Google Doodles

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Memorial Day 2023.

[renaeden]

I see only a grey Google. Is it meant to be like that?

[Gopher Gary]

Yes. Memorial Day is like Rememberence Day in other countries, a holiday honoring those who died while serving the military. Although I've known people who use the day for visiting and decorating graves in general. 

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Celebrating Willi Ninja





Today’s video Doodle celebrates Willi Ninja, an iconic dancer and choreographer known as the “Godfather of Voguing.” An acclaimed performer, Willi paved a path for Black LGBTQ+ representation and acceptance in the 1980s and ’90s. The community he created, “The Iconic House of Ninja,” lives on to this day. The Doodle video was illustrated by Rob Gilliam, and edited by Xander Opiyo,with original music by Vivacious. The performers featured are current members of the House of Ninja (Archie Burnett Ninja, Javier Madrid Ninja, Kiki Ninja, and Akiko Tokuoka aka KiT Ninja) dancing in celebration of Willi’s legacy. On this day in 1990, the documentary Paris is Burning — which features Willi and the Iconic House of Ninja — was released in the US at the NewFest New York LGBT Film Festival.

Willi Ninja was born in 1961 and grew up in Flushing, Queens. He had a loving mother who supported his identity. She encouraged his interest in dance by taking him to ballet performances at the Apollo Theater. Although she couldn’t afford expensive dance lessons, it didn’t stop Willi from teaching himself the moves that would make him a star.

Willi went on to master the art of voguing, a dance style that blends fashion poses with intricate, mime and martial arts-like movements. The dance form emerged from the Harlem ballroom scene, which was a safe space founded by LGBTQ+ Black and Latino folks to celebrate self expression and togetherness.

Most Black and Latino ballroom participants belong to groups known as houses, which offer an extended social family and safety net for those who face rejection from biological relatives. Willi co-founded his very own community called the House of Ninja in 1982, and continued to provide support and guidance for his house members even after he became famous.

Inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphs and martial arts, Willi introduced new dance techniques that redefined voguing standards. Catapulted to stardom in the ’90s, Willi went on to perform in films, music videos, and luxury runway shows around the world. His moves inspired celebrities ranging from Madonna to Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Willi was prominently featured in the 1990 documentary, Paris Is Burning, where his unique dance style was showcased on the big screen. The film was a big success and exposed Willi’s work to a wider audience.

When Willi wasn’t dancing, he was a powerful advocate for his community. One of the first to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention at drag balls, Willi played a pivotal role in helping to reduce stigma surrounding the disease.

Thank you Willi Ninja for your contributions to the world of dance and for how you brought visibility to Black and Latino LGBTQ+ identities all over the world. The House of Ninja carries on dancing in your name.

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Celebrating Scones



Hot off the press — or out of the oven! Today’s Doodle celebrates scones, an afternoon tea treat in the United Kingdom. They’re usually enjoyed with jam and clotted cream, and can be found in almost any bakery from the northern tip of Scotland to the southern end of England. On this day in 1657, the ‘afternoon tea’ idea was first introduced and offered in London.

Many believe scones originated in Scotland in the 1500s and eventually found their way into ‘royal tearooms’. It’s said that Anna Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, requested the snack with her tea every afternoon and popularised the combo. During the Victorian era, people in London would ride the newly established railways to the southern coast of England for a weekend away from the city. Local bakeries, restaurants, and pubs in the area introduced the tea-scone duet to the masses, and the ‘cream tea’ term was born.

The age-long debate around how to eat a scone still remains: cream or jam first? Some, like those in Cornwall, prefer adding jam first to let the fruity flavor sink into the treat before topping it off with clotted cream. Others, such as people in Devon, use the clotted cream to separate the jam from the pastry.

Not all people say ‘scone’ the same way, either. In the south of England, people commonly pronounce it to rhyme with ‘tone’. While people in the midlands and northern regions of England are more likely to rhyme it with ‘gone.’

When it comes to recipes, bakers far and wide truly left no scone unturned: plain, fruit, and even savory versions like cheese are enjoyed in tearooms across the world. Regardless of how you eat it (or say it), this delicious treat is a tried-and-true staple in the United Kingdom. Whether it’s at a local bakery or at home surrounded by loved ones, enjoy your afternoon tea with a scone!

