theyuniversity:

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fusrodrawblog:

About 95% done! Just need to add water, fish, and the flag on the small castle :)

sixpenceee:

Did you know that sperm whales sleep vertically? 

SOURCE

That is really fucking weird.

brokenponycutiemark:

hideback:

Abandoned.

…Near the village of Braachaat, outside Antwerp, Belgium. The last photo shows a grotto-like cave under the mansion that may have been used as a bar in the past.

Give to me. I fix. Live there. Yesssss, precioussssssss

How is that not used as like a wizarding school for gifted youngsters?

elphabaforpresidentofgallifrey:

explosivemarbles:

the-gallium-knight:

thegreenwolf:

A vertical forest is expected to be completed this year in Milan. There are two tower apartment complexes which contain a total of 400 residential units. The facade of the buildings will be covered with 730 trees, 5,000 shrubs, and 11,000 perennial plants. It is expected to have the same ecological impact as 10,000 square meters of forest.

Aside from fighting smog and producing oxygen, the foliage is expected to provide insulation to the residential units.

Yes. This is how cities should be. Green the cities as one of several steps in making them more habitable, and build up and not out, so that we can free up more lateral space for wildlife again. 

I thought it was a neat minecraft mod

NO SHIT

It’s almost done?!

BA SING SE

Man this is a thing that needs to happen all over the place.

New from J.K. Rowling: Dumbledore’s Army Reunites At Quidditch World Cup Final

Well jesus Rita. I doubt anyone knew she so desperately wanted her head forcibly shoved up her ass.

ruckawriter:

conspiracytheorist79:

RT @Nick_Anderson_’s #EditorialCartoon “Doublespeak…”
‪#‎HobbyLobby‬ ‪#‎SCOTUS‬

1984.

Ouch.

gereports:

Humans have spent the last 10,000 years mastering agriculture. But a freak summer storm or bad drought can still mar many a well-planted harvest. Not anymore, says Japanese plant physiologist Shigeharu Shimamura, who has moved industrial-scale farming under the roof.

Working in Miyagi…

rocketminx:

roflandtroll:

littlewhitely:

*salivates profusely* 

*Very, very heavy breathing* 

You could franchise this shit. It’d be like super amazing to go pizza.

wilwheaton:

(via Let’s hold up a mirror!)

Awkward….

starwars:

Artist of the Week - Terese Nielsen

That’s some awesome shit right there.

theseluckystars:

mysharona1987:

Some of the funniest book dedications ever.

New threat to anyone who’s being mean: “I’ll call you an assh*le on the dedication page of my next book.”

alisonnbries:

#SIXSEASONSANDAMOVIE 

HOLLLLAAAA

It is happening.

coffeemilkbread:

fuckyeah1990s:

Quark from Deep Space Nine

I suddenly have an urge to change friends contact photos in my phone to these assorted Quark expressions.

I would make an excellent Quark. So you certainly have my permission! :)

citazionitelefilm:

Star Trek: The Next Generation (gif)

In the late 1800s, male Chinese immigrants were brought to the U.S. to work on the railroads and as agricultural labor on the West Coast; many also specialized in laundry services. Some came willingly, others were basically kidnapped and brought forcibly.

After the transcontinental railroad was completed, it occurred to white Americans that Chinese workers no longer had jobs. They worried that the Chinese  might compete with them for work. In response, a wave of anti-Chinese (and, eventually, anti-Japanese) sentiment swept the U.S.

Chinese men were stereotyped as degenerate heroin addicts whose presence encouraged prostitution, gambling, and other immoral activities.  A number of cities on the West Coast experienced riots in which Whites attacked Asians and destroyed Chinese sections of town. Riots in Seattle in 1886 resulted in practically the entire Chinese population being rounded up and forcibly sent to San Francisco. Similar situations in other towns encouraged Chinese workers scattered throughout the West to relocate, leading to the growth of Chinatowns in a few larger cities on the West Coast.

