Snowden fled to Hong Kong when he knew publication of his leaks was imminent. In his interview, he said he went there because “they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent.” This may be true, in some limited way, but the overriding fact is that Hong Kong is part of China—which is, as Snowden knows, a stalwart adversary of the United States in intelligence matters. (Evan Osnos has more on that.) Snowden is now at the mercy of the Chinese leaders who run Hong Kong. As a result, all of Snowden’s secrets may wind up in the hands of the Chinese government—which has no commitment at all to free speech or the right to political dissent. And that makes Snowden a hero?
Edward Snowden, the N.S.A. Leaker, Is No Hero (via azspot)
Protip for reading articles about Edward Snowden and any other leaker/whistleblower (read: Bradley Manning, Julian Assange): If the author likes the result then the leaker is a hero, if the author doesn’t like the result then the leaker is a malignant narcissist.
(via azspot)
You can say a lot about the south, good and bad, but I’ve never lived anywhere with a sky that is as blue as often. And it’s not even stiflingly hot today!
Apologies for the terrible image quality - I’m lacking scanner access at the minute so I had to take these photos on my phone
I was reading hyperbole and a half’s blog entry explaining their experience of depression and decided to make another sketchy comic based on my experiences with anxiety, which is another mental illness I think people tend to misunderstand quite frequently
Hopefully this will be of use to some people - whether they suffer from anxiety themselves or if they just want to know more about it
yes. omg yes.
This made me cry. My anxiety was so bad yesterday, my friends got annoyed with me. They don’t understand. I wish I could change. I wish I wasn’t like this.This. Also, if you have someone in your life who suffers from depression, and you haven’t seen the hyperbole and a half post linked to above, it’s the most spot-on description of depression I think I’ve ever seen. Check it out.
Relevant.
I end up even telling myself some of the things said on the “after the 4th or 5th time” page. I feel like it truly is all my fault. I can’t understand how sometimes I can choose to be so happy and truly BE happy and then other times be completely anxious, depressed, insecure and self loathing for no reason at all. I can go from being confident and content to being needy and helpless.
(via coyotesqrl)
I have been having a rough few weeks, but little victories are going to keep me going.
Brains can be a real pain in the ass sometimes
coconut crab…………NO
I would run headlong into a tree trying to escape that thing.
Bring me some melted butter and a mallet.
Yeah, my first thought was, “Can you eat it?”
I am allergic to shellfish, so my first thought was “Kill it with fire.”
Ti asked me to post this:
Any of you out there have a true appreciation of vintage stuff ? Everything from true vintage style to kitschy collections? Do you love vintage jewelry, scarves, embroidered pillowcases, belts, and small, random knick-knacks…but sometimes not have the time to “treasure hunt”, and aren’t willing to pay the crazy prices of some vintage online marketplaces? Do you love surprises?
I’m working on a project that may require volunteers who can give me some feedback. Any takers? It will probably be two to four weeks before the website is totally finished (and that’s step one, really), but I’m making a list. If you’re interested, please send me an email. You can also forward to a friend if you think they fit the criteria. I need about 10-20 volunteers (guys and gals both). Email at simplevintagebox@gmail.com.
This is a super exciting project, and if you love random vintage things then this is for you. Send Ti and email!
14 Ways to Acquire Knowledge: A Timeless Guide from 1936
This is a really fantastic excerpt. I could pull out half a dozen quotes, but I think the best is this:
If you would have knowledge, knowledge sure and sound, teach. Teach your children, teach your associates, teach your friends. In the very act of teaching, you will learn far more than your best pupil.
The act of teaching reinforces what you know. You can’t teach it to someone else unless you know it forwards and backwards, and having to teach something shows you where your gaps are and lets you fill them in.
One technique that’s widely used in medical training is “see one, do one, teach one” for that very reason. So remember, folks, while no one likes a pedant, teaching the people around you as the opportunity presents itself makes you smarter as much as it does anything else.
Apparently, no one knows what words mean anymore.
So I am flying this Friday, and I am hoping that tiny little Memphis and not all that big Pittsburgh won’t be affected by the air traffic controller furloughs. As I was reading about it, though, I came across this gem:
In the meantime, the FAA is considering temporarily shelving a rule that currently stops airlines from keeping passengers sitting in planes on tarmacs longer than three or four hours, to keep air traffic flowing.
The airline lobbying group Airlines for America is pushing for the option of keeping passengers on planes longer to help accommodate delays from furloughs.
Airlines want to “minimize and avoid worsening the disruption and inconvenience to our passengers,” said Katie Connell, managing director for the group.
So the airlines want to minimize inconvenience to their passengers and their solution is to lock them into planes on the tarmac. Fucking brilliant.
(edited to correct “cam” to “came” in paragraph 1)
Also can’t wait for smart glasses. All my life, I’ve been looking at things with glasses that aren’t projecting useful stuff into my eyeballs. Like a sucker. It’s high time that stopped.
