Uncommon Nonsense

I loved the DK Eyewitness series of books when I was a little...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:03:00 -0500

I loved the DK Eyewitness series of books when I was a little girl, with the detailed pictures and infographics which filled the large pages. In fact, I still enjoy information design in this style. (Image credit www.elmhurst.edu, credit for the reminder that these books exist goes to Ree Drummond)

A Note about Witches “In fairy-tales, witches always wear...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:35:22 -0500

A Note about Witches

“In fairy-tales, witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks, and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy-tale. This is about REAL WITCHES.

The most important thing you should know about REAL WITCHES is this. Listen very carefully. Never forget what is coming next.

REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ORDINARY JOBS.”

—Introduction to The Witches, Roald Dahl (Image credit snarkmarket.com)

"Birds just do not get the concept of glass."

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:26:00 -0500

“Birds just do not get the concept of glass.”

- Dr. Daniel Klem Jr. of Muhlenberg College via The Nature Conservancy

putthison: I find that sometimes the extra effort involved in...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:53:46 -0500

putthison:

I find that sometimes the extra effort involved in dressing well isn’t a burden, but rather, a comfort.

(Talcahuano, Chile. Photo by Ricardo Mazalan)

(Thanks Jon)

BBC News - US anti-gay rights senator Roy Ashburn comes out

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:40:00 -0500

BBC News - US anti-gay rights senator Roy Ashburn comes out:

webbunny:

A conservative US state senator who has voted against gay rights measures during his 14 years in office has confessed he is gay.

What a hypocritical idiot.

It makes me angry when people reduce this and similar situations to, “What a hypocritical idiot.” While it would be nice if we lived in an ideal world where families, friends and political constituents wouldn’t hate a person because of his sexual preference, we don’t. Parents throw their gay children out of the house, people stop speaking to their once-close but now gay friends and let’s face it, it’s nearly impossible to continue serving as a Republican politician and also identify as gay or support legal, homosexual equality.

Roy Ashburn introduced legislation supporting a high-speed rail system, new benefits for community college nursing faculty in California, and a new after school education and safety program. Unfortunately, he probably wouldn’t have been given the chance to initiate such legislation had he also shown a pro-gay voting track record. There’s a lot more to being a politician of any persuasion than leanings on social issues; why should it be that being a fiscal conservative and homosexual are mutually exclusive?

That being said, it is difficult to support the actions of a man who actively votes against the rights of others and tempting to hold a politician to a higher standard, as more than a man. But ultimately he’s still just a person and it’s valuable not to write this off as a black and white issue. There are a thousand and one reasons why Ashburn would have been terrified to come out and to vote accordingly. As activists, are we not more responsible to create a culture in which that isn’t the case than to stone those who are still afraid?

fuckyeahbuffy: Joyce: So what’d you do for your birthday? You...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:30:07 -0500

fuckyeahbuffy:

Joyce: So what’d you do for your birthday? You have fun?
Buffy: I got older.

almostalice: oneofmylies: (via vivalalynn) omg. what even…...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:16:31 -0500

almostalice:

oneofmylies:

(via vivalalynn)

omg.

what even… omg

Just what I’ve always thought: a good vocabulary is the key to success.

clapifyoulikeme: capucha: ohmeliss: neatly cracked cakesThe...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:57:21 -0500

clapifyoulikeme:

capucha:

ohmeliss:

neatly cracked cakes
The secret is to pipe a line of butter on the top of your unbaked loaf. Simply cream a couple of tablespoons of butter, and using a piping bag – or as I do, a paper cornet (another playground love, which I should definitely make you discover laterish) – pipe a thin line across the length of the cake.

[via ffffood:propermake:www.foodbeam.com]

WHAT! i have to try this. loaf making will occur ASAP.

Whoaaaaaaaaa.

Oh. Em. Gee. I had no idea.

"Taking one’s chances is like taking a bath, because sometimes you end up feeling comfortable and..."

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:54:28 -0500

“Taking one’s chances is like taking a bath, because sometimes you end up feeling comfortable and warm, and sometimes there is something terrible lurking around that you cannot see until it is too late and you can do nothing else but scream and cling to a plastic duck.”

- Lemony Snicket

Chaos

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:32:41 -0500

I feel a bit like Scarlett O’Hara as she ascends the staircase just as the Civil War is starting. Everything is swarming around her and yet she’s completely isolated from everything with not a single person paying any notice to the fact that her whole world has been turned upside down.

I treated myself to a little Celtic potion this evening and dare I say I’ve found a new...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:16:00 -0500

I treated myself to a little Celtic potion this evening and dare I say I’ve found a new favorite?

Smith College has a number of unique academic year events,...

