Western Black Rhino Officially Extinct

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Africa’s western black rhino is now officially extinct. After being a victim of increasingly devastating poaching and seeing little to no conservation efforts, the species is now gone, and others – including the northern white rhino and Asia’s Javan rhino – are expected to swiftly follow...a recent crackdown on poaching in Vietnam, including the sales and trading of the ill-begotten horns, of which both Vietnam and China are large consumers. Two rhino horns were recently seized by customs officials; the substance had most likely come from South Africa, and was worth an estimated $365,000.

Source
by Blake Deppe / People’s World

Two Hours After The Supreme Court Gutted The Voting Rights Act, Texas AG Suppresses Minority Voters

Just two hours after the Supreme Court reasoned that discrimination is not rampant enough in Southern states to warrant restrictions under the Voting Rights Act, Texas is already advancing a voter ID law and a redistricting map blocked last year for discriminating against black and Latino residents. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued a statement declaring that both measures may go into effect immediately, now that there is no law stopping them from discriminating against minorities.

In 2012, the Justice Department blocked these measures under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Federal courts agreed that both the strict voter ID law and the redistricting map would disproportionately target the state’s fast-growing minority communities. Still, Texas filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court over the Voting Rights Act case complaining that the DOJ had used “abusive and heavy-handed tactics” to thwart the state’s attempts at voter suppression.

In the case of the new electoral map, a panel of federal judges found that “substantial surgery” was done to predominantly black districts, cutting off representatives’ offices from their strongest fundraising bases. Meanwhile, white Congress members’ districts were either preserved or “redrawn to include particular country clubs and, in one case, the school belonging to the incumbent’s grandchildren.” The new map was also drawn in secret by white Republican representatives, without notifying their black and Latino peers. After the court blocked the map, the legislature approved small changes to appease Democratic lawmakers last week. Now that they are free to use the old maps, however, Gov. Rick Perry (R) could simply veto the new plan and use the more discriminatory maps.

The strict photo ID requirement blocked by the DOJ and a federal court would require Texans to show one of a very narrow list of acceptable photo IDs. Expired gun licenses from other states are considered valid, but Social Security cards and student IDs are not. If voters do not have an ID — as many minorities, seniors, and poor people do not — they must travel at their own expense, produce their birth certificate, and in many cases pay a fee to get an ID. Thanks to the Supreme Court, the DOJ no longer has any power to block these laws, even with the backing of federal judges who found blatant discrimination.

By Aviva Shen on Jun 25, 2013 at 3:30 pm
ThinkProgress

North Carolina and Mississippi also plan to pass strict voter ID laws

The Supreme Court Just Took Away Your Right to Remain Silent

Once a person is arrested and the police start an interrogation, the Miranda warnings are given. “You have the right to remain silent, right to a lawyer if you cannot afford one and anything you say can be used against you in court, etc” The Supreme Court has also held, properly, that if anyone declines to take the witness stand during the trial, the prosecutor can’t attack that choice to the jury with comments like, “He could have taken the stand to tell us his side of the story, but he didn’t. That tells us quite a bit, doesn’t it?” The rationale against allowing that sort of “evidence” is that if one really has a right against self-incrimination, the government should not be permitted to attack it. The prosecutor must use other evidence to persuade the jury of guilt.

In Salinas v. Texas, 570 U.S. ­­­___ (2013) (Slip. Op. available here), the Supreme Court held that the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination does not protect a witness's silence in the face of a voluntary, noncustodial police interview. Rather, a person who is not under arrest (or otherwise in custody) and voluntarily speaks to the police must  affirmatively and timely invoke the privilege  to benefit from its protections. The Court stated that there was no "ritualistic formula" necessary to assert the privilege, but that a witness could not do so "by simply standing mute."  Id. at 3 (citation omitted). If an individual fails to invoke, and is later charged with a crime, the prosecution may use his silence at trial as evidence of his guilt.

Petitioner Genovevo Salinas was a possible witness to a double murder. The police went to his home to question him, and he agreed to hand over his shotgun for ballistics testing. He further agreed to go to the police station for more questioning. Notably, because Salinas was not "in custody," police were under no obligation to read him Miranda warnings, and he was free to leave the station at any time.  During most of his hour-long interview, Salinas answered questions. At one point, the police asked Salinas if shells recovered from the crime scene would match the shotgun he had handed over. Salinas did not answer, but sat in silence for a few moments before the police moved on to other questions that Salinas answered. Eventually, Salinas was charged with, and tried for, the double murder. In its case-in-chief at trial, prosecutors introduced evidence of Salinas's silence in response to the police question about the shell casings, and argued that his silence was evidence of his guilt. The jury convicted Salinas, and two Texas Courts of Appeals affirmed the conviction.  Id. at 2-3.

