[bidoof]

[mongoosenamedt]

The English “please” is short for “if you please,” “if it pleases you to do this” — it is the same in most European languages (French s’il vous plait, Spanish por favor). Its literal meaning is “you are under no obligation to do this.” “Hand me the salt. Not that I am saying that you have to!” This is not true; there is a social obligation, and it would be almost impossible not to comply. But etiquette largely consists of the exchange of polite fictions (to use less polite language, lies). When you ask someone to pass the salt, you are also giving them an order; by attaching the word “please,” you are saying that it is not an order. But, in fact, it is.In English, “thank you” derives from “think;” it originally meant, “I will remember what you did for me” — which is usually not true either — but in other languages (the Portuguese obrigado is a good example) the standard term follows the form of the English “much obliged” — it actually does means “I am in your debt.” The French merci is even more graphic: it derives from “mercy,” as in begging for mercy; by saying it you are symbolically placing yourself in your benefactor’s power — since a debtor is, after all, a criminal. Saying “you’re welcome,” or “it’s nothing” (French de rien, Spanish de nada) — the latter has at least the advantage of often being literally true — is a way of reassuring the one to whom one has passed the salt that you are not actually inscribing a debit in your imaginary moral account book. So is saying “my pleasure” — you are saying, “No, actually, it’s a credit, not a debit — you did me a favor because in asking me to pass the salt, you gave me the opportunity to do something I found rewarding in itself!” …

David Graeber in Debt: The First 5,000 Years (via mongoosenamedt)

[hrtbps]

[221cbakerstreet]

Secret cinema found beneath Paris.

In September 2004, French police discovered a hidden chamber in the catacombs under Paris. It contained a full-sized movie screen, projection equipment, a bar, a pressure cooker for making couscous, a professionally installed electricity system, and at least three phone lines. Movies ranged from 1950s noir classics to recent thrillers.

When the police returned three days later, the phone and power lines had been cut and there was a note on the floor: “Do not try to find us.” (via)

SECRET, MILDLY THREATENING UNDERGROUND COUSCOUS CINEMA

I WANNA GO

[thesanityclause]

LET ME JOIN YOUR KIND, UNDERGROUND MOVIE PEOPLE

[heteroglossia]

Most men never think about patriarchy—what it means, how it is created and sustained. Many men in our nation would not be able to spell the word or pronounce it correctly. The word “patriarchy” just is not a part of their normal everyday thought or speech. Men who have heard and know the word usually associate it with women’s liberation, with feminism, and therefore dismiss it as irrelevant to their own experiences. I have been standing at podiums talking about patriarchy for more than thirty years. It is a word I use daily, and men who hear me use it often ask me what I mean by it. Nothing discounts the old antifeminist projection of men as all-powerful more than their basic ignorance of a major facet of the political system that shapes and informs male identity and sense of self from birth until death.

bell hooks, “Understanding Patriachy” (via heteroglossia)

[dimitriishere]

A selection of incredible portraits from photographer Charles Fréger’s collection and book Wilder Mann, documenting the ancient pagan rites still being practiced throughout Europe today.

From the New York Times Lens blog: 

About 10,000 years ago, humans began domesticating wild animals for both food and companionship. Over the course of centuries, animal species were bred for traits that made them docile and more useful to their masters. But as humans changed and fenced in animals, they were also domesticating themselves. The skills needed to survive in the wild were different than those needed to succeed in more complex social arrangements.

Mr Fréger was intrigued by the transformations of human being to beast that he witnessed in 18 European countries. They were, he said, celebrations of fertility, life and death and symbolized the complicated relationship between mankind and nature.

[infinitemachine]

Saw this series in the last issue of National Geographic. It is awesome.

[nutstroker-deactivated20151022]

one time i was trying to dirty talk with my ex boyfriend and i started saying ‘i’ve been a very bad girl’ and he said ‘why what have you done?’ and i didnt know what to say next so i just said ‘i’ve burnt down a house’

[dogwizard]

Some sort of weird husky ritual magic.

[humansofnewyork]

"What was the happiest moment of your life?" “I don’t know.” “What was the saddest moment of your life?” “I don’t know.” “What’s your best quality?” “I don’t know.” “What’s your worst quality?” “Indecisiveness.”

