Crazy Little Minds

Pretty much whatever I'm obsessing over at the moment

[liprairian]

James Patterson books are an invasive species humans brought into library shelf environments because we wanted fast-reproducing, easily-digestible food. But at the time, we didn’t know as much about their natural airport environment, which has very few available nutrients. This environment greatly favours the genericalist species like Patterson, so there’s very little bibliodiversity compared to the more specialized library or bookstore environment. This means that each species in an airport has an enormously expanded niche compared to just about anywhere else books can thrive - in their natural habitat, Patterson books may be one of only 3 or 4 species competing for available nutrients. In these low-density, low-nutrient environments, Patterson books occupy vast swathes of territory without bothering other species. This history makes it extremely easy for them to outcompete the more specialized inhabitants of the library shelf, who have often been carefully selected to fill ultraspecific subgenre niches.

Left unweeded, Patterson books will expand their territory over multiple book bays, crowding out or even straight-up eliminating space for competitors and sending contributor-author runners out to other shelves. Contained to a single, planned set of shelves and kept strictly pruned, Patterson books can contribute to a healthy ecosystem. But many curators don’t know or don’t care to do the planning and maintenance, leading to the nightmare of overcrowding and loss of circulation.

[dduane]

Fortunately the forces of airport bibliodiversity in recent decades appear to have been attempting to balance these tendencies by supporting the increased presence of @neil-gaiman​ works. These propagate by employing both much-enhanced multimedia presence (which the B. pattersonis species and subspecies notably lack) to co-opt and redistribute shelf ecosystems, and also a unique author(!)-instigated reader attraction mechanism based on random ink signatures (”autographs”) which act in the idiosyncratic manner routinely associated with negative reinforcement to atypically increase reader interest in such works when visiting the airport bookstore environment. 

Due to the recent cross-media increase in the range and spread of the numerous B. gaimanii subspecies (presently most notably B. gaimanii sinefini and B. gaimanii omeniboni-duum x Pratchett), there is good hope that the more invasive aspects of the encroachment of B. pattersonis may become less of a danger to the bibliosystem in years to come. We have no choice, of course, but to “wait and see”. 

[neil-gaiman]

I wish this were true. Alas, on my last tour of the USA in April and May I discovered that post Covid, bookshelf space in airports has shrunk to an extent I found hard to believe. (Shelf and display space is always finite. Right now there are lots of things for sale that weren’t for sale pre-Covid. They occupy space that formerly belonged to books.) I stopped by places that I’d always previously ninja signed books of mine, and saw that they were only selling current top 20 titles. Or not even that. I did secretly sign books here and there. But it was always in actual bookshops that happened to be in airports, and not in Hudson news style “airport bookshops”. (And I nearly wrote this as an ecological-sounding paper, but realised nobody would actually know what I was talking about if I did. You are welcome to remedy this.)

[the-original-b]

Here’s one good thing to come out of 2020:

Paleontologists completed a life-sized replica of Sue, the most complete T. Rex ever found.

And she is freaking GORGEOUS!

As I read more about this beauty, I found out some new details regarding things I thought I previously knew about the beast that was Tyrannosaurus Rex, and I’m going to share them with you.

First, and most obvious, her size:

This is nothing new, we all figured T. Rex was big, but I for one never stopped to consider exactly how big it was. Nobody ever really knows what to imagine when they read about something the size of a whale that walked around and ate everything it could kill. 

Speaking of eating things, I just want to remind you all that T. Rex had–by miles–the strongest bite of any terrestrial animal living or dead, somewhere around six and a half tons of force. That’s over six times greater than the current estimate of what Allosaurus was capable of, and three times what was delivered by the highest measured reading of the living title holder–the estuarine crocodile. It didn’t have to waste time swinging its head open-mouthed like Saurophaganax for a little extra oomph, or grow fancy serrated teeth like Carcharodontosaurus to cut pieces out of its prey. It opted for the simplest approach: get its mouth around something and crush it to death; imagine the full weight of an elephant on whatever was between this thing’s jaws.

“How did it find something to eat?” I hear you asking. “It can’t see something if it doesn’t move, right?”

Listen, I love Jurassic Park too, but that’s a big crock of shit.

