dionthesocialist:

After all the campaigning, all the analysis, all the Facebook groups, and tweets, and tumbles, Amendment One passed. This isn’t about banning gay marriage in North Carolina, because gay marriage, as it has been said many times before, is already banned here. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what this amendment was about. It’s language is dramatically stark: the only domestic union that will be recognized in the state of North Carolina is marriage between one man and one woman. That means children of unmarried parents who rely on one parent for health insurance will no longer be covered. It means unmarried victims of domestic assault will no longer be able to press domestic assault charges on their partner, since that would involve the government recognizing their union.

The overall feeling right now is not anger. It is not sadness. It’s shame. Liberal voters in this state have worked hard to make us an anomaly in the south. We’re a key battleground state because we’re the only state below the Mason Dixon line (besides Florida) that isn’t a foregone conclusion for the GOP. We’re hosting the DNC. Charlotte and Raleigh are the two fastest growing cities in the country. Yet, for all our progress, in one day it seems as if we’re just tossed back into a pile with all the other ass backwards states in the South.

We are ashamed of this. We are ashamed of what it does to our reputation as a state. We are ashamed of what it does to children, women, and of course, the message it sends about how we treat the LGBTQ community in North Carolina. 

Sad day, man. We’re all a bit bummed.

Jazz Fest 2012 was AMAZING. Unfortunately, I only got to go for one day. This was pretty disappointing, as there were some acts that I know would have blown my mind: Florence + the Machine, Ani DiFranco, Esperanza Spalding… just to name a few. However, the day’s worth of music I did see truly changed my entire outlook. When I got to New Orleans, I was down. Finals had stressed me out immensely; relationships had gone awry. I didn’t really want to even wake up early enough to get there by 11. I am SO glad I did. Funky Meters, Bonnie Raitt, and the Foo Fighters (all pictured) were my favorite acts of the day. They all blew. me. away. The food was delicious! The drinks were strong. And the music was loud. 

Summer 2012 is getting off to a great start. 

public relations > geology. any day. at least i get to be a little creative with the diagrams of angular unconformity and such!

thedailywhat:

Follow-Up of the Day: Caine’s Arcade Gets a Real Pinball Machine: The incredible story of Caine’s Arcade just keeps getting better.

After his cardboard arcade became THE hot spot in East L.A., 9-year-old Caine Monroy was invited to visit pinball shop Pins and Needles, where owner Molly introduced him to pro flipper — and world champ — Keith Elwin. Then, she offered him his choice of vintage pinball machines, valued at up to $3,000, to round out his business. (Caine has yet to decide which machine to call his own.)

Meanwhile, donors around the world have pledged more than $100,000 for Caine’s Scholarship Fund, announced just three days ago by filmmaker Nirvan Mullick to help send Caine to college.

Finally, the Caine’s Arcade Facebook page has two intriguing announcements: Official T-shirts are in the works (so don’t be fooled by knockoffs), and the Caine’s Arcade Theme Song is available for download, with 100 percent of profits going toward the Scholarship Fund.

Hooray!

[tmz]

This is just amazing. I watched this video, and it brought tears of happiness to my eyes. People can be wonderful.

doodlely:

Congratulations to Zack Glascock, our fourth winner of Doodle of the Week!

We thought Zack’s take on Mac Miller’s breakthrough mixtape ‘Best Day Ever’ was a great rendition of the Pittsburgh-based rapper’s sixth official effort.

Pop culture is king here at Doodle.ly lately, and we loved our entries about The Beatles’ Let it Be, a tribute to The Big Man Clarence Clemons, and a portrait on the ever-present Kanye West.

We’re now at the halfway point of Doodle of the Week, so only 4 more individuals will get a shot at winning an iPad…

For week 5 we’ll keep the trend alive and move on to the beloved television. Let’s see your best creative take on your favorite TV shows from past and present!

Check out our runner-ups for this week below

1^st Runner Up

Bruce & Clarence by Chris Lawton

2^nd Runner Up

Across the Universe by Gavin D.

3^rd Runner Up

Kanye West – Heartless Video by GalaxygunnerX

doodlely:

They’ve been running our Doodle.ly of the Week contests and we decided it’s finally time to show them off!

These ladies and gents are our doodlers-on-the-ground, storming college campuses across the country and spreading the word about Doodle.ly and our wonderful community!

