Leahgates

UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — When a cold leaves you feeling depleted, it may be possible to figure out how much energy the infection is stealing using simple math.

“When we get sick—particularly with infectious agents—we often talk about having our ‘energy drained,’ or of ‘having low energy,’” says Ryan Hechinger, an associate research biologist at University of California, Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute and department of ecology, evolution, and marine biology.

“This common language highlights that energy may provide a useful currency to investigate how infectious agents, or parasites, impact their hosts.”

UC BERKELEY (US) — Flapping insects build up an electrical charge that makes it easier for spider webs to snare them, according to a new study.

The positive charge on an insect such as a bee or fly attracts the web, which is normally negatively or neutrally charged, increasing the chances that an insect flying by will contact and stick to the web, says Victor Manuel Ortega-Jimenez, a post-doctoral fellow at University of California, Berkeley.

Don’t you go tryin’ ennything y’hear? I gots one eye on you and one eye on mah box. So no funny moves.

“Meet Lemon” -Cindy B. And dat’s fo’ reals.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Pups

Here’s a collection of some more Photo Assignment Day submissions. Video of Dexter submitted by Janelle F. Check photo hovers for additional deets.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Photo Assignment Day

handsomedorothy:

Heterophobia is very real and hurts over 7 feelings every year

Ami's Tumblr Place of Cat DOOOM: Okay so I just got an avalanche of messages from the guy who needs to...:

ami-angelwings:

Okay so I just got an avalanche of messages from the guy who needs to explain to me how he is talking about the bad women who bait men into hitting on them only to call them creeps. This is going to be my last post on the matter. I’m just going to post all of his asks here and then my…

In which Ami somehow finds the patience and guts-of-steel to take a dude mansplaining “creep" to task, so we don’t have to.

But this guy gives me screamy feels so here are some screamy feels:

CREEP IS A WORD THAT DESCRIBES HOW SOMEBODY IS FEELING ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BEHAVIOR, HOW DO YOU EVER GET TO DECIDE THEY ARE INCORRECT IN THAT EVALUATION

"I’m mad at you! You are acting in a way that I am mad about!" 

"No you aren’t, I’m acting in a totally acceptable way so therefore you are not feeling mad"

WTF

PS DID YOU SEE THE PART ABOUT WHERE WHEN WOMEN GIVE MORE SPECIFIC REASONS FOR WHY THEY WANT YOU TO STOP BOTHERING THEM OR THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU ARE VIOLATING THEIR BOUNDARIES YOU JUST FUCKING QUESTION AND DISPUTE AND UNDERMINE AND PUSH BACK ON THEM INSTEAD OF JUST RESPECTING THAT THEY DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU

DO YOU SEE THE PART WHERE THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE FUCKING DOING RIGHT FUCKING NOW

ionlyweardresses:

{John and his Minion, Nigel Bear}

Desperado…

A Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman said the white box truck was seized around 10:25 p.m. in the 1400 block of Cedar Street SE. [ more › ]

A two-parent, two-child family needs $88,615 to get by comfortably, if not lavishly, in the D.C. region, according to the Economic Policy Institute. [ more › ]

In the entire Washington metro area, there was a 14.6 percent increase in rape. [ more › ]

The District's ethics board censured and fined D.C. Councilmember Marion Barry for accepting gifts from two construction firms. [ more › ]

notoriousrbg:

Scalia v. Ginsburg: Supreme Court Sparring, Put to Music, National Public Radio, July 10, 2013.

The ACLU is looking for plaintiffs to mount a lawsuit against Virginia's same-sex marriage ban passed in 2006. [ more › ]

DC Brau, along with D.C. Homebrewers and the Heurich House Museum, will offer a taste of the pre-prohibition beer once crafted by the Christian Heurich Brewing Company, which was located in Foggy Bottom from the late 1800s until it shut down in 1956. [ more › ]

Friends of Omar Sykes and members of the Howard community are invited to attend the service at the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at 6 p.m. tonight. [ more › ]

Complaints about solitary confinement and other conditions prompted an action timed to coincide with Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting.

What do you think? Too much mascara?

I just find long eyelashes make one look so ladylike.