The anti-Asian movement led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Gentlemen’s Agreement (with Japan) of 1907, both of which severely limited immigration from Asia.  Support was bolstered with propaganda.

Here is a vintage “Yellow Peril” poster. The white female victim at his feet references the fact that most Chinese in the U.S. were male–women were generally not allowed to immigrate–and this poster poses them as a threat to white women and white men’s entitlement to them:

“Why they can live on 40 cents a day…and they can’t,” this poster says, referring to the fact that white men can’t possibly compete with Chinese workers because they need to support their moral families.  The Chinese, of course, usually didn’t have families because there were almost no Chinese women in the U.S. and white women generally would not marry a Chinese man.

The following images were found at the The History Project at the University of California-Davis.

This is the cover for the song sheet “The Heathen Chinese”:

According to the History Project, this next image was accompanied by the following text:

A judge says to Miss Columbia, “You allowed that boy to come into your school, it would be inhuman to throw him out now — it will be sufficient in the future to keep his brothers out.” Note the ironing board and opium pipe carried by the Chinese. An Irish American holds up a slate with the slogan “Kick the Heathen Out; He’s Got No Vote.”

The following counter-propaganda pointed out how immigrants from other countries were now working to keep Chinese immigrants out. The bricks they’re carrying say things like “fear,” “competition,” “jealousy,” and “non-reciprocity.”

During World War II, attitudes toward the Chinese shifted as they became the “good” Asians as opposed to the “bad” Japanese. However, it wasn’t until the drastic change in immigration policy that occurred in 1965, with the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act, that Asia (and particularly China) re-became a major sending region for immigrants to the U.S.

This post originally appeared in 2008.

(View original at http://thesocietypages.org/socimages)

A new study of 10,000 Americans by the Pew Research Center finds that political polarization is more extreme than it’s been anytime in the last 20 years.  The median (or middle) Democrat and Republican are farther away from each other politically than in 2004 or 1994.  “Today,” reports Pew, “92% of Republicans are to the right of the median Democrat, and 94% of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican.”

Animosity has grown as well.  Over a quarter of Democrats and a third of Republicans see the other side as a “threat to the nation’s well being.”  In total, 38% of Democrats and 43% of Republicans judge the other side to be “very unfavorable.”

Even more dramatically, it is the people at the extremes who are most likely to vote in elections and contribute to candidates.  Today’s America is highly polarized, then, but the voting booth is even more so.

Pew concludes by noting that, even given this polarization, the majority of Americans are in the middle and are open to compromise between parties.  These individuals, however, are less politically active, whether out of disinterest or distaste for the rancor, leaving politics to the most extreme among us.

Cross-posted at Pacific Standard.

(View original at http://thesocietypages.org/socimages)

chrisdwoo:

Calamity Jane is easily one of my favorite characters on Deadwood. EASILY.

Guess what I’m watching again!

The Board ruled that the name was “disparaging to Native Americans” and could not receive trademarks under federal law.

Woah.

A new survey ranks the qualities that Americans dislike in a potential leader, discovering that they still give a strong side-eye to atheists.

Prejudice against those who say there’s no god is stronger than ageism, homophobia, and sexism.  People would also rather vote for people with admitted moral failings (in the eyes of some), such as those who’ve admitted to an extra-marital affair or the use of weed, than those who claim a perfect record guided by some other force than god.

On the plus side for atheists and their allies, the percent of people who say that they are disinclined to vote for an atheist for president has declined from 63% in 2007 to the 53% we see today.

Via Citings and Sightings.

(View original at http://thesocietypages.org/socimages)

raspbeary:

*gets down on my knees* mr iwata just hear me out

like-being-here:

jackanthonyfernandez:

akeppleaday:

I can’t imagine why Google prefers their FIFA World Cup Doodles over my well-researched one. Oh well, their loss I guess.

Lashings

whoa

If those giant potholes and crumbling bridges are causing you concern, you’re in good company: a recent survey commissioned by AAA found that just over two-thirds (68%) of Americans believe that the federal government should be spending more on roads, bridges and mass transit systems. Only five percent of those surveyed thought that the federal government should spend less, while the remainder (24%) thought that funding should remain the same.

