vest sans shirt FTW. 



 


Prince Eric, "The Little Mermaid."


Undoubtedly a fan favorite. Like, even if we hadn't traded our voice for legs via a wicked spell from Ursula, we'd be speechless if we encountered this blue-eyed babe, too.



 


Prince Phillip, "Sleeping Beauty." 


Okay, Phil, the timing wasn't great -- you took kind of a while -- but you were worth the wait, with this perfectly tousled hair and smoldering gaze. Once, twice, thrice Upon a Dream, please. 



 


Prince Charming, "Cinderella." 


Love a man with determination who knows how to rock a shoulder pad and delicately handle fine footwear. 



 


Tarzan, "Tarzan."


The carefree, long-hair, untamed look really worked for T as a cartoon, and IRL it's even better. You'll be in our hearts for sure, Tarzan. 



Hercules, "Hercules." 


Your strength makes us weak. Byeeeeee.



Prince Adam, "Beauty and the Beast."


Poor Adam, such a tortured soul who has really been through the wringer -- what with turning into a beast and all. But you emerged as majestic as ever! Eat your heart out, Fabio. 



John Smith, "Pocahontas." 


Okay, we had a few issues with your original colonizing endeavors and everything, but you definitely came around and saw the colors of the wind. And the color of your blond mane is quite lovely. 



 Now we totally get why Ariel wanted to get on land. 



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Which Food Riley Hates In 'Inside Out' Depends On Whether You Saw It In The U.S. Or Not

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It's a small scene with a smaller modification, but it highlights an odd cultural difference you may not have known: Japanese kids can't stand green bell peppers.


Enough of them are of that opinion, anyway, that Pixar animators had to clear young Riley's plate of broccoli -- which kids in Japan are cool with -- and replace it with the gross peppers in a scene where she's being spoon-fed by her father.




"We learned that some of our content wouldn’t make sense in other countries," director Pete Docter explained in a press release. Luckily, he noted, "Technology has allowed translation of signage and other elements to be pretty easy."


And so the team made a total of 28 graphic changes across 45 individual shots over all versions of the final film. 


In another scene, for example, Riley's dad is daydreaming at the dinner table, replaying either a hockey game or a soccer match in his head, depending on which version you watch.




"But some countries that are into soccer actually decided to stick with hockey, since the characters in the movie are from Minnesota and it makes sense that they’d be hockey fans," Docter observed.


Animators also took the time to ensure simple written-language changes played out properly for each audience. In one such scene, Bing Bong reads a sign to (apparently illiterate) Joy and Sadness. 


"He points at the letters, D-A-N-G-E-R, saying, 'it’s a shortcut,'" Docter said. "Not only did we translate the sign, but we even went so far as to reanimate Bing Bong so that he points to the letters from right to left, instead of left to right to accommodate certain languages."


The changes were noticed last week by some people on Reddit, who began pointing out other cross-cultural differences in blockbuster movies. 


In "Toy Story 2," animators replaced the American flag that appears behind Buzz Lightyear as he gives a rousing speech with a spinning globe and fireworks. Composer Randy Newman wrote a brand new song in place of the Star-Spangled Banner, called the One World Anthem, for the scene. Reddit user Abedeus remembered watching the Polish version of "Shrek," and said DreamWorks completely changed dialogue that wasn't vital to the plot to include more jokes and references that Eastern Europeans would get.


Even "Captain America" -- which has its cultural origins stamped in the title -- isn't shielded from globalization. At least one scene in "The Winter Soldier" was tweaked between the U.S. and the U.K., another Reddit user noted. One day we'll probably really need that One World Anthem.


 


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Poet Calls Out Our Culture's Absurd Ideas About Body Hair

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Desireé Dallagiacomo doesn't care if a woman's body hair makes you uncomfortable. 


Earlier this month at the 2015 Women Of The World Poetry Slam, the 25-year-old poet performed her spoken word poem "Shave Me." The slam poem is a smart and hilarious take down of body hair beauty standards for women.


“Watching ‘The Walking Dead’ it is clear that women are badass. They are brave, heroic, but most importantly they represent complete absolute dedication to shaving their armpits," Dallagiacomo begins, highlighting pop culture's hilarious insistence on representing armpit-hair free women. 


"Somehow in post-apocalyptic America they find razors and shaving cream while scavenging for food and bludgeoning zombies," she continues. "These women don’t just survive -- they survive with no underarm stubble."


With equal parts humor and anger, Dallagiacomo points out the absurd expectation that all women remove their body hair. "If I can’t shave it I’ll bleach it, if I can’t bleach it I’ll wax it, if I can’t wax it I’ll pay thousands of dollars to kill all of my hair follicles with a tiny razor beam and I’ll never grow body hair again," she says to the crowd. "Stupid evolutionary development! Who needs you? Not women!"


