In Yorùbá culture, it’s said that more than 600 years ago, a hunter discovered a lush grove in southwestern Nigeria carved by a rushing river. His community had experienced drought and eagerly moved to the region, which they quickly learned was under the rule of the goddess of rivers and fertility, Ọ̀ṣun. In exchange for protection and prosperity, the people promised to celebrate the deity, and this pact grounds what’s now known as the Ọṣun-Òṣogbo Sacred Grove.

A UNESCO World Heritage site spanning 190 acres, the spiritual sanctuary has long been revered by the Yorùbá people, and in the mid-20th century, a group of artists revitalized the landscape by erecting large-scale sculptures in honor of its namesake. Dubbed the New Sacred Art Movement, the efforts are the subject of a short documentary released by The Met that visits the grove and highlights some of the artists who’ve carved totems, shaped enormous creatures from clay and mud, and established a vibrant art environment to be passed down through generations.

Directed by Sosena Solomon, the film is part of The Met’s series devoted to Africa’s cultural landmarks, made in collaboration with the World Monuments Fund. It highlights some of the makers creating and repairing works, including Kasali Akangbe Ogun, who helped lead the New Sacred Art Movement alongside Austrian-Nigerian artist Susanne Wenger and Chief Adebisi Akanji in the 1960s. Today, he continues to carve totemic shrines and share his craft with his children.

While many similar sites fell into disrepair, the artists who worked in the grove helped to safeguard its sacredness as they built an expansive art environment visualizing various deities. An annual festival and pilgrimages attract visitors each year, and as generations pass, artists and caretakers are working to both preserve what’s been built and also pass down knowledge to ensure the space’s survival. “What makes Ọṣun-Òṣogbo such a special place is,” says Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye, “this is a living story.”

Ọṣun-Òṣogbo Sacred Grove is one of 13 cultural sites The Met visited across the continent, and you can find more on YouTube. You might also enjoy this book surveying more than 400 spiritual environments around the world.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Divine Sculptures Revere a Yorùbá Goddess in Nigeria’s Ọṣun-Òṣogbo Sacred Grove appeared first on Colossal.

Watching it burn, Jessica Hays

The United States manufactured about 294,000 aircraft for WWII, and once peace was assured the military found itself with a huge surplus of aircraft. Within a year of the end of the war, about 34,000 airplanes had been moved to 30 sales-storage depots, or "aircraft boneyards".

Boneyards, previously

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

handwritten on slide, “Pennsylvania, Marianne, Lois with Dogie"

Mr Mikage (ミスター御影） posted a photo:

Trump Dismantled a Federal Climate Website. These Women Rebuilt It. “It’s not a pretty picture for climate communication and climate journalism right now.” You can check out the new site at climate.us.

Misschien zit u nu wel in Spanje (aan de Costa). Of in Zuid-Frankrijk (aan de Côte). Voelt u het dan, hoe dichtbij het ineens allemaal komt? Nee niet die bosbranden, DE FINALE! Die komt er nu, na ongeveer om en nabij plusminus een maand voetballen, nu echt aan. Maar eerst nog even de halve finale. Kylian Mbappé trekt met zijn Napoleontische oorlog rap over de trottoirs van dit wereldkampioenschap en bestormde al heel wat Bastilles, alleen vindt hij nu voor het eerst een ware matador op zijn pad: Lamine Yamal. En weet u, dat is een confrontatie waar je U tegen zegt. Dé wedstrijd voor dé kans op de Coupe du Monde dan wel de Copa del Mundo. Naderhand zal Deschamps dan wel De la Fuente zeggen: de halve finale was de finale. Stijlloze voorspelling voor deze toppot: 3-2 voor Mbappé en zijn garçonnnetjes. Laat ons nu genieten, het maakt helemaal geen mallemère uit of u nou van Frans bier (bleh) of van Spaans bier (bleh) of van Franse kaas (yum) of van Spaanse worst (yum) houdt, vanavond pleuren we alles bij elkaar op een heerlijke plateau met buikbeugel en gaan we lekker kijken naar een schitterende halve finale op het WK Voetbal!
Update - Nog een beeeetje aftasten de eerste quatorze minuten hè.
Update - HIJ GEEFT EEN PENALTY. Domme Digne geeft Yamal een schop onder z'n hol.
Update - OOOOOOOOOYARZABALBALBALBAL knalt m binnen! 0-1 Spanje. Wel goed voor de wedstrijd dat Spanje eerst scoort. 
Update - Cervezatijd.
Update - RUST

Frankrijk?

