cranky, geeky and tired

aspiring or amateur sex educator, depending on your standards. sleepy insomniac. lover of social justice and adorable things. eccentric old lady waiting to happen.

[oofstar]

I can't say for sure how influential this show was on my lifelong interests in ley lines, standing stones, small village cults and british television, but it certainly feels pretty formative.

Played in the US as part of a nickelodeon show called The Third Eye in the mid-80's, I was, according to wikipedia, somewhere between 5 and 7 when I first saw Children of the Stones. It felt acutely ephemeral. Even when it was airing, I remember it seeming like The Third Eye aired randomly in the weekly schedule, and that which of it's 5 spooky imported kids' shows would be playing was also random. For the next 20 years I remembered the whole Third Eye anthology as more of a vibe than anything: spooky. british. connected to the old times.

It wasn't just Children of the Stones. For -sure- the Witches and the Grinnygog, another of The Third Eye's shows, introduced a very young me to the witch-cult hypothesis, which has remained one of my absolute favorite, and i know, discredited, historical propositions. But that I'd vaguely remembered.

I was able to rewatch Children of The Stones in the mid-aughts, when periodically searching for "creepy nickelodeon kids show" finally bore fruit. And guys, it had it all. The ley lines, the standing stones as frozen people, pseudo-scientific folklore presented as everyday ideas, small village creepy happy cult people. All my fave tropes!

I know now that Children of the Stones is a cult-favorite among fans of folk-horror, hauntology and weirdshitology so if you are interested in those things and haven't seen it, you should check it out.

I honestly can't tell you if the show is good. It tickles so exactly my particular fancies that I think it might just be the root of those fancies. Every rewatch feels a little bit like a homecoming.

I think you should watch it, I want you to watch it. I'm only sorry you can't watch it as a six year old, because you would have loved it.

[eilooxara]

Neutrality is not enlightenment. It is a position only accessible to those for whom the stakes are very low, who want to feel superior to those who have no choice but to care.

[oofstar]

retro is really in this year.

a while back there was a post on io9 or somewhere about some fucked up racist shit in textbooks from the 1980's. and there was a comment on there that was basically, "well, they were a product of their time," as if the 1980's wasn't a time when we were all being taught to believe racism was no longer a problem. as if the entirety of american history since the civil war has not maintained a national narrative of racism is a thing of the past everything is equal now.

the 1980's! I thought about this because I was listening to some 70's jazz song that has the same name as a song in a game i've been playing, and it made me think of 70's sitcoms. I thought about how in All In The Family, the joke was that this guy, he was archaic, behind the times. A vestige of an earlier world where his beliefs were the norm, not like the modern 70's when everyone knows that shit is wrong. right?

I thought about how if they rebooted All In The Family, set in 2016, with Archie Bunker saying the -same- racist and sexist things, people would be all, "well, he's an old man. a product of his time."

Carroll O'Connor was 47 when the original debuted. so the current actor would be, like, Paul Rudd. the character would have been 2 years old when the original show started, raised in a completely supposedly post-racist America.

[indigenous-caribbean-deactivate]

Puerto Ricans Learn How to Live Without Water Amid Punishing Drought

Puerto Ricans are learning to live without water on an island that already was suffering an economic crisis.

As if their ongoing economic crisis isn’t enough, Puerto Ricans are being forced to learn how to live without water thanks to a severe drought that is forcing businesses to temporarily close, public schools to cancel breakfast service and people to find creative ways to stay clean amid sweltering temperatures.

Rationing rules that had meant water coming through the pipes only one day out of three will increase the cutoff to one day out of four starting next week, government officials say.

“I’ve grown fearful of the weather report,” said Cornelio Vegazo, owner of a roof repair company. “There’s no light at the end of the tunnel.”

The drought is one of the worst in the U.S. territory’s history. July was the fourth driest month in the capital of San Juan since 1898, the year Puerto Rico became a possession of the United States. Only 1.6 inches of rain fell last month, and forecasters predict several more weeks and possibly months of dry conditions.

More than 20 percent of Puerto Rico is in extreme drought and an additional 45 percent is in a severe one, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center, which says 2.8 million people are affected.

Keep reading

[freshyungcoconut]

This is so fucked. Is anyone organizing any kind of relief around this? What can be done?

[discardingimages]

Origen emasculating himself

Roman de la Rose, France 15th century

Bodleian Library, MS. Douce 195, fol. 122v

[oofstar]

it’s like, holy crap, right?

[discardingimages]

the Beast, the Dragon and the False Prophet

Revelation 16:13 ‘And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet’ (‘Et vidi de ore draconis, et de ore bestiæ, et de ore pseudoprophetæ spiritus tres immundos in modum ranarum’)

Beatus of Liébana, Commentaria in Apocalypsin (the 'Beatus of Saint-Sever’), Saint-Sever before 1072

BnF, Latin 8878, fol. 184v

[mysimpsonsblogisgreaterthanyours]

[goldwomyn-deactivated20200705]

I’m so exhausted with the notion that if #SandraBland would have kept quiet she would have been alive. That as black people we need to be “smart” and listen. That she should have never mouthed off at the officer. All of this respectability politics nonsense ignores the civil rights movement. It ignores changes that came about as a result of not listening. What would happen if civil rights leaders would have listened? Would have not mouthed off? Would have kept quiet?