Notice how both her eyes face forward. That gives her binocular vision (the ability to focus both eyes on one target, like you and I). More importantly it means she has impeccable depth perception due to overlapping fields of vision from each, large, eyeball. Researchers agree that T. Rex not only had incredible vision, but that it was probably better than most modern animals–including eagles, hawks, and owls–and that she could likely spot something three and a half miles away. If something that big can see that well, it doesn’t matter if you move or not, she’d be able to tell if it was an animal trying to hide or a piece of vegetation. So pray she isn’t hungry if she lays eyes on you. And even if by some miracle she didn’t see you, she’d still smell you. 

If she decided you looked tasty, you probably wouldn’t hear her coming as much as you’d feel her. Modern science indicates that T. Rex didn’t roar like in Jurassic Park, but rather bellowed or maybe even hissed like crocodilians. If she were on to you, you’d most likely feel this sense of unease creep up your spine as a low-pitched rumble in the air permeated through you. You wouldn’t know what it was or where it was coming from until you hear her footfalls. By then it’s too late–you could try to run but she’d probably catch you. There’s plenty on YouTube that reconstructs what T. Rex may have sounded like, and it’s legitimately haunting.  

To wrap all of this up, the one bit of good that came out of the cursed year that is 2020 is that this wonderful child of science and art came into the world, and reaffirmed my respect and admiration for the eight ton slab of muscle and teeth that is this magnificent creature.

…and it is nothing if not magnificent.

[the-original-b]

I honestly expected like three notes, what happened!?

[hummingyogurt]

Palaeontologists are the ones providing the data and advice but don’t give them full credit, this life-sized sculpture was created by ARTISTS, the artist team of @bluerhinostudio​

They also created this Quetzalcoatlus that made the rounds online (image credit goes to National Geographic)

As well as many more amazing sculptures and dioramas, so please check them out here on Tumblr and on Instagram

They are currently working on a new Tyrannosaurus again which will be on display in Europe (image credit goes to Blue Rhino Studio)

Please give the amazing team of Blue Rhino Studio the credit they deserve

[timetravelonion]

Not to kill the buzz but where are the feathers??

[hummingyogurt]

As it stands now, there is no evidence for or against feathers on Tyrannosaurus specifically, so either way to depict it would be equally accurate at the moment, if feathers are present they would be on the back and shoulder region as that is the only spot that doesn’t have preserved skin impressions

Below is a handful guide by Dr. Mark Witton who happens to be both a palaeontologist and an artist:

[femboi-milk]

Fun fact! Sue officially uses they/them pronouns! Scientists don’t know if they were male or female. Because of that, and as a gesture of good will to the LGBT+ community, scientists officially use they/them pronouns to refer to SUE the T-Rex!

“(Please, do not body-shame our T. rex. SUE is perfect just the way they are. And, yes, “they” is correct there—scientists don’t know if SUE was male or female, so in the spirit of scientific accuracy and LGBTQ inclusivity, we’ve transitioned to singular “they/them” pronouns instead of calling SUE “she” or “her.”)”

(Source: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/about/press/sue-t-rexs-new-suite )

[headspace-hotel]

“Please, do not body-shame our T. rex” is the funniest thing I’ve seen in at least 20 minutes

[hollowboobtheory]

an nonbinosaur

[astriiformes]

So are we all ready to contend with the fact that, if they get the boat unstuck in the next week, it will be a momentous event allowing passage through a waterway in Egypt……. during Passover

[whatbigotspost]

Seriously no time for jokes about people in Texas suffering today.

[whatbigotspost]

@germanova

I’m truly very sorry that happened 😓

But Texans aren’t just “snowed in.” There is a very specific thing happening with our state specific energy grid.

Texplainer: Why does Texas have its own power grid?

Basically, Texas has its own grid to avoid dealing with — you guessed it — the feds. But grid independence has been violated a few times ove

Millions of people have been without ANY ELECTRICITY OR HEAT for 40 hours in places that have been -5 to 20 degrees. Water pipes and main are breaking everywhere so that many people don’t water either.

This didn’t just “happen”

We are suffering under corrupt and inept leadership who MADE this happen.