“I believe I have an example of cuteness rule numbers #72, #6, maybe #3, #41, and #42. Meet Miss Bella, my 7 year old miniature schnauzer. Also known as BeaBeeBopBoobieBellabugBubbaNosyPrincess, BellaMiss, Slouchy. Such a lady Sometimes I could swear she enjoys posing for the camera.” -Angie O.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Pups

STANFORD (US) — Demand for oil will reach its own peak and decline before humans deplete the Earth’s supply of oil, experts say.

“Peak oil” prognosticators have painted pictures of everything from a calm development of alternatives to calamitous shortages, panic, and even social collapse as the world reaches its peak of oil production—and then supplies fall.

U. MISSOURI (US) — Some people possess a small number of cells in their bodies that are not genetically their own—a condition known as microchimerism.

Now, researchers have found that microchimerism can be found in dogs as well.

On cable news, coverage of the Texas abortion restrictions has been light on medical experts. Via Media Matters:

I think there’s something to be said for including political commentators in conversations about an issue that is so clearly political. I’m also grateful when advocates for reproductive justice are given a place at the table, since, again, this is a justice issue and not just a medical one. But I also want doctors, and public health experts – people who can explain why abortion bans are medically harmful and why forced vaginal ultrasounds are medically unnecessary. The more viewers know about that stuff, the better they can understand the politics of the situation. But based on these graphs, it looks like coverage of these issues is falling into the very same trap as the lawmakers themselves: a whole bunch of people who aren’t doctors sitting around talking about reproductive health.

This is a great video of members of both queer and immigrant communities discussing the unique challenges facing queer immigrants, particularly as the United States works toward immigration reform. It’s a case study in intersectionality.

Queering Immigration from Southerners on New Ground (SONG) on Vimeo.

The first speaker’s line “I was faced with a question of: do I go back to Cameroon where it’s illegal to be gay, or do I stay here and become undocumented?” truly struck me, but there’s much more to it than that , so you should watch the whole thing. And if someone wouldn’t mind putting a transcript in comments, I’d love you forever.

h/t Melissa A. Fabello

*Thank you @megan for the transcript! (below in comment section) 

accidentalchinesehipsters:

The Wearable Art Class exhibition debuted on June 24th to much fanfare, and was well attended by City Hall Senior Center members, fans and proponents of inter-generational art education, the Finns of New York, and the downtown Manhattan art community. The spread, complete with egg custard tarts, seaweed snacks, open face Finnish sandwiches (thanks, Nordic Breads!), fruit plate, and dried anchovies was not to be beat (and a very Chinese way of entertaining at an art opening, so I’m told). Also, what a joy it is to drink white wine with the over 70 set on a hot summer day - just so long as there’s a buddy system in place for when someone wants to go down a set of stairs.

Probably the best thing about the show was being with this group of nascent artists who were seeing their work on public display for the first time and realizing that they were so much like my younger artist friends and myself. Just as any artist would, they had some jitters before the opening. Kit told me, “We’re going to be like clowns," (perhaps not a totally unreasonable fear when you’re showing photos of yourself in a magical rainbow colored cloak that attaches to your feather hat, but untrue nonetheless). Then, at the gallery, with a glow in her face, she said, “It’s not what I expected. We aren’t clowns!"  I replied, “Yeah, not clowns. Classy!" And she said, “Not classy, just not clowns," thus ending an exchange which pretty much sums up my internal dialog at every show I’ve done. They were good. They were mesmerized by the video of their performances. They spoke with poise about their work. Later, Marie stood on the steps of the gallery and declared that she was ready for more adventures. “I’m young in my heart!" she said, and extended her arms like she was going to embrace the world.

I met a woman, a milliner, at the opening who asked me a very good question. How do you view the people you’ve written about on your blog differently after this experience? This I’m still striving to answer, but I can say one thing now: I didn’t expect them to be so self aware. And in that self knowledge their fearlessness becomes even more amazing. I have unwittingly, though not surprisingly, progressed to a totally irony-free view of the people who I once revered and made fun of on this forum. It couldn’t have happened if we hadn’t found a common ground, a way to communicate through making art together, and for that I am grateful.

Expect to see our video works here in the future, as well as updates about new projects. The SPARC program has ended, but the Wearable Art crew rages on.

Photos by Wei Xiaoguang and Alison Kuo.

LOOK

JUST LOOK AT THE AMAZING THING THAT HAPPENED