Of course, money, unlike pieces of crumbling bridges, doesn’t fall from the sky. To make improvements would likely require a boost in the federal highway tax. More than half of those surveyed (52%) would be prepared to pay more at the pump for improvements.

How much? Of those 52%, most would be willing to pay an additional $10 or more per month for better transportation infrastructure. Currently, U.S. drivers pay about $8 per month in federal gas taxes.

The current federal tax on gas is 18.4 cents per gallon (24.4 cents per gallon for diesel) with states adding in an additional 8 cents to 50.6 cents per gallon depending on where you buy your gas (quick look: Alaska is the least expensive while New York is the most expensive).

Why does that number feel so low, at least compared to the overall cost of gas? We haven’t had an increase in awhile. In fact, Congress hasn’t raised the federal gas tax in more than twenty years: the last boost came in 1993. You can read more about the history of the federal gas tax here.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) has suggested that it’s time to change that. He has proposed an increase in federal gas taxes of 6 cents per gallon in 2015 and another 6 cents per gallon in 2016. That boost of 12 cents per gallon would bring federal gas taxes roughly in line with inflation (18.4 cents in today’s money would be 30.19 cents for 2014). Sen. Murphy not yet provided a timeline for introducing his proposal in Congress.

Similar proposals have died over the years, including one from Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) in 2013 that didn’t make it out of committee. Former Rep. George Voinovich (R-OH) made a big push for a gas tax increase just before his retirement saying that, “just a few cents could help create jobs, improve our infrastructure and better the climate.” His suggestion didn’t get very far.

But maybe attitudes are changing. According to the AAA survey, more than half of respondents (51%) would be “significantly or somewhat” more likely to vote for a member of Congress who supports increased federal spending on transportation. Another 27% said that it wouldn’t change their mind at the voting both with only 19% saying that a Congressional representative supported increased federal spending on transportation, they would be “somewhat” or “significantly” less likely to vote for them in the next election.

An overwhelming majority (67%) of those surveyed agree that if funding for roads and bridges should be paid for with taxes on gasoline and diesel consumption. Bob Darbelnet, AAA President and CEO agrees, saying, “Many of us are willing to pay a little more if it means we will have access to better roads, bridges and transit systems.”

Without a boost, the current average cost of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.67 per gallon across the country (it’s $3.654 in my neck of the woods according to AAA’s handy fuel price finder). That works out to about a nickel more than on the same date last year. For the remainder of summer – peak driving season – AAA predicts that gas prices are likely to remain near a range of $3.55-$3.70 per gallon, which is similar to last summer’s range of $3.47-$3.67.

(Maybe it’s time to consider a Tesla?)

What do you think? Chime in here:

Would you be willing to pay additional gas taxes to pay for improvements in roads, bridges and mass transit systems?Want more taxgirl goodness? Pick your poison: receive posts by email, follow me on twitter (@taxgirl), hang out with me on Facebook or check out my YouTube channel. If you want to keep an eye on documents I’ve posted, check out my profile on Scribd. And finally, you can subscribe to my podcast on the site or via iTunes (it’s free).

Did WWII last longer than the total length of movies about WWII? For that matter, which war has the highest movie time:war time ratio?

—Becky

World War II was longer than the movies about it.

To tally up World War II movies, you could start with Wikipedia. The site lists about 400 unique titles across their various lists of World War II films.

Wikipedia is often the best place to find obsessive list-makers and categorizers. However, in the area of movie categorization, they have nothing on the people who tag plots on IMDb.

Before we finish answering Becky's question, let's take a brief side trip into the strange IMDb tagging world.

IMDb categorizes films with plot keywords. These words (or phrases) can be extremely specific, and cover a bizarre range of topics. For example, say you want to find all movies whose plot contains the following elements: "Nun", "laser", "binoculars", "electric shock", and "shot in the chest".