The Texas grid got crushed because its operators didn’t see the need to prepare for cold weather

The widespread power failures in Texas in the face of a winter cold snap shine a light on what some see as the derelict state of America’s e

From the article

[whatbigotspost]

I’m too much of a raw nerve and just need to log off for a bit but one more thought before I go

[serotoninsuggestion]

an author i love just tweeted about how “big joy and small joy are the same” and how she was just as content the other night eating chocolate and cuddling her dog as she was on her Big Trip to new york and honestly. i think that’s it. this morning i was listening to an audiobook while baking shortbread in my joggers and i realised i really didn’t care what Big Things happened in my future as long as i could keep baking and reading at the weekend and maybe that is the kind of bar we have to set to guard ourselves against disappointment. just appreciate and cherish the mundane stuff and see everything else as a bonus.

[serotoninsuggestion]

found it - she was replying to this thread that starts “unpopular opinion: i don’t think your life has to have a purpose, or you a grand ambition; i think it’s okay to just wander through life finding interesting things until you die” and i for one think that’s fucking brilliant

[darkshrimpemotions]

I weirdly love that there are crotchety fandom elders around who say shit like “in my day, (insert fandom term) meant this specifically, but now you kids just use it to mean any old thing.”

It seriously gives fandom such a sense of heritage and family, like yes grandma, tell me more about how you had to write fic uphill both ways in the snow when you were my age.

[unanon]

I’m approaching crotchety old grandma.

[laurenthemself]

No but this is me.

DRABBLES ARE EXACTLY 100 WORDS NO MORE NO LESS AND DON’T FUCKING TRY TO TELL ME OTHERWISE.

[pilgrimkitty]

This is me also. A crackship is NOT the same as a rarepair and the two terms canNOT be used interchangeably.

[lil-miss-choc-deactivated201812]

YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE OTP.

It’s literally right there in the name. It is your ONE true pairing.

[pilgrimkitty]

I get around this one by have one OTP for each fandom. It’s my OTP for that fandom.

[nubianamy]

I am a crotchety old fandom grandmother and I approve this message

[ladybubblegum]

the drabble thing irks me SO MUCH it makes me feel like an old lady yelling at kids on her lawn

[stupidlullabies]

#oh fandom #THE DRABBLE THING #DRABBLES ARE 100 WORDS #ONE GODDAMN HUNDRED WORDS EXACTLY #jfc that’s what made them such a fun and interesting challenge #was getting it to exactly 100 words #and the rush of FINALLY getting there after picking and poking #or the sheer dumb joy of nailing it within a word or two on the first shot #so you only had to do the most minor editing #do not give me a fucking 8000 word fic and call it a drabble #ThAT IS NOT A DRABBLE (via @wasoncedelight)

IF IT IS MORE THAN 100 WORDS IT IS A FICLET NOT A DRABBLE OMG WHY DON’T YOU JUST CALL IT A HAIKU WHILE YOU’RE AT IT???

[gethporno]

I WILL DIE ON THE DRABBLE HILL!!! GET OFF MY LAWN!!!

[mynameis-not-littlegirl-deactiv]

WHY DON’T YOU JUST CALL IT A HAIKU WHILE YOU’RE AT IT

[radical--softness-deactivated20]

I didn’t even write fic except for that one brief period between 2007-8 but I HAVE DONE A LOT OF INTERNET OKAY so even I know this to be true. Fandom culture grandmas are awesome.

[gritsinmisery]

All of this.

[desert-neon]

A squick is not a trigger! Triggers are real and dangerous things for some. Mild discomfort at an idea, theme, or plot point does not fall into that category.

Say it with me, kids: a squick is not a trigger!

[ruffboi-mags]

I, too, will live and die on Drabble Hill

[neil-gaiman]

I failed miserably the last time I wrote a Drabble. I could not get it down below 102 words. Eventually I gave up, and made the first two words the title, Nicholas Was. And then I retired from Drabble writing.

[frederick-the-ii]

*RARE* John Denver & Johnny Cash - Take Me Home Country Roads

Found this while going through my granddad’s VHS tapes and couldn’t find it anywhere online, so here it is.

[nunyabizni]

Every time I’m lucky enough to have this hit my dash I listen to it, and every time I get chills all the way through.