 —The National Law Review

As the Salinas dissent points out, because of its focus, the plurality’s ruling seems to open up future dispute regarding whether the individual’s words or actions are clear enough to invoke the privilege.  Decisions in this area suggest that if a witness mentions the word “lawyer” in declining to speak to investigators, courts are more likely to view that as an invocation that cannot be commented upon. The court’s ruling in Salinas is all the more troubling because during such informal, undocumented, and unregulated questioning, there are special dangers that police may, intentionally or not, coax false confessions from innocent suspects. But in many cases, as in this one, there are no eyewitnesses and not much other evidence of guilt: That is why the police may desperately need a confession. Future decisions might also limit Salinas’s rule to cases where the witness was silent on only one question or a limited number of questions in the midst of an interview, viewing an express refusal to answer any further questions as clear enough notice that the witness is invoking the Constitutional privilege.

Related:
On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Texas passes anti-abortion laws at 4 AM

While the rest of Texas sleeps, HB60 was passed.

That’s also when a Texas legislator, Rep. Jody Laubenberg, claimed rape kits are a form of abortion.

“In the emergency room they have what’s called rape kits where a woman can get cleaned out,” she said, comparing the procedure to an abortion. “The woman had five months to make that decision, at this point we are looking at a baby that is very far along in its development.”

In fact, rape kits are used to collect DNA evidence from the bodies of rape victims; after a victim enters a hospital, staff collect bodily fluid, residue under the victim’s nails, and any blood or hair samples that could be relevant for an investigation. They are in no way equivalent to an abortion. 

Update:  

At 12:01 AM, CT, I predict Wendy Davis will give us the best mic drop the World has ever seen. #StandWithWendy
— Dr. Jill Biden (@JillBidenVeep) June 26, 2013

The order is sustained. The crowd is screaming in the gallery! The third point of order. Filibuster can be ended. #YAL #SB5
— YourAnonLive (@YourAnonLive) June 26, 2013

When Kickstarter Funds A Rape Manual

Before you begin reading, know this: the deal has been done. The Kickstarter has been funded. Unless massive pressure is used to force the company into reversing their current stand, this rape manual is going to be published.

So what can we do as a community?

Some options are:
Sign the petition
Report the Kickstarter (at the bottom of the page)
Tell them on facebook
Blog about it
Find and use other crowdfunding platforms such as Indiegogo and tell Kickstarter that they no longer have your dollars
Let your friends and community know that you do not support the techniques promoted in this book

Jeff Kunzler has his own suggestions for effective change on his tumblr post here

An excerpt from the proposed novel:

Pull out your c**k and put her hand on it. Remember, she is letting you do this because you have established yourself as a LEADER. Don’t ask for permission, GRAB HER HAND, and put it right on your d**k.

Update 6/21/13:

We did it!

 From the Kickstarter blog.

Journalist Michael Hastings was under FBI investigation before his death

The document-leaking organization WikiLeaks says journalist Michael Hastings called the organization’s attorney hours before his death Tuesday in a fiery one-car crash in Los Angeles.

In a tweet, WikiLeaks announced: “Michael Hastings contacted WikiLeaks lawyer Jennifer Robinson just a few hours before he died, saying that the FBI was investigating him.”

Hastings, 33, was known as a hard-charging reporter who caused Gen. Stanley McChrystal to lose his job as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan with an explosive 2010 story in Rolling Stone, in which he quoted McChrystal offering unsavory commentary about the Obama administration.

In his final article, published June 7 by BuzzFeed, Hastings wrote of revelations that the National Security Agency was harvesting large quantities of phone and Internet information. “Perhaps more information will soon be forthcoming,” the article said.

The FBI declined to say if Hastings was under investigation.

 Source

Pirate Bay co-founder sentenced to 2 years in prison

The co-founder of file-sharing website The Pirate Bay has been sentenced to two years in prison for hacking into the computers of a firm that administers data for Swedish authorities, and for making illegal online money transfers.

While the hacker who helped cops catch the rapists in Steubenville, Ohio could potentially get 10 years. Far more than for the crimes the rapists committed.  America, your rape culture is showing again. And it disgusts me.

Deric Lostutter / KY Anonymous Defense Fund

LAUSD Votes to Close LA Indigenous High School

LAUSD Votes to Close LA Indigenous High School

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted to close the Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory High School on Tuesday. Trustee Mónica García was the only board member who voted to renew the Indigenous-themed school’s 5-year charter.

“We have had more than 500 years of resistance. This is nothing new,” Marco Aguilar, the schools’ co-founder and executive director, told crying students and supporters after the meeting.

Anahuacalmecac can still appeal to stay open to the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Stay tuned for more information.

Visit: Semillas Community Schools

Photo Credit: Bob Chamberlin, LA Times

Stay Connected: Twitter | Facebook

Here is a reader's reaction to this news:

They will never, ever, ever let us fucking run our own business. We need to do it WITHOUT them and IN SPITE of them. Always. They are not our friends. They do not have our best interests in mind. They want us to disappear. This is what the coloniser has always wanted.

Edward Snowden Q&A Highlights

Why did you choose Hong Kong to go to and then tell them about US hacking on their research facilities and universities?
—GlennGreenwald, 17 June 2013 2:11pm

First, the US Government, just as they did with other whistleblowers, immediately and predictably destroyed any possibility of a fair trial at home, openly declaring me guilty of treason and that the disclosure of secret, criminal, and even unconstitutional acts is an unforgivable crime. That’s not justice, and it would be foolish to volunteer yourself to it if you can do more good outside of prison than in it.

