QBits

buzzfeed: The most spectacular wildlife photos of the National...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:30:35 -0700

The most spectacular wildlife photos of the National Geographic Photo Contest

guardian: Who’s a pretty boy then? A dog with animal designs at...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:41:17 -0700

Who’s a pretty boy then? A dog with animal designs at a creative grooming competition in Seacaucus, New Jersey. From picture desk live: the best news images of the day

Photograph: Ren Netherland/Barcroft Media

[insert grumpy cat gif here]

Photo

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:55:31 -0700

"In the Netherlands, where biking has long been part of the urban fabric, people are taught in driver..."

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:03:09 -0700

“In the Netherlands, where biking has long been part of the urban fabric, people are taught in driver education courses to reach across their bodies and open the driver’s door with the right hand, which forces the driver to look over the left shoulder to see if any bicyclists are coming.”

- Bike Sharing Can Mean Safer Biking - NYTimes.com

That’s a brilliant idea.—misterjt

(via misterjt)

resistkxl: Toxic waste spill in northern Alberta biggest of...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:51:30 -0700

resistkxl:

Toxic waste spill in northern Alberta biggest of recent disasters in North America

“Every plant and tree died” in the area touched by the spill, said James Ahnassay, chief of the Dene Tha First Nation, whose members run traplines in an area that has seen oil and gas development since the 1950s.

Mesmerizing.

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:21:50 -0700

Mesmerizing.

naturallybent: Cancer, Infertility, Parkinson’s, and Death: The Hidden Costs of Round-Up Read more at...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:10:36 -0700

naturallybent: Cancer, Infertility, Parkinson’s, and Death: The Hidden Costs of Round-Up Read more at...:

naturallybent:

the type of reductionist science that is done too frequently ––and too frequently done deliberately— does not test the synergistic effects of chemicals and their combined toxicity. there are so many environmental chemicals poisoning us (your cologne, your hair spray, your tin can lining, your…

chirart: jhameia: Cover of Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” on the koto...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:04:53 -0700

chirart:

jhameia:

Cover of Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” on the koto and shakuhachi by Team Kozan

that shakuhachi player is really rocking it

there’s nothing I don’t love about this

Ditto.

naturallybent: i like to move it, move it… —nb

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:55:49 -0700

naturallybent:

i like to move it, move it… —nb

astronomy-to-zoology: Trinidad Piping Guan (Pipile pipile) Also...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:01:00 -0700

astronomy-to-zoology:

Trinidad Piping Guan (Pipile pipile)

Also known as the common piping guan, the Trinidad piping guan is a critically endangered species of guan found only on the island of Trinidad in the [Greater] Antilles. Like other guans the Trinidad piping guan is primarily arboreal and feeds almost exclusively on fruit and berries. They are usually active at dusk and will forage in groups of 3-5 individuals. The Trinidad piping guan is currently listed as critically endangered and are nearing extinction with only 200 individuals left.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Aves-Galliformes-Cracidae-Pipile-pipile

Image Source(s)

For my Trini friends! [edited lesser to greater, thanks Mother].

tastefullyoffensive: [via] That looks just like my cat!

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:54:06 -0700

tastefullyoffensive:

[via]

That looks just like my cat!

fuckyeahcracker: Demanding civil rights and just treatment for...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:22:58 -0700

Peaceful protesting teenager attacked by a dog by racist police

Peaceful protesting teenagers sprayed into a wall with high power stinging water hose by racist police

Black protesting young men abused and harassed by racist white teens for having a peaceful protest sit in

Black couple taunted and threatened for living in a white neighborhood

self explanatory

Demanding justice out right, no coddling

Demanding justice out right, no coddling-- READ THE CARDBOARD SIGN THO

sure as fuck don't. woop there it is..

fuckyeahcracker:

Demanding civil rights and just treatment for People of Color has always been about exposing the truth of racial disparities and demanding justice— not about making sure white people’s feelings don’t hurt and white people don’t feel uncomfortable about the reality of racism.

You should feel uncomfortable about the actual racism enough to do something to fix it, not complain about how we tell you about it!

questionall: How Hemp Threatens the Corporatocracy _ Brainwash...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:17:55 -0700

questionall:

How Hemp Threatens the Corporatocracy _ Brainwash Update (by conspiracyking)

WAC Sergeant Johnnie Phelps became legendary for a conversation...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:07:01 -0700

WAC Sergeant Johnnie Phelps became legendary for a conversation she had with Eisenhower when she served on the general’s staff during the postwar occupation of Europe. … Eisenhower… called her into his office and said he had heard reports that there were lesbians in the WAC battalion. He wanted a list of their names, he said, so he could get rid of them. …

“Yes, sir,” Phelps said to the general, according to her later account. She would make the list, if that was the order. Then she reminded Eisenhower that the WAC battalion at his headquarters was one of the most decorated in the Army. …

Getting rid of the lesbians would mean losing competent file clerks, typists, and a large share of the headquarters’ key personnel. “I’ll make your list,” Phelps concluded in her crackling North Carolina accent, “but you’ve got to know that when you get the list back, my name’s going to be first.”