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:33:00 -0500

Smith College has a number of unique academic year events, including Mountain Day: “…a tradition borrowed from Mount Holyoke College and is observed early in the fall semester. The President of the College selects a crisp, sunny, beautiful autumn day when the leaves are in full color, and announces the cancellation of classes by having bells rung on campus at 7:15 AM on the chosen day. The eager anticipation of Mountain Day leads to intense speculation and an abnormally high interest in meteorology by students in the weeks leading up to the surprise announcement. Traditional observance of Mountain Day by students might involve New England road trips or outdoor pursuits, and college dining services provides box lunches to be taken off-campus.”

I firmly believe that all universities (and workplaces!) should institute a similar practice.

(Photo Credit http://igetnewengland.com, taken in Smith College’s town of Northampton, Massachusetts)

birdwillbirdwont: Big Sighs (Photo by Sue Clamp) Bridge of...

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:05:02 -0500

birdwillbirdwont:

Big Sighs (Photo by Sue Clamp)

Bridge of Sighs, St. John’s College, New Chesterton, Cambridge, England.

(So amazing.)

putthison: A few readers have emailed us to point out that...

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:14:16 -0500

putthison:

A few readers have emailed us to point out that those of us in the U.S. of A have our own regional tartans. Wikipedia has a nearly complete list. Matt, an American living in Scotland, points out that the California tartan (above) is based on the family tartan of John Muir, the great conservationist.

I actively support be-tartaned clothing, especially if it bears your family’s tartan. That said: unless you A) live in Scotland or B) have a family tartan and are actively participating in a Scotland-specific activity (Highland Games, Sons of Scotland meeting), you should NOT wear a kilt.

If you do, you’ll risk the same kind of wrath that my Irish stepmother occasionally unleashes upon Riverdance and St. Patrick’s Day revelers. This type of wrath includes a lot of profanity.

smalltowngayblog: myholigay: canisfamiliaris: Strangers Marry...

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:04:08 -0500

smalltowngayblog:

myholigay:

canisfamiliaris:

Strangers Marry After Same-sex Couple Denied License

In a brilliantly evocative political demonstration, Buffalo (NY) LGBT activist Kitty Lambert entered the Buffalo City Clerk’s office where she and her long-time partner Cheryl (who own property together, have 5 children and 12 grandchildren together, and who have been together for decades) attempted to apply for a marriage license.

The City official reiterated that, due to New York State law, Kitty and Cheryl could not marry (being lesbians) so they would not be granted a marriage license.

Then, with news cameras rolling in the background, Kitty turned to the crowd and asked for any male who would be willing to marry her.

Ed-the-Complete-Stranger stepped forward, Kitty and Ed briefly exchanged names, they presented their identity documents to the Clerk, they paid the $40 license fee, the City Clerk verified their information, and Kitty and Ed — two complete strangers — were given a marriage license.

All of which clearly demonstrates the “sanctity of (heterosexual) marriage,” right?

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:58:09 -0500

tapwaterjackson:

borgomani:

© Blake Gordon

Looking upward underneath Sipapu Natural Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah. 37°36′57.19″N, 110° 0′41.35″W - 9:14pm, 01/14/2008

With the opening of Olympic Pride Houses and more openly gay athletes, the Olympics are finally coming out of the closet.

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:01:22 -0500

noonday : suicideblonde:

“Here, in Canada, it’s pretty cushy. If you’re gay, you’re treated like a real human being,” he says, while making last-minute preparations for the launch. But being gay is illegal in 14 of the countries participating in the Games, and in two, homosexual acts are punishable by death.

That’s why at Vancouver’s Pride House, even though the focus will be on making people feel welcome and safe, creating a space to meet up with friends and even trade pins, they also want to encourage people to share their experiences about gay life in other countries. Maps will show where it’s illegal to be gay, where it’s punishable by death, where it’s legal to be married and where it’s not.

Refugee counselors will also be on hand. “If there’s an athlete, a visitor, or whatever, and they say, ‘You know what I can’t go back,’” because of discrimination in their home country, “we’ll have people here to walk them through the process,” says Jennifer Breakspear, the executive director of Qmunity, which is hosting Vancouver’s Pride House. Maybe no one will claim asylum at these Games, she says, but in almost every Olympics held in a Western nation, at least one person has.

read the whole article here

Need to get over your ex? Call Death Bear - Valentine's Day

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:05:33 -0500

Need to get over your ex? Call Death Bear - Valentine's Day:

Sort of silly and a little bit creepy, but it’s nice to know people are still establishing modern, secular ritual and ceremony for important events in their lives.

I think I’ve mentioned before...

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:56:00 -0500

I think I’ve mentioned before that I work for a university and thus can take courses while I’m here. This semester I’m taking a class on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yeah. That’s right. Prepare for lots of academic discussion of how pop media reflects our culture. And, you know. Slaying. (photo via media.canada.com)

cakeface: get in here with me! via...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:45:03 -0500

cakeface:

get in here with me!

via cloudsandmonsters.files.wordpress.com

OMG. Wow. I mean. Just. …I’ll find words for this place one of these minutes.