French comedian Dieudonne demonstrating the quenelle, a Nazi-like gesture whose popularity has soared in France.



PARIS – To outsiders, they seem like ordinary men striking macho poses for the camera. But there is a dark side to the photos that are appearing with growing frequency in the French media.

The men – and less frequently women – are performing the “quenelle,” a gesture vaguely similar to the Nazi salute that some believe was invented solely to express hatred of Jews without inviting prosecution.

In France, displaying Nazi symbols is illegal if done to cause offense. But the quenelle, in which one places the left palm across the right shoulder, may not be prosecutable. It is just similar enough to the Nazi salute to make its meaning clear, but not so similar that the gesturer could be subject to criminal charges.

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The quenelle is of a piece with Dieudonne’s coining of the term “shoananas,” a mashup of the Hebrew word for Holocaust and the French word for pineapple that is seen as a safe way to suggest the Holocaust is a myth while not running afoul of French laws prohibiting Holocaust denial. Dieudonne fans have taken to performing the quenelle next to pineapples.

The quenelle’s popularity has soared in France. Hundreds of quenelle photos can be found in anti-Semitic forums and on Facebook, with quenelles performed at Jewish sites and at Nazi concentration camps especially popular. But while civil servants may face disciplinary action over the quenelle, civilians may perform it with impunity.


http://www.jewishaz.com/us_worldnews/world/quasi-nazi-salute-popular-in-france/article_861cdee8-6ccb-11e3-afad-001a4bcf6878.html

There is no question about the intent of this gesture.

http://www.pinterest.com/perkinsarchives/helen-kellers-dogs/


Helen had lived with dogs in her parents home and had had a Cocker Spaniel as a young girl, but she became the guardian of her own dog in 1902 when she was given a Boston Bull Terrier, the proto-type of today's Boston Terrier breed.

The dog was a gift from Helen's friends at Radcliffe College. Sir Thomas was known to have a particularly sweet and calm temperament which probably made him an adept informal service dog. He regularly accompanied his mistress to lectures and would wait patiently until class was over and then accompany her back home.

As close as she was to Thomas, Helen Keller's real canine love came later in her life. In the 1930s when Keller was in her fifties she visited Japan on a speaking tour. Keller had great regard for Japanese culture and was very popular on her visit. While in Japan she heard the story of Hachiko, the famously loyal Akita. Keller expressed interest in getting an Akita of her own and before she left the country she was gifted a young Akita pup, named Kamikaze-Go. Sadly, the dog passed away at the age of 7 1/2 months from distemper. Keller was devastated. Hearing of her heart break the Japanese government arranged for her to receive another Akita pup, Kenzan-Go, the younger brother of Kamikaze. Go-Go as Keller called him was a loyal companion and a source of endless delight to her until the end of his days. Through the two dogs Keller introduced the Akita breed to the United States. She called her Akita companions "angels in fur."

http://urbanhounds-tubby5dog.blogspot.com/2012/03/womens-history-month-famous-women-and.html#.UmguX1P25gg

Se Me Van




Ruperta




Coba Guarango




I love this group.

I gotta include Eljuri, her album En Paz was one of the best albums of 2008, regardless of the language, check out Peligrosa, Tierras, Yo Soy and Una Ola, she is quite a talent.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1253403

Photo essay: A wild horse allows human intervention to help save her foal

March 4 2013

Early in the morning on July 6, 2012, while kayaking up the Salt River in the Tonto National Forest, a kayaker pointed to a horse that was standing on the bank. It was a mare named Rosa. She was alone so something was wrong. Realizing the urgency of the situation, I quickly paddled as close as I could then ran towards her. My eyes caught sight of a brand new foal. It must have fallen down the steep embankment, into the river and was caught up in brush.

Rosa’s family had returned by the time I reached her. With my life vest still on, I ran through the horses and into the water. The ledge dropped off steeply and the current was powerful. Despite my fear of the river, I was determined to save foal. Only a few months previously I had watched a horse drown. I was not going to let that happen on this day. Naively, I tried to grab the foal by the scruff of its neck to lift it like a puppy. Unsuccessful, I braced myself against the ledge and grabbed it with both hands. I carefully lifted it over the branches. After freeing the foal and getting it part way up the hill the other kayaker arrived to help carry the foal away from the river’s edge. We set the foal down and backed away so Rosa could see her baby. She nuzzled him. She tried to encourage her foal to stand but he remained down and shivering.

http://horseandman.com/people-and-places/a-feel-good-story-for-your-tuesday-the-salt-river-wild-horses-are-one-more-thanks-to-becky/

A very nice melody and some killer stop motion animation.

Enjoy.