September 2009
39 posts
“My Heart -
We are thus far separated - but after all one mile is as bad as a...”
–
November 16, 1814. Lord Byron, English poet, to Annabella Milbanke, his future wife. (via dilda) (via loveyourchaos)
Of this, I dissent: Chasity is NOT a “virtue.”
Pay Attention
presidents:
sleepcarefully:
Quite lengthy, but for those who haven’t I am hoping you will read this from start to finish.
To all Filipinos Everywhere: I used to think that corruption and criminality in the Philippines were caused by poverty. But recent events tell me this isn’t true. It is one thing to see people turn into drug addicts, prostitutes, thieves and murderers because of hunger and...
Cue the collective awwwws
I love the way my dad tries to “correct” my essays. He tends to make up words — a gift that’s extended itself to the realm of geography with new-found continents like “Australiasia.”
My text messages are getting more and more cryptic
with phases like “How far would you go for family?” and other modern-day koans.
“I have this strange feeling that I’m not myself anymore. It’s hard to put into...”
– Haruki Murakami (via misswallflower)
”I CALL MYSELF A FEMINIST. Isn’t that what you... →
— The Dalai Lama receiving the “International Freedom Award” in Memphis, Tennessee. Quote source: the Memphis Flyer, September 23, 2009
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from Russian class, an email:
I have no idea why I sent you a copy of the syllabus, rather than a copy of the list of articles I’d like you to look at. The only realistic explanation is that communist agents have infiltrated my computer, my office, my home, etc. They are relentless — as viewers of jolly films such as The Chekist will understand — since I have gained international recognition for my...
“There are two great rules of life: never tell everything at once.”
– Ken Venturi (via simko)
When I was browsing Facebook, an advertisement popped up and asked me to “vote for the Man Booker Prize winner of 2009!” As I’ve been picking Man Booker winners via short-list synopses since the sixth-grade (I’m twenty now (holy shit)) it appears that — according to Facebook at any rate — I’m easy to read.
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Good news: Happiness is more contagious than... →
“I once was desperate to have writing do things, to contain transformative...”
– Michael Thomas
WatchFrom TED.com: Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity.
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we’re educating our children. In this video, Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
The original page can be found here.
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“When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land....”
– Bishop Desmond Tutu (via staticquo)
Not a funny topic, but it’s funny when you think that, for all the mission work, mosquito nets and water are worth thousands of times more than a few words from a silly little book that some people think means everthing.
(via manasto)
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“Carriage lore seems to be one of the random pieces of filth stuck on my chewing...”
– Most people don’t realize this, but at one time, the way we think of cars today is how people thought of carriages. Meaning, there was just hundreds of different types of carriage, all with different names. People probably hung out on the corner, with a tin of snuff, admiring the new ‘02 Broughams,...
O’Rourke’s was our stage, and we displayed our... →
Roger Ebert’s “A Bar on North Avenue,” Granta
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“If you have to turn to your face, you’re running out of places for...”
– Rich
This is how we farm in Soviet Russia.
Student: Which film has the dancing tractors in it?
Professor: Well, you'll find that cheerful farm equipment seems to have been popular enough to become a recurring theme in propaganda from the Eastern Bloc. Soviet tractors were highly educated and highly skilled -- a direct result of an evolving agrarian society. Personally, my favorite cinematic moment has to be a clip of pigs making their way en masse to the collectivization camp down the road, smiling like they're in a marching band, or -- better yet -- a parade.
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