[renaeden]

Here in Western Australia we say scone rhyming with "gone".

[Gopher Gary]

Here in Western Australia we say scone rhyming with "gone".

That was an interesting fact I didn't know.  I've only ever heard the version that rhymes with tone. Scones 'sound' like something exotic and awesome, so I was totally disappointed when I discovered a classic English scone is basically the same thing as an American biscuit. 

[Fun With Matches]

I thought the biggest debate about scones was whether they should contain currants or not. My preference is that they don’t.

[Gopher Gary]

I thought the biggest debate about scones was whether they should contain currants or not. My preference is that they don’t.

My understanding of scones is they could potentially have all sorts of different things added, but a classic one is plain. Then again how could I know?  The local walmart here sells what they call blueberry scones. They're triangle shaped, so I have trouble accepting that's a scone. 

[renaeden]

I thought the biggest debate about scones was whether they should contain currants or not. My preference is that they don’t.

My understanding of scones is they could potentially have all sorts of different things added, but a classic one is plain. Then again how could I know?  The local walmart here sells what they call blueberry scones. They're triangle shaped, so I have trouble accepting that's a scone. 

Triangle? That's not a scone. That's something else.

I haven't eaten a proper scone in years. But when I did, it was with strawberry jam and no cream. It went really well with a cup of tea.

[Fun With Matches]

When my Nan used to make them with me when I was little (I used to really love baking with her), she would make a mini scone out of the excess dough cuts, and I would eat it. Fresh from the oven with butter, is how we used to eat ours.

[renaeden]

When my Nan used to make them with me when I was little (I used to really love baking with her), she would make a mini scone out of the excess dough cuts, and I would eat it. Fresh from the oven with butter, is how we used to eat ours.

That sounds delicious.

[Fun With Matches]

When my Nan used to make them with me when I was little (I used to really love baking with her), she would make a mini scone out of the excess dough cuts, and I would eat it. Fresh from the oven with butter, is how we used to eat ours.

That sounds delicious.

It was.

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Fourth of July 2023.



Happy birthday, America! On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress passed the Declaration of Independence. After revising the document drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the United States officially became an independent nation from Britain.

On the Fourth of July, Americans exercise their freedom in countless ways. While some traditions have faded away, many like local parades and patriotic concerts have endured for centuries.

Today, red, white, and blue pride shows up at festive firework shows, bustling barbecues, and backyard games throughout the country. Amid all of the excitement, some opt for a more laid-back celebration, like staying cool floating the river in the July heat just like the stars in today's Doodle.

Happy Independence Day, to the US of A!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Zarina Hashmi's 86th Birthday.



Today’s Doodle celebrates Indian American artist and printmaker Zarina Hashmi, who is widely recognized as one of the most significant artists associated with the minimalist movement. Illustrated by New York-based guest artist Tara Anand, the artwork captures Hashmi’s use of minimalist abstract and geometric shapes to explore concepts of home, displacement, borders, and memory.

Hashmi was born on this day in 1937 in the small Indian town of Aligarh. She and her four siblings lived an idyllic life until the partition of India in 1947. This tragic event displaced millions of people, and Zarina's family was forced to flee to Karachi in the newly formed Pakistan.

At 21, Hashmi married a young foreign service diplomat and began traveling the world. She spent time in Bangkok, Paris, and Japan, where she became immersed in printmaking and art movements like modernism and abstraction.

Hashmi moved to New York City in 1977 and became a strong advocate for women and artists of color. She soon joined the Heresies Collective, a feminist publication that explored the intersection of art, politics, and social justice.

She went on to teach at the New York Feminist Art Institute, which provided equal education opportunities for female artists. In 1980, she co-curated an exhibition at A.I.R. Gallery called “Dialectics of Isolation: An Exhibition of Third World Women Artists of the United States.” This groundbreaking exhibition showcased work from diverse artists and provided a space for female artists of color.

A part of the Minimalism Art movement, Hashmi became internationally known for her striking woodcuts and intaglio prints that combine semi-abstract images of houses and cities where she had lived. Her work often contained inscriptions in her native Urdu, and geometric elements inspired by the Islamic art.

People all over the world continue to contemplate Hashmi’s art in permanent collections at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among other distinguished galleries.

Happy Birthday, Zarina!