Spaceships & Tea

harrysocean: Crested Flash by funkymelody on Flickr.

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:02:42 +0300

Crested Flash by funkymelody on Flickr.

"i am not yours. i did not make the long hard journey through and across the spirit world to be a..."

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:56:35 +0300

“i am not yours.
i did not make the long hard journey through and across the spirit world
to
be a man’s ocean.
my body is not yours.
my mouth is not yours.
my water is not yours.
nothing i am belongs to you
unless i decide
to
open my hand
and
give it to you.”

- birthmarks, nayyirah waheed (via nayyirahwaheed)

Faith Mudge on Feminism in Fairy Tales

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:34:48 +0300

Faith Mudge on Feminism in Fairy Tales:

Relevant for my writing projects right now.

appolsaucy: good-idea-poorly-executed: lostwiginity: Interesti...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:17:34 +0300

appolsaucy:

good-idea-poorly-executed:

lostwiginity:

Interesting.

This is actually really interesting.

I love that he pointed out that it’s different when men and women are objectified on film, not only because of the way our society views men and women, but also in the specific way those shots are framed.

When consuming media it’s so important to remember that filmmakers and ad companies have so many tools at their disposal that the average viewer is not even aware of. The way a scene is set, the way the camera moves, which parts of a person are included in the fame, the number of seconds the camera views each particular part of a person. All of these things very subtly evoke responses from us. We don’t notice them because we aren’t supposed to notice them—if they are doing their job right, everything feels seamless and correct to the viewer. And even if we do notice, we may not be able to articulate it because most of us haven’t studied filmmaking techniques.

If you think you are 100% impenetrable to the effects of the content you view, you are deluding yourself.

soundtrack-for-lovers: Synchronised tempi changes! Charlotte...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:07:04 +0300

soundtrack-for-lovers:

Synchronised tempi changes!

Charlotte Dujardin and Laura Bechtolsheimer - Pas De Deux

"People need to be encouraged. People need to be reminded of how wonderful they are. People need to..."

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 06:24:46 +0300

“People need to be encouraged. People need to be reminded of how wonderful they are. People need to be believed in—told that they are brave and smart and capable of accomplishing all the dreams they dream and more. Remind each other of this.”

- Stacey Jean Speer (via herhappythoughts)

theartofanimation: Peter Elson

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:09:39 +0300

theartofanimation:

Peter Elson

Photo

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:09:12 +0300

thelookingglassgallery: “I Stole The Stars For You (Love And...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:50:28 +0300

thelookingglassgallery:

“I Stole The Stars For You (Love And Lunacy)” by Louise McNaught

thegreenwolf: vegannvagina: my-infinite-catharsis: pajamaprodi...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 13:15:13 +0300

thegreenwolf:

vegannvagina:

my-infinite-catharsis:

pajamaprodigy:

mh-things:

californiaexpatriate:

drugsandanarchy:

mh-things:

Unfortunately true.

It’s a bit unfair to compare something life threatening to something not immediately life threatening.

Also, psychiatric care is really just a nice way of saying, “mind-altering drugs”.

Not life threatening? You’ve clearly never experienced or known someone with a severe mental illness. Up to 90% of people who commit suicide have a mental illness.

Eating disorders, mood disorders, anxiety and self harm have many life threatening effects on the body, e.g. malnutrition, gastrointestinal complications, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, risk of wounds becoming infected, nerve damage. People struggling to get the mental health care they need find themselves in ER’s, jail cells and psychiatric hospitals for their immediate safety.

The risk of this can be minimised with proper treatment, which can consist of medication but also includes psychotherapy, occupational and social work, emergency care and other treatments as appropriate for each patient.

Kidney patients can be kept alive on dialysis for years while awaiting a transplant.

Also, your “mind-altering drugs”? These are part of why I can go to school, have an internship, maintain friendships, and be a reasonably responsible family member. Meds are a complement to therapy and make it work better. Honestly, if I were not taking prescribed medication, I would probably be taking some “mind-altering drugs” that had worse side effects than dry mouth.

Mental illness is in part both caused and reflected by physical/chemical disturbances in the brain. In physical illness, medication is often used to aleviate symptoms or address causes. Psychotropic drugs do the same thing. They are a medical response to a medical problem.

People need to stop thinking mental illness isn’t serious

They also need to stop thinking psychiatric drugs are all useless.

