(Source: reachingforrecovery, via mrballard)
Extreme weather will drive up food prices and supercharge world hunger in the next two decades… unless we act fast on climate change.
(Source: motherjones)
How fiction can change reality – in this fascinating animated film from TED-Ed, Jessica Wise traces how seminal novels have shaped the minds of thought leaders across history and help all of us broaden our spectrum of empathy by assuming different perspectives.
From World Water Day, one of 36 photos. Here, a journalist takes a sample of polluted red-colored water in the Jianhe River in Luoyang, Henan province, China, on December 13, 2011. According to local media, the sources of the pollution were two illegal chemical plants discharging their production waste water into the rain sewer pipes. (Reuters/China Daily)
(via theatlantic)
saw this on Facebook at the exact same time as i was writing an abstract for an oral presentation i’m giving at a research conference about the downfalls of the education system.
Not that if you come from a single-parent or homeless or hungry (etc.) home that you get sub-par grades or test scores, but something to think about.
i did because my mom and dad were never home, so i goofed off and nobody cared. i could have gotten straight A’s if i’d wanted to, but i didn’t. it worked out though because in the end, i was a really smart kid. some aren’t that lucky.
yet another terrific reminder of what is valuable in life, the price of mindless consumerism, the benefit of moderation and investment in people over things.
“You’re blowing it with Fox News,” Jobs told him over dinner. “The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you’ve cast your lot with the destructive people. Fox has become an incredibly destructive force in our society. You can be better, and this is going to be your legacy if you’re not careful.” Jobs said he thought Murdoch did not really like how far Fox had gone. “Rupert’s a builder, not a tearer-downer,” he said. “I’ve had some meetings with James, and I think he agrees with me. I can just tell.”
since i stopped being a bad boy and tried to just stay out of trouble, wait for a great relationship to come my way, work on some kind of “quality” to my interactions with people — whatever that means — i’ve been bored stiff, lonely and mostly miserable. i don’t feel alive. i feel totally dead inside. i’m not motivated to do anything other than a little writing, and even then i barely feel a spark. i barely feel like anything is happening. it’s like i took this whole huge part of me and locked it away thinking that if i become this really “good” guy, then i will find some really great love and live happily ever after or something. i really don’t have any idea what i am/was trying to do, but i do know that i’ve been mostly not happy for the last three years, and i don’t feel passionate about anything. i don’t work out. i don’t eat well. i sleep maybe more than i should. i don’t feel energetic, and i often find myself sitting home alone wondering what the fuck i am doing. it doesn’t seem natural, this false sense of “correctness”, or whatever it is that i thought i was trying to be. not that i was a bad guy. being a bit of a bad boy and being a bad guy are entirely different. i was never mean or an asshole or anything, but i was free and open and felt alive, and my fucking writing was hard and fast and passionate, and there was tons of sex, and i felt good about myself. i kept thinking i needed to become a drunk — so many good writers were, or they at least had a major vice that helped drive them — but i think i’ve finally hit on what my fucking problem is. i’ve killed my soul out of trying to create some false sense of righteousness or “correctness”, and i’m fucking tired of it. i want to yell and scream and do crazy things. god, i could be fucking a porn star who lives in NYC, a smoking hot babe who is smart and creative and interesting, and she wants to fuck and hang out with me because she thinks i’m all that, and i have been putting her off because of this weird phase i’m going through. well, enough of that. enough. i’m tired of trying to pretend to be something i just can’t be. i’ve been broken and i’ve been repaired, but there are cracks, and i’m fine with that. i’m just going to relax and enjoy. i’m tired of being what i’ve been — unhappy. life is going to do whatever the fuck it wants to do, so why shouldn’t i?
"… studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who structure their lives so as to conserve willpower. They don’t schedule endless back-to-back meetings. They avoid temptations like all-you-can-eat buffets, and they establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of deciding every morning whether or not to force themselves to exercise, they set up regular appointments to work out with a friend. Instead of counting on willpower to remain robust all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for emergencies and important decisions."
—
Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue? NYTimes.com
Great life lessons here.
(via mikehudack)
Relevant to my life.
(via apoplecticskeptic)
life.love.sex.
sadly, it seems i’m giving up on sex and women for a while. i’m just worn out from all the wasted energy and time and money. i can’t find anyone with a clue around here, no one that’s been anywhere, done anything, honestly knows who they are and what they want, not even enough about their bodies to really know how to really screw. there are too many inexperienced (in all respects) or sheltered women around here who just don’t know what the hell they are doing, who they are or what they want. they only know cheap beer and expensive shoes, not the world, not books, not politics, not life. i don’t want to be the gateway to the world, a “daddy” or a guide. i want to be an equal, and that’s becoming increasingly impossible. that said, if there’s anyone that i find fascinating, aware of who she is and totally in touch with her sexuality, not to mention well-traveled and full of life experiences, it’s a friend who lives in New York and who is a porn star. she seems smart, knowledgeable, experienced (in life and love) and interesting, not to mention she’s hot. i wonder. may have to drive to New York soon.
not true. i don’t see anyone pissed off. no one is paying attention. TV and home shopping and tabloids and legal stimulants keeps us fat, dumb and happy. ignorance is bliss. it’s only when a tragedy strikes that people get a fucking clue. i’m willing to bet most people have no idea what this movie is trying to say. they just know Ed Norton is cool and Brad Pitt is hot.
(via skogs-sjel)
