Today, we recognize the word hearse as a vehicle that carries a coffin to a funeral. Jessica Oreck explains how this word has, at various times, described a wolf, a rake and a frame, eventually landing at its meaning today. H/T TEDEducation
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The Maunsell Army Forts could easily be mistaken for a sci-fi movie set on the Planet Hoth. The fortified structures were named after their creator, Guy Maunsell. Built between 1941 and 1942 in the United Kingdom, their purpose was to protect the region from World War II enemy fire. The structures are now in a state of disrepair, but continue to be a popular tourist attraction.
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Today’s Trillion Dollar Movie is The Tale of Zatoichi, the 1962 film that introduced Japan’s most beloved action hero, the blind gambler and master swordsman Zatoichi. Created by novelist Kan Shimozawa, Zatoichi
has graced the screen nearly as long as James Bond. All told, the character appeared in more than 25 movies, as well as a long-running television series.
The Tale of Zatoichi stars actor Shintaro Katsu in the title role. He has not been the only Zatoichi or “Ichi,” but he is closely identified with the character. Much like Sean Connery, Katsu set the standard against which all future Zatoichi performers would be measured.
Zatoichi usually travels incognito, passing himself off as a harmless and lowly country bumpkin. He performs massage and acupuncture, but makes most of his money playing dice. His sense of hearing is so acute he can tell when the dice are loaded, or whether an even or odd number has been rolled. Often, these games of chance end in swordplay, with Zatoichi going up against yakuza gangsters or oppressive, rich villains who have preyed upon the weak and the poor.
In reviewing The Tale of Zatoichi, Rob Larsen wrote, “Everything that makes Ichi special is present and accounted for here: his innate sense of right and wrong, his amazing way with women, his bumbling charm, his quick wit, and, of course, plenty of work with his deadly cane sword.” Enjoy and do return again next Friday for another Trillion $ Movie.
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Dora the Explorer’s journey continues with some poor help from a few friends. H/T College Humor
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Earlier this week, we carried a news report about Lego withdrawing its Jabba’s Palace toy set due to pressure from an Austrian Turkish cultural association. But Lego has now denied the report and said it fully stands behind the product. The Turkish group charged that the toy features a mosque-like building inhabited by sneaky and criminal personalities with “vulgar insinuations against Asians and Orientals.” Lego says the toy will be discontinued at the end of 2013, but that’s when it was already scheduled to go off the shelves, so the complaints of the Turkish group didn’t hasten the phase-out.
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Slinky, curious, and intelligent – ferrets have been domesticated for centuries. But in D.C., New York City, Hawaii, and California ferret owners face threats of jail time and fines up to $10,000.
Ferret opponents fret that the 20-inch mammals are likely to launch “vicious unprovoked attacks on humans,” despite a study from California’s own Research Bureau which found that ferrets don’t “pose an unusual risk of bites.” Others worry that escaped pet ferrets could form feral bands in the wild, but the same study found it “improbable that domestic ferrets could establish feral colonies in California.” H/T Reason.TV
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Earth’s orbit has a bit of a litter problem. Hank Green outlines a few proposals scientists have floated to help clean things up.
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Imagine if George W. Bush was presiding over 89 million able-bodied, working-age Americans who were not working, what would the media be saying? The U6 unemployment rate (the government’s most accurate measurement of joblessness) now stands at 14.3%. Would the media quote the lower but far less accurate, and far more favorable rate of 7.7% and declare that “things are improving?” What if the Labor Force Participation Rate was the lowest for men since 1948 — when record-keeping first began? Would the media trumpet a “recovery?” Never in a million years.
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In response to saber-rattling by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the US sent B-2 stealth bombers for a “practice run” in South Korea. Why is North Korea threatening missile strikes against U.S. cities like Austin, Texas? The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Bellini has The Short Answer.
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Freezing to death, an explorer in the Arctic drifts, his mind recycling through the chain of events leading to his precarious state. This 2011 short was directed by Irish animator Darragh O’Connell. We previously showcased his work Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty.
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