A video lecture series on European history from around 1500 to the present from the course History , 001 – Fall 2010 from University of Berkeley. The central questions that it addresses are how and why Europe–a small, relatively poor, and politically fragmented place– became the motor of globalization and a world civilzation in its own right. Put differently how did western become an adjective that, for better and often for worse, stands in place of modern……

This is awesome, particularly if you’re interested in European history. You can even download the videos to watch later. You won’t regret watching the series.

In which John Green investigates the dawn of human civilization. John looks into how people gave up hunting and gathering to become agriculturalists, and how that change has influenced the world we live in today. Also, there are some jokes about cheeseburgers.

In case the wall of text is a bit much for you, here it is broken it up a bit.

Hello, Cross-Cultural students,

I am writing to express my views on how some of you have conducted yourself in this university course you are taking with me.

It is not uncommon for some-to-many American students, who typically, are first-generation college students, to not fully understand, and maybe not even appreciate the purpose of a university. Some students erroneously believe a university is just an extension of high school, where students are spoon- fed “soft” topics and dilemmas to confront, regurgitate the “right” answers on exams (right answers as deemed by the instructor or a textbook), and then move on to the next course.

Not only is this not the purpose of a university (although it may feel like it is in some of your other courses), it clearly is not the purpose of my upper-division course on Cross-Cultural Psychology.

The purpose of a university, and my course in particular, is to struggle intellectually with some of life’s most difficult topics that may not have one right answer, and try to come to some conclusion about what may be “the better answer” (It typically is not the case that all views are equally valid; some views are more defensible than others). Another purpose of a university, and my course in particular, is to engage in open discussion in order to critically mine beliefs, behaviors, and customs. Finally, another purpose of a university education is to help students who typically are not accustomed to thinking independently or applying a critical analysis to views or beliefs, to start learning how to do so. We are not in class to learn “facts” and simply regurgitate the facts in a mindless way to items on a test. Critical thinking is a skill that develops over time. Independent thinking does not occur overnight. Critical thinkers are open to having their cherished beliefs challenged, and must learn how to “defend” their views based on evidence or logic, rather than simply “pounding their chest” and merely proclaiming that their views are valid.” One characteristic of the critical, independent thinker is being able to recognize fantasy versus reality; to recognize the difference between personal beliefs which are nothing more than personal beliefs, versus views that are grounded in evidence, or which have no evidence.

Last class meeting and for 15 minutes today, we addressed “religious bigotry.” Several points are worth contemplating: (1) Religion and culture go “hand in hand.” For some cultures, they are so intertwined that it is difficult to know with certainty if a specific belief or custom is “cultural” or “religious” in origin. The student in class tonight who proclaimed that my class was supposed to be about different cultures (and not religion) lacks an understanding about what constitutes “culture.” (of course, I think her real agenda was to stop my comments about religion). (2) Students in my class who openly proclaimed that Christianity is the most valid religion, as some of you did last class, portrayed precisely what religious bigotry is. Bigots-racial bigot or religious bigots – never question their prejudices and bigotry. They are convinced their beliefs are correct. For the Christians in my class who argued the validity of Christianity last week, I suppose I should thank you for demonstrating to the rest of the class what religious arrogance and bigotry looks like. It seems to have not even occurred to you (I’m directing this comment to those students who manifested such bigotry), as I tried to point out in class tonight, how such bigotry is perceived and experienced by the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, the non-believers, and so on, in class, to have to sit and endure the tyranny of the masses (the dominant group, that is, which in this case, are Christians). (3) The male student who stood up in class and directed the rest of the class to “not participate” by not responding to my challenge, represented the worst of education. For starters, the idea that a person-student or instructor- would instruct other students on how to behave, is pretty arrogant and grossly disrespects the rights of other students who can and want to think for themselves and decide for themselves whether they want to engage in the exchange of ideas or not. Moreover, this “let’s just put our fingers in our ears so we will not hear what we disagree with” is…. appallingly childish and exemplifies “anti-intellectualism.” The purpose of a university is to engage in dialogue, debate, and exchange ideas in order to try and come to some meaningful conclusion about an issue at hand. Not to shut ourselves off from ideas we find threatening.

You can also download a pdf to read it later.

While the spoof is funny, Wonders of the Universe and Wonders of the Solar System are quite brilliant. I really enjoy everything that Professor Brian Cox does. He’s a particle physicist, but he explains everything he does so that even a simpleton like me can understand and enjoy the subject matter. If you’ve never had a chance to see anything he’s done, you should. His absolute joy in science is refreshing and engaging.

Here he is in an episode of QI and A Night with the Stars lecture on BBC a few weeks ago. If you live in the UK you can watch Wonders of the Universe online.

Damn it! Why do the Brits get to have all the really good TV Shows?

This cross stitch was made by Major Alexis Casdagli, who was imprisoned by the Nazis from 1941 to 1945. To pass the time, he began stitching on scraps of canvas and bits of thread. The most outstanding piece is a seemingly innocent sampler with a border design – but the dots and dashes are actually Morse code that spell out “God Save the King” and “Fuck Hitler”.

You can read more about Major Alexis Casdagli and his son here and here.

Via reddit.

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the summer/winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2012, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make your great nation. Not to imply that this country is necessarily greater than any other country in the world. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishees.

Via reddit.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta, left, kisses her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach, Va., Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2011 after Gaeta's ship returned from 80 days at sea. It ís a time-honored tradition at Navy homecomings - one lucky sailor is chosen to be first off the ship for the long-awaited kiss with a loved one. On Wednesday, for the first time, the happily reunited couple was gay. (AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Brian J. Clark) MAGS OUT

Story via the AP.

From the museum shop’s description:

At 77 years of age, Thomas Jefferson constructed a book that he entitled The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. Assembling excerpts from the four gospels of the New Testament, he rearranged them to tell a chronological and edited story of Jesus’s life, parables, and moral teaching. Jefferson cut from printed texts in four languages—English, French, Latin, and Greek—seeking to clarify and distill Jesus’s teachings, which he believed to be “the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.” The beautiful handmade book became well worn from frequent use even in Jefferson’s lifetime.

The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition, a full-color facsimile created from high-resolution digital photographs of recently conserved and rebound pages, includes all four languages and Jefferson’s handwritten notes. No other edition so clearly provides a window into the mind of its maker.

An introduction by Smithsonian curators Harry R. Rubenstein and Barbara Clark Smith explains Jefferson’s intentions in creating the volume and the ways that his endeavor reflected his Enlightenment ideals and Revolutionary spirit. Smithsonian conservator Janice Stagnitto Ellis’s essay on conservation reveals surprising insights into how Jefferson crafted the book so precisely. Faithful to the unique artifact so painstakingly created by Thomas Jefferson himself, The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition makes the thoughts of a great American mind accessible for generations to come.  208 pages, full color reproduction of the original Jefferson Bible containing 4 languages.

The step-by-step conservation page is fascinating. This is a big part of history that many more people need to know about. I have wanted to see the book for many years, but I am not a researcher and could never gain access to it. Because time and many hands have rendered it fragile, it’s a great thing that the Smithsonian has preserved the book while also making copies that the world can enjoy.

The Jefferson Bible will be on display November 11, 2011–May 28, 2012 , so I’m afraid I will not get a chance to see it in person. I’m just going to have to save some cash to purchase a facsimile version.