Can analysts listen to content of domestic calls without a warrant?
— Anthony De Rosa, 17 June 2013 2:18pm

If I target for example an email address, for example under FAA 702, and that email address sent something to you, Joe America, the analyst gets it. All of it. IPs, raw data, content, headers, attachments, everything. And it gets saved for a very long time - and can be extended further with waivers rather than warrants.

Edward, there is rampant speculation, outpacing facts, that you have or will provide classified US information to the Chinese or other governments in exchange for asylum. Have/will you? 
—Spencer Ackerman, 17 June 2013 4:16pm

This is a predictable smear that I anticipated before going public, as the US media has a knee-jerk “RED CHINA!” reaction to anything involving HK or the PRC, and is intended to distract from the issue of US government misconduct. Ask yourself: if I were a Chinese spy, why wouldn’t I have flown directly into Beijing? I could be living in a palace petting a phoenix by now.

US officials say terrorists already altering TTPs because of your leaks, & calling you traitor. —Kimberly Dozier

US officials say this every time there’s a public discussion that could limit their authority. US officials also provide misleading or directly false assertions about the value of these programs…

Journalists should ask a specific question: since these programs began operation shortly after September 11th, how many terrorist attacks were prevented SOLELY by information derived from this suspicionless surveillance that could not be gained via any other source? Then ask how many individual communications were ingested to acheive that, and ask yourself if it was worth it.

Do you believe that the treatment of Binney, Drake and others influenced your path? Do you feel the “system works” so to speak? —Jacob Appelbaum

Binney, Drake, Kiriakou, and Manning are all examples of how overly-harsh responses to public-interest whistle-blowing only escalate the scale, scope, and skill involved in future disclosures. Citizens with a conscience are not going to ignore wrong-doing simply because they’ll be destroyed for it: the conscience forbids it. Instead, these draconian responses simply build better whistleblowers.

My question: given the enormity of what you are facing now in terms of repercussions, can you describe the exact moment when you knew you absolutely were going to do this, no matter the fallout, and what it now feels like to be living in a post-revelation world? Or was it a series of moments that culminated in action? —AhBrightWings, 17 June 2013 2:12pm

I imagine everyone's experience is different, but for me, there was no single moment. It was seeing a continuing litany of lies from senior officials to Congress - and therefore the American people - and the realization that that Congress, specifically the Gang of Eight, wholly supported the lies that compelled me to act. Seeing someone in the position of James Clapper - the Director of National Intelligence - baldly lying to the public without repercussion is the evidence of a subverted democracy. The consent of the governed is not consent if it is not informed.

Final words from Snowden:

Thanks to everyone for their support, and remember that just because you are not the target of a surveillance program does not make it okay. The US Person / foreigner distinction is not a reasonable substitute for individualized suspicion, and is only applied to improve support for the program. This is the precise reason that NSA provides Congress with a special immunity to its surveillance.

My personal favorite lines:

Suspicionless surveillance does not become okay simply because it’s only victimizing 95% of the world instead of 100%.

The consent of the governed is not consent if it is not informed.

And:

Further, it’s important to bear in mind I’m being called a traitor by men like former Vice President Dick Cheney. This is a man who gave us the warrantless wiretapping scheme as a kind of atrocity warm-up on the way to deceitfully engineering a conflict that has killed over 4,400 and maimed nearly 32,000 Americans, as well as leaving over 100,000 Iraqis dead. Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American, and the more panicked talk we hear from people like him, Feinstein, and King, the better off we all are. If they had taught a class on how to be the kind of citizen Dick Cheney worries about, I would have finished high school.

Oh, my... —George Takei

 

Superstitions of the race

The Northman had many superstitions. He believed in good giants and bad giants, in dark elves and bright elves, in superhuman beings who tilled the wide gulf which existed between himself and the gods. He believed, too, in wraiths and fetches and guardian spirits, who followed particular persons, and belonged to certain families--a belief which seems to have sprung from the habit of regarding body and soul as two distinct beings, which at certain times took each a separate bodily shape. Sometimes the guardian spirit or fylgja took a human shape; at others its form took that of some animal fancied to foreshadow the character of the man to whom it belonged. Thus it becomes a bear, a wolf, an ox, and even a fox, in men. The fylgjur of women were fond of taking the shape of swans. To see one's own fylgja was unlucky, and often a sign that a man was "fey," or death-doomed...From the fylgja of the individual it was easy to rise to the still more abstract notion of the guardian spirits of a family, who sometimes, if a great change in the house is about to begin, even show themselves as hurtful to some member of the house. He believed also that some men had more than one shape; that they could either take the shapes of animals, as bears or wolves, and so work mischief; or that, without undergoing bodily change, an access of rage and strength came over them, and move especially towards night, which made them more than a match for ordinary men. Such men were called hamrammir, "shape-strong," and it was remarked that when the fit left them they were weaker than they had been before. This gift was looked upon as something "uncanny," and it leads us at once to another class of men, whose supernatural strength was regarded as a curse to the community. These were the Baresarks. What the hamrammir men were when they were in their fits the Baresarks almost always were. They are described as being always of exceeding, and when their fury rose high, of superhuman strength. They too, like the hamrammir men, were very tired when the fits passed off. What led to their fits is hard to say. In the case of the only class of men like them nowadays, that of the Malays running a-muck, the intoxicating fumes of bangh or arrack are said to be the cause of their fury. One thing, however, is certain, that the Baresark, like his Malay brother, was looked upon as a public pest, and the mischief which they caused, relying partly no doubt on their natural strength, and partly on the hold which the belief in their supernatural nature had on the mind of the people, was such as to render their killing a good work.

