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 S43Ancient necromancy: A skull-filled cave near Jerusalem was a gateway to the underworld   Archaeologists exploring the Te’omim Cave in the Jerusalem Hills have found more than 120 oil lamps dated to the Late Roman and Early Byzantine periods tucked away in narrow, difficult-to-reach crevices. Because of their placement, not to mention their proximity to several human skulls, it’s unlikely they were used for lighting. But if they weren’t used for lighting, then what were they used for?Eitan Klein of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Boaz Zissu of Bar-Ilan University believe that the lamps may have been used in necromantic rituals. In a new research paper, the duo turned to ancient sources for verification.
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S27Play the Classic RPG That Inspired a Cult Icon on Switch Online ASAP  Shigesato Itoi did not come from the world of video games. First, he put his creativity to commercial use through copywriters for ads. Then, in 1981, he published a book of short stories with the now world-famous Haruki Murakami, although reviews describe it less as a collection of short stories and more a “collection of random, aimless pieces of light-hearted writing that Murakami and Itoi clearly enjoyed making.” Jumping from medium to medium, he also voiced a character in the Japanese version of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro.Like many restless creatives in the 1980s, Itoi became interested in digital work. While visiting Nintendo for some work as a copywriter, he shot his shot with Shigeru Miyamoto. Walking into Nintendo and pitching a game to Miyamoto — it’s hard to imagine a bigger gamer fantasy. While clearly a rising star, neither the industry nor Miyamoto was yet at the height of their power.
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S3175 Awesome Things on Amazon That Are So Damn Cheap  In the past year, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve stepped foot in a mall. The reason? Amazon has just about anything I could possibly need, including plenty of brilliant problem-solving items. Perhaps my favorite finds, however, are the cheap things on Amazon that are actually impressive. Scroll on for great ideas for every facet of your life. Many have thousands of five-star ratings to back them up, and the vast majority of these picks are $30 or less. Proof that you don’t have to choose between cost and convenience.
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S41Hey Students, You Can Get Discounts With Your College Email. Here's How  Going to college is expensive. Between tuition, textbooks, and beer, there isn’t always a lot of wiggle room in the budget. Tack on skyrocketing inflation, and you might be wondering just how you’re supposed to manage your money. One way to stretch those dollars further is by taking advantage of student discounts. A valid .edu email address can help you save on plenty of academic necessities, with a little left over for binge-watching on Netflix or cheap food delivery. We’ve rounded up our favorite student discounts below.Updated August 2023: We refreshed this guide with updated links and added deals on Peacock Premium, 1Password, Babbel, and more.
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S42The Best Carpet Cleaners to Resurrect Your Rugs  If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIREDOver time, tramping feet, molting pets, and spilled drinks can take a heavy toll on our hard-working carpets. That pristine pile loses its shine and bounce, fibers get tangled with hair, and stains settle in for the long haul. Surface crumbs and dust might get sucked up regularly by your vacuum, but there’s only so much it can do. For a deep clean that will wet-wash your rugs to lift ingrained dirt and lingering odors, you need a carpet cleaner.
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S21Former dancers have initiated legal action against Lizzo, reminding us arts workers deserve the same workplace protections as any other industry  Last month, multi-Grammy winner Lizzo graced stadiums across Australia with her electrifying performances. Glowing five-star reviews celebrated Lizzo, the stage name of Melissa Viviane Jefferson, for attracting audiences of that are inclusive and celebrate love. Over the past three years, Lizzo has shifted from cult performer to a global icon with her fourth album and international tour. Lizzo is known for her unique blend of self-acceptance and body positivity. Her personal brand radiates “unbridled joy and unapologetic self-confidence.” As a vocal supporter of fat positive language, Lizzo has faced significant criticism and hostility online.
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S29S38Wildfires: The changing face of the Mediterranean landscape  The contrast is stark – where vast swathes of land were once rich with life, they are blackened and smouldering ruins, decimated by fire. In just 12 days, 135,000 hectares (521sq miles) of land were left burnt in southern Europe after fires broke out in mid-July. Italy and Greece were worst hit, including the islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Sicily.Wildfires, supercharged by strong winds and a heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40C (104F), have left the land scorched, at least 40 people dead and thousands more forced to flee. On the opposite side of the Mediterranean huge wildfires in Algeria and Tunisia have claimed dozens of lives and led to widespread evacuations.
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S30The 50 Coolest, Most Clever Things for Your Home Under $30  No matter how long you’ve been settled into your home, there are always clever tools and gadgets you can add to make your life easier. The hidden gems on this list are just as useful as they are budget-friendly. Each one is less than $30 and will quickly prove itself to be worth every penny, whether you’re looking for something to make cooking a bit easier, keep your garage in order, or make your space more comfortable. Scroll on to see what’s actually worth the money.Made of super absorbent microfiber material, these pair of towel balls will quickly dry your hands to keep counters and floors neat and dry. They have durable loops for convenient hanging and almost look like decor on the wall. A blue-toned pair is also available within the listing.
