Wonkette And Washingtonsblog.com Reported That The Mayor Of Oakland Acknowledged That The Department

Two-sided amulet. On the front, the Raising of Lazarus. On the reverse are three lines of Greek magic words.

Jerusalem, Bible Lands Museum. Soft gray stone, 33 mm.

Magic amulets with Christian imagery were produced by an unusual workshop operating in 5th-century Palestine. Most of the amulets were crudely cut from very soft stones that could be easily carved with a sharp tool rather than with the drills used by experienced gem cutters. All were pierced to be worn suspended. The amulets generally draw on popular Christian imagery, including the Sacrifice of Isaac, the Raising of Lazarus, and Jesus with the apostles

Although some of the inscriptions on the amulets are in Greek, other inscriptions are badly blundered or in a pseudo-script, sometimes imitating Hebrew. The amulet makers appear to have had a superficial knowledge of both pagan and Jewish magic but were evidently serving Christian clients.

Grist

Arizona wants to mine uranium near the Grand Canyon. Tribal nations are fighting back.

“The tribes fought very hard for the establishment of the monument and are here to defend it.”

Excerpt from this story from Grist:

Earlier this year, Arizona lawmakers sued the Biden administration over the newly created Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni — Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument — arguing that the establishment of national monuments should be state matters and calling the move a “land grab.” Now, the Hopi, Havasupai, and Navajo Nation, whose ancestral lands overlap with the national monument, have intervened in the case and joined with the federal government to protect the area.

“Even if the Tribal Nations and federal government share similar goals and legal positions in this litigation, the United States cannot adequately represent the Tribal Nations’ sovereign interest,” the tribes’ intervention stated. 

The nearly one-million acre national monument protects areas tribes called home before being forcibly removed by the federal government, as well as places where tribal citizens hunt, pray, and gather foods and medicines. The area is also important for wildlife migration routes and potential burial sites. 

If successful, Arizona’s lawsuit would open Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni to more economic development, and specifically, livestock grazing and uranium mining. Currently, there is only one uranium mine in operation within the boundaries of the national monument. The lawsuit argues that limiting mining of uranium around the Grand Canyon will make the U.S. more dependent on acquiring it from foreign countries for energy purposes.

Arizona’s lawsuit is focused specifically on the Antiquities Act. Passed in 1906 to protect areas of scientific and historical significance, President Biden used the act to create Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni after decades of Indigenous advocacy focused on protecting the Grand Canyon from uranium mining. According to Arizona, the national monument ties up too much land, impacting revenue generation that could affect funding for schools as well as the economies of small towns in the area who have also joined in the suit against the federal government.

Chain of linked rings carved from soap.

classicwood:

Alphonse Mucha: The Seasons : Autumn (1897)

heavymettle:

Art by Alphonse Mucha

Hey not to be a downer but just so we’re all aware the Supreme Court just voted to criminalize homelessness and gut every administrative agency that keeps corporations from poisoning our food water and air

Gunsmith Cats

Taking place over a four year period, the story centers on two young women, 19-year old Irene "Rally" Vincent and her partner, 17-year old "Minnie" May Hopkins.

Rally and May operate the titular "Gunsmith Cats" gunshop in Chicago, Illinois. Rally also works as a bounty hunter, assisted by May, which is the impetus behind many of the stories. Rally characterizes bounty hunting as her "hobby," though it is in fact her main source of income.

Rally is an expert combat shooter and markswoman with just about every firearm in existence, as well as an expert driver. May is an explosives expert, knowing the inner workings of and many uses of all manner of explosive devices.

oh my god i logged off most of the night tonight but they really brought this border sherriff up on stage to talk about how evil the traffickers are

bro we are so fucking cooked we are never getting out of here this shit is so evil

mothtales:

Perchta:  “Masked figures from the “Wilde Jagd” Christmas folklore festivity in Salzburg, Austria. These festivities originate through the Perchtenlaufen custom, a period when the fearsome witch Perchta, who envies happily married couples, roams the villages. Processions of horribly masked figures armed with sticks and clubs meet throughout the festivity to chase the witch away.”