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212 results for “mythologyandhistory”
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Did you know that the first recorded case of impacted wisdom teeth resulted in dating a #StoneAge skeleton incorrectly?
We used to think that the coarse #diet of 'cave people' made them have wide jaws with space for wisdom teeth. So, when a skeleton was found in 1911 without them, it was naturally assumed to be a minor.
Modern dentistry, however, revealed that the Magdalenian "girl" was actually an adult. Our diet must have changed as early as 15,000 years ago.
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First the #Prix de Lausanne, then the #Olympics & now #AllStarWeekend too - I've been unproductive for most of 2026 :ablobblewobble:
Carter Bryant in the #dunkcontest is hopefully going to be the moment.
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First the #Prix de Lausanne, then the #Olympics & now #AllStarWeekend too - I've been unproductive for most of 2026 :ablobblewobble:
Carter Bryant in the #dunkcontest is hopefully going to be the moment.
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First the #Prix de Lausanne, then the #Olympics & now #AllStarWeekend too - I've been unproductive for most of 2026 :ablobblewobble:
Carter Bryant in the #dunkcontest is hopefully going to be the moment.
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First the #Prix de Lausanne, then the #Olympics & now #AllStarWeekend too - I've been unproductive for most of 2026 :ablobblewobble:
Carter Bryant in the #dunkcontest is hopefully going to be the moment.
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First the #Prix de Lausanne, then the #Olympics & now #AllStarWeekend too - I've been unproductive for most of 2026 :ablobblewobble:
Carter Bryant in the #dunkcontest is hopefully going to be the moment.
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New #petpeeve unlocked:
#Government services that do not use BCC in notification emails!
I signed up for a lecture that (like currently everything Down Under) was cancelled due to heat - & the geniuses of the local government (library service) sent a mass email exposing everyone's private emails.
Already got an email from some random confused person.
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It's #AustraliaDay today. Let's talk #indigenous #mythology !
A fearsome #creature known as Kinie Ger once terrorised parts of #Australia Its head had a long snout & spotted fur & its body was human.
He hunted animals of all kinds, attacking unprovoked, while using a spear.
The smartest animals, owl & crow, decided enough is enough & banded together. When Kinie Ger paused at a waterhole, they attacked. They spear it & it died.
The animals cheer while its body transforms into the first quoll.
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I apologise for the Reddit link but this is a good post.
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"My words are well weighed, my deeds have no equal!"
I think I'm a bit in love with #King #Hammurabi & his #law #code.
The code is oddly #fair.
For example, if a soldier is conscripted by the ruler & later ransomed, he may pay his ransom himself.
If he can't pay himself, the temple shall.
If the temple can't, the rich of the city must.
The soldier's property ("field, orchard, house") stays untouchable.
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Did you know that #Ancient #Greeks & #Romans would use an #Assyrian king to shame self-indulgence?
#Aristotles said that those in power shared the tastes of Sardanapalus - the (fictional) last king of Assyria.
He had male & female concubines, dressed in women's clothes & ate lavishly; he felt that hedonism was the purpose of life.
Due to his lack of virtue, a rival besieged his city & after some years, the king burnt his wealth, his retainers & himself on a pyre.
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Did you know that the demonic entity in The #Exorcist is based on a Mesopotamian #god?
In 1973, Regan MacNeil is possessed by 'Captain Howdy', a demon born of a statue.
Captain Howdy was exorcised through sacrifice.
This #demon is the god of the westerly wind in #Mesopotamia. Pazuzu brings the plague on the ill winds - but he also protects pregnant women & infants from other demons.
To invoke his protection, his likeness should be placed on a wall or worn as an amulet.
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CW: Olympic Games Rant (OT)
So the schedule for the #LA28 #Olympics has been released & I'm wondering if they used ChatGPT...or meth.
In #Athletics, Saturday, 15/07/28 - they will have the prelims & Round 1 of the Women's 100m in the morning....& then the semi-final AND the final of the ON THE SAME DAY in the afternoon!
WHY?! Do they *want* injuries?
Maybe we should make Mondo vault 7m, Hassan should be forced to compete in the 400m & Ingebritsen must try the racewalk. Just because.
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Did you know that we once believed that cultivating land changes the #climate?
During the 1870s, the #American Southwest & northern South #Australia experienced a small blip in climate. This led to short-lived favourable rainfall patterns.
This was used to justify human habitation that had started in those areas.
