June 2011
1 post
May 2011
3 posts
“Language is like a fishnet. Once the fish are caught, you can throw the net away. Once the idea is caught, you can throw the words away.”
— Zhuangzi
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”
—Isaac Asimov (via themadeshop)
March 2011
5 posts
Play
“Leonard Nimoy, who played the most famous TV scientist of all time, Mr. Spock, came from an arts and theater background and in real life is nothing like his character. Yet he told me that because Mr. Spock and “Star Trek” have inspired so many young viewers to become scientists, researchers who meet him are always desperate to give him lab tours and explain the projects they’re pursuing in peer-to-peer terms. Mr. Nimoy nods sagely and intones to each one, ‘Well, it certainly looks like you’re headed in the right direction.’”
—
Hee! This is where being a good actor helps. :-)
Fattie Cyborg Love! →
coilhouse.net
Female nudity, possibly NSFW, depending on your work.
I just think this is really neat -not just b/c the model’s fat, although that’s awesome, but because of the juxtaposition of realness and artificiality.
February 2011
33 posts
“Resistance is everywhere, it always has been and always will be. Just because someone is not resisting in the same way you are (being a vegan, an ‘out’ lesbian, a political organizer) does not mean they are not resisting. Being told you are a worthless piece of shit and not believing it is a form of resistance.”
—Kathleen Hanna. (via avaadore)
Rotundlr: INNERFATGIRL: FAT SOLIDARITY: THE BASICS →
therotund.tumblr.com
** Fat experiences are complicated and vary from fatty to fatty. The following are some personal guidelines on how people can opt out of fat hate and challenge the objectification of fat bodies. This list is incomplete, won’t be the same for everyone, and was written by and…
“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
—Dr. Seuss (via kari-shma)
“Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.”
—
Ray Bradbury (via loveyourchaos)
(This does not seem as cheery as the Patrick Overton quote. I think I like it more because of that. No guarantees on landing, but you might as well make the attempt.)
It’s Harder to Get Started Today →
thesimpledollar.com
I told him that, although I agreed with him that young people should save more, there is also a strong case that it is much more difficult today for a young person to establish themselves financially as he did when he was a young adult.
He looked at me strangely. “What do you mean?” he asked.
So, I laid it out for him, piece by piece. Afterward, it occurred to me that the entire discussion might make for a good post here, particularly with some specific research to back it up.
Real wages Let’s start with income. In 1970, the average wage earner took home $312 per week (in 1982 dollars). In 2004, the average wage earner brought home $277 per week (in 1982 dollars) – and it’s still falling. That means that, once you factor out inflation, the average wage earner in 1970 brought home about 18% more than the average wage earner today.
Home prices Even if you adjust for inflation – and even if you take into account the crash of the housing bubble from 2007 to today – the median price for a home in the United States has gone up more than 50% since 1970. Remember, that number accounts for inflation, so what that number actually means is that the cost of a home requires 50% more of a person’s paycheck than it did in 1970.
Education prices The cost index of an average undergraduate education since 1970 drastically outpaces the growth of the Consumer Price Index. In short, disregarding inflation, the cost of an undergraduate degree today is roughly 30% higher than it was in 1970.
Other essentials In order to compete in today’s workforce, a young person often must have items – paid for out of their own pocket – that weren’t needed in 1970, including a cell phone, a computer, and home internet access. Often, when searching for work, it becomes very difficult for a young person to compete without these extra expenses.
So, to summarize, in order to have housing and an education comparable to what a young person had in 1970, they must spend 50% more on housing, spend 30% more on education, and do it all while earning about 18% less money. That doesn’t even include the extra expenses needed to compete.
I look at my own parents for an example. My parents purchased the house I grew up in for $20,000 – and that included seven acres of land. At the time, that was approximately what my father earned in a year. Today, if I were to purchase a similarly-sized house with seven acres of land, I would be spending well over $100,000 – significantly more than an annual salary.
My parents were also able to find good work without the cost of a college education. Today, the jobs they both had would be completely unavailable to someone if they did not have a college education, putting significantly more expense on the back of a young person today.
This is for the US and I am thinking about Canada, but in light of all the discussions we’re having about the rising cost of university tuition and the theory that students today are just lazing about… well, I found this interesting.
Reblogging for relevance.
We’re not just imagining it. Wow.
Daniel and Ellie's political Mad Lib.
Check out this story I made using LOL Libs on my Android phone!
About Republicans
The Republican party is one of the major two political parties in the United States, and is sometimes referred to as the Lovely Scrumptious Party. It first came into power in 1903 with the election of Frankenwaffle.
The Republican party focuses on fiscal clay, dirty conservatism, and dumb issues such as Pro-salt. It usually advocates mild government, but has been shifting away from this after President Mike. Recently, the Republican party ran with a kid Vice President candidate, a first for the party and the second kid Vice President candidate in US history.
The party has struggled getting men voters in recent times, and many people said it is because the lack of using ricekrispy treats. It will be interesting to see the party strangle in the future and witness what will happen in future elections.