Social

Of Spanje?

Social

Maar 't mag natuurlijk ook gaan over Ali B of Trump of padel!

New York has become the first U.S. state to impose a moratorium on large new data centers, pausing construction for one year over concerns that AI-driven data center growth is raising utility bills, straining water supplies, and burdening communities. "As data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it's my responsibility to take action and lead," said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. She will also pursue legislation to repeal sales tax exemptions for large data centers, Hochul added. Reuters reports: The construction ban will apply to data centers that use 50 megawatts or more of power, officials in the governor's office said. During the moratorium, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation will not issue any discretionary permits not already deemed complete, the governor's office said. Instead, Hochul directed state officials to develop a Generic Environmental Impact Statement to ensure that new data centers coming online are held to "consistent standards," as well as examine the potential environmental impacts of the construction and operation of data centers in the state. The ban will be lifted once the state finalizes those standards, according to Hochul's office.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday paused incomplete state environmental permit applications for large datacenters while officials work out new rules, a process expected to take up to a year. The order makes New York the first state to enact such a moratorium amid growing concerns over AI datacenters' impact on utility rates and public health. “New York has always been at the forefront of innovation and change but we’ve also always guaranteed that New Yorkers benefit. As data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it’s my responsibility to take action and lead,” Hochul said in a canned statement. The order specifically targets large hyperscale datacenters capable of consuming at least 50 MW, subject to exemptions for manufacturing, research, education, and medical facilities. Prior to the AI boom, 50 megawatts would have been considered a large cloud campus. While datacenter campuses now often demand gigawatts of power, the moratorium doesn't preclude all AI bit barns. Fifty megawatts is still enough power for roughly 20,000-30,000 modern GPUs. The moratorium won’t last and is instead aimed at providing state officials time to develop and enact rules designed to ensure large-scale buildouts don't hurt New Yorkers. The portable generator units used while bit barn builders wait for grid connections and improvements have come under fire due to their impact on air quality. Elon Musk's Colossus 2 DC is now facing legal challenges over alleged Clean Air Act violations tied to the use of these generators. Over the next year, the executive order directs New York's Department of Public Service (DPS) to develop a generic environmental impact statement (GEIS). Officials will use this to evaluate proposed datacenter projects' environmental, public health, and grid impacts. The order directs the state's economic development agency, Empire State Development, to develop a framework to help local communities negotiate benefits like infrastructure improvements or financial support for community programs in exchange for letting bit barns in their backyards. Finally, DPS will consider establishing a fund that datacenter operators may be required to pay into, including a possible insurance pool to protect ratepayers from stranded grid costs tied to projects that are delayed, scaled back, or never materialize. The effect of datacenters on utility bills has become a national issue as several US states launched an inquiry into why, despite claims to the contrary, ratepayers are still paying more. US President Donald Trump isn’t keen on AI infrastructure making life more expensive for voters either — at least not any more than his infatuation with tariffs and the US war with Iran already have. In January, the president demanded Big Tech take responsibility for the power their datacenters consume. Alongside the moratorium, Hochul has promised legislation to end sales tax exemptions for datacenter. New York isn't the first to pursue a moratorium on new datacenters. Earlier this year, Maine became the first to pass a statewide moratorium on new bit barns, only for the measure to be vetoed by Governor Janet Mills. Going forward, New York's moratorium may now serve as a blueprint for other states to push back against the spread of datacenters. Having said that, capping datacenter campuses at 50 megawatts may not stop developers from pursuing multiple smaller sites across the state. While massive datacenters are needed to train frontier models, once they have been trained, those models can be served by much smaller facilities. There is also the potential for multiple smaller, but physically disparate datacenters to be stitched together using high speed, low latency interconnects like Nvidia’s Spectrum-XGS switches. These devices are designed exactly for this purpose. ®