[friendly-neighborhood-patriarch]

superb

[urbanfantasyinspiration]

I’m so at peace rn

[beetleboo]

@nuka-nuke

[lehcarrose]

imagine harmonising with johnny cash on your own song, i’d die on the spot this is beautiful

[makenzie-rush]

That was John Denver’s gift though. He was an amazing song writer, but the man could harmonize with just about anyone.

[cryptdude]

@silenthillcoffeebeans

[courtcomposer-archive]

@crim-dela

[eowyntheavenger]

What have the protests accomplished?

5/26 4 officers fired for murdering George Floyd 5/27 Charges dropped for Kenneth Walker (Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, who police accused of killing her) 5/28 University of Minnesota cancels contract with police 5/28 3rd precinct police station neutralized by protesters 5/28 Minneapolis transit union refuses to bring police officers to protests or transport arrested protesters 5/29 Activists commandeer Minneapolis hotel to provide shelter to homeless 5/29 Former officer Chauvin arrested and charged with murder 5/29 Louisville Mayor suspends “no-knock” warrants 5/30 US Embassies across Africa condemn police murder of George Floyd 5/30 Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison takes over prosecution of the murdering officer 5/30 Transport Workers Union refuses to help NYPD transport arrests protesters 5/30 Maryland lawmakers forming work group on police reform, accountability 5/31 2 abusive officers fired for pulling a couple out of their car and tasing them - Atlanta, GA 6/1 Minneapolis public schools end contract with police 6/1 Confederate monument removed after being toppled by protesters - Birmingham, AL 6/1 CA prosecutors launch campaign to stop DAs from accepting police union money 6/1 Tulsa Mayor agrees to not renew Live PD contract 6/1 Louisville police chief fired after shooting of David Mcatee 6/1 Congress begins bipartisan push to cut off police access to military gear 6/1 Atlanta announces plans to create a task force and public database to track police brutality in metro Atlanta area 6/2 Minneapolis AFL-CIO calls for resignation of police union president Bob Kroll, a vocal white supremest 6/2 Pittsburgh transit union announces refusal to transport police officers or arrest protesters 6/2 Racist ex-mayor Frank Rizzo statue removed in Philadelphia 6/2 6 abusive officers charged for violence against residents and protesters - Atlanta, GA 6/2 Civil rights investigation of Minneapolis Police Dept launched 6/2 San Francisco resolution to prevent law enforcement from hiring officers with history of misconduct 6/2 Survey indicates that 64% of those polled are sympathetic to protesters, 47% disapprove of police handling of the protests, and 54% think the burning down of the Minneapolis police precinct was fully or partially justified 6/2 Trenton NJ announces policing reforms 6/2 Minneapolis City Council members consider disbanding the police 6/2 Confederate statue removed from Alexandria, VA 6/3 Officer fired for tweets promoting violence against protesters - Denver, CO 6/3 Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art cut ties with the MPD 6/3 Chauvin charges upgraded to second degree murder, remaining 3 officers also charged and taken into custody 6/3 Richmond VA Mayor Stoney announces RPD reform measures: establish “Marcus” alert for folks experiencing mental health crises, establish independent Citizen Review Board, an ordinance to remove Confederate monuments, and implement racial equity study 6/3 County commissioners deny proposal for $23 million expansion of Fulton County jail 6/3 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously votes to sever ties with MPD 6/3 Seattle withdraws request to end federal oversight/consent decree of police department 6/3 Breonna Taylor’s case reopened 6/3 Louisville police department (Breonna Taylor’s murderers) will now be under review from an outside agency, which will include review on training, bias-free policing and accountability 6/3 Colorado lawmakers introduce a police reform bill that includes body cam laws, repealing the “fleeing felon” statute, and banning chokeholds 6/3 Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announces plans to reduce funding to police department by $150M and instead invest in minority communities 6/4 Virginia governor announces plans to remove Robert E. Lee statue from Richmond 6/4 Portland schools superintendent discontinues presence of armed police officers in schools 6/4 MBTA (Metro Boston) board orders that buses wont transport police to protests, or protesters to police 6/4 King County Labor Federation issues ultimatum to police unions: admit to and address racism in Seattle PD, or be removed 6/5 City of Minneapolis bans all chokeholds by police 6/5 Racist ex-mayor Hubbard statue removed - Dearborn, MI 6/5 NFL condemns racism and admits it should have listened to players’ protests 6/5 California Governor Gavin Newsom calls for statewide use-of-force standard made along with community leaders and ban on carotid holds 6/5 2 Buffalo officers suspended within a day of pushing 75 year old protester to the ground, and lying about it 6/5 2 NYPD officers suspended after videos of violence to protesters 6/5 The US Marines bans display of the Confederate flag 6/5 Dallas adopts a “duty to intervene” rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in excessive use of force 6/5 Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax releases an 11-point action plan for immediate police reforms 6/6 Statue of Confederate general Williams Carter Wickham torn down - Richmond, VA 6/6 2 Buffalo officers charged with second-degree assault for shoving elderly man 6/6 San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces effort to defund police and redirect funds to Black community 6/7 Frank Rizzo mural removed, to be replaced with new artwork - Philadelphia, PA 6/7 Minneapolis City Council members announce intent to disband the police department, invest in proven community-led public safety 6/7 Protesters in Bristol topple statue of slave trader Edward Colston, throw it in the river 6/7 NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio vows for the first time to cut funding for NYPD, redirect to social services 6/7 A Virginia police officer faces charges after using a stun gun on a black man 6/8 NY State Assembly passes the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act 6/8 Democrats in Congress unveil a bill to rein in bias and excessive force in policing 6/8 Black lawmakers block a legislative session in Pennsylvania to demand action on police reform 6/8 France bans police use of chokeholds 6/8 Seattle council members join calls to defund police department 6/8 Boston reevaluates how it funds police department 6/8 Honolulu Police Commission nominees voice support for more transparency, reforms 6/8 Rights groups and Floyd’s family call for a UN inquiry into American policing and help with systemic police reform

