Friday links

A few ruminations on growing old, plus the Thanksgiving birthday pattern.

How Elephant Poop Becomes Fancy Paper in Sri Lanka.

The History of Ken Doll's Crotch.

A Scientific Look at How Female Turkeys Choose Their Mates (and get rid of the rejects). Plus, artificial insemination.

The Starling and Falcon Dance.

Criminal decides to break into the house of an experienced medieval combat re-enactor, who keeps a carbon-steel double-headed battle axe that he calls, "my baby": "Police K-9s followed the trail of blood to apprehend the suspect."

ICYMI, most recent links are here, and include the chemicals that give autumn leaves their colors, why ice is slippery, exploring an old mental hospital, and an 18th century guide to hunting vampires.

Friday links

July 9 is Nikola Tesla's birthday: bio, Tesla coil music, Tesla vs Edison rap battle, infographic from The Oatmeal.

Why Did the Star Trek and Star Wars Universes Turn Out So Differently?

John T. Scopes, the defendant in the 1925 anti-evolution “monkey trial,” appeared on “To Tell the Truth” in 1960.

Ancient Minoan Culture Illustrated with Scantily-Clad Barbies, bonus 1961 video: When Barbie Met Ken.

An Archive of 3,000 Vintage Cookbooks.

Inside the Castle in the Middle of the Death Valley Desert.

ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and consist entirely of lots of July 4th stuff.

Ancient Minoan Culture Illustrated with Scantily-Clad Barbies, bonus 1961 video: When Barbie Met Ken

There's quite a bit of partial- and full-frontal Barbie (wiki) nudity going on here; although while I can't imagine that being unsafe for work, consider yourself warned.

The Minoan civilization (wiki) was an Aegean Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. 

There is a land called Crete, in the midst of the wine-dark sea, a fair, rich land, begirt with water, and therein are many men, past counting, and ninety cities. They have not all the same speech, but their tongues are mixed. There dwell Achaeans, there great-hearted native Cretans, there Cydonians, and Dorians of waving plumes, and goodly Pelasgians. Among their cities is the great city Cnosus, where Minos reigned when nine years old.

~Homer, Odyssey Book 19, line 173

The web site with these images appears to be an art history project of some sort and has explanatory text, as well. 

A Minoan priestess dressed as the
Snake goddess leads a dance ceremony

A bound victim is carried by boat to the site of her sacrifice

A sacred tree around which Minoan women are dancing as a part of their worship

A sacrificial victim is stabbed in the throat to obtain
the blood needed to fertilize the crops in the spring
 and her life drains away with the blood

Go see the whole set: Ancient Minoan Culture Illustrated with Barbies (scroll down).

And here's when Barbie met Ken - it happened at a dance:

Related: Artist Creates “Normal Barbie” Using Official CDC Measurements.

Plastic prophets: artists create religious Barbie and Ken mods, "plan to skip Muhammad"

Argentinian artists Marianela Perelli and Pool Paolini will show their Barbie and Ken dolls modeled after religious figures at an Oct. 11 show titled, "Barbie, The Plastic Religion." I don't have a problem with this in principle - I've had a Dashboard Jesus in my car for years. The crucifixion version (at the bottom of this post), though, is a bit much.

Apparently they're smart enough not to take on the "religion of peace":

Pools also explained they have “nothing against religion” and were even careful about respecting all beliefs. The pair is working on Islam figurines and plans to skip representing Muhammad, as this religion condemns representing the prophet.

BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 23 (UPI): A pair of Argentinean artists are courting controversy with a series of Barbie and Ken dolls modeled after religious icons including Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Marianela Perelli and Pool Paolini posted photos online featuring Mattel's famous plastic couple as religious figures complete with boxes explaining their intended identities.

The artists said the dolls will be displayed Oct. 11 at an exhibition titled "Barbie, The Plastic Religion" in Buenos Aires.

The 33 dolls feature icons from religions including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism.

"If there's a Barbie doctor, a teacher and a police officer, why shouldn't there be a Virgin of Lujan Barbie?" the artists said on their Facebook page.