Recent comments in /f/todayilearned

draculthemad t1_jadey6w wrote

Reply to comment by Dawnawaken92 in TIL that when epidemiologist Tamara Safonova and virologist Alexandra Sheboldaeva discovered Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in 1937, they were accused of spreading the virus themselves and sentenced to 18 years in Soviet labor camps. by SecretAgentIceBat

The people actually responsible for health and safety needed someone convenient to blame, other than their own failures.

If thousands of soldiers are getting sick from a tick-borne disease, someone has to answer uncomfortable questions about why they are surrounded by rats.

Much easier to blame evil scientists for sabotage.

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GenXer3383 t1_jaderb7 wrote

Reply to comment by XIphos12 in TIL Thomas Jefferson regularly attended many different churches and declared "I am of a sect by myself" unlike many of the other devoted founding fathers. by skylightyourlife

Laws were restrictive in freeing slaves at the time. Jefferson also believed in educating and training slaves so they were no illiterate and unskilled citizens destined to be desititue for life with little or no resources to build a life for themselves. Presumably, he lacked the resources to pursue his political career (including trying to end slavery), maintain his family and estate, and properly prepare more slaves to be freemen.

In the end, his efforts to curb slavery socially and politically didn't bear great fruit, though slavery was shrinking until the industrial revolution made slave labor more economically viable. Perhaps Jefferson would be looked upon more kindly if he had a time machine, knew his policies wouldn't end slavery, and had the foresight to free a greater amount of his own slaves. (Though again, pro-slavery politicians and landholders made freeing large numbers of slaves very difficult with laws and policies they successfully put in place.)

For people to just spew "hur dur, Jefferson had slaves" when he couldn't just wave his had and free all his slaves to live happy and productive lives is lazy and smears the legacy of a great leader in our history.

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nathing1 t1_jadekgh wrote

Reply to TIL Hawaii is the best place on earth to see rainbows. There are words for Earth-clinging rainbows (uakoko), standing rainbow shafts (kāhili), barely visible rainbows (punakea), and moonbows (ānuenue kau pō). The rainbow is seen as a symbol of transformation and a pathway between Earth and Heaven. by -AMARYANA-

My very favorite experience at uh manoa dorms was standing on top of the circle towers and looking down at a full circle rainbow. Totally stunning in a totally stunning place.

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Tuckaho-Joe t1_jaddgtf wrote

Reply to TIL that when you say a word many times over, and it stops sounding like a word, that is called 'semantic satiation.' by Bean_Superiority

I wonder is this that satiation you speak of: The Story of Valmiki “For his whole life, the thief had only said harsh and unkind words. So, try as he might, he could not utter the word “Rama”. But Narada was too kind to leave him. So he tried another method. He slowly said the word “Mara”, which means ‘death’. This time the robber was very happy to say the word! He really liked it! He began saying it, over and over again. “Mara, Mara, Mara, Mara. And he started repeating the syllables in quick succession. . . “Mara, Mara, Ma-Ra, Ma-Ra, Ma, Ra, Ma, Ra, Ma, Ra-Ma, Ra-Ma, Rama, Rama.

Without realising it, the robber was repeating the holy name of Lord Rama. He was captivated by the charm of the sacred name and he went on repeating the name, forgetful of where he was. He sat like that for ages, without moving and without opening his eyes. Years passed away. Seeing him sitting like an immovable stone, ants, worms and insects crawled fearlessly near him. They built their homes and nests on his body. The anthills grew and grew until they covered him completely. This long penance washed away all the robber’s sins”

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XIphos12 t1_jadct81 wrote

Reply to comment by GenXer3383 in TIL Thomas Jefferson regularly attended many different churches and declared "I am of a sect by myself" unlike many of the other devoted founding fathers. by skylightyourlife

So level with me then: these people are ignorant by stating a simple fact about him. This frustrates you because it doesn't complete the picture. Yet I have to ask, if Jefferson "was at the forefront" as you say, why did he not start with his own slaves? If you're going to expect something from others, you should probably make it your own practice. In my mind, that makes him one of two things in regards to the abolition of slavery: foolish or insincere. We can't pretend he had no influence in Revolutionary America, and we can't we pretend he practiced what he preached. Honestly if he had started with his own (more than just 2 of his 600), it may have gone a long way. Yet speculation is just speculation and the facts remain: Jefferson owned slaves and used them. He freed a handful (including those freed before and after he died), and the rest were sold after his death to pay off his substantial debt.

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SterlingArcherTrois t1_jadbsgy wrote

Reply to comment by lorens05 in TIL the deacon Saint Lawrence was roasted alive on a giant grill during the persecution of Valerian. The poet Prudentius tells that he joked with his tormentors, "Turn me over—I'm done on this side". He is now the patron saint of cooks, chefs, and comedians. by ALasagnaForOne

You’re talking about a religion here, blindly believing in insane stories with zero evidence whatsoever is literally a requirement for participation.

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