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S22New report into Lehrmann prosecution mires case in yet more controversy  The ACT government on Monday officially released the report from the inquiry into the prosecution of former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann over the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019. Lehrmann has consistently denied the allegation. The inquiry is only one of at least seven legal proceedings linked to the high-profile, politically-charged case.
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S53Using Technology to Create a Better Customer Experience  A compelling CX demands balancing customer empathy with technology to avoid falling into the trap of what we call “engineered insincerity,” or using automation to simulate interest in who you are as a human being. Engineered insincerity shows up from brands in various ways, such as a constant flow of emails from a retailer that bear no understanding of your current situation, chatbots that use slang and informal language to make them appear human, and daily text messages that force you to unfollow. Don’t let your automation strategy set the tone for your relationship with your customers.
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S47Photos of the Week:  Widespread flooding in China, a horse cart race in India, drone training in Ukraine, a wildfire in the Mojave National Preserve, a water polo match in Japan, a trampoline championship in England, a flooded St Mark’s Square in Venice, an air show in Ireland, and much more A member of the Crane Valley Hotshots works to light a backfire as the York Fire burns in the Mojave National Preserve on July 30, 2023. The York Fire has burned over 70,000 acres, and has crossed the state line from California into Nevada. #
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S15S18Spooky, stealthy night hunters: revealing the wonderful otherworld of owls  The calls of owls come to me most nights through the open window of my bedroom. Mostly it is the soft, repeated, rhythmic more … pork, more … pork of a pair of boobooks. Sometimes, more grandly, it is the deeper, slower woo hoo … woo hoo of a powerful owl, hunting for possums in the creek-side forest. Even less common but more unnerving is the truly weird screaming and distinctive whistling (likened to a falling bomb) of a sooty owl.
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S20S44Why "anomie" is eroding the soul of our society  In 2015, Peter Maddox bought a yellow car. Within a few months, people were going ballistic — well, as ballistic as people get in a quaint British village. What the retired Maddox hadn’t considered was that there were rules to living in Bibury. And one of those rules is, “Don’t buy a garishly colored hatchback.”Bibury is a tourist’s dream: a hamlet of thatched cottages framing a gently babbling brook. Buses full of tourists offload in Bibury every day for selfies, postcards, and overpriced pastries. So, what Bibury didn’t need was Peter Maddox and his yellow car ruining it for everyone else. The thing about small communities like Bibury is that they have mores. “Mores” is a somewhat antiquated word, but it means those intangible expectations a social body places on its individual members. It’s a bit more than etiquette, but a bit less than morality. It’s something more like “rules of behavior.”
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S17S23The Violent Delights of "Harley Quinn"  Batman doesn't get much crime-fighting done in the Max animated series "Harley Quinn," a bright-hued, pointedly buoyant riff on a comics franchise that's come to be defined by its shadows. For most of the show's run, Gotham's best-known millionaire orphan has been in a coma, in convalescence, in a swoon over an ambivalent Catwoman, or in prison (for tax evasion, because Batman is nothing if not a problematic fave). The city is up for grabs, and every baddie is eager to make his name. Supervillainy is a kind of stardom, after all; you have to be camera-ready, create a memorable spectacle, and know your competition. Reputation is everything. That's why, when the Joker (voiced by Alan Tudyk) is dumped by his girlfriend, Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco), he's quick to spread the narrative that she's a "crazy bitch," and that he broke up with her. Tired of being seen as a mere sidekickâa cutesy accessory to some guyâHarley sets out to earn her own fame as one of Gotham's premier scoundrels.Like "The Boys"âa live-action melodrama on Amazon, and the only other series I've found that's capable of overcoming my chronic superhero fatigueâ"Harley Quinn" is a wry show-biz satire with a distinctly anti-corporate streak. (This is the kind of Batman story that implicitly argues Bruce Wayne would do more good by funding public education than by playing dress-up as a flying rat.) Referential and potty-mouthed, the cartoon is no less blood-spattered than "The Boys," but Harley's fantastical exploits are anchored in more earthbound struggles, even when her rivals are attending a business conference on the moon. In the first seasonâthe show is currently in its fourthâHarley has to be dragged kicking and screaming by her new friend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) to the realization that she lost her sense of self in her entanglement with the Joker. (Before meeting him, in Arkham Asylum, Harley was Harleen, a promising young psychiatrist who had clawed her way out of a dysfunctional childhood through academic achievement. The Joker, her patient turned lover, persuaded her to quit and become his mallet-swinging muscle.) Harley spent much of the rest of that season dealing with the shame of having stayed so long in an unequal, arguably abusive relationship. The series' willingness to traverse such difficult emotional terrain distinguishes it from more straightforward female-empowerment tales, including the 2020 movie "Birds of Prey," in which Margot Robbie, playing a flesh-and-blood Harley, underwent a similar but less developed journey of self-rediscovery.
