Nepenthe

I wish...

1863 - 1941 Annie Jump Cannon was the eldest of three daughters to shipbuilder and state senator Wilson Cannon, and his second wife Mary Jump. It was Annie’s mother who encouraged her interest in astronomy, teaching her the constellations. Annie went on to study physics and astronomy at Wellesley, one of the top academic schools for women in the US. Annie did not take to the cold winter climate and on one occassion was striken with scarlet fever that rendered her almost completely deaf. She graduated in 1884 with a degree in physics and returned home, but grew restless with the limited career options open to women. Her hearing loss made it difficult to socialise, although she made a trip to Europe to photograph the solar eclipse in 1892.  She returned home and in 1894 her mother died. She eventually reapproached her teachers at Wellesley and took graduate courses there in astronomy. She also learnt about spectroscopy and photography. In order to gain access to a b...

from Reginald D. Laniger  

From The Word Made Flesh - O Verbo se fez Carne Excerpt from Caliban’s soliloquy in “The Tempest” "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices That, if I then had waked after long sleep, Will make me sleep again; and then in dreaming, The clouds methought would open, and show riches Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked I cried to dream again.”

by Scott Park

by Ella Frances Sanders . Our Portuguese noun Saudade, obviously, but also the Italian verb Commuovere that we share.

Lili Chin

The Wonder of Stand Still Stay Silent

An event taking place in New Zealand, no less :) And But Blessed Be the Translators

BUT

It was just like this in college... (apart from wikipedia, there was no internet...) (oops, I'm old!)

Robin Williams (1951 - 2014)

Sam Weiner for McSweeneys Let there be light! Let there be Heaven and Earth! Let there be mortal souls created in Mine own image, gifted with reason and free will… in a bit. First, let there be a bunch of giant fucking monsters everywhere! In My infinite wisdom, I know that populating Earth with millions of Godzillas will be awesome. Humongous monsters with silly little arms! Tiny monsters that hunt in packs! Monsters covered in bulletproof plates with spikes for tails and ocean monsters and flying monsters that terrorize the skies and HOLY SHIT THIS WILL BE VERY FUCKING COOL . Using the divine power of My words, I shall bring into Creation gigantic reptiles with no brains. They won’t be able to think at all! Just fight all the time! “Oh, no look out! There’s a T. Rex!” one dinosaur will go. “Fuck that. I look like a dragon and spit poison out of my mouth!” says another. I AM TALKING A HUNDRED MILLION YEARS OF WATCHING DINOSAUR FIGHTS FROM H...