No, it’s not enough, but this is only the beginning. Keep fighting!!!

(I adapted this list from this blog post and added sources and new entries. Please reblog with additions.)

[gahdamnpunk]

American Girl stories were the best tbh

[that-catholic-shinobi]

Dude, read the books, she and her mom freed themselves in Book 1. We don’t disrespect American Girl in this house

[allthefandomss]

Don’t you dare disrespect Addy, or any of my girls for that matter. American Girl used to be legit. Good stories, good dolls, good movies.

[smugkoalas]

Felicity’s story was set in the beginnings of the American Revolution, and addressed the conflict that she faced when her loved ones were split between patriots and loyalists. It also covered the effects of animal abuse, and forgiving those who are unforgivable.

Samantha’s stories centered around the growth of industrial America, women’s suffrage, child abuse, and corruption in places of power. Also, it emphasises how dramatically adoption into a caring family can turn a life around.

Kit’s story is one of my favorites. Her family is hit hard by the Great Depression, and they begin taking in boarders and raise chickens to help make ends meet. Her books include themes of poverty, police brutality, homelessness, prejudice, and the importance of unity in difficult times.

Molly’s father, a doctor, is drafted during the Second World War. Throughout her story, friends of hers suffer the loss of their husbands, sons, and brothers overseas. Her mother leaves the traditional housewife position and works full-time to help with the war effort. They also take in an English refugee child, who learns to open up after a life of traumatic experience.

American Girl stories have always featured the very harsh realities of America through the years. But they’re always presented honestly, yet in ways that kids can understand. They just go to show that you don’t have to live in a perfect time to be a real American girl.

[chaos-in-the-making]

Dont you fucking dare disrespect the American Girls in my house. ESPECIALLY Addy!! That was my first REAL contact with the horrors of slavery, as I read about her father being whipped and sold and her mother escaping with her to freedom, but also how freedom was still a struggle.

A slave doll. Please. Read the books.

[ironwoman359]

Don’t forget Kirsten, the Swedish immigrant who had to deal with balancing her own culture and learning the english language and customs of her classmates, or Kaya (full name Kaya'aton'my, or She Who Arranges Rocks) , the brave but careless girl from the Nez Perce tribe, or Josefina, the Mexican girl learning to be a healer.