At what point did we convince ourselves it is our duty to keep an officer from killing us even when we’ve done nothing wrong? At one point did we take on this burden?

[rubee-deactivated20190117]

“why dont you just give him a chance”

idk because im not physically or mentally attracted to him and ‘but he likes you’ or ‘but hes really nice’ isnt going to change the fact that im not interested

[tenpointsforgriffindor69-deacti]

Damn, I don’t think women know how much that really hurts

[coveredinsnow-]

[fingerribbon]

No. no. No. No. No.

It’s true. It hurts like hell. Contrary to what you have been implicitly told all your life your value is not determined by your ability to acquire and provide for a woman. Your value comes from what you do and how you treat people along the way. At the bare minimum you deserve someone who wants to be with you. If she tells you she doesn’t, fantastic. She has saved you both from a bunch of wasted time. She has taken good care of herself and you should do the same. 

[fempersephone-deactivated201804]

I’m here for the girls who unwillingly consented to sex or sexual acts because they were in a situation where they didn’t feel as if they had the right to say no and now feel violated but don’t feel like they can say they were raped or molested.

[666ter-deactivated20171116]

this is probably one of the most important text posts i have ever seen because i feel like this is a HUGE issue among teenagers especially young girls in today’s social culture and nobody talks about it. nobody tells you that you were in fact abused and sometimes it takes you years to finally realize what happened to you was wrong, and it’s really scary and confusing! we need to teach each other that “rape” or “molestation” can happen in many circumstances and not just the ones we are taught!!!!

[zenpencils]

Atena Farghadani is a 28-year-old Iranian artist. She was recently sentenced to 12 years and 9 months in prison for drawing a cartoon.

This cartoon, that she posted on her Facebook page last year, depicts members of the Iranian parliament as animals. It was drawn in protest of new legislature in Iran that will restrict access to contraception and criminalise voluntary sterilisation. Atena’s charges include ‘spreading propaganda against the system’ and ‘insulting members of parliament through paintings’.

Last August, 12 members of the elite Revolutionary Guard came to Atena’s house, blindfolded her and took her to the infamous Evin Prison in Tehran. According to Amnesty International:

“While in prison last year, Atena flattened paper cups to use them as a surface to paint on. When the prison guards realised what she had been doing, they confiscated her paintings and stopped giving her paper cups. When Atena found some cups in the bathroom, she smuggled them into her cell. Soon after, she was beaten by prison guards, when she refused to strip naked for a full body search. Atena says that they knew about her taking the cups because they had installed cameras in the toilet and bathroom facilities – cameras detainees had been told were not operating.”

She was released in November and gave media interviews and posted a video on YouTube detailing her beatings, constant interrogations and humiliating body searches. She was then rearrested possibly in retaliation for speaking out and has been imprisoned ever since. In January, Atena went on a hunger strike to protest the horrible prison conditions. Her health suffered dramatically, and after losing consciousness and suffering a heart attack in February, she was forced to eat again.

The quote used in the comic is taken from the speech Atena gave at her trial. It has been translated into English by the Free Atena Facebook page. You can read the whole thing here.

Time is now against her, she has just two weeks to lodge an appeal. Michael Cavna, comic journalist for The Washington Post, has launched a campaign appealing to artists to help bring awareness to Atena’s case by creating their own artwork in support of Atena and using the hashtag #Draw4Atena. Can a bunch of artists and a hashtag really make a difference and put pressure on the Iranian Government to release Atena? Probably not. But just remember that Atena is currently in prison enduring horrible conditions, and if her appeal isn’t successful, she will be there for another twelve years. FOR DRAWING A CARTOON AND POSTING IT ON FACEBOOK. Don’t we owe it to her to at least try?

[hoodoo-chyle]