Again, the Northman believed that certain men were "fast" or "hard"; that no weapons would touch them or wound their skin; that the mere glance of some men's eyes would turn the edge of the best sword; and that some persons had the power of withstanding poison. He believed in omens and dreams and warnings, in signs and wonders and tokens; he believed in good luck and bad luck, and that the man on whom fortune smiled or frowned bore the marks of her favour or displeasure on his face; he believed also in magic and sorcery, though he loathed them as unholy rites. With one of his beliefs our story has much to do, though this was a belief in good rather than in evil. He believed firmly that some men had the inborn gift, not won by any black arts, of seeing things and events beforehand. He believed, in short, in what is called in Scotland "second sight". This was what was called being "forspár" or "framsýnn," "foretelling" and "foresighted ". Of such men it was said that their "words could not be broken"...This gift ran in families...

Source:
Preface of The story of Burnt Njal or Brennu-Njals Saga

Njáll (also Njála) Þorgeirsson, image source

Modernized Icelandic text
Setting surrounding the story:
Kelder (home to Ingjaldur Hoskuldsson)
Gunnarssteinn: by Norðdahl, by  Emily Lethbridge (where one of the most famous battles in the Saga of Brennu-Njall took place)
Thrihyrningur – The triple horn – that looms over Fljotshlid (also by JónasGunnlaugsson) and Landeyjar
Hlíðarendi (where Gunnar Hamundarson lived)
Rauduskridur (Gunnar of Hlidarendi and Njall of Bergthorshvoll owned a forest there together)
Markarfljot (a glacial river south of Fljotshlid)
Bergthorshvoll (where Njall Thorgeirsson lived with his wife Bergthora Skarphedinsdóttir and their children)

Colonialism

"[C]olonialism and injustice are never consensual: they are always achieved through the use of force, and perpetuated through the brutalization and degradation of the native people. It was, after all, Mao who announced that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." 

— Blood In The Snows (Reply to Wang Lixiong)  (by Tsering Shakya | New Left Review | May-June 2002) http://www.friendsoftibet.org/databank/tibethistory/tibeth3.html

Today's word, boys and girls, is colonialism. What is it, you say? Wikipedia defines it as the establishment, exploitation, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony, and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by colonizers from the metropole. Colonialism is a set of unequal relationships between the metropole and the colony and between the colonists and the indigenous population.

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines colonialism is a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another. Frequently, colonialism and imperialism are treated as synonyms.

Examples of this are the Crusades, Britain and the thirteen colonies, France and the Haiti, and Spain and Latin America to name a very few. How is this even relevant? Colonialism is not a thing of the past.

Indonesia is seeing a new corporate colonialism 

Colonialism Today

Neocolonialism on an image of Frida Kahlo

A parody found on YouTube concerning the struggle in Tibet (read the comments, the video itself is silly)

Sgian-dubh

The sgian-dubh is a small, singled-edged knife(Gaelic: sgian) worn as part of traditional Scottish Highland dress along with the kilt. It is worn tucked into the top of the kilt hose with only the upper portion of the hilt visible. The sgian-dubh is normally worn on the right leg, but can also be worn on the left, depending on whether the wearer is right or left-handed.

Originally, the sgian dubh is said to have been part of a set of knives used by servants or ghillie or gille(Gaelic: boy), as in serving boy to clean, skin and dress the meat after the Lord of the manor and his party had killed the game. One knife was long and heavy bladed(9 to 10 inches) for butchering the game. This larger knife is likely the ancestor of the modern dirk. The other of the set had a blade from 3 to 4 inches in length, this was for skinning the game. A skinning knife would have a straight single edged blade, or a clipped pointed blade (like a small bowie knife) with a handle of stag antler, or wood carved into interwoven bands of knotwork.

This brings us to the primary meaning of dubh (meaning black). Sometimes bog oak are used on the handle of these skinning knives—bog oak is dark brown to black in color. The secondary meaning, “hidden”, is at the root of sgian-dubh. It’s based on the stories and theories surrounding the knife’s origin, in particular those associated with the Highland custom of depositing weapons at the entrance to a house prior to entering as a guest. Despite this practice, a small twin edged-dagger, a mattucashlass (Gaelic: sgian-achlais /axLɪʃ/: oxter knife, [similar: anns an achlais, under the arms]) is concealed under the armpit—since in these far off days it was unsafe to be ever totally unarmed, not because he feared his host but rather because he feared intrusions from outside. Out of courtesy to his host, it’s removed from its place of concealment and placed where his host could see it, invariably in his stocking on the side of his hand.

