15 votes

Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news

Posted by mycketforvirrad
Tags: ask.discussion, recurring.weekly, offbeat fridays, offbeat

Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like substack, amazon.prime and cannabis. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was perplexed.

But one of my favourite tags happens to be offbeat! Taking its original inspiration from Sir Nils Olav III, this thread is looking for any far-fetched offbeat stories lurking in the newspapers. It may not deserve its own post, but it deserves a wider audience!

6 comments

  1. [5]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    The mystery of the medieval fighting snails BBC Future – Zaria Gorvett – 23rd December 2023

    The mystery of the medieval fighting snails

    The pages of medieval books are stalked by a ferocious monster: the fighting snail.

    But even within the pages of antique tomes, knights must face mortal perils. This one's chivalric opponent is a particularly slippery beast – a foe often found slinking along in their margins and engaging noblemen in deadly combat. Sometimes the creatures appear to be hovering, attacking knights in mid-air. Occasionally there is more than one. This is the uniquely medieval phenomenon of the fighting snail – and to this day, why they were depicted remains utterly mysterious.

    BBC Future – Zaria Gorvett – 23rd December 2023

    7 votes
    1. [4]
      cfabbro
      Link Parent
      Phil Edwards produced a video for Vox about that a long time ago: Why knights fought snails in medieval art

      Phil Edwards produced a video for Vox about that a long time ago:
      Why knights fought snails in medieval art

      6 votes
      1. [3]
        boxer_dogs_dance
        Link Parent
        In my mispent youth as a cub reporter, I reported on a snail race hosted by a local youth organization. All snails were numbered and started at the center of a circle. The first snail to cross the...

        In my mispent youth as a cub reporter, I reported on a snail race hosted by a local youth organization. All snails were numbered and started at the center of a circle. The first snail to cross the line won a prize for its sponsoring kid. I didn't realize how funny my draft was, but it was a hit with the newsroom.

        5 votes
        1. [2]
          cfabbro
          Link Parent
          How did they get the snails to actually move? I hope no salt was involved!

          How did they get the snails to actually move? I hope no salt was involved!

          2 votes
          1. boxer_dogs_dance
            Link Parent
            Idk, it worked. I hope painting numbers on their shells didn't hurt them.

            Idk, it worked. I hope painting numbers on their shells didn't hurt them.

            3 votes
  2. updawg
    Link
    Crow Wing County Board plans to take concerns over new flag design to Minnesota governor...

    Crow Wing County Board plans to take concerns over new flag design to Minnesota governor

    https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/crow-wing-county-board-plans-to-take-concerns-over-new-flag-design-to-minnesota-governor/

    Shitty website, short article, so here it is:

    CROW WING COUNTY, Minn. — Minnesota's newly redesigned state flag is still set to debut on Statehood Day in May. But the Crow Wing County Board plans to take their concerns about it to the governor and state lawmakers in the new year.

    Commissioner Paul Koering raised this concern to the county board at last Tuesday's meeting, saying that he's received a number of calls and messages from his constituents who are not happy with the new design.

    Fellow Commissioner Steve Barrows also echoed the same message during the meeting.

    Our current state flag and seal features a controversial image of Native Americans that has drawn criticism for decades with many saying it's racist.

    Koering says he believes the image shows White and Native Americans living in harmony. He also likened it to the confederate statues torn down across the country in 2017.

    "I think we're we're doomed to repeat our failures if we whitewash our history and this is just an example of it here, changing this Minnesota flag, which I don't agree with, a lot of my constituents don't agree with," Koering said.

    The county board will vote on Tuesday to send a letter to Gov. Tim Walz and state lawmakers to express their displeasure with the flag redesign.

    The letter will serve as more of a symbolic resolution, meaning it won't have any direct impact. However, the board felt it was important to raise their concerns.

    3 votes