Towards the end of her poem, Dallagiacomo makes a pointed (and perfectly sarcastic) joke: “Everyone would be so much more comfortable if I just suffered hairlessly instead of looking like a f**king human being.” 


Mic drop, once again.


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Q&A: Reigning Scrabble Champion Reveals His Favorite Letter, Fun Tricks And Embarrassing Stories

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Stumble upon him in Portland, Oregon, and you'd be excused if you mistook Conrad Bassett-Bouchard for just another 20-something. After all, the University of California-San Diego graduate spends a lot of his days working at a popular food truck and playing Settlers of Catan with his roommates. He fits the mold. 


But Bassett-Bouchard, 25, isn't your normal 20-something. He's the reigning North American Scrabble champion, and he is in Reno, Nevada, this weekend to defend his crown after unexpectedly taking down Scrabble legend Nigel Richards last summer.


In the lead up to the tournament, we spoke with Bassett-Bouchard over the phone about the letter he loves, the letter combinations he hates, his tips for casual players, that awkward feeling when your best word is one that makes you blush and more.



The main thing people wanted me to ask you for is maybe one or two tips or philosophies for the casual Scrabble player.


Number one is definitely learning the two-letter words, it’s pretty much essential. And from there you can use your knowledge of two-letter words to make parallel plays, so you can play two, three, four, five words at once instead of one and then your score will go up drastically.


In terms of two-letter words, what do you think are the one or two out of the ordinary ones that people should memorize?


I guess people are pretty good at thinking about it now, but "QI" is pretty essential because [Q is] the worst tile and it’s a really good way to get out of having the Q. And then probably "JO" because the J is not actually a very good tile and people don’t necessarily know that, so I think it’s a helpful one to just get of it quickly.


I wonder if there's a favorite letter you have?


Probably the blank because it’s the best thing to have, but [other than that] I guess I kind of like the letter C more than some people because I like playing defensive strategies, and there are no two-letter words that start with the letter C, so it’s pretty useful ... for scoring and defense. 


Is there a letter that still frustrates you when you get it? Or at this point does no letter really frustrate you?


There is no single letter. I’d say there are combinations of letters that can get really frustrating. Two Ns can be really annoying because they are just not that useful. UW, UI, II -- it’s more like two- or three-letter combinations where you just see it and  you're like, “Well, it doesn’t really matter how good I am, there’s just not much I can do with these."


Is there a word you feel is overrated, that people use too much or that they think is more valuable than it actually is? 


There are probably strategies … I think people focus too much on what letters they’re keeping and how likely they are to get a 50-point bonus on future turns. I think people should be a little more shortsighted.


So you think people over-think the game sometimes. 


Oh, everyone does. I do. That’s part of [playing] a game that hasn’t been solved, that can’t really be solved and hasn’t come very far in terms of advanced computer analysis. We’re all kind of grasping at straws to some degree.



When should you trade all your letters in? Is that ever worth it or is it something you try to avoid at all costs?


Exchanging is a very underrated aspect of the game, certainly at the living-room level. People are very afraid to give up a turn. But really, in general, you have to look at Scrabble in terms of "How many points am I going to get over the next two turns or three turns or ideally over the whole game?” And as a result, the short-term negatives of exchanging are not necessarily so bad. I played a game last night where I actually did exchange seven -- there just didn’t seem to be anything very useful. 


I talked to the Rubik's Cube world champion [Feliks Zemdegs] a little bit about the link between being good at games and intelligence. He sort of thought [game-playing] is just one form of intelligence and I wonder if you have any thoughts coming from a slightly different angle, a slightly different game?


I studied expertise in college, and I think because expertise is so domain specific that what I learn in Scrabble is not very applicable to chess or solving a Rubik’s Cube or anything like that. A lot of it is just lots of dedicated practice. In order to do more maths or spatially-oriented games, it probably does help to have a predilection to better spatial dynamics and being able to put pieces together easily, but intelligence is a very broad term. So there are some people who are complete geniuses, but can’t play Scrabble that well. It’s just kind of how it is.



Do you ever have to play a word that makes you blush? Or have you ever avoided a word because it was too inappropriate?


I know people who have. I know people who have been in a lot of awkward situations. Long before I was playing in tournaments, before I was playing competitively or anything, I was playing with my mom and my grandma, and the best play I saw was a word that you probably wouldn’t want to play against your mom or grandma. I actually asked my mom, “Is this how you spell blah blah blah?” She was like, "No you’re spelling it wrong,” so it turned out to be OK. It was a four-letter word that started with a C and ended in T ... with a U and N in the middle.


But now that you're an adult, all limits are off as long as you get the most points for it? 