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S36S34Sharif Hussein and the campaign for a modern Arab empire | Aeon Essays  is associate professor of history at Duke University in North Carolina. He is the author of Arab Patriotism: The Ideology and Culture of Power in Late Ottoman Egypt (2017), Primordial History, Print Capitalism, and Egyptology in Nineteenth-Century Cairo (2021) and Modern Arab Kingship: Remaking the Ottoman Political Order in the Interwar Middle East (2023).In December 2022, Abdullah II, the king of Jordan, gave an interview to the CNN anchor Becky Anderson. Sitting close to the Jordan River, not far from where Jesus is believed to have been baptised, this Muslim ruler expressed his concerns about the status of Jerusalem and the Christians under pressure from the new, extremist Israeli government. He emphasised that the ‘Hashemites’, his family, are the custodians of both Christian and Muslim sites in the holy city. Abdullah II cited his great-great-grandfather Sharif Hussein. It was from Hussein’s time, sometime at the end of the First World War, according to Abdullah II, that the Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem’s holy sites originates. His ancestor even gave sanctuary to Christian Armenian refugees in Jordan, said the king proudly on CNN.
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S19S2420 Years Ago, Disney Redefined a Classic Sci-Fi Genre  It’s common to hear Disney fans complain about the studio’s onslaught of remakes and reboots, with the term “IP Movie” going from industry jargon to a derogatory label. But while The Lion King and The Little Mermaid may be getting all the attention, this isn’t a new practice. Twenty years ago, another wave of live-action reboots swept over the Disney catalog. And while many are best left forgotten, one turned a genre that was the stuff of hokey B-movies into a powerhouse.In the ‘90s and ‘00s, Disney refurbished a wide variety of lesser-known live-action movies: The Parent Trap, The Love Bug, and Freaky Friday were all remade, and those were just the ones that starred Lindsay Lohan. Less-than-stellar duds were given a facelift with new stars, like The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes with Kirk Cameron and The Shaggy Dog with Tim Allen.
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S25Zack Snyder Has a Plan to Fix His Most Controversial Sci-Fi Movie  Twelve years ago, Zack Snyder tried to subvert the male gaze that’s come to define his hyper-stylized oeuvre. Those efforts culminated in Sucker Punch, his first (and only!) film told from a female perspective. It was a bold move, but if its divisive legacy (and Rotten Tomatoes score) is any indication, those efforts backfired spectacularly.Sucker Punch may very well be the biggest bomb of Snyder’s career, as derided for its gratuitous set pieces as it was for its twisty girl-power message. The film follows an asylum patient named Babydoll (Emily Browning) through an inner battle for her own autonomy. Much of Sucker Punch (specifically its epic, nonsensical action sequences) takes place in Babydoll’s head — in the real world, she’s actually been lobotomized — and it’s this trippy premise that ended up alienating audiences.
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S32Should You Take Vitamin D Pills or Go Out in the Sun? The Best Answer Might Surprise You  Vitamin D has been in vogue lately, with claims that seem to exalt it to panacea status. Some research suggests it can help treat depression and even help prevent Covid-19 (though this claim remains rickety). And many Americans are vitamin D deficient, after all. Does that mean everyone should be popping these supplements?Vitamin D, also called calciferol, is vital to human health. It improves calcium absorption and keeps bones strong, and helps prevent osteoporosis in older adults. A vitamin D deficiency may cause bones to become brittle or misshapen. Its also thought to reduce inflammation and promote cell growth.
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S2634 Years Ago, Nintendo Changed How We Play Video Games Forever  The best-selling console currently on store shelves today is the Nintendo Switch, which is coming close to 130 million units sold. While the plethora of iconic games from Nintendo is one reason to buy the system, the biggest selling point is the hybrid design. It can be played on a TV or in your hands and marks the combination of Nintendo's long history of home and handheld consoles. But it wouldn’t exist without the industry-changing release of the company’s first handheld console in 1989 — the Game Boy.
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S35The Business Case for Understanding Generation Alpha - SPONSORED CONTENT FROM Journey  Close your eyes and imagine a time and place where children receive their allowance in virtual currencies. Picture kids having a gaming experience on a soccer field where they are able to play sports aided by augmented reality (AR) as they sit in the shopping cart their parents are filling with groceries. Envision a time when a youngster can build a roller coaster online before actually riding their creation for real at a theme park. Visualize people expressing themselves in virtual worlds through their avatars, which they prefer buying clothes and accessories for, and being able to make calls to loved ones using AR filters while wearing virtual AR outfits. Now open your eyes because this world isn’t the future. It’s the world that Generation Alpha is currently growing up in.
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S52How to Apologize to a Customer When Something Goes Wrong  Businesses are bound to make mistakes and disappoint their customers. But how you build your apology message and your careful attention to executing it appropriately can make the difference between losing those customers or increasing their loyalty. When delivered well, your apology message can improve the customer relationship to the point where it is stronger than if the mistake had never happened — a phenomenon known as the service recovery paradox. In this article, the author outlines five steps for writing an effective apology message, and explains why it’s important to share the apology process internally and with external stakeholders. It not only shows vulnerability from the organization, but also shows other customers that the company can be relied upon in times of distress.A tired employee is updating shipping orders late at night at a textbook brokerage. They make a mistake in the code and accidentally ship outdated management textbooks to an important customer. Three days later, classes have begun, and with demanding course loads, the students already feel behind. Many are seeking immediate replacements. Cue the angry phone calls and emails.
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