Bouncing into Graceland

doctorbee: clumsyoctopus: flower language has always been an intense source of disappointment for...

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:06:29 -0400

clumsyoctopus:

flower language has always been an intense source of disappointment for me

like, they all mean really generic things like “love” or “forever” or “i’m sorry”

i thought you could combine flowers

like you could just send someone a bouquet and from the combination of hibiscus and posies and tulips they’d understand “the rebel leader is dead, rendezvous at the docks at 8, bring the dog, you will need lighter fluid and a large tomato”

You have underestimated the power of the language of flowers. I would recommend using a series of bouquets though instead of a single one.

The rebel leader is dead.

Lobelia (malevolence) for enemy—I assume the rebels are the enemy here

Thistle (nobility) for leader

Black rose (death)

Rendezvous at the docks at 8

Lemon blossom (discretion)

Magnolia (love of nature) for outdoors,

Oat (music) to represent octaves and the number 8

Bring the dog

Arborvitae (everlasting friendship) for man’s best friend

Straw (unity) for bringing things together

You will need lighter fluid and a large tomato

Light pink rose (desire) for wanting something,

Laurestine (a token) for bringing actual objects

Azalea (passion and caution) for fire/lighter fluid

Nightshade to represent tomato (not a flower meaning, but tomatoes are related to nightshade)

I’m assuming you have to tie each of those sets together with their own ribbon (possibly numbered?, or with the right number of knots or bows?) and then tie the whole thing together, to ensure the recipient reads the correct sentences in the correct order and does not assume that someone who hates their dog has killed it with fire, and also that their informant is hungry and would very much like to be repaid for their trouble with a tomato.

youngblackandvegan: amen

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:06:50 -0400

youngblackandvegan:

amen

Be You: Couple sues over adopted son's sex-assignment surgery

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:18:49 -0400

Be You: Couple sues over adopted son's sex-assignment surgery:

transqueery:

(Reuters) - A South Carolina couple sued doctors and state social workers on Tuesday for subjecting a 16-month-old child born with both male and female genitalia to what they say was medically unnecessary and irreversible sex-assignment surgery while the toddler was in foster care.

The state and…

electricshoebox: varietyshow: sevenkilts: tsundere-and-lightni...

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:55:01 -0400

electricshoebox:

varietyshow:

sevenkilts:

tsundere-and-lightning:

gay vampire ghost opera dubstep for those who missed it

JEsus you weren’t kidding

Welcome to the Eurovision.

GOD BLESS ROMANIA

goD DAMMIT I WANTED TO keep being smug about not having to care about eurovision because i’m american

but

THIS IS HILARIOUSLY ENTERTAINING

dammit

"For the last three decades many Americans have puzzled over a system that gives an R to a movie in..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 09:58:28 -0400

““For the last three decades many Americans have puzzled over a system that gives an R to a movie in which a women is carved up by a chainsaw and an NC-17 to one that shows a woman sexually pleasured. From such ratings one might conclude that sexual violence against women is OK for American teenagers to see, but that they must be 18 to see consensual sex. What message does this send to the kids the MPAA presumably means to protect?””

- Carrie Rickey

(via fireworkselectricbright)

“You have to question a cinematic culture which preaches artistic expression, and yet would support a decision that is clearly a product of a patriarchy-dominant society, which tries to control how women are depicted on screen. The MPAA is okay supporting scenes that portray women in scenarios of sexual torture and violence for entertainment purposes, but they are trying to force us to look away from a scene that shows a woman in a sexual scenario which is both complicit and complex. It’s misogynistic in nature to try and control a woman’s sexual presentation of self. I consider this an issue that is bigger than this film.”