Yep, I’ve played racial slurs against people of that background before because it was the best play. It’s nothing personal, and I’ve played naughty words against kids before, I’ve played naughty words against old ladies before, and they’ve all done the same thing to me.


It's just part of the game?


It’s just part of the game. We just want to make the best play.


This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Interested parties can follow along with the 2015 North American SCRABBLE Championship at scrabbleplayers.org.



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12 'Harry Potter' Secrets You Didn't Know J.K. Rowling Revealed

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It's Harry Potter's birthday, and you know what that means: time to get riddikulus.


It's hard to believe, but the boy wizard, who was born July 31, 1980, is turning 35 this year. Perhaps even harder to believe is that we still don't know everything about him. Though Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out in 2007, author J.K. Rowling is still revealing secrets we had no idea about. 


Rowling actually shares a bday with Potter, so you know they'll be turning up, and you can celebrate too with these crazy "Harry Potter" secrets Rowling has revealed over the years through interviews and fan questions:


1. Harry Potter and Voldemort are related.




Image: Giphy 


Looks like Harry has some family after all! Holidays are going to be awkward.


Rowling has confirmed Harry and Voldemort are related through the Peverells, the dudes who inspired "The Tale of the Three Brothers" from The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Though many wizarding families are related if you trace it back far enough.


 


2. Wizard kids are homeschooled before Hogwarts.




Image: Giphy


Well, they should probably learn math at some point, right? 


When Rowling was asked where wizard kids go to school before Hogwarts, she said, "Most are homeschooled, because they aren't really able to control their powers, so it would be too dangerous to let them out and about," reports Time. 


 


3. Ginny became a professional Quidditch player.




Image: Giphy


After Deathly Hallows, Ginny went on to be a professional Quidditch player and later reported on the sport for The Daily Prophet, because the girl has skills.





 


4.  Hermione got her parents back.




Image: Giphy


A lot of people think Hermione lost her parents for good after she altered their memories for their own protection, but that's just because we're all ignorant muggles. Rowling says Hermione got her parents back "straight away."


 


5. Slytherin isn't so evil anymore.




Image: Giphy


Albus Severus still doesn't want to go there, but Slytherin has been "diluted" after Voldemort's downfall. Sorry, Malfoy. That's a bummer.


 


6. Harry's son stole the Marauder's Map from him.




Image: Giphy


Rowling solemnly swears Harry's son James is up to no good, and pilfered the map from his dad's desk.


Mischief managed, bruh.


7. Harry lost the ability to speak Parseltongue.




Image: Giphy


Rowling says Potter loses the ability now that he's no longer a Horcrux, and he's "very glad to do so."


 


8. Voldemort's boggart is his own corpse.




Image: Giphy


In Harry Potter, a boggart is a shape-shifting thing that takes the form of your worst fear, and Rowling says Voldemort's worst fear was death, so the boggart would be his own dead body. 


Really, it probably should've just been a mirror. (Ouch! Can someone get He Who Must Not Be Named some sunscreen? Dude just got burned.)


 


9. Dumbledore's Army kept their coins.




Image: HarryPotter.wikia


Rowling says the DA saved the coins, which are now "like badges or medals of honor," but our guess is if these kids went on to wizarding college, the coins probably got traded for some late-night libations.


Neville probably knows what we're talking about.




Image: HarryPotter.wikia


Wow. I remember my first butterbeer ...


 


10. Most of the characters found love.




Image: Giphy


The characters found love in a Hogwarts place. Draco Malfoy marries Astoria Greengrass, George Weasley marries Angelina Johnson, Neville Longbottom marries Hannah Abbott and Luna Lovegood marries Rolf Scamander, the grandson of the guy who wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.


 


11. Harry ended up with the flying motorbike.




Image: HarryPotter.wikia


Mr. Weasley fixed it and then gave it to Harry, because he has such a great track record with flying vehicles. 




Wait, never mind.


 


12. Harry Potter's scar was lightning-shaped because it's cool.




Image: Giphy


When asked about the lightning shape of Harry's scar, Rowling said, "To be honest, because it’'s a cool shape. I couldn’'t have my hero sport a doughnut-shaped scar."


Yup. Harry's scar just looks that way because it's cool. Whether or not you believe in magic, there's no denying the boy who lived has swag.


 




 Image: Tumblr


 


Happy birthday, Harry Potter!


 


For more "Harry Potter" facts, check out the transcript from J.K. Rowling's live chat on Bloomsbury.


 


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One Direction Drops Surprise Single And Gets Schooled By A Little Boy

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Well a happy Friday to us all! One Direction has released a new single AND given fans the glorious gift of a hilarious fan interaction video -- and it's a little challenging to decide which one we're more excited about. 


Since they weren't sure they'd thrown Directioners for enough loops recently (JK, we're pretty sure we've had enough with Zayn's sudden departure from the group and news of Louis fathering a child), they decided to surprise fans once more, dropping their newest single called "Drag Me Down" very early Friday morning.