And then there are the later dolls, that kids younger than me would have grown up with (I was just outgrowing American Girl as these came out), like Rebecca, the Jewish girl who dreams of becoming an actress in the budding film industry, or  Julie, who fights against her school’s gender policy surrounding sports in the 70s, or  Nanea, the Hawaiian girl whose father worked at Pearl Harbor.

These books, these characters, are fantastic pictures into life for girls in America throughout the years, they pull no punches with the horrors that these girls had to face in their different time periods, and in many cases I learned more history from these series than social studies at school. And that’s without even mentioning the “girl of the year” series where characters are created in the modern world to help girls deal with issues like friend problems, moving, or bullying. We do NOT disrespect American Girl in this house.

[razzleberryjam]

American Girl is probably going to be the only exposure young girls are going to get to history from a female perspective. This is actually kind of important considering that in history classes we dont really get that exposure. We dont hear about what women felt and endured during these time periods cause schools are too busy teaching us about what happened from the male perspective, which is not unimportant, but we need both. Girls need both.

[star-linedsoul]

These books were such a crucial part of my childhood and shaped my love of history, which still ensures today. These books can be a young girl’s first lessons in diversity and cultural awareness (hopefully burying that insensitive “we’re all Americans” tripe) and looking at history from more perspectives than just that taught in school. They also are an example of how women have ALWAYS been part of history, which some people would rather us not believe.

I think Kit and Kaya were the newest American Girls when I started “aging out” of the books, but hearing about some of these kinda makes me want to revisit them!

[breezeinmonochromenight]

I wasn’t gonna say anything, but you know what?

Nah.

OP (of the tweet thread) was either a actively trying to start shit or is just a huge fucking moron. Probably both.

I’d like to point out that the company that makes American Girl dolls actually doesn’t skimp when doing their research and they don’t make the dolls with the intent to be offensive in any way:

[supreme-leader-stoat]

On this blog we respect American girls. My little sister always had ‘em growing up, and those stories were amazing.

[larkandkatydid]

The Staggering, Heartless Cruelty Toward the Elderly

A global pandemic doesn’t give us cause to treat the aged callously.

Crises can elicit compassion, but they can also evoke callousness. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve witnessed communities coming together (even as they have sometimes been physically forced apart), and we’ve seen individuals engaging in simple acts of kindness to remind the sick and quarantined that they are not forgotten. Yet from some quarters, we’ve also seen a degree of cruelty that is truly staggering.

Earlier today, a friend posted on Facebook about an experience he’d just had on the Upper West Side of Manhattan: “I heard a guy who looked to be in his 20s say that it’s not a big deal cause the elderly are gonna die anyway. Then he and his friend laughed … Maybe I’m lucky that I had awesome grandparents and maybe this guy didn’t but what is wrong with people???” Some have tried to dress up their heartlessness as generational retribution. As someone tweeted at me earlier today, “To be perfectly honest, and this is awful, but to the young, watching as the elderly over and over and over choose their own interests ahead of Climate policy kind of feels like they’re wishing us to a death they won’t have to experience. It’s a sad bit of fair play.”

Notice how the all-too-familiar rhetoric of dehumanization works: “The elderly” are bunched together as a faceless mass, all of them considered culprits and thus effectively deserving of the suffering the pandemic will inflict upon them. Lost entirely is the fact that the elderly are individual human beings, each with a distinctive face and voice, each with hopes and dreams, memories and regrets, friendships and marriages, loves lost and loves sustained. But they deserve to die—and as for us, we can just go about our business.

It is bad enough if we remain indifferent to the plight of our elders; it is far worse to dress up our failings as moral indignation.

As a rabbi and theologian watching this ethical train wreck, I find myself thinking about the biblical mandate to “honor your father and mother.” The Hebrew word usually translated as “honor,” kabed, comes from a root meaning “weight.” At the deepest level, then, the biblical command is thus to treat the elderly as weighty. Conversely, the Bible prohibits “cursing” one’s parents. The Hebrew word usually translated as “curse,” tekalel, derives from a root meaning “light.” At bottom, then, the biblical proscription is on treating the elderly lightly, as if they are inconsequential.