-Ryan Gosling on the controversy around the rating of his film ‘Blue Valentine’

(via misandry-mermaid)

"Yes, false rape accusations happen. Run the protocol anyway. I’ve heard that perhaps the military..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:18:16 -0400

“Yes, false rape accusations happen. Run the protocol anyway. I’ve heard that perhaps the military has the highest number of ‘em. True or not, RUN THE PROTOCOL ANYWAY. Because in 15 years of investigating rape accusations, I can count those that panned out as false on one hand. Meanwhile, the one time I almost skipped the protocol, the one time I almost didn’t believe a petty officer, because I was naive as an investigator and a young woman, because her commanding officer described her as “a party girl, always late, always out drinking, don’t bother with this one”, she turned out to be the victim of one of the most brutal assaults I’ve ever investigated. She shouldn’t have still been -alive-, let alone up and making the accusation. So let me repeat: five false accounts in fifteen years. And one time I almost failed a woman ‘cause of the bullshit way it’s normal to talk about us. Take your shipmates’ word, and then run the protocol. Every. Single. Time.”

- - JAG lawyer, speaking to my husband’s plant during Sexual Assault Prevention Month. (via circusbones)

but i mean “pomme de terre” and “pineapple” are named the way they are named...

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:19:41 -0400

but i mean “pomme de terre” and “pineapple” are named the way they are named for basically the exact same reason and if you don’t find that hilarious and lovely and fabulous we just can’t be friends

Warden's Fantasy: michaonthemoon: yaoibutts: I love how potato in French is pomme de...

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:13:00 -0400

Warden's Fantasy: michaonthemoon: yaoibutts: I love how potato in French is pomme de...:

slowevenings:

michaonthemoon:

yaoibutts:

I love how potato in French is pomme de terre, which pretty much means “earth apple.”

like what stupid frenchman saw this:

and said “zis petite légume looks like a, how you say, APPLE! hmmm… but it grows in ze earth… HON HON HON! MAIS OUI! C’EST UNE POMME DE TERRE!”

j’adore comment ananas se dit pineapple en anglais, ce qui veut littéralement dire “pomme de pin”, genre quel type anglais a vu ça:

et s’est dit : “ow cette étrange big fruit ressemble à une, how do you say, POMME! hmmm… mais plutôt une pomme qui pousse dans les pins… HU HU HU! OH YES, IT’S A PINEAPPLE!”

Merci de cette réponse glorieuse.

but one moment aside from joking, as i understand it: “apple” used to be a more generic term than it is today, and was applied to many fruits (tomatoes were love apples, the weird-ass fruit of the oak tree is an “oak apple,” etc), and way back in the whenever it kind of sort of meant “fruit.” the term “pineapple” derives from the smushing together of the spanish name “piña de indes” (first attributed to columbus) with that more generic word for fruit, so the reasonably logical “piña-apple” (“piña fruit”) became the very silly-sounding “pineapple” (while love apples became tomatoes, apples were just apples, and everyone decided to pretend the oak tree didn’t have any fruit, i guess). similarly, the french “pomme” is from the latin “pomum,” which literally just means fruit, so “pomme de terre,” or “fruit of the earth,” would be a pretty logical name for a potato. the “apple” of the bible was, for everything under auspices of the holy roman empire, the “fruit of fruits,” (or pomum… of… poma….? obviously latin is not really my strong suit) so really it’s the name “apple” for apples and “pommes” for pommes that’s silly (“it’s a fruit! we’ll call it fruit!”).

eeriekiri: THIS IS POTENTIALLY REALLY IMPORTANT: thehats: thehats: ohmariesmiles: I have someone...

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:13:50 -0400

eeriekiri:

THIS IS POTENTIALLY REALLY IMPORTANT:

thehats:

thehats:

ohmariesmiles:

I have someone staying in my hotel tonight that made me think that this would be worth sharing here.

If you are running away/trying to hide from someone that is frightening, abusing, harassing you, and you find yourself staying in a hotel to avoid being found, there’s an extra precaution you can take.

When you check in, ask the front desk clerk to put you as “Unlisted”. They’ll know what you’re talking about. What this means is that as far as anyone other than you and the front desk clerks are concerned, you’re not there. If someone tries to call for you and your room, “I’m sorry. I don’t have anyone registered under that name.” Same thing goes for it someone shows up at the desk. “Unlisted” means you’re untouchable.

Please, please, if you find yourself in trouble and seeking refuge in a hotel, do this. It’s really quick, easy, and painless for the front desk clerk to do, and they are not going to judge you for it.

