13 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 degoogling, elections and alex jones. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was suspecting.

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!

7 comments

  1. mycketforvirrad
    Link
    British paratroopers dropping in French field for D-day event asked for passports The Guardian – Dan Sabbagh – 6th June 2024

    British paratroopers dropping in French field for D-day event asked for passports

    Eyebrows were raised at the Ministry of Defence when French immigration and customs insisted on checking the paperwork of 400 British paratroopers immediately after they dropped into fields near Saneville, Normandy on Wednesday.

    Some felt the French were trying to make a point in response to the UK’s decision to leave the EU and, while immigration checks for British troops on exercise abroad are routine, doing so at a public commemoration is deemed exceptional.

    The Guardian – Dan Sabbagh – 6th June 2024

    12 votes
  2. [4]
    jredd23
    Link
    DNA reveals surprise about the children ancient Mayans chose to sacrifice Washington Post - By Victoria Bisset - Published June 13, 2024

    DNA reveals surprise about the children ancient Mayans chose to sacrifice

    Washington Post - By Victoria Bisset - Published June 13, 2024

    4 votes
    1. [3]
      DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      This sounds like one of those "we made a lot of assumptions about other cultures so now it's a "surprise" that they'd sacrifice boys? There's not even any indication why they assumed it was girls...

      This sounds like one of those "we made a lot of assumptions about other cultures so now it's a "surprise" that they'd sacrifice boys? There's not even any indication why they assumed it was girls that were sacrificed

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        CannibalisticApple
        Link Parent
        I got curious and looked it up, and found several articles from 2008 state it was because the remains would be found with jade jewelry. So basically, old-timey sexist thinking that only girls wear...

        I got curious and looked it up, and found several articles from 2008 state it was because the remains would be found with jade jewelry. So basically, old-timey sexist thinking that only girls wear jewelry combined with the general mystical allure of virgin girls in western culture, I guess. Saw one article also mention something about girls being sacrificed in the name of fertile harvests and such. Seems like the archeological community has shifted that line of thinking and assumed males were the majority of sacrifices since at least 2008.

        I think the more surprising fact is that all the remains tested so far are male, and typically closely related to at least one other child's remains. The remains span a period of 500 years, so that's just a surprising consistency in using the site for a very specific type of sacrifice.

        9 votes
        1. DefinitelyNotAFae
          Link Parent
          From the article it sounds like there's a very distinct myth of twin boys being sacrificed to a god or killed by a god or something and I think it makes sense that they'd consider boys to be the...

          From the article it sounds like there's a very distinct myth of twin boys being sacrificed to a god or killed by a god or something and I think it makes sense that they'd consider boys to be the "correct* sacrifice given the context.

          Obviously I don't love the sacrifice thing but ya know, like anthropology-wise it tracks. Thanks for digging, glad other people had come around for a few years now and that science is helping us understand history

          5 votes
  3. [2]
    skybrian
    Link
    Denmark recalls Korean ramen for being too spicy (BBC)

    Denmark recalls Korean ramen for being too spicy (BBC)

    But the maker Samyang says there's no problem with the quality of the food.
    "We understand that the Danish food authority recalled the products, not because of a problem in their quality but because they were too spicy," the firm said in a statement to the BBC.
    "The products are being exported globally. But this is the first time they have been recalled for the above reason."

    2 votes