Why do I say “the elderly”? In its biblical context, the obligation to honor parents is a command given to grown children (as are the Ten Commandments more broadly—you don’t tell children not to commit adultery nor to covet their neighbors’ fields). When you are an adult, the Bible instructs, you must not abandon the elderly. Giving voice to a pervasive human fear, the Psalmist prays, “Do not cast me off in old age; when my strength fails, do not forsake me!”

What does it say about our society that people think of the elderly so dismissively—and moreover, that they feel no shame about expressing such thoughts publicly? I find myself wondering whether this colossal moral failure is exacerbated by the most troubled parts of our cultural and economic life. When people are measured and valued by their economic productivity, it is easy to treat people whose most economically productive days have passed as, well, worthless.

read more at the link

[rus-califi]

Welcome to the space age, ladies and gentlemen

[shunkawarakin]

This is really quite a big deal. A tremendous amount of modern research ends up being sold to journals which require unreasonable payments to access it and only pay the original authors a pittance. It’s nice to see an agency like NASA deliberately widebanding its findings.

[vabla]

Not sure if people fully realize just how big of a deal this is. THIS is how science is advanced. Not through biased corporate research, business secrets, marketing, paywalls and patent wars. But through open, uncensored and unrestricted public access to knowledge.

[question-the-status-quo-deactiv]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=%22nasa+funded%22[Filter]

^ There’s the direct link to all the studies.

[supaslim]

NASA IS GOOD, NASA IS GREAT

[aripuppyistired]

@osunism

[nyokoko]

NASA is the hero we don’t deserve.

[nightpiercer]

This deserves every reblog.

[slow-magic]

@geh-is-okeh

[crewdlydrawn-deactivated2022072]

In the face of institutions being silenced, this is doubly huge.

[kingscrown666]

I love seeing that, for once, there are more reblogs than likes

Keep passing on this info, guys. Good job

[marzipanandminutiae]

sometimes I hate how much modern clothing is determined to show women’s bodies

like if it’s not skimpy, it’s skin-tight- leggings, skinny jeans, bodycon dresses, etc.

doing historical costuming has made me hyper-aware of just how “on display” my body is when I’m wearing normal modern outfits, and it affects my behavior. don’t bend over to pick things up at work because men will stare at your ass. sit differently so you don’t show stomach rolls. a guy running a pop-up stand next to my shop commented so much on how I had “great legs” that I didn’t wear leggings and skirts- one of my favorite winter outfit combinations -for the rest of the season

there’s a certain freedom in medium-to-long skirts and skirt supports, I find: the freedom to define what people see of my body. men won’t stop being creepy no matter what women wear, but I like that kind of dramatic body re-framing. you don’t get to see my legs and hips, Creepy Guys. you get to see a massive bell skirt, or a bustle, or an upended trumpet flower shape. my body is to be seen only by those I’ve chosen to trust, not the world at large

of course, empowerment is different for different women. some feel comfortable and powerful showing as much of their shape as possible, and I applaud them in doing exactly that. what pisses me off is the pressure from the fashion industry for all of us to be empowered by the same thing…a thing that just so happens to tie in with the diet industry and the cosmetics industry. it’s easier to sell the idea that you have to be hairless and smooth and thin and blemish-free when it’s all on display

sometimes I just wish I could go about in a hoop skirt and a t-shirt that says “fuck off” in delicate script

[fuguhbuguhbuhugguhval]

[marzipanandminutiae]

BEST RESPONSE TO ANY POST OF MINE EVER

THANK YOU

[hymnsofheresy]

ok the shittiest part about christmastime is the fact people keep skipping over the forth verse of “we three kings” like… we get it. y’all are white protestants who can’t even think about mortality for one single second. 

[hymnsofheresy]

also people who skip the third verse of “o holy night” are reactionary cowards

[hymnsofheresy]

ok but these lyrics are so powerful and amazing. im so pissed.

We Three Kings (4):

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom; Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

O Holy Night (3):

Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, With all our hearts we praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we, His power and glory ever more proclaim! His power and glory ever more proclaim!

[shorthistorian]

Important context on O Holy Night: The English lyrics by John Sullivan Dwight are from 1855, a full decade before the abolition of slavery in the United States. In fact, abolition was still a VERY fringe position. Pro-slavery advocates, meanwhile, were arguing that slavery was God’s gift to white civilization. In that year, six years before the Civil War began, Americans were already shooting each other over whether slavery should expand out in Kansas.