As a hotel worker, no. Sorry. “Unlisted” is not some secret passcode. And your average hotel clerk will have no idea what you’re talking about.

BUT

Just tell them that you don’t want anyone to know that you’re there. It’ll go into their notes and they will try their best. BUT. Ask when their shift change is, so you can call and repeat yourself to the next shift worker, because they might not absorb those notes.

Going to add a little more:

I am NOT ALLOWED to leave your name off my listing of who is in what room. I have to SEE YOUR ID and have you sign that name, and only that name. That list is kept in several places, which I won’t list here but if your pursuer has ever worked in ANY hotel, he’ll know where to look for them. These places are NOT LOCKED UP because we have to access them multiple times a shift sometimes with no notice, and guests (like you!) are never patient enough to wait for us to go get something out of a safe so they can check out or whatever. These lists are not in the public view. But they are not 100% protected either. Even in a very high end hotel, which mine is.

All that said, if you ask, I CAN put a false name on your folio. Then THAT name goes onto that list, and that’s safer for you. We will have to note WHY we are using a false name (give as little detail as you want), and we will STILL have to have your real name+notes in the computer and on your credit card authorization slip.

Also, while this will of course vary from hotel to hotel:
If you come in and say that you need a room and it’s an emergency, you’re being followed, whatever, I STILL have to put you through the steps of checking in, and I STILL have to have either a credit card, or cash in the entire amount plus a generous deposit. I’m a desk clerk. I don’t have the authority to put you in a room without going through the procedure. It’s a well-known SCAM to get free rooms that we got warned about in training, and if no obvious follower turned up, I would be fired on the spot. My livelihood is MY safety, and I have to put my own oxygen mask on first. You CAN circumvent this if you are there in the early afternoon by asking for a manager. Just be aware that they usually go home by three.

very important info in these responses

chubbyfashion: within-my-wish: shakethecobwebs: legendofserket: shaleimp: drake hit on nicki...

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:23:42 -0400

chubbyfashion:

within-my-wish:

shakethecobwebs:

legendofserket:

shaleimp:

drake hit on nicki minaj and claimed he fell in love with her when they first met and invited her to get food with him and later on in the day he showed up at her door with food she took it and slammed the door in his face

nicki minaj called out steven tyler for making a racist comment and wouldn’t let it go until he publicly apologized to her

nicki minaj makes sure that when her younger relatives listen to her music that they listen to the clean version

when eminem used a homophobic slur in her song she was incredibly uncomfortable about it and spoke to several people in her music team about what she should do about it

she literally tried to give her fans instructions on how to make brownies on twitter

I REALLY LOVE NICKI MINAJ

can i also just

she called out perez hilton, who put on his blog “that she told rihanna to sit her ass down” and she responded with “I AM SICK OF THE SHIT YOU PUT UP! DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THE SHIT YOU POST?”

when nicki minaj performed her first show the stage wasn’t lightning properly and after the show she yelled at her team and the first thing that came out was “MY FANS STAYED OUT FROM 7 PM TO 1 AM TO SEE ME, THEY DON’T DESERVE THIS”

one time after a show the crowd was so loud after a performance she went back out and performed in her robe

she put bacon in the microwave

even though lil wayne told her not to she bought him a brand new motorcycle with his name engraved on it

after the American idol q&a she stayed afterwards to talk to her fans and even pushed her security guard out of the way so she can get closer

when asked if she could donate to a can food drive she said no she couldn’t because she didn’t have any cans, but she felt so bad she donated $15,000

this face:

She called out sexism in the music industry while putting on her eyeliner perfectly.

Her song “I’m the best”

She speaks her mind and doesn’t back down.

She is adamant about the fact that femininity doesn’t have only one definition and that femininity is powerful.

You can like or dislike her music as you see fit, but she’s an awesome person who owns her self image, and that is cool as hell.

chefboyardeezie: banjo-jeff: chefboyardeezie: when im rich the first thing im doing is getting...