[4gifs]

[nerdy-trans-girl-blog]

Okay guys lets get this stuff unpacked.   Karen’s stuff…Some supplies…Karen…

[bellsandforks]

[lilyaforevr-deactivated20150911]

La Chinoise (1967), dir. Jean-Luc Godard

[razorshapes]

Vasantha Yogananthan - La Traversée

[niknak79]

[softbipolarity-deactivated20220]

this is a dwarf puffer fish!! apparently they’re p smart for fish and really active & curious

[libulan-deactivated20140915]

[thank-you-everyone-deactivated2]

kind of intense for a Silk commercial

[gamechangershow]

[tyleroakley]

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING

[spoken-not-written-deactivated2]

i’M CRYING

[loserwitheyeliner]

NO

[willyciraptor-blog]

why

[theladyofpie-deactivated2019031]

Because they are swarming! ^_^

Hello friends, I’m going to tell you some cool stuff about bees and why you shouldn’t be afraid of them!

See, there is a lot of misplaced fear over our fuzzy pollinating buddies. Many folks think they are mean and dangerous, but bees are very good little friends. The little, kind bee should not be mistaken for their evil look a likes, such as Hornets Yellow Jackets and Wasps, which are evil and should be hated like the beasts they are. Bees are docile by nature, and are not a threat to anyone who’s not allergic to them.

These bees are Swarming, which despite it’s scary sounding name, is not a dangerous time to be around bees. This time is the safest time to be around bees because they couldn’t give a hoot about you. These bees are gathering themselves together in order to go as a whole colony to find a new home. The gif is showing how bees don’t mind the outside world at this point in a swarm. The bees probably feel like a tickle on his hand. ^-^

Here’s some cool facts about bees!

-Bees are the BEST pollinators in the world! better than butterflies, or humming birds.

-Bees in a colony are all females. The males of the species look totes different and are called drones.

-Bees are totally different from Yellow Jackets, Hornets, and Wasps. They are not even close relatives in the insect kingdom!

-“Africanized” Bees are of no threat to anyone north of the New Mexico, and they barely pose a risk there! They are more territorial than some other species of bees, but not as bad as wasps.

-Many crops rely on bees.

-Bees will often die after stinging someone. Bees know this, and thus will do much to avoid stinging you. Hate to say it buddy, but you’re not worth their time.

-Honey, in it’s natural state, is a vitamin rich superfood! It can help with everything from icky feelings, to gross hair.

-Bees are threatened in many places by parasites, people, and misinformation. Do your part to help the bees and plant some flowers.

Thank u friends! ^u^

[no-one-can-have-any-fun-at--blog]

I used to have a book on the origin of bizarre English words and phrases that have either been warped far from their origins or have fallen out of use in the past century. I gave the book to an English professor of mine as a thank you for a great semester. I can’t give you a specific citation and you should consider this anecdotal, but I thought I would share it anyways.

There was a particular practice in England that involved bees in the Early Modern Period called ‘telling the bees”.

If you owned property it was important to have your own hive. These bees were so important that they were considered a part of your family. Whenever something of significance happened with the family (especially a death) someone had to go out and tell the bees everything that happened. It was believed that if the bees felt left out, they would become depressed and would be less effective at pollinating and producing honey. Sometimes other practices were involved like giving the bees a slice of wedding cake, draping the bees in a black mourning cloth, singing to them, etc.

I just thought I should share that with everyone. Because it’s the little things.

[britishfilminstitute]

A short history of black US indie cinema

These films and figures have striven to create diverse stories of black self-determination and provide correctives to the frequently conservative, paternalistic and repressive representation of African-Americans that has historically existed in American cinema. Read more

[a-hero-emerges-deactivated20130]

[human-voices]

I learned that just beneath the surface there’s another world, and still different worlds as you dig deeper. I knew it as a kid, but I couldn’t find the proof. It was just a kind of feeling. There is goodness in blue skies and flowers, but another force—a wild pain and decay—also accompanies everything.

David Lynch  (via drugaterian)