Yes, some pharmaceuticals are overprescribed. Yes, the medical model of mental health needs to be overhauled.

But there ARE people for whom the pharmaceuticals work, and for whom they add increased ability to function. I’m not talking about a kid given Ritalin just because she or he is a normal, active, energetic six year old. I’m talking about some of my adult clients, who for years or decades have used meth, heroin, cocaine, and other drugs to self-medicate for everything from ADHD to mood disorders to PTSD and other anxiety disorders and more, and who ended up with life-threatening addictions as a result. The medications they are now on help them to deal with these conditions without the side effects of addiction and all the problems that can come with it—Hepatitis and HIV from shared needles, permanent damage to the body and brain, and, of course, the risk of overdose and other means of death. And that’s not including other effects of their addictions, such as temporarily or permanently losing children, housing, relationships, etc. Plus there’s the arrest records and the many instances of stealing things to sell for money for the next hit, and being assaulted while under the influence, and the trauma of watching other people OD or collapse under the long-term effects of use—and knowing that their addictions were pushing them in that direction. There’s more, too; I could write pages.

But the pharmaceuticals work. They settle the symptoms enough to where the clients can learn better coping skills to replace their drugs of choice and ways to fight off relapse. I’ve seen the difference with some of my clients between when they’ve been medicated and when they haven’t, and the right combo of meds works; our medical director works incredibly hard to make sure each client is checked on to be sure what they’re given is actually helping them.

And even though some of these do have side effects, they’re nowhere near as bad as what these clients used to deal with. The pharmaceuticals replace the street drugs; they address the symptoms that drove them to use in the first place, but leave their minds clearer so they can start learning better coping skills to help them in their recovery, immediate and long-term. The pharmaceuticals are just one piece in a complex system of intensive treatment, but without them we couldn’t do nearly as much work to help these people.

Photo

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:46:33 +0300

theartofanimation: Serge Birault

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:39:57 +0300

theartofanimation:

Serge Birault

rubyetc: This is for you (plural) and small voice maybe even...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:47:53 +0300

rubyetc:

This is for you (plural) and *small voice* maybe even me

pursuingpassivity: tmdjsc: wordscanbesexy: heatherbat: callme...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:45:11 +0300

pursuingpassivity:

tmdjsc:

wordscanbesexy:

heatherbat:

callmebliss:

hellotailor:

rubdown:

lovelymoonbeams:

stunningpicture:

‘Cause people seem to only post the 20-something Audrey Hepburn

this is genuinely the first photo i’ve seen of her looking older

I didn’t know Audrey Hepburn grew old into a bomb-ass old lady until like, last year. I thought she died young cuz that’s the only pictures I’ve ever seen.

omg

<3

she was also the granddaughter of a baron, the daughter of a nazi sympathizer, spent her teens doing ballet to secretly raise money for the dutch resistance against the nazis, and spent her post-film career as a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF, winning the presidential medal of freedom for her efforts.

and history remembers her as pretty.

\o/

and history remembers her as pretty.

and history remembers her as pretty.

and history remembers her as pretty.

She is so great <3

“There are just not as many great women to look up to as there are men.”

Bullshit.

History just wipes them out or washes away their true value.

rebel6: by luffie

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:54:51 +0300

rebel6:

by luffie

Photo

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 11:27:36 +0300

royalprat: wryer: Giant driftwood on the beach at La Push,...

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 11:04:05 +0300

royalprat:

wryer:

Giant driftwood on the beach at La Push, Washington (2010)

~~this made me feel really uneasy, the ocean is terrifying.~~

its like when cats bring home a dead bird and drop it at your feet except the ocean is like I HAVE BROUGHT YOU THIS ENORMOUS TREE FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL ENJOY

Photo

Fri, 31 May 2013 08:10:37 +0300

karenkavett: dftbarecords: New from Karen Kavett! First, this...

Thu, 30 May 2013 14:17:48 +0300

karenkavett:

dftbarecords:

New from Karen Kavett!

First, this awesome shirt. Because who needs food? Books are like food for your brain, right? Right.

And second, these typography stickers. They come in a pack of three (one of each design shown) and are “kiss cut” to their custom shape so there isn’t a large white background when placing them on an object.