Eisenhower then rescinded the order.

Randy Shilts, Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military. © 1994 by the Estate of Randy Shilts.

alloutorg: We’re delivering every signature tomorrow to Google...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:02:01 -0700

alloutorg:

We’re delivering every signature tomorrow to Google HQ in New York - will you share this widely and SIGN to get your friends to do the same?

Help us reach 200,000 people standing up against the outrageous “Setting Captives Free” app: www.allout.org/gaycureapp

What Is Asexuality?

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:56:40 -0700

What Is Asexuality?:

neutrois:

This is the first part of a six-part series on asexuality, in which we explore the history of the asexual movement, uncover current research on asexuality, debunk common misconceptions and discuss the challenges the asexual community faces.

Excited to share the first of a 6-part series on Asexuality at the Huffington Post.

I was interviewed for this a few weeks back, and I have a feeling this is going to be a Pretty Big Deal for lending some much needed visibility to the Ace community, as we reach the tipping point in inclusion and awareness.

The New Black Official Trailer (by Yoruba Richen) A documentary...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:48:14 -0700

The New Black Official Trailer (by Yoruba Richen)

A documentary to watch out for.

“The New Black is a documentary that tells the story of how the African-American community is grappling with the gay rights issue in light of the recent gay marriage movement and the fight over civil rights. newblackfilm.com, @newblackfilm

Permaculture

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:40:05 -0700

Permaculture

commiepinkofag: The Lavender Scare The Lavender Scare is a...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:25:07 -0700

commiepinkofag:

The Lavender Scare

The Lavender Scare is a documentary film about the U.S. government’s relentless campaign in the 1950s and ’60s to hunt down and fire every government employee suspected of being gay or lesbian.
In what became the longest and most intense witch hunt in American history, thousands of gay men and women lost their jobs. Some lost their lives. Until finally, a courageous few fought back.

rawlivingfoods: Dacha Gardens of Russia Produce 40% of the...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:19:14 -0700

rawlivingfoods:

Dacha Gardens of Russia Produce 40% of the Nation’s Food

While many in the world are completely dependent on large scale agriculture, the Russian people feed themselves. Their agricultural economy is small scale, predominantly organic and in the capable hands of the nation’s people. Russians have something built into their DNA that creates the desire to grow their own food. It’s a habit that has fed the Russian nation for centuries. It’s not just a hobby but a massive contribution to Russia’s agriculture.

In 2011, 51% of Russia’s food was grown either by dacha communities (40%), like those pictured in Sisto-Palkino, or peasant farmers (11%) leaving the rest (49%) of production to the large agricultural enterprises. But when you dig down into the earthy data from the Russian Statistics Service you discover some impressive details. Again in 2011, dacha gardens produced over 80% of the countries fruit and berries, over 66% of the vegetables, almost 80% of the potatoes and nearly 50% of the nations milk, much of it consumed raw.

While many European governments make living on a small-holding very difficult, in Russia the opposite is the case. In the UK one councillor’s opinion regarding living on the land was, “Nobody would subject themselves to that way of life. You might as well be in prison”; tell that to a nation of gardeners living off the land.

During the communist period school children were obliged to visit their local farms to get hands-on experience harvesting food at a time when about 90% of the nation’s food came from dacha gardens. During the same period every child would be expected to play their part in growing the family’s food from their small patch of Russia.

While the percentage of food grown by Russia’s dacha has fallen since then it is still a massive contribution to the nation’s food and forms an important part of their rural heritage. Take a walk through the street’s of Russia’s cities, like St. Petersburg, and you will find people selling herbs, fruit, berries and vegetables from their dacha gardens. Unlike many cities in Europe and the USA, Russian cities are peppered with small corner shops selling locally grown food in all shapes, colors and sizes still carrying their native Russian soil.

If you were to visit a typical Russian dacha you’re likely to be greeted with a welcoming dish called okroshka, a refreshing cold soup made from home grown cucumber, radish, spring onion, fresh dill and parsley all swimming in kvas (a home made rye bread drink) with sour cream or kefir.