Entries and Observations by Sarah Blass

odditiesoflife: Grand Prismatic Spring Located in Yellowstone...

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:37:42 -0700

Grand Prismatic Spring

Located in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, the Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest natural hot spring found in the US. The spring has a scalding temperature of 160 °F (70 °C), a total depth of 160 feet and a diameter of 300 feet. The vivid, rainbow colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water.

afternoonsnoozebutton: mr-cappadocia: You didn’t think too...

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:28:08 -0700

afternoonsnoozebutton:

mr-cappadocia:

You didn’t think too deeply about this did you? Of course not. If you were prone to thinking deeply about things… you probably wouldn’t be a Feminist, now would you?

I’m screaming “THAT’S THE POINT THAT’S LITERALLY THE POINT YOU JUST MADE THE EXACT POINT” at my computer screen right now.

areyoutryingtodeduceme: this will never not be hilarious to me

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:17:39 -0700

areyoutryingtodeduceme:

this will never not be hilarious to me

hiezen: hetagarnet: hopefulforpeace: languageek: Languages...

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:13:00 -0700

hiezen:

hetagarnet:

hopefulforpeace:

languageek:

Languages ranked from easiest to hardest for English speakers - Infographic found here.

they’re all hard lol :(

Well it’s great to know that pretty much anywhere I go is up from what I started with

wonder if there is an info graphic like this for spanish speakers

As a society, we are fascinated by fictional psychopaths....

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:54:00 -0700

As a society, we are fascinated by fictional psychopaths. Humankind has an ‘ongoing… fascination with tales of gruesome murders and evil villain. Popular culture abounds with depictions of the mad and the bad; and aberrant psychology has proved a fertile source of such material to the novelist and the reader alike. Perhaps no single disorder holds as much morbid cultural appeal as psychopathy.

There is no question… that readers feel empathy with and sympathy for fictional characters and other aspects of fictional worlds’, yet it is difficult to see how one can empathise and identify with a character who is himself incapable of empathy. If empathy and identification are both the goal and the reward of reading literature, then we are left with a striking ambivalence which needs to be explored.

Interesting thought but sort of falls flat at the end if I’m reading it right (that our fascination with psychopaths indicates something is wrong with us emotionally). The idea of a human being with no empathy is terrifying and mysterious. Stories exist for many reasons: among them, to confront our fears, often by facing them in fiction and turning the idea over in our minds.

What is it like to be a human without empathy? To face a human with no empathy? I don’t know. The idea is terrifying. So maybe I’ll sit down with a book about such a person, to see things from their point of view or from the point of view of somebody around them. Perhaps I will cope by projecting my own empathy and humanity onto the character, or explain away their behavior because of their sad past. Or perhaps I will simply stare down into the darkness and find it isn’t as scary as I thought, so that the fear no longer has power over me.

axto: aleetlepinch: I’m so sick of people thinking they can just waltz into my room when I’m...

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:49:32 -0700

axto:

aleetlepinch:

I’m so sick of people thinking they can just waltz into my room when I’m obviously listening to music in 4/4.

I just wanted to reblog this again because I find it inordinately funny.

jimb0slyf3: This should be a top news story.

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:47:20 -0700

jimb0slyf3:

This should be a top news story.

laughingsquid: Shark Attack, Infographic Shows the Staggering...

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:09:10 -0700

laughingsquid:

Shark Attack, Infographic Shows the Staggering Number of Sharks Killed by Humans Every Year

kanji-a-day: 434/2000 JLPT: N3 School Grade: 3rd (8 years...

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:06:09 -0700

kanji-a-day:

434/2000

JLPT: N3

School Grade: 3rd (8 years old)

This character is a combination of 宀 roof and 各 a character meaning “each.” Here 各 is expressing its literal meaning of “visit and stay,” ultimately giving “a person who visits a building (especially a house).”

"You mean the generation that paid three times as much for college to enter a job market with triple..."

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:43:49 -0700

“You mean the generation that paid three times as much for college to enter a job market with triple the unemployment isn’t interested in purchasing the assets of the generation who just blew an enormous housing bubble and kept it from popping through quantitative easing and out-and-out federal support? Curious.”

- When comments are better than the article, Atlantic edition (“The Cheapest Generation: Why Millennials arent’ buying cars or houses, and what that means for the economy”)

synecdoche: gonna hand this out to everyone who has ever made...