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:59:14 -0400

chefboyardeezie:

banjo-jeff:

chefboyardeezie:

when im rich the first thing im doing is getting laser hair removal on every inch of my body that isn’t my head

you’ll look pretty funny without eyebrows

im at least 3% sure that my eyebrows r on my head

twirlytumblfluff: pilferingapples: tr3ndyc00l: apparently my school made the senior dinner great...

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:08:46 -0400

twirlytumblfluff:

pilferingapples:

tr3ndyc00l:

apparently my school made the senior dinner great gatsby themed

because what better theme for a graduation party than the inaccessibility of the american dream

THIS IS THE BESTWORST GRADUATION IDEA I HAVE EVER SEEN.

Best, worst, but most appropriate definitely.

green and black’s spiced chili chocolate is actually pretty terrible which is a pity because...

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:05:11 -0400

green and black’s spiced chili chocolate is actually pretty terrible

which is a pity because chili goes great with chocolate :(

ComicsResearch.org: Academic Resources

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:18:52 -0400

ComicsResearch.org: Academic Resources:

A index of useful resources for those wishing to do academic research on comics and pop culture; almost all of it is comics (obviously), but some of these will cross over into other areas. Anything that says “PR” at the end of the description is peer-reviewed!

pyrrhiccomedy: milk-chiller2: Reminder of: reason for...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:51:56 -0400

pyrrhiccomedy:

milk-chiller2:

Reminder of: reason for eggplant’s name

OH MY GOD I HAVE WONDERED ABOUT THIS MY WHOLE LIFE

Yup! Although purple eggplants are the most commonly seen type in the U.S., there are several yellow and off-white varieties that also look like various bird species’ eggs; the name originated in the 18th century for that reason.

ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:24:39 -0400

ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies:

ImageText is a journal dedicated to the academic study of all comics: comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, comix, and others.

THIS IS A REAL THING THAT EXISTS THAT YOU CAN READ FOR FREE

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAVE FUN DORKS

floozys: “boys will be bo-“ flies in punches you in the face bOYS WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR...

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:51:29 -0400

floozys:

“boys will be bo-“

*flies in*

*punches you in the face*

bOYS WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE

doctorbee: How ‘Slut Shaming’ Has Been Written Into School Dress Codes Across The Country Last...

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:29:38 -0400

doctorbee:

How ‘Slut Shaming’ Has Been Written Into School Dress Codes Across The Country

Last month, a New Jersey middle school banned girls from wearing strapless dresses to prom. Administrators claimed that the dresses were “distracting” — though they refused to specify exactly how or why. Parents reacted strongly to the rule; some supported the dress code while others deemed it “slut-shaming.” On Friday, the school compromised by allowing girls to wear single-strap or see-through-strap dresses.

This is no isolated incident in the United States. Across the country, young girls are being told what not to wear because it might be a “distraction” for boys, or because adults decide it makes them look “inappropriate.” At its core, every incident has a common thread: Putting the onus on young women to prevent from being ogled or objectified, instead of teaching those responsible to learn to respect a woman’s body. Here are five other recent examples:

1. A middle school in California banned tight pants. At the beginning of last month, a middle school in Northern California began telling girls to avoid wearing pants that are “too tight” because it “distracts the boys.” At a mandatory assembly for just the female students, the middle school girls were told that they’re no longer allowed to wear leggings or yoga pants. “We didn’t think it was fair how we have all these restrictions on our clothing while boys didn’t have to sit through [the assembly] at all,” one student told local press. Some parents also complained, leading the school’s assistant principal to record a voicemail explaining the new policy. “The guiding principle in all dress codes is that the manner in which students dress does not become a distraction in the learning environment,” the message said.

2. A high school principal in Minnesota emailed parents to ask them to cover up their daughters. A principal in Minnetonka, MN recently wrote an email telling parents to stop letting their daughters wear leggings or yoga pants to school. He says the tight-fitting pants are fine with longer shirts but, when worn with a shorter top, a girl’s “backside” can be “too closely defined.” The big risk of having a defined backside, he thinks, is that it can “be highly distracting for other students.”

