a beautiful thing

life, thoughts, and things that make me happy

[npr]

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg may have taken an extended paternity leave after the birth of his daughter, but generally, American men do not take more than a few days. Ninety-six percent of American men are back to work within two weeks of a baby’s birth.

“There might be some stigma attached,” says Gordon Dahl, an economist at the University of California, San Diego. “ ‘What if I take paternity leave, will I not get the next promotion? Or will people think I’m not as connected to the workplace? Am I kind of signaling that I don’t care about work enough?’ ”

How To Get Dads To Take Parental Leave? Seeing Other Dads Do It

Graphic: Katie Park/NPR

[snorlaxatives]

“Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” Legally Blonde (2001) dir. Robert Luketic

[poptilyadrop]

[midsnacker-deactivated20180518]

[mtv]

me rn

gif by: zaitmeilil

[vicemag]

same

[npr]

So close… -Ariel

[skunkbear]

It’s Pi Day tomorrow! A very special Pi Day, because on March 14, 2015, at 53 seconds past 9:26 AM the date and time will spell out the first 9 decimal digits of the constant π. I’ll be celebrating by eating pie.

This GIF is a visual representation of C = 2r*π (the relationship between the circumference and the diameter).

*These smart folks have pretty much convinced me that Tau (τ=2π=6.2831…) is actually a better constant. And on Tau Day (June 28th), I get to eat TWO pies. But we have to wait until 2031 to get those extra decimal digits for τ.

[npr]

The tastiest / mathiest of days! -Ariel

[trextrying]

T-Rex Trying to catch a salmon at Pike Place Market…

[nprbooks]

Images courtesy Pacific Northwest Ballet

Sadness! Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet is retiring its epic, deliciously creepy Maurice Sendak production of The Nutcracker.

"[Sendak] likes real things, you know, like monsters and children that cry and make demands," says former artistic director Kent Stowell. So in the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker, there’s a huge rat puppet with a thick twitching tail that looks like it wraps all the way to the other side of the stage. There are also cannons and a Christmas tree that doubles in size to 48 feet right before your eyes.

But current artistic director Peter Boal says this is the right time to retire the production. So he’s bringing George Balanchine’s Nutcracker to Seattle. It’ll be a new production with sets and costumes designed by contemporary children’s author Ian Falconer, best known for his books about a very cultured pig named Olivia.

See the rest of the story here.

— Petra

[aaronpaauls-deactivated20141206]

[humansofnewyork]

"He does math problems out loud in his sleep." "She collects vintage teacups."

[youveneverseen]

This is my future

[seinfeldia]

[hormoaning2-deactivated20170617]

[npr]

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen who was attacked by Taliban militants for promoting education for girls, will share the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian campaigner against exploitation of children.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee says on Nobelprize.org:

"Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi’s tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children’s rights.

"Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzai has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education."

Pakistani Teen Malala Yousafzai Shares Nobel Peace Prize

Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

[trextrying]

T-Rex Trying the ALS ice bucket challenge…

#trextrying

#ALS

#icebucketchallenge

[gamechangershow]

This HR dept doesn’t negotiate with Terrorists.

Finish reading This Is The Most Passive-Agressive Office Note Battle We’ve Ever Seen

[shepherdsongs]

I was driving past a business here in the Houston Heights, when I glimpsed this painted on the side of the building. I recognized that iconic WWII poster before I realized it was not just any woman, but 14 year old Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who was attacked for wanting an education. The words next to her are her quote, ( “I don’t mind if I have to sit on the floor at school.) All I want is education. And I’m afraid of no one.”

[aglionby]