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:34:14 -0700

synecdoche:

gonna hand this out to everyone who has ever made me cry by making fun of the way i pronounce certain things

clairinetduckling: lepidoliteautumn: no one will forget high...

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:28:45 -0700

clairinetduckling:

lepidoliteautumn:

no one will forget high Harry.

no one will forget high Harry.

In the theater I saw that scene and instantly anticipated getting a gif version on the internet.

instagram: Celebrating Mother’s Day with @Sueshine Years after...

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:00:40 -0700

instagram.com/p/MRGRjpt0RL/#sueshine

instagram.com/p/XQ2fIpN0RD/#sueshine

instagram.com/p/Qmo2uKN0QI/#sueshine

instagram.com/p/UT8iD0N0fb/#sueshine

instagram.com/p/YtwVPRt0Zg/#sueshine

instagram.com/p/MWeDC0N0bn/#sueshine

instagram:

Celebrating Mother’s Day with @Sueshine

Years after her adoption from a South Korean orphanage, Instagrammer Sue (@sueshine) discovered she had the autoimmune disease known as Lupus. The affliction practically destroyed her kidneys at a young age and years later when she discovered she was pregnant, both she and her husband knew they had a challenging road ahead of them. Her daughter, Sammy Lu, was born weighing less than 3 pounds, but Sue recalls that their struggle to bring Sammy into the world “was beautiful because my husband, my baby and I all fought together like warriors on a battlefield that refused to give up on each other. She was itty bitty but she was a fighter.” Sue’s condition improved after a kidney donation from her husband, who was miraculously a perfect donor match.

Two years later, it was confirmed that Sammy was autistic, but this was a hurdle Sue could overcome. “Raising an autistic child has pushed me to be creative and create a creative environment for Sammy. The scenes I capture are a combination of Sammy’s imagination and mine. It’s a peek into our Never Never Land; the place where silly, exciting and impossible things can happen.”

Sue shares photos of Sammy’s world on Instagram. Her photos capture the moments of calm, joy and wonder Sammy experiences as she interacts with the whimsical scenes that Sue carefully crafts with love.“It’s given me a place to show my life and most importantly Sammy’s life. Now it’s evolved into wanting to show a side of autism that is real and beautiful. That my daughter is more than a cute face, she has depth, hopes and struggles. To think that Sammy has strangers cheering her on, enjoying the small glimpses into her life and wanting the very best for her future is a wonderful thing that has come from the Instagram community.”

paragonpostcards: Literally the American employment...

Sat, 11 May 2013 16:10:13 -0700

paragonpostcards:

Literally the American employment system.

“Well it’s not our responsibility to take you on and train you. That’s somebody else’s chance to take. ~~We’ll just hire you away from them.~~”

Which is fair enough. But you sure as hell better not turn around and call yourself “job creator.”

briannacherrygarcia: The greatest confrontation ever put on...

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:55:20 -0700

briannacherrygarcia:

The greatest confrontation ever put on film.

symphonyofawesomeness: All these lovely ladies weigh 154 lbs or...

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:20:20 -0700

symphonyofawesomeness:

All these lovely ladies weigh 154 lbs or 69 kg. We all carry weight differently, don’t live your life by an outdated chart. Find a number that looks and feels good.

mmmsimpsons: Quite possibly the best Out of Office Reply ever

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:48:22 -0700

mmmsimpsons:

Quite possibly the best Out of Office Reply ever

Photo

Thu, 09 May 2013 19:55:47 -0700

the-cimmerians: the-vashta-nerada: so yeah did you guys hear about the ceo of abercrombie and...

Wed, 08 May 2013 22:20:44 -0700

the-cimmerians:

the-vashta-nerada:

so yeah did you guys hear about the ceo of abercrombie and fitch who said that he doesn’t want ugly chicks wearing his clothing

like excuse you ceo of abercrombie and fitch

you look like gary busey went bobbing for apples in a tub of bees

you couldn’t wear your own clothing

i’m sorry attraction is such a subjective and loaded thing i don’t usually pile on but GARY BUSEY WHO WENT BOBBING FOR APPLES IN A TUB OF BEES JESUS WEPT IT IS POETRY

magdalenarivera: abeardfullofbees: Thanks, Gary Busey’s...

Wed, 08 May 2013 22:06:35 -0700

magdalenarivera:

abeardfullofbees:

Thanks, Gary Busey’s illegitimate potato baby.