A WomanLaughing

Find your own way.

[hannonann]

Too.much.cuteness (at Arlington, Virginia)

[hannonann]

If you look VERY closely, you may figure out which one of us lives in Florida (at Longboat Key, Florida)

[hannonann]

Moment of the Year

Husband: "What's your number one best experience of 2015?" Me: "The 1989 World Tour"

[hannonann]

If only we could repay you for such an amazing tour...Happy Birthday!

[skunkbear]

43 years ago, on December 7, 1972, the crew of Apollo 17 snapped a shot of the nearly fully illuminated Earth on their way to the moon. It became an iconic image representing Earth’s frailty and the global activist movements of the 70s.

Since then, no human has been far enough away from Earth to capture the entire globe. But thanks to a satellite called the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) we can now see up to date new blue marble-esque images almost every day. 

The satellite monitors solar wind and solar magnetic storms to help scientists better forecast severe space weather events that can actually knock out power here on earth. It sits some 900,000 miles away from earth at Lagrangian Point 1, a place in space the pull of the earth and the sun balance each other out and a satellite can maintain a stable position.

On board, NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) is perpetually staring back at Earth, capturing images of our planet and beaming them home. You can see them at this website.

[holygraund]

[hannonann]

Oh Tay, if only you could do this tour for another year! : )

[washingtonpost]

This judge had way too much fun dismissing that copyright lawsuit against Taylor Swift. 

[hannonann]

[hannonann]

What an amazing, inspirational concert. This woman has been touring since May 4th, and is just now wrapping up in the U.S. You know where crazy-hard work, dedication and intelligence will get you? With 55,000 fans lighting up for you. Thank you, T.S.!

[taylorswift]

“The cold never bothered me anyway.” QUICK CHANGE @idinamenzel

[hannonann]

Best concert ever. Thank you, Taylor!!

[hannonann]

What I Use To Be

...was a serious professional. Now I'm just counting down the days until I see T.S. 1989. Only 4 more...

[hannonann]

Calamity

The pressing issue for this evening is my Halloween costume. You see, I will be at Taylor Swift’s 1989 concert in Tampa and it’s bound to be crazy. I’ve spent much time helping my 3 and 5 year olds figure their costumes out and obtaining it, but they aren’t really reciprocating the favor. (No, I’m not a horrible mother; I may be abandoning them on the holiday but they WILL be trick-or-treating with my husband, they won’t even notice I’m gone with all the sugar pumping through their poor little bodies) Any ideas??

#1989TourTampa #Taylor Swift #my children stole all my creativity

[skunkbear]

On April 26, 1986, a power surge caused an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, Ukraine. A large quantity of radioactive material was released.

On May 2, 1986, the Soviet government established a “Zone of Alienation” or “Exclusion Zone” around Chernobyl – a thousand square miles of “radioactive wasteland.” All humans were evacuated. The town of Pripyat was completely abandoned.

But the animals didn’t leave. And a new study, published this month in Current Biology, suggests they are doing fine. “None of our three hypotheses postulating radiation damage to large mammal populations at Chernobyl were supported by the empirical evidence,” says Jim Beasley, one of the researchers.

In fact, some of the populations have grown. These photos (mostly taken by Valeriy Yurko) come from the Belarusian side of the Exclusion Zone, and area called the Polessye State Radioecological Reserve. Kingfisher, elk, boar, baby spotted eagles, wild ponies, moose, rabbits, and wolves all make their home in the park. In some ways, human presence is worse for wildlife than a nuclear disaster.

Image credits:

1986 Chernobyl - ZUFAROV/AFP/Getty Images

Wildlife photos - Valeriy Yurko/Polessye State Radioecological Reserve

Ponies in winter - SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images

[hannonann]

When you are having a hard time falling asleep because you are alone in your home and you are convinced a burglar is coming---just spend an hour stalking your Taylor Swift related content on Tumblr and Instagram. Peace restored.

[ohsoswiftly]

The Bold and The Lyrical - Written by Taylor Swift. Featuring Julianne Moore, James Corden, and John Stamos

[kickstarter]

Today we’re sharing a different kind of project.

For months, we’ve all watched the steady unfolding of a humanitarian crisis. This year alone, half a million refugees have found their way to Europe — six thousand more are arriving in Greece each day. They’re trying to do what any of us would: get their families and children out of danger. More than half of the refugee population is under 18. Often, children end up separated from their loved ones, lost in strange new places.

The good news: UNHCR is helping, and you can help them. At the invitation of the White House, we’ve launched a special campaign to aid refugees. Any funds you contribute through the project will go directly to USA for UNHCR to provide aid to people who urgently need it — everything from food, water, and warm clothes to special care for children separated from their families. If you can, please contribute and share this project with your friends and family. Together, we can make a real difference.

Thank you,

<3 Kickstarter

[hannonann]

I Can't Believe She Said That

At a panel titled, “The Power of an Educated Girl”, Michelle Obama said, “If I had worried about who liked me and who thought I was cute when I was your age, I wouldn’t be married to the president of the United States today.”

There has been a lot of positive feedback regarding this comment; I like to think that it is because she meant the best and because, in general, she’s amazing.

However, I am actually pretty shocked by this comment. Shocked and truly let down–because I feel as though Mrs. Obama sold herself way short. She made her worth stand as “married to the president” To me, this is not the “achievement” she should hold forth as her most worthy. She is a brilliant woman and has done and achieved so much. She received her J.D. from Harvard and then worked to help low-income families with housing. She has achieved so much on her own, but made her thing “being married”

Mrs. Obama-If you are standing up to a bully, fight your own fight (god knows you will win it!); don’t win it by throwing around your husband’s title and clout.