Primer for those who still don’t understand in the wake of the arrest of, incarceration of, and likely murder of Sandra Bland in TX: 1. Asking a cop why they are stopping you/ticketing you is your right. They do not have the right to arrest you for asking, beat you for asking or in any way mistreat you for asking that question. 2. You have the right to say whatever you wish to a cop in response to being stopped. ANYTHING at all, so long as it does not constitute a threat of harm. You can cuss a cop, yell at a cop, and call a cop a fascist pig or a racist if you like. I do not recommend it, you shouldn’t do it (because sadly cops don’t care about the Constitution in far too many cases, and thus, might beat or kill you), and it’s not very nice I suppose (even when deserved), but it is NOT illegal to do so. 3. Refusing to put out a cigarette when asked by a cop is not a criminal offense either. The cop has no lawful right to arrest you for smoking or “disobeying” an order to stop smoking. Only if you are already being arrested for an actual crime and putting out the cigarette is necessary to affect the arrest, can such a request be considered lawful and can failure to do so constitute “resisting arrest.” But refusing to put the cigarette out, in and of itself, does not constitute a crime. 4. If you do any of the above, the cop still does not have the right to beat you or arrest you. And if you end up beaten or killed, it is not your fault. It is entirely and only the cop’s fault. They should be arrested, tried, convicted and jailed. Your “arrogance” or “attitude” is not grounds for brutality, ever. 5. None of the above is made any less true by the fact that “cops have a hard job and put their lives on the line.” That is entirely irrelevant and has no bearing on the rights of the people or the limitations on police power. 6. Any cop who disagrees with the previous points is not qualified to be a cop and should be summarily dismissed from their jobs. Any cop who can’t handle being challenged as to their authority, or who in any way disregards the rights of the people is not qualified to be a cop and should be summarily dismissed from their jobs. 7. Anyone at all who disagrees with these previous points has contempt for the Constitution and would clearly be more comfortable in a police state. Yet these are the same people who think “government regulation” of industry is tyranny, or that the IRS is equivalent to the Nazi SS or that Obamacare is totalitarianism. So they don’t mind actual authoritarian actions (so long as they are worked out mostly on the bodies of black folks and/or the poor), but God forbid government try and ensure health care, or collect taxes from the rich or try and limit pollution. THEN they scream about big brother and how awful the state is…

Tim Wise (via la-lobalita)

Your “arrogance” or “attitude” is not grounds for brutality, ever.

Your “arrogance” or “attitude” is not grounds for brutality, ever.

(via vixyish)

Loggers aren’t allowed to fell anyone who disrespects them. Fisherpeople can’t feed strangers to sharks. Flight engineers can’t douse people in jet fuel when they’re upset. Mining machine operators aren’t allowed to go industrial saw on people who cut them off in traffic, and garbage workers aren’t allowed to just kill people, even though they could neatly dispose of the body. Those are all more dangerous jobs in the US than being a police patrol officer, but they’re not allowed to use their job to kill people.

(via jetpackexhaust)

[krxs10]

Picture taken of scene where Sandra Bland allegedly “hung herself”, moments after the body was “found” was just released. And of course, no one is buying it.

Police are claiming that Sandra took the trash bag out and tied it to the partition on her shower, and then used it to hang herself with.

Problems with this explanation:

Trash bags/cans are not allowed in jail cells because any lose items are considered a danger to the inmates. If it’s not bolted down to the floor, it’s basically not allowed in a cell

If the police are right and the picture was “taken right after the body was found with no changes made to the scene” then why did they replace the trash bag?

The bag she allegedly used was a “black industrial sized” trash bag, which was not only unlike the white one shown above, but it wouldn’t have been strong enough to hold up her body

The partition she “hung herself” from is shorter than her. Sandra was a little over 6 ft, and the partition was about 5 ft.

There were no lacerations or bruises on her neck consistent with a hanging.

#StayWoke

[heidicomestolife]

I cannot believe this happened. Jesus F.

[oofstar]

that a woman would be kept in jail for 3 days for being kind of rude to a cop is -already- a travesty. HOW DID THEY THINK THEY COULD GET AWAY WITH THIS?!?!

I mean, I know how. I know.

[mysharona1987]

Arnold is still playing the terminator at 70, Stallone is still Rambo at 65, so why do we need a new Xena: Warrior Princess? Lucy Lawless is only in her 40s, ffs.

[pdlcomics]

How Cool

[oofstar]

I feel like saying I’m not coming out because of anxiety doesn’t make me seem like any less of an asshole than using a made up excuse. what do you think? I don’t want people to think I’m calling out for help. I just want them to know it’s not that I don’t like them. 

I’m seeing a new therapist on sunday. wish me luck.

[cheaplez]

*This text was originally sent to a friend via email. We are posting it here on This Bridge Called Our Health because we recognize the urgency and time-sensitive nature of the situation. Please ema...

I on the other hand, was accused of assaulting an officer and I was sent to Rikers jail. I spent the day in Rikers replaying the nights events, crying silently wondering how could this happen and why to me. I have to go to trial on Thursday early in the morning, but I decided to send you all this story so maybe someone can put me in touch with anyone that can spread this story to every media outlet I can. I want the world to know what is going on. I am posting pictures of my injuries so you all will see what this monster did to me. My eye is bleeding, my jaw is bruised and swollen, I have bruises all up and down my body from the assault and there is barely a single part of me that isn’t in excruciating pain. The bruises, cuts and physical scars are nothing compared to the emotional and psychological scars that will remain with my girlfriend and I forever.

I am still shaken by this, and the battle has only just begun, but please help me by spreading the word! This has got to stop! We need to show them, that this is not ok! That we will not continue to stand for this injustice! Unlike our fallen comrades like Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown and the thousands of people that were killed by the hands of these cops, I am just grateful to God that I am still alive to tell my story, so please share it with as many people as you can or if you can put me in touch with people that can spread this to media outlets, I’d appreciate it tremendously! My girlfriend and I are also calling as many attorneys as possible, so if you know of any as well, please do let me know! Thanks in advance!