The earliest known blades some of which are housed in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh are made from German or Scandinavian steel which was highly prized by the Highlanders. The blades varied in construction, some having a “clipped” (famously found on the Bowie knife) or “drop” point. The “spear-point” tip has now become universal. Scalloped filework on the back of the blade is common on all Scottish knives.

Since the modern sgian-dubh is worn mainly as a ceremonial item of dress and is usually not employed for cutting food or self-defence, blades are often of a simple (but not unglamorous) construction.

Highland dirk

The Scottish dirk (“Highland dirk”, Scottish Gaelic: Biodag: dagger) is the traditional and ceremonial sidearm of the officers of Scottish Highland regiments. The development of the Scottish dirk as a weapon, beginning in the second half of the 17th century (during the Jacobite Rising), is a continuation of the 16th-century bullock/roundel dagger—narrow-bladed and the handle has the shape of bullocks.

Early dirk blades were long and single-edged with “gimping” of the blade spine, an effect that makes the spine of the blade look like it has dull saw teeth. The hilts were normally of wood, and the leather sheaths often contained pockets for by-knives and forks.

The earliest “traditional” dirks seem to appear shortly after the life of Oliver Cromwell ended in 1658. The knot-work carving on the grips became intricate with small studs appearing in the gaps of the knot-work. Blades of the old single-edge tapered form made solely for dirks still existed, though cut-down sword blades. This could be an early example of recycling for cost purposes, though most experts agree it was done more because the imported blades were better tempered than those of local manufacture. When present, pockets for by-knives and forks were also metal bound, however, rather than being carried side-by-side, the by-knife/fork pair began to be carried one beneath the other. Dirks of this form enjoyed their heyday for less than a century. The disaster at Culloden in 1745 led to prohibitions of wearing highland dress and accoutrements by those not in the army.

The final stages of the dirk show a marked change from the early weapons becoming “a dress accessory.” By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the shape of the grip changed from the more cylindrical form handed down by the bullock to a shape intended to represent the thistle, the floral emblem of Scotland. The studs in the knot-work were replaced with more fashionable nails and tacks of brass and silver, sometimes gilt. The carving on the grips also evolved (or degenerated according to some historians), moving from interwoven bands of knot-work to a style looking much like a basket weave. Fancier fittings for both grip and scabbard, often of silver, became even more common after 1800. Dirks of this late form were issued to Highland regiments after the ‘45.

Dirk Dance

Vikings

Photo from the Ribe VikingeCenter. Follow the link to see other images.

New Vikings exhibition opens at National Museum of Scotland:

When we think of Vikings, the first image that springs to mind is of ferocious, bearded warriors rampaging across Europe, leaving burning buildings and weeping villagers in their wake. But now a new exhibition aims to shed light on the lives of this fascinating people, dispelling more than a few myths and stereotypes along the way – and revealing how women had a far more significant role in the Viking world than most of us will have been aware of until now.

There are no horned helmets in the exhibition, though, as this was an item the Vikings never actually wore. Similarly, the term 'Viking' was actually an activity rather than a term for the people themselves. Men and perhaps even women and adolescents, would go out 'on a Viking', which could be the sort of pillaging raids that we commonly think of, but could also refer to a more peaceful trading expedition.

 Reconstructions of various items of Anglo-Saxon and Viking bonework.
Buckles, strap-ends, combs, cloak pins, needles and needle case.

The majority of Vikings were mainly farmers and traders, who, far from their bloodthirsty image, valued their appearance and personal hygiene. The discovery of fine-tooth combs designed to be hung from a belt, ear spoons, glass mirrors and even tweezers suggests that the Vikings were an image-conscious lot. The Vikings were, it seems, a far more innovative and developed society than we've been previously led to believe.

"[It] wasn't just male warriors travelling around conquering new land," says Maria Jansén, Director of the Swedish History Museum. "It was much more trade-based, and not everyone was a Viking. The word 'Viking' was more like something you did once in your life, or someone you called a Viking when he was doing something in particular. You can see here that most of the men during the Viking age were actually farmers, and the farm and the home was a central point of life in the Viking age."

 Viking-Era push keys.

"At the farm the woman had a very important role to play. For example, the aristocratic females would wear keys as brooches to symbolise the power of opening the farm. You couldn't use them, they were merely symbols of the power that she ran the farm." Recent archaeological finds show that these women ruled the households, were able to become extremely rich and powerful in their own right, and were buried with their jewellery and finery to join the afterlife.

Lindholm Høje (Lindholm Hills, from Old Norse haugr, hill or mound) is a major Viking burial site and former settlement situated to the north of and overlooking the city of Aalborg in Denmark.

The life and times of Viking children revealed that they had "a really tough life" (Maria Jansén, Director of the Swedish History Museum). A large sword was discovered alongside a skeleton in a grave. Scientists initially thought it was a warrior, but tests revealed the body belonged to a boy between the ages of eight and 13, suggesting children trained in combat from an early age.

How Vikings killed time
What Vikings really looked like

Basket-hilted Sword

A Scottish broadsword of the claidheamh cuil or ‘back-sword’ type.

