prpslydistracted

prpslydistracted t1_jd2c24k wrote

Reply to comment by DataMan62 in The men's Sweet 16 field since 2000 visualized as the sum of total seeds [OC] by Roadkill_Bingo

I know ... but why seed?

We all know what it means. But normally one can trace the evolution of terms in language but with such a commonly used word this one doesn't follow. https://www.merriam-webster.com/ mentions an athlete being top "seeded" but not the origin of the term. https://www.dictionary.com/ only relates to the obvious in biology.

Example; the word slave can be traced back to the Middle Ages to Slavic, when central Europeans were traded as slaves.

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prpslydistracted t1_j8l0vy2 wrote

Reply to comment by InhaleMyOwnFarts in How an All-Black Female WWII Unit Saved Morale on the Battlefield | History by That-Situation-4262

If any readers get the chance take a detour to Sweetwater, TX to see the https://www.waspmuseum.org/

I had the privilege to meet one of these rock stars at an event years ago. I was still recruiting (AF, 1967 - 1977). This little old lady paused when she saw me ... it was still unusual to see women in uniform. I greeted her and she only smiled, then reached into her purse to show me her WASP ID. I was stunned ... having read about these women pilots was inspiring. We hugged and spoke several minutes.

After all these years I'm ashamed to say I don't remember her name; I need to go back over their rosters and see if any spark a memory.

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prpslydistracted t1_iz4rx2t wrote

Reply to 5,000-Year-Old Owl-like plaques May Have Been ancient Toys by MeatballDom

Slate is between 2.5 and 4 on the Mohs scale ... almost as hard as marble and limestone, but not as hard as granite or natural quartz. I can't imagine a young child scribing that hard of stone; early teens, sure. But these are too well done; more on the level of artisan.

It would have to be a much harder stone tool applied with a great deal of pressure. That would require an adult allowing a child/young teen use of valuable tools. Unlikely.

Had these owls been exclusively in children's tombs one might consider it a toy. But they were in adults tombs as well. I think it would be an amulet or deity reference considering the characteristics of owls in general.

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prpslydistracted t1_iwbkazk wrote

Reply to Gravestones were used by the people to build houses by ValdisPunk

Can't for the life of me remember the book but I read an autobiography of a frontier woman (late 1800s, Midwest) who lost a young daughter. She hired a laborer to help her move a stone step from the only primitive church around; she used it as a grave marker for her daughter and carved the name and dates herself. Poignant confession. The settlement knew it was her but didn't act on it. The woman died in the 1920s.

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