Dwight–unsurprisingly, a Unitarian minister–put the most inflammatory possible political statement of the day into his Christmas carol.

[thislongstoryshort]

Good news! Every rendition of O Holy Night I’ve heard, from various different church circles and recordings, DOES include third verse (and I live in the Bible Belt)! I actually had no idea it even had three verses because it’s the tradition second verse that’s omitted.

[funnypicsdept]

[thislongstoryshort]

omg yall Babylonbee is satire, just like the Onion. 

[micdotcom]

Clergy had the most incredible response to police using Black mugshots for target practice

In December, while visiting a shooting range in Medley, Florida, National Guard Sgt. Valerie Deant came to a horrifying realization: Members of the North Miami Beach police force, who had just left the facility, had been using mugshots of young black men for target practice.

In response, these clergy members created #usemeinstead

[talesofthestarshipregeneration]

now this is what jesus wld do…

[theneverlandarchitect]

this is *totally* what Jesus would do.

[nezoriy]

I’ve started rereading Guards! Guards!, and you know that funny feeling, when you watch Star Wars Episode I or reread first Harry Potter, and it’s kind of painful to see all this innocence and almost happiness when you know what crap will happen? Well, it’s like this, but in opposite direction: it’s weird to read about Vimes in that state and I constantly want to give him a blanket and tell, that everything’ll be alright, but I read that part, when he speaks not even with Vetinari himself, but with his secretary, and feels uneasy and kinda afraid of him, and then I think about that peculiar understanding Vetinari and Vimes will reach and their almost-equality, and it makes me happy in advance.

[thebibliosphere]

Sorry to just randomly add on to this with a tangent but your post got me thinking and then @the-tao-of-fandom‘s tags just hijacked my brain, but I like this post, and I like what it conveys.

That Discworld is the antithesis of dark and gritty fantasy, while fully embracing dark and gritty content.

When people talk about gritty realism, they never think of this. They think of a character being brought low and struggling and exploring pain because pain is real right? They think of never ending suffering and how strong a character must be to withstand it. And while I understand why this trope exists, I hate to say it (I don’t actually, I revel in screaming it from the rooftops), it’s not realism. It’s not even gritty. It’s just depressing and wholly unhealthy.

They never think of a mediocre, stifled and bitter character who is already suffering in very ignoble ways. There’s nothing honorable about Sam Vimes at the start of Guards! Guards!, there’s a vague sense of he does some good things but knows he should do better, his dear old mum didn’t raise him to be a drunk in the gutter and yet…

They never think that grit and realism can come out of becoming better. That the true strength isn’t just tolerating the pain, but learning to live through it and then without it, which is something else Sam Vimes struggles with, with all the hallmarks of a person having become well and finding a place of mental stability, but knows all too well what lurks in the deep. He stops being afraid of success, and instead starts to fear what happens if he stops. What will happen to his family if he stops. So he stays well. He does the steps, one day at a time. He will do this not to save the world, not to prove a point, but because there’s people who love him. It’s a very human reaction. It’s a very human need. 

And that’s where the Pratchett books thrive for me. You start as low as you can go, and work your way up. It’s the stories of real life people, set in this fantastical world, and we get to watch reality unfold around them through very human experiences.  It is, quite literally in Vimes’ case, putting one foot in front of the other until you are whole again. And even when you still might not feel it, there will be others there to fall back on. Even if it’s Nobby Nobbs. (Especially if it’s Nobby Nobbs, who I like to believe always makes sure urchins have their own spoon, and that’s why everyone in the Watch House has to stir sugar into their tea with a knife.)

You are not alone in this world. Things will get better. And you should try to make things better too because we have a responsibility to each other that goes beyond not being a dick.

That’s realism. That’s true grit. And I love it.

[thecraftybear]

There’s nothing darker and grittier, and yet more uplifting, than the image of a berserk, murderous man clinging to life and sanity by reciting his child’s favorite storybook, because some things must be done. And other things must be done properly.

[thislongstoryshort]

but WHY is it called the KINGKILLER chronicles when there is so far NO mention or allusion to killing KINGS??