IMDb will tell you that there is one movie whose plot contains all those elements: The 2009 Steve Martin film The Pink Panther 2. To find other strange combinations, try clicking on a tag, then scrolling down to the "Refine by Keyword" section at the column on the right. Have fun.

Often, the people tagging articles aren't exactly, um, disinterested scholars. Skimming the other keywords for any innocuous search makes it pretty clear that many people are using the database to catalog every movie containing a scene that satisfies their particular prurient fascination.[1]There's nothing new about this, although the internet makes it easier; quicksand enthusiasts, for example, have been cataloging movies containing quicksand scenes since the VHS days.

But IMDb is more than just a fetish database.^{[citation needed]} Other obsessed people—like history buffs—have contributed their own sets of IMDb tags. The end result is a staggeringly comprehensive database of plot elements—which brings us back to Becky's question.

IMDb lists 4,893 films tagged with "world-war-two". The list contains full-length movies, TV episodes, short films, and the occasional miniseries. I downloaded a random sample of these entries and found that the average run time was 95 minutes, which means the entire collection probably has a combined length of a little over 300 days. World War II lasted six years, for a war:film ratio of about 7:1.

This ratio is hard to beat; no other multi-year war has been the subject of nearly as many films. This is understandable; we're talking about bloodiest conflict in human history right in the middle of the golden age of Hollywood.

However, some very short wars come close to beating it. The Six Day War—fought in 1967 between Israel and a coalition comprising Egypt, Syria, Jordan—is a good candidate. IMDb lists 13 films tagged with "six day war", and the Israeli film database EDB lists an additional four. However, the Six Day War movies are heavy on short TV episodes, so their war:film ratio doesn't quite edge out World War II based on these lists.

It's probably impossible to prove conclusively which war has the higher ratio. There no doubt exist other films about the Six Day War in various regional collections which I couldn't find—and the same is certainly true of World War II.

There are other wars which might score even higher on Becky's scale. The Indo-Pakistani War in 1971 is a good candidate; it was a short war (13 days) in the middle of a conflict heavily covered by India's film industry. IMDb lists five films about the related 1971 Bangladesh war, and it's likely that many of the Bollywood films about the broader India-Pakistan conflict touch on it. My guess is that the 1971 war probably has a higher film:war ratio than World War II, but I wasn't able to find specific data to support this.

Maybe the most interesting potential answer to Becky's question is the Anglo-Zanzibar War. This one-sided colonial war, fought between the British Empire and the Sultinate of Zanzibar, lasted only 38 minutes.[2]The short version is that Zanzibar's sultan died and his nephew, Khalid bin Bargash, moved into the palace. The British, who had a more pro-British candidate in mind for the position, sent warships and demanded Khalid step down. He refused, so the British warships bombarded the island, killed hundreds of Zanzibaris, and set the palace on fire. Khalid fled and the British installed a puppet government. Only 38 minutes passed between the start of the shooting and the British capture of the palace. Given how short it was, it would only take a single film about it to make it the undisputed champion.

However, I couldn't find any films about this war. I'm sure one exists somewhere; if you can find it, feel free to tag it on IMDb. There's nothing there at the time of this writing, but maybe there will be soon.

Alternately, if Becky can find a historic site with some link to Zanzibar, has a cell phone camera which can record for more than 10 minutes, and feels like making an independent film ...

... she can answer her own question once and for all.

ass-ume:

onlylolgifs:

Hugh Herr: The new bionics that let us run, climb and dance

oh my god they did it!

This is rather cool. Here’s a nutty technical presentation of the concept.

kvotheunkvothe:

crowleyslittleminion:

haeinsa:

rylutz:

Nature; the most beautiful and serene is often the most ruthless and destructive

indeed

Go home, Thor. You’re drunk.

NAY

iprayforangels:

gai-jin:

huffingtonpost:

See all of the functionality of this amazing home unit here.

(Developed by MIT Media Lab)

I would feel like I was in the movie the 5th Element and I would never leave my house

The future is now

I do worry about that bathroom, but other than that…