The basket-hilted sword was a heavy, broad, military sword developed the 16th century and remained in widespread use throughout the 18th century.

The Sinclair Hilt was one of the earliest basket-hilt designs. It’s believed that these swords were brought back to Scotland from Germany by George Sinclair’s mercenaries who had served there. They influenced the development of the Scottish basket-hilt sword, the claidheamh cuil—claidheamh meaning ‘sword’ and cuil meaning ‘back,’ so a ‘back-sword’. On average, the blade measured 38inches. It was given the nomenclature ‘back-sword’ because the sword was characterized by having a straight single-edged blade facing away from the open side of the hilt with a flat spine, and not to be interpreted as a sword worn on the back. Being easier and cheaper to make than the double-edged broadswords, back-swords became the favored sidearm of common infantry including the Highland Scots.

 George Sinclair’s forces land in Norway, 1612. The soldier in the center is armed with a Sinclair hilt broadsword.

George Sinclair (c. 1580–1612) was a Scottish mercenary who was the illegitimate son of a Caithness laird, David Sinclair of Stirkoke, and nephew of the Earl of Caithness. Like many of his compatriots, Sinclair sought wealth and fame serving in the armies of Europe. When James VI passed a decree in 1607 allowing his subjects to serve overseas, Sinclair raised a contingent of men from his clan.

After the Jacobite Wars, the basket-hilted sword used by highlanders became a symbol of Scotland.

Historical evidence reveals that fencing practiced in Scotland was done with the Scottish basket-hilted broadsword during the 17th to 18th centuries. Scottish Fencing manuals detailing the use of the basket-hilted Scottish broadsword were published throughout the 18th century.

It has been suggested that certain Scottish Clans and families had specific training systems that were distinct from one another. For example, it is said that some members of Clan Macdonald were ambidextrous, and were thus able to fence with either left or right hand. The Kerr family is known in its family tradition to have predominantly left-handed swordsmen (as apparent in the construction of their castles), which has led to the term Kerr-Fisted.

Example manual

Match

“The Advantage of Shifting the Leg,” plate from Henry Angelo & Son’s Hungarian and Highland Broadsword (1799)

The term claymore is anglicized from the Scottish Gaelic claidheamh mòr (attested in 1772 as Cly-more) or "great sword" refers to the Scottish variant of the late medieval two-handed longsword. Authors argue that the basket-hilted sword (attested in 1773) is "incorrectly" called claymore have been known to suggest that claybeg (from a purported Gaelic claidheamh beag "small sword") should be used instead.

Selkie-Folk

When angels fell, some fell on the land, some on the sea.
The former are the faeries and the latter were often said to be the seals.
—Anonymous Orcadian

Selkie is simply the Orcadian dialect word for "seal".

Some of the old folk claimed that the selkie-folk were, like fairies, fallen angels, condemned to live as animals until the Biblical Day of Judgement. Others insisted that the selkie-folk were once human beings who, for some grave misdemeanour, were doomed to assume the form of a seal and live out the rest of their days in the sea. The third possibility discussed by the Orcadian storytellers of yesteryear was that the selkie-folk were actually the souls of those who had drowned. One night each year these lost souls were permitted to leave the sea and return to their original human form.

There is no agreement as to how often the selkie-folk were able to carry out the transformation. Some tales say it was once a year, usually Midsummer's Eve, while others state it could be "every ninth night" or "every seventh stream". Regardless of how often they were able to transform, the folklore tells us that once in human form, the selkie-folk would dance on lonely stretches of moonlit shore, or bask in the sun on outlying skerries.

If this sealskin was lost, or stolen, the creature was doomed to remain in human form until it could be recovered. Because of this, if disturbed while on shore, the selkie-folk would hastily snatch up their skins before rushing back to the safety of the sea.

"As soon as the seal was clear of the water, it reared up and its skin slipped down to the sand. What had been a seal was a white-skinned boy" —George Mackay Brown - Pictures in the Cave

The selkie-men were renowned for their many encounters with human females — married and unmarried.

A selkie-man in human form was said to be a handsome creature, with almost magical seductive powers over mortal women. According to tradition, they had no qualms about casting off their sealskins, stashing them carefully, and heading inland to seek out "unsatisfied women".

Should a mortal woman wish to make contact with a selkie-man, there was a specific rite she had to follow. At high tide, she should make her way to the shore, where she had to shed seven tears into the sea.

The selkie-man would then come ashore and, after removing his magical sealskin, seek out "unlawful love".

Selkie Color by zirofax deviantART

But while the males of the selkie race were irresistible to the island women, selkie-women were no less alluring to the eyes of earth-born men. The most common theme in selkie folklore is one in which a cunning young man acquires, either by trickery or theft, a selkie-girl's sealskin.

This prevents her from returning to the sea, leaving the seal-maiden with no option but to marry her "captor".

—orkneyjar

A traditional Scottish melody used to call the seals.

