[marine-gifs]

A Norway lobster passes a sea pen. Filmed in Norway. From Wild Skagerrak (2016).

[status-quo-hater]

I think one of the funniest abortion stances I've heard was from my parents neighbor. He's a like, hard-core libertarian viking larper guy who is very tall and very fat and very bald.

He believes a fetus is human with a soul, but also its "basically attacking the woman's body" so if she wants to get rid of it, that's "basically self-defense". He compared it to shooting a home invader. So he supports abortion not as healthcare, but as killing a baby in self-defense

[status-quo-hater]

Y'know I'm so glad someone reminded me of this. Because this was also discussed.

My stepmother did NOT like the way her Libertarian Viking Neighbor framed pregnancy as the fetus "attacking the woman". She incredulously told him this was extremely disrespectful to expectant mothers to portray pregnancy as so violent and negative.

Libertarian Viking Neighbor's response was that people consensually hurt each other all the time, and "there's like a whole community about that, with the acronym the one that starts with a B" And his reasoning was that if the mother was consenting to bring attacked by the baby, it in fact wasn't violent and negative because there was consent.

He brought up people consensually hurting each other, didn't go for one of the obvious answers like boxing or body mods or something, no he went STRAIGHT TO BDSM and he DIDN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE ACRONYM

[pngblog]

[opalescnt]

How it started & how it's going (January vs. April)

[opalescnt]

I want 12 mean tiger barbs and 1 big fat electric blue acara in a 55 gallon long. Watch this space

[stlamb]

la fille du collectionneur, 2017

[mywingsaremadeofplastic]

[sacred-portal]

[opalescnt]

It's so cruel when delivery services say "your package is out for delivery! You will receive it by 9PM today :)" then you wait all day and they go "actually never mind haha we are so silly. Our bad. You will receive it in 2 days"

[arte-artem-artibus]

Aaron Morse - Cloud World (Shepherd with Wildflowers), 2016, acrylic and oil on canvas, 48 x 38 in

[cali]

your mama so birds we use to think she just dissapeared in winter but found out later about how that all worked

[dogpuppy]

[ghostowlattic]

[interdimentional]

[urgetocreate]

Charlie Meckel, The Green Stripe, Oil on linen

[coloursteelsexappeal]

Summer Nights

[sandersstudies]

I think a great way to improve communication with kids (and adults) is to make every yes or no question a this or that question.

I started doing it when after brain surgery my husband had trouble forming responses to questions for a while, and realized that the habit was helping my students engage more truthfully with me.

Some examples:

Yes/No: “Did you clean up your room like I told you?”

This/That: “Did you clean up already, or do you still need to do that?”

Yes/No: “Are you going to sit quietly?”

This/That: “Are you ready to sit and do our quiet activity, or do you need some time by yourself first?”

Yes/No: “Are you doing anything fun for your birthday?”

This/That: “Are you having a party on your birthday, or are you going to relax?”

I think many children (and adults!) are averse to telling adults “No,” especially when a command is implied. (“Did you clean your room?” “Are you going to sit quietly?” Hmmm if I say ‘no’ I will be in trouble with the adult.) So they are actually pretty likely to just lie and say what they think you want to hear.

Presenting a this or that question provides an alternative to lying, a ‘no, but’ scenario where they are presented with the reasonable consequences of a No (“if you’re not ready to sit quietly, you cannot do our quiet activity with us yet.”)

[unfavorableinstigation]

I find it useful professionally with adults too - "Did you have a chance to finish that project, or is it more of a next-week item?" When done sincerely (rather than passive-aggressively), it gets over rough ground lightly: it gives the other person a solution you clearly already find acceptable, so they don't have to flail around trying to defend/excuse themselves, they can just take the solution and everyone can move on.