If you happen to see one of these fine individuals in the wild, make sure to say hi!

rickwebb:

(via Doodle.ly for iPad on the iTunes App Store)

Doodle.ly is a company I’ve been advising. It’s a drawing community - a community where you can draw, share your drawings, view and rate other people’s drawings. It’s a good time. The new iPad app is awesome and they have a lot of awesome additional features planned. 

I really like the idea of a drawing based community. It’s like a sort of inner-world alternative to Instagram. And a great creation tool on the iPad. 

You can download it here. 

I’m a Brand Ambassador for them, and I have to say, it’s not only an amazing idea. It’s an amazing app/website. I really like winding down each night by checking to see what my friends have doodled.

Hey guys!

I know that the majority of the time when I see there is an opportunity to win a free iPad on tumblr, I’m already annoyed. This is really me, Jennie Fisher, really offering you the chance!

SOOOOO. Please keep reading! Many of you know that I am a Brand Ambassador for Doodle.ly, a cool new website where you can publish your doodles and share them with your friends. Well, they are having a contest, and let me preface the rest of this message with—

YOU CAN WIN A FREE iPAD!!!!!!

Okay. So, the contest is the “doodle of the week,” and for each week in March, they’re going to have a theme. This week’s theme is to draw your school’s mascot! For Alabama, you could draw a big A crushing a tiger. An actual elephant. Anything you want. Get creative!! Out of all the themed doodles, they will select a doodle of the week. Each weekly winner is entered to win an iPad. Pretty sweet deal. 

Oh, but wait. The rewards get better.

Each of the Brand Ambassadors are also sort of “competing” for doodles! So, as an added bonus, even if you don’t win an iPad, you get to help someone you (hopefully) love and respect for her unmatched intellect, dazzling beauty, and wonderous talent. (Yes, we’re talking about me. Obviously.) 

I really run a little long-winded. Oops. Long story short:

Please help me out! Go to doodle.ly and draw something Big Al related! You can tweet your drawings with #doodlethis at me @jennayfisher. You can also post your links to my tumblr inbox or tweet them @DoodlelyOwl and mention my name. You just might win an iPad!!

Thanks you guys. Happy doodling!! LOVE YOU ALL!

- Jennie

P.S. I wish I was a woman of few words. Sorryyyyy!

thedailywhat:

Follow Up of the Day: Confirmed: Nestle has officially teamed up with the Girl Scouts of America to produce a line of candy bars combining the famous flavors of both entities.

“We are thrilled with the positive response to the Nestle Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bar,” said Girl Scouts rep Joshua Ackley. “The product photo is a retail sales sample and not available for sale at this time. Look forward to some very exciting news in June.”

No word at this time on which additional flavors will be part of the line, but you should probably start making room in your belly right about now.

[dailymail / photo: gothamist.]

GENIUS MOVE. i can hear my belly rumbling as i read.

So, HERE is where I spent my weekend. Well, my Sunday morning and afternoon if you want to get technical. Rock climbing is something I used to be really into. I worked at a summer camp, on their ropes course, and the adrenaline rush was so great whenever we would get to climb the wall or fly down the zipline. I decided that I wanted to incorporate it into my “regular” life. Well, i am not sure where the nearest zipline is, but I knew the nearest rock wall was in walking distance— at my college gymnasium. 

There, you can only climb on belay, or attached to a rope to keep you from falling. That was the only climbing I’d done. At First Ave, you free climb, known as bouldering. So, when you fall, you eat mat. 

There are varying levels of difficulty. I tried to complete all of the “smiley faces,” or the easiest scales up. There was one I couldn’t do, but I am convinced it’s because I was too worn out. Not to mention my hands are torn to shreds!! (Note: Aye, with whom I went, climbs three times a week, and she’s a BEAST. She’s on two dots. The scale goes: smiley face, one dot, one dot plus, two dots, three dots, four dots.)

I am absolutely addicted to climbing now. The gym itself is also really cool. The staff is super nice and informative. They have shoes for rent. (I now plan on going ahead and buying my own.) Yoga classes and Crossfit are both offered. My favorite part, though? They play cool music as you climb. It varied from Whitney Houston to Foster the People to Hungarian Monks while I was there. I loved it. 

I’m addicted. I’ll keep you guys posted as I (hopefully) progress to the next levels.