The new track is the boy band's first release since the beloved Zayn Malik left the group back in April. Fans are evidently pretty pleased with the song, seeing as it's already jumped to #1 on U.S. iTunes charts, according to MTV, as well as Billboard's Trending 140.





In other 1D breaking news, they showed off some pretty laughable (though endearing!) dancing skills in a meet and greet this week. Backstage at a Kansas City, MO concert, Harry, Niall, Louis and Liam received a few pointers from a young fan named Gavin on how to properly execute the hottest dance trends of the moment, the Whip and Nae Nae


The boys of 1D seemed to be fairly out of touch with the dances, hence Gavin's stepping in to help them out. The impromtu dance lesson was documented by Gavin's sister, Hannah, who was his date to the concert. Hannah later posted the videos to Twitter, adding that she and Gavin had been given the chance to meet the boys as a gift from the Make-A-Wish foundation. 








The ever-charming Niall later posted a tweet about dancing with Gavin, which prompted an equally sweet video response from the young fan, which Hannah again uploaded to her Twitter.








The boys of 1D are showered with the word "amazing" on a daily basis -- but the question today is whether they're earning it more for their latest single, or for their newfound dance skills. 


 


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President Jimmy Carter's Curiously Full Life (All Together Podcast)

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Jimmy Carter has been a husband, father, farmer, Sunday school teacher, governor, president, Nobel Prize winner, peacemaker and humanitarian.


Now, in his 90th year, President Carter has released a book aptly titled A Full Life, Reflections at 90 that offers an intimate look at the social, emotional and spiritual experiences that make up this extraordinary man.   


On this week's All Together Podcast, I spoke with President Jimmy Carter in a conversation that ranges from the rise of the religious right, his love for his wife, the role of poetry in his life to his understanding of death and the importance of living life fully right now. Towards the end of the our talk, I told the president that I feel his life has been marked by the creative trait of curiosity. He responded:  



I guess that is my training as an engineer.  To learn the reasons for the reasons a situation exists and how it can be improved and how to personally change that situation for the better is a natural pattern for me in my thought process.



I leave you with the closing words from President Carter’s Nobel Lecture:



The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices. God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes - and we must. 



Until next week – Be well. 


All Together was produced by Katelyn Boguki and edited by Jorge Corona. Brad Shannon was the audio engineer. You can download All Together on iTunes or Stitcher.   













 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

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Taylor Mac Tackles The History Of American Pop In Brooklyn

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Musical and theatrical chameleon Taylor Mac has never been one for convention.


Still, the New York-based performance artist, who identifies as gender queer and prefers to go by the pronoun "judy," will draw from the mainstream in "The 20th Century Abridged," which hits Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York on Aug. 1. The show is comprised of selections from Mac's dazzling, audience-participatory 24-hour performance piece, "A 24-Decade History of Popular Music," and sees judy giving two pop songs from each decade of the 20th century a striking re-invention.



"I don't play favorites, because sometimes the decade or era of music I most despise ends up being the most fun to perform," Mac, who will sing, dance and play the ukulele in the show, told The Huffington Post. Previous performances of "The 20th Century Abridged" have seen Mac strut about a stage in a gown and an ornate headdress, backed by burlesque dancers and a 12-piece orchestra and crooning the likes of Nina Simone, Patti Smith and even Laura Branigan. Joining Mac for the first time at the Saturday performance is the Brooklyn United Marching Band, and judy has structured the show to leave plenty of room for spontaneity.


"Every show we do is full of surprises because we play off of what is happening in the room," judy said. "Considering [the show is taking place] in the park, it’s gonna be a fun night."  


Although Mac has amassed critical acclaim, judy's following among the LGBT community has been relatively niche. This fact is not lost on the performer and playwright, who feels gay audiences have tried too hard too assimilate with queer culture being perceived as more mainstream than ever. 



Hence, Mac sees "The 20th Century Abridged," which has been billed as both "politically knowing" and "outrageously entertaining," as an opportunity to represent the queer community as "the complicated creatures we are" and "remind the audience of things they’ve forgotten, dismissed, or buried."


"The whole point for me is an exploration of heterogeneity," judy said. "Plus I never try to teach the audience anything. I’m just here to point out what’s been around, is around, and looks to be coming." 


As for his Brooklyn performance, judy hopes the audience leaves "experiencing a fuller range of who they are: intellectually, emotionally, sensually," and, given that it's summer in New York, "I want them to sweat all over each other."


Taylor Mac will perform "The 20th Century Abridged" as part of"Celebrate Brooklyn! at Prospect Park Bandshell" in Brooklyn, New York on Aug. 1. Head here for more details. 


 


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