The Secret of Roan Inish

Scottish Sword Dances

War Dance by Robert Griffing

The legend of the Scottish Sword Dance dates back to the 11th century about a Scottish prince named Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh, or Malcolm III, later nicknamed Malcolm Canmore, ‘Big Head’ which was used literally or in reference to his leadership capabilities. He was the eldest son of King Duncan I (Donnchad mac Crínáin [donyuh-hkuh mak kri-nah-n]) who ruled Scotland toward the end of 1034. The account was the original source to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Duncan’s reign was not successful as he was killed by Macbeth (Mac Bethad mac Findlaích/MacBheatha mac Fhionnlaigh [mak-veh-ha mak fionyuh-lahy]) on 15 August 1040. Although Shakespeare’s Macbeth presents Malcolm as a grown man and his father, an old one, it appears that Duncun was still young, and Malcolm was only 9 years old. Soon after the death of Duncan, his two young sons were sent away — exactly where is the subject of debate. One version had Malcolm sent to England and his brother, Donalbane (Domnall Bán [domnul bahn]), to the Isles. Another version had Malcolm’s mother take them both to the Orkney Isles, the Earl was an enemy of Macbeth’s family and Duncan’s kinsman by marriage. In 1045, Malcolm’s family attempted to overthrow Macbeth, but Malcolm’s grandfather Crínán of Dunkeld was killed in the attempt.

King of Alba (1058-1093) Malcolm and his second wife, Margret

An English invasion in 1054, chronicled the death of Macbeth by the commanding officer of the attack, Siward, and the death of a ‘Máel Coluim,’ but this proved to be inaccurate. Macbeth survived Siward by two years and Máel Coluim was then believed to be the son of the king of Strathclyde who married Duncan’s sister.

During the campaign, various chroniclers reported the death of Macbeth at Malcolm’s hand, on 15 August 1057 at Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire. On this occasion was when the legend was borne. In the wake of vengeance for his father, Malcolm III was said to have crossed his own bloody claymore (the two-handed broadsword of Scotland) over the bloodier sword of the defeated Chief and danced over the naked blades in triumph.

Others have suggested that warriors danced the Sword Dance the night before battle.

Either way, this dance of exultation became a tradition among the highland warriors, and in subsequent battles, clansman would cross their swords and dance around them in the same way. According to the clan tradition, if the dancer could complete the dance without touching the swords, it was a good omen that they would be victorious in the coming battle. However, to touch the swords beneath his feet during the dance was a bad omen and was indicative of doom for the coming battle.

There are many variations of the sword dance, but they do have common features. First, the dance is performed around and over two crossed swords (3, 4 or even 8 swords are used from time to time). Next, the dancer normally travels counterclockwise around the sword, and finally, the dance normally comprises of a slow strathspey time followed by quick reel time. Strathspey is named after that region of Scotland and so a type of country dance. It’s been hypothesized that strathspey mimics the rhythms of the Scottish Gaelic language.

In the first steps, the dancer performs are outside the sword, ‘addressing’ the sword. Subsequent steps are danced over the crossed blades. Once inside the blades, the dancer never turns his back to the swords - only a fool would turn his back on a weapon.

This unique form of Scottish Dance comprises almost entirely of one form of foot movement — the pas de basque and all other movements support it. Because this is, in essence, a war dance, all movements must be precise and strong, and the head should be proud and poised.

Highland Sword Dance Performance, solo performance.

Group performance, 1:30 into the video.

Beside the sword dance, there were the combative dances. Traditionally, these dances were taught to boys from a young age, along with other Highland weapons of war, the Lochaber axe, cudgel, dirk and targe. It was designed to drill simple, but effective methods of close combat skills including footwork that kicks, sweeps and trips, and throwing techniques. Unfortunately, many of the Highland combative dances with traditional weapons are now lost, but the Highland Dirk Dance (solo dance, starts at 2:40 of the video) still exists and was often linked to the sword dance or dances called Macinorsair, the ‘Broad Sword Exercise’ or the Bruicheath (Battle Dance). This combative dance, performed by two dancers in duelling form and as a solo routine, has the performers executing knife techniques combined with wrestling style kicks, trips and sweeps. Another version involved attacking and defensive techniques with single-sticks and targe shields. These battle dances resemble the Pentjak Silat [PENchahk SEElaht], a combative dance originating from Indonesia. —Wikipedia.

Since the Highland combative dances basically no longer exists and the Scottish battle dance was similar to the Pentjak Silat, I have posted the Pentjak Silat dances here.

1880. Indonesian warriors dressed in plain, white sarong. Traditionally, sarongs are worn by both men and women and are plaid. It’s possible these two warriors wore plain sarongs because it was inexpensive, given they might be damaged during combat.

Pencak silat, also spelled penchak silat and pentjak silat is an umbrella term for the indigenous combat practice created in Indonesia. Pencak is the performance aspect of the traditional combat practice, while silat is the essence of the fighting and self-defense. The pencak silat tradition, very much like the Scottish Sword Dance tradition, was passed down almost entirely by word of mouth. The primary weapons of Indonesia’s tribal peoples were the straight, single-edge knife called the parang, not unlike the Scottish 18th century dirk, were used in more mundane situations rather than warfare—they were used to cut down forest brush. Like the Scottish sgian dubh to the dirk, the parang was accompanied by the bolo used to clear vegetation, and to kill and bleed pigs.