3. Two girls in Ohio were turned away from their prom for being “improperly dressed.” Laneisha Williams and Nyasia Mitchell were barred from prom this spring for wearing dresses that administrators considered “too revealing.” The girls say that they didn’t believe they were violating a dress code that said dresses couldn’t be too short or show too much cleavage. But one administrator told local news that the high school girls were only allowed to wear dresses that had “no curvature of their breasts showing.”

4. A kindergarten student in Georgia was forced to change her “short” skirt because it was a “distraction to other students.” It’s hard to imagine that a kindergartener’s outfit could be “a distraction to other students,” but a mother in Georgia told locals news there that her daughter had been outfitted in someone else’s pants — without parental permission — after the principal deemed the skirt the young girl was wearing too short.” The girl had apparently wore the skirt, and accompanying leggings, just one week before without incident.

5. Forty high school girls were sent home from a winter dance in California after “degrading” clothing inspections “bordering on sexual harassment.” A school board member’s daughter was among the 40 girls turned away from Capistrano Valley High’s February dance for wearing dresses that either exposed their midriffs or were cut too low. Before the dance, girls were apparently required to flap their arms up and down and turn around for male administrators’ inspection. The school issues image guidelines for appropriate dress on its website — though the images were nearly all of women, and the only male image depicted proper attire. One girl alleges that the principal told her, “Not all dresses look good on certain body shapes.” A grandmother of one of the girls who was turned away from the dance also said that a teacher remarked about her granddaughter, “What mother would allow her daughter to wear a dress like that?” Apparently the school did receive some praise, though, from the parents of two male students.

When most Americans think about “rape culture,” they may think about the Steubenville boys’ defense arguing that an unconscious girl consented to her sexual assault because she “didn’t say no,” the school administrators who choose to protect their star athletes over those boys’ rape victims, or the bullying that led multiple victims of sexual assault to take their own lives. While those incidences of victim-blaming are certainly symptoms of a deeply-rooted rape culture in this country, they’re not the only examples of this dynamic at play. Rape culture is also evident in the attitudes that lead school administrators to treat young girls’ bodies as inherently “distracting” to the boys who simply can’t control themselves. That approach to gender roles simply encourages our youth to assume that sexual crimes must have something to do with women’s “suggestive” clothes or behavior, rather than teaching them that every individual is responsible for respecting others’ bodily autonomy.

onlyalittlelion: now-in-glorious-technicolor: mandatoryupgrades: Anyone who thinks Shakespeare is...

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:20:44 -0400

onlyalittlelion:

now-in-glorious-technicolor:

mandatoryupgrades:

Anyone who thinks Shakespeare is boring apparently missed the greatest stage direction ever written:

I want that to be the final line of my biography.

Well, in all fairness, the Renaissance is an era of great stage directions:

“He brains himself against the cage.” (Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine)

“The Pope crosses himself again, and Faustus hits him a box of the ear, and they all except Faustus and Mephistopheles run away.” (Christopher Marlowe, Dr. Faustus)

“Faustus and Mephistopheles beat the Friars, and fling fireworks at them, and so exeunt.” (Christopher Marlowe, Dr. Faustus)

“He gets into a large tortoise-shell.” (Ben Jonson, Volpone)

“Here the puppets quarrel and fall together by the ears.” (Ben Jonson, Bartholomew Fair)

“The puppet takes up his garment.” (Ben Jonson, Bartholomew Fair)

“He spits in the dog’s mouth.” (Thomas Middleton, The Roaring Girl)

“Charlemont and Castabella lie down with either of them a death’s head for a pillow.” (Cyril Tourneur, The Atheist’s Tragedy)

“As he raises up the axe, D’Amville strikes out his own brains.” (Cyril Tourneur, The Atheist’s Tragedy)

and my very favorite:

“She runs lunatic.” (Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy)

(Not to mention, of course, when you-know-what happens to Edward II, although the stage directions usually aren’t explicit.)

it got way better

publius-esquire: Hypocrite Jefferson, Part Deux Jefferson was,...

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:26:14 -0400

publius-esquire:

Hypocrite Jefferson, Part Deux

Jefferson was, bar none, the best politician of his day, though I’m not sure he’d take that as a compliment.