As we are prone to do, this phenomenon led us to correlate #human activities with more rainfall.
The #hypothesis was known as "Rain follows the plough".
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The rabbit holes are multiplying!
Imagine this: You are a 20 year old #soldier & are born into a regime. This regime has itself cut off from the rest of the world (thinks North Korea) & was established prior to your birth.
You are 30 now, the #regime has fallen & you live in a democracy.
Can you be judged for the crime of murder if you shot a #defector as instructed & you had no concept that this is unlawful (as it wasn't in your insular world)?
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Did you know that a "Devil’s advocate" used to be a real job?
When deciding who should be canonised, the Roman #Catholic #Church used to require someone to argue against a candidate.
The Devil’s advocate would point out any flaws, past and present, which would keep a person from qualifying as saintly.
Today, this position of negativity has been abolished. Now the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, a kind of court, instead assesses the arguments *for* #sainthood.
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Did you know that a "Devil’s advocate" used to be a real job?
When deciding who should be canonised, the Roman #Catholic #Church used to require someone to argue against a candidate.
The Devil’s advocate would point out any flaws, past and present, which would keep a person from qualifying as saintly.
Today, this position of negativity has been abolished. Now the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, a kind of court, instead assesses the arguments *for* #sainthood.
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Did you know that a "Devil’s advocate" used to be a real job?
When deciding who should be canonised, the Roman #Catholic #Church used to require someone to argue against a candidate.
The Devil’s advocate would point out any flaws, past and present, which would keep a person from qualifying as saintly.
Today, this position of negativity has been abolished. Now the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, a kind of court, instead assesses the arguments *for* #sainthood.
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Did you know that a "Devil’s advocate" used to be a real job?
When deciding who should be canonised, the Roman #Catholic #Church used to require someone to argue against a candidate.
The Devil’s advocate would point out any flaws, past and present, which would keep a person from qualifying as saintly.
Today, this position of negativity has been abolished. Now the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, a kind of court, instead assesses the arguments *for* #sainthood.
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Did you know that a "Devil’s advocate" used to be a real job?
When deciding who should be canonised, the Roman #Catholic #Church used to require someone to argue against a candidate.
The Devil’s advocate would point out any flaws, past and present, which would keep a person from qualifying as saintly.
Today, this position of negativity has been abolished. Now the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, a kind of court, instead assesses the arguments *for* #sainthood.
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Joel Mokyr
Philippe Aghion
Peter Howitt
"For having explained innovation-driven economic growth."
Congratulations! 💰
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1 more day until the first #Nobel Prize for #PHYSIOLOGY or #MEDICINE will be announced!
My bet is on Jeffrey M. Friedman & Rudolph Leibel for their discovery of #leptin, a hormone that has a role in #obesity.
(I would LIKE the prize to go to the team that developed the endobronchial valve, a minimally invasive device that is used to divert air from diseased portions of the lung to healthier ones. It's used by COPD & tuberculosis patients.)
What is everyone else's #prediction???
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#Germany has brought back a new type of #conscription. Young men and women aged 18 will get a letter requesting consideration to serve in the #military.
#Men will be required to show up for a physical examination by 2027.
This will all be #voluntary... Unless not enough volunteers are found.
The German #Bundeswehr ist aiming for 460k military personnel by 2029 (260k active soldiers, 200k reserves).
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#Germany has brought back a new type of #conscription. Young men and women aged 18 will get a letter requesting consideration to serve in the #military.
#Men will be required to show up for a physical examination by 2027.
This will all be #voluntary... Unless not enough volunteers are found.
The German #Bundeswehr ist aiming for 460k military personnel by 2029 (260k active soldiers, 200k reserves).
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#Germany has brought back a new type of #conscription. Young men and women aged 18 will get a letter requesting consideration to serve in the #military.
#Men will be required to show up for a physical examination by 2027.
This will all be #voluntary... Unless not enough volunteers are found.
The German #Bundeswehr ist aiming for 460k military personnel by 2029 (260k active soldiers, 200k reserves).
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#Germany has brought back a new type of #conscription. Young men and women aged 18 will get a letter requesting consideration to serve in the #military.
#Men will be required to show up for a physical examination by 2027.
This will all be #voluntary... Unless not enough volunteers are found.
The German #Bundeswehr ist aiming for 460k military personnel by 2029 (260k active soldiers, 200k reserves).