 Performers. Samping/Linso: Piece of silk fabric worn around the waist or shoulder, used in locking techniques and for defense against blades. Stylized folds are in the front.

Basic steps and brief dance demonstration
 
Solo dance performance
 
Group performance In this video, note, though it is a group performance, parts of it are solo routines. When they do break up into pairs to duel, they demonstrate those kicks, sweeps and throws as explained above.

‘Waulking' the Tweed

Waulking is a finishing process that is applied to woven wool tweed. In Gaelic language, the process of waulking is called luadh (“loo-ugh”) and the songs of waulking are known as orain luaidh (“or-ine loo-ie”). There were four parts to the waulking process. The first, similar to the fulling process, entails shrinking the fabric so it thickens to give a degree of wind and waterproofing. Then cleansing the cloth, folding the cloth, the process of giving it tension, after which came a rite of consecration. Waulking was a daylong project and once begun it had to be finished in one session.

When cloth had been woven and removed from the loom, a session was planned. The waulking women assembled at the house of the owner of the cloth after breakfast. The tweed, up to 70 yards long, was sewn together at the ends to make a continuous loop and then it was soaked in human urine, fualor graith, which was saved in each house for this sole purpose. The ammonia served to deepen and intensify the dye colors but also to remove residual oils used to dress the wool.

Waulking of cloth was done by pounding the material against a board. Women would sit around the waulking board and the cloth would be pulled towards you and beaten on the board then passed slightly to your left before pushing it back, moving it in a four-time clockwise direction. Cloth would be inches narrower when the process was complete in addition to being softer, thicker, and more tightly woven.

Accompanying this work were waulking songs, òrain luiadh, a musical form unknown elsewhere in Western Europe. Waulking was measured by song - not time - it was never said, “it will take another half-hour” but rather “it will take another song”. The songs, which have common themes of love, war, hunting and sewing, are very rhythmic and were composed to keep the beat as the cloth was being waulked. The best singer, the ban dhuan, would sing out the verse and then everyone would join in the chorus. The verses and choruses (sometimes there are up to 4 choruses) are very short, sometimes only a few syllables.

Source

Scottish Wildcats, the Highland Tiger

“They’ll do anything to keep out of your way. When you corner them…and they’ll have no where else to go, that’s when you have to watch out…” —coffeefilms

Domesticated cats originate from the smaller African wildcat. The Scottish wildcats colonised Britain after the Ice Age over 9000 years ago. They followed the spread of suitable habitat and prey so that by the time Britain became an island, they spent a millennia in isolation. The British wildcats evolved to become what many consider to be a separate subspecies: Felis sylvestris grampia.

Due to the loss of forest habitat, hunting for their fur and persecution, by the late 19th century, wildcats in Britain were found only in remote parts of the Scottish Highlands and only there in very low numbers. They began to recover after the First World War, but by this time, domestic cats had become widespread and the principal threat that faces wildcats today - inter-breeding with domestic cats – began to take hold.

As a subspecies of the European wildcat, the Scottish wildcat is the largest and most powerful of all wildcats. It measures 47–66cm(18.5-26 in) in body length, 26–33cm(10in-13in) in tail length, and weighs 2.35-7.26kg(5.18lbs-16lbs). The wildcat is similar in appearance to a striped tabby cat, but has relatively longer legs and a more robust build. The wildcat’s fur is fairly uniform in length throughout the body, except for their tails. The hair on the tail is very long and dense, thus making it look furry and thick (Comparing a Scottish Wildcat to a hybrid or feral).

Apart from differences in genetics and temperament – wildcats are considered to be untameable, a trait not lost on Highland clans who adopted the animal as a symbol of ferocity and independence. The wildcat is considered an icon of the Scottish wilderness. The Picts venerated wildcats, having probably named Caithness (Land of the Cats) after them.

The Scottish wildcat has become rarer than the Bengal tiger. Experts believe there could be as few as 400 left in the wild. They have disappeared from England and Wales in the 19th century and it’s estimated that they will be extinct within the next ten years if no actions are made to preserve them (2006).

The voice of wildcats

Rumble and hiss. Grumpy cheetie.

BBC

Mayan Priests denied access to Guatemala ceremonial sites

Guatemala, the heart of Mayan culture, has started their festivities for the 13 Baktun - the last cycle of the Mayan calendar, due to end on Friday, December 21, 2012. But sadly the celebrations were dominated by staged government shows which were neither led nor shared by indigenous communities or spiritual leaders.

On stage, non-indigenous peoples were wearing indigenous clothes in a folklore show while non-indigenous attendees from the Guatemalan elites were in the most important ceremonial Mayan center, Tikal, waiting for the new era to arrive. Indigenous peoples were left outside, were they were demonstrating, playing the traditional instrument marimba. 

Related, due to this party, an ancient stone temple at Tikal, the largest archaeological site and urban center of the Mayan civilization was ruined.

So not only were the indigenous Mayans not allowed to celebrate on their ceremonial site, their ceremonial site was destroyed.