If you missed it in my video yesterday, I designed the shirt you all told me to make and am also selling the typography stickers separate from the necklaces for the first time!

briandanielwolf: kitchkinet62: grantaire-put-that-bottle-down: ...

Tue, 28 May 2013 14:06:08 +0300

briandanielwolf:

kitchkinet62:

grantaire-put-that-bottle-down:

ihititwithmyaxe:

mothernaturenetwork:

Harry Potter wizarding genetics decoded

If the wizarding gene is dominant, as J.K. Rowling says in her famous series of Harry Potter books, then how can a wizard be born to muggle parents (non-magical people)? And how can there be squibs (non-magical people born into wizarding lines)?

It seems these baffling genetic questions have finally been answered, thanks to Andrea Klenotiz, a biology student at the University of Delaware.

In a six-page paper, which she sent to Rowling, Klenotiz outlines how the wizarding gene works and even explains why some witches and wizards are more powerful than others.

“Magical ability could be explained by a single autosomal dominant gene if it is caused by an expansion of trinucleotide repeats with non-Mendelian ratios of inheritance,” Klenotiz explains.

What does this mean?

In school we learn the fundamentals of genetics by studying Gregory Mendel’s pea plant experiments and completing basic Punnett squares. Basically, we’re taught that whenever one copy of a gene linked to a dominant trait is present, then the offspring will exhibit that dominant trait, regardless of the other gene.

However, Non-Mendelian genes don’t follow this rule, which is the basis of Klenotiz’s argument. She says that the wizarding gene could be explained if it’s caused by a trinucleotide repeat, which is the repetition of three nucleotides — the building blocks of DNA — multiple times.

These repeats can be found in normal genes, but sometimes many more copies of this repeated code can appear in genes than is standard, causing a mutation. This kind of mutation is responsible for genetic diseases like Huntington’s Disease. Depending upon how many of these repeats occur in the genes, a person could exhibit no symptoms, could have a mild form of the disease or could have a severe form of it.

In her paper, Klenotiz argues that eggs with high levels of these repeats are more likely to be fertilized, a phenomenon known as transmission ratio distortion. She also suggests that the egg or sperm with high levels of repeats is less likely to be created or to survive in the wizarding womb.

This argument answers several questions about wizarding genetics:

How can a wizard be born to muggle parents?

Genetic mutations can randomly appear, meaning anyone could be born with the wizarding gene. However, there’s a better chance of magical offspring occurring if the parents are on the high side of the normal range for mutations.

How can a squib be born to wizard parents?

Although parents with these mutated magical genes would be likely to pass the gene on to their children, there’s still a possibility that any given offspring might not inherit the trinucleotide repeat.

How can varying degrees of magical ability be explained?

The more repeats a wizard inherits, the stronger the magical power he or she will have. If both wizarding parents are powerful wizards, it’s likely their offspring will also be powerful.

You can read Klenotiz’s full paper on wizarding genetics here.

Far and away one of the nerdiest things I’ve ever read. Love it.

I’m confused…if one’s magical ability is more likely to be heightened by the amount of times the gene’s been repeated, does that mean that, generally speaking, those that are Muggleborn can generally be seen as “less magical”? This argument gives some credence to the Death Eaters…

Woah.

Spaceships & Tea

harrysocean: Crested Flash by funkymelody on Flickr.

"i am not yours. i did not make the long hard journey through and across the spirit world to be a..."

Faith Mudge on Feminism in Fairy Tales

appolsaucy: good-idea-poorly-executed: lostwiginity: Interesti...

soundtrack-for-lovers: Synchronised tempi changes! Charlotte...

"People need to be encouraged. People need to be reminded of how wonderful they are. People need to..."

theartofanimation: Peter Elson

Photo

thelookingglassgallery: “I Stole The Stars For You (Love And...

thegreenwolf: vegannvagina: my-infinite-catharsis: pajamaprodi...

Photo

theartofanimation: Serge Birault

rubyetc: This is for you (plural) and *small voice* maybe even...

pursuingpassivity: tmdjsc: wordscanbesexy: heatherbat: callme...

rebel6: by luffie

Photo

royalprat: wryer: Giant driftwood on the beach at La Push,...

Photo

karenkavett: dftbarecords: New from Karen Kavett! First, this...

briandanielwolf: kitchkinet62: grantaire-put-that-bottle-down: ...

rubyetc: This is for you (plural) and small voice maybe even...