profeminist:

“The truth is that male religious leaders have had – and still have – an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter.

Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions – all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views and set a new course that demands equal rights for women and men, girls and boys.

At their most repugnant, the belief that women are inferior human beings in the eyes of God gives excuses to the brutal husband who beats his wife, the soldier who rapes a woman, the employer who has a lower pay scale for women employees, or parents who decide to abort a female embryo. It also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair and equal access to education, health care, employment, and influence within their own communities.

Recently I presented my concerns to a group of fellow leaders known as The Elders, who represent practicing Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, and Hindus. We are no longer active in politics and are free to express our honest opinions. We decided to draw particular attention to the role of religious and traditional leaders in obstructing the campaign for equality and human rights, and promulgated a statement that declares: “the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable.”

– Former President Jimmy Carter, speaking to the Parliament of the World’s Religions

school mindset

studying-chan:

medicalena:

essays – make each essay you write better than the last


 small assignments – aim for 100s, expect 100s, get 100s


 homework – pretend they’re assignments


 homework that’s not graded – pretend! they’re! assignments!


 tests – study for 100s, expect less


 long term projects – act like it’s due in four days -even when it’s not- until you’re done with it


 group projects – do not get angry


 presentations – pretend you’re obama

disclaimer – this works for me, it may not work for everybody, do not push yourself too hard!!

This is such a great way to treat college work!

marsdaydream:

drinkmasturbatecry:

nudityandnerdery:

the-fandoms-are-valentines:

grandtheftautosanandreas:

Douglas Adams is the best when it comes to describe characters

they need to teach classes on Douglas Adams analogies okay

“He leant tensely against the corridor wall and frowned like a man trying to unbend a corkscrew by telekinesis.”

“Stones, then rocks, then boulders which pranced past him like clumsy puppies, only much, much bigger, much, much harder and heavier, and almost infinitely more likely to kill you if they fell on you.”

“He gazed keenly into the distance and looked as if he would quite like the wind to blow his hair back dramatically at that point, but the wind was busy fooling around with some leaves a little way off.”

“It looked only partly like a spaceship with guidance fins, rocket engines and escape hatches and so on, and a great deal like a small upended Italian bistro.”

“If it was an emotion, it was a totally emotionless one. It was hatred, implacable hatred. It was cold, not like ice is cold, but like a wall is cold. It was impersonal, not as a randomly flung fist in a crowd is impersonal, but like a computer-issued parking summons is impersonal. And it was deadly – again, not like a bullet or a knife is deadly, but like a brick wall across a motorway is deadly.”

And, of course:

“The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.”

the one that will always stay with me is “Arthur Dent was grappling with his consciousness the way one grapples with a lost bar of soap in the bath,” i feel like that was the first time i really understood what you could do with words.

I will reblog this every time I see it because these are some of my favorite sentences in the English language.

The Houses as Studyblrs

Gryffindor: Hair held up by pencils, laughing with friends in the library, cups of cocoa, the sound of flipping through papers, the smell of old books, falling asleep in class, humming while you work, debates with friends
Slytherin: Surrounded by empty coffee cups, three textbooks open at once, working at 2 in the morning, competing with friends for higher grades, studying out of spite, working to prove someone wrong, rolling your eyes at your textbook’s stupid jokes, sassing teachers because you’re friends
Ravenclaw: Messy bullet journals, papers sticking out of binders, impromptu study sessions, binging crash course videos for fun, doodles on the corners of worksheets, never-ending “TBR” piles of books, dog-eared pages, neat buns, dressing up nice to study
Hufflepuff: warm drinks in big mugs, studying in morning sunlight, oversized sweaters, classical music, reading by the fire, studying with friends, bringing your textbook to a small coffee shop, studying with a cat by your side, being asked by classmates to tutor them

3 Study Methods You Should Use More Often

eintsein:

This was originally for an article writing assignment, but I thought “why not write something I can also post on my blog?” so here are three study methods that I haven’t seen a lot of in the studyblr community but are definitely worth mentioning.

The Leitner System

         

Flash cards have remained one of the
most popular ways to study. Some people use them to memorize vocabulary,
remember answers to specific questions, or even associate dates with events.
Although the use of flash cards is convenient, their effectiveness has been
reduced due to most people’s habits of prioritizing each card equally and
therefore spending too much time memorizing the information on them.

         

The Leitner System, created by a German
popularizer of science named Sebastian Leitner, is a more efficient method of
studying that implements the concept of spaced repetition. All the cards start
off in one pile. You would first scan through these cards, then test yourself.
Each card you answer correctly goes to a second pile, while those you answer
incorrectly should be revised then placed at the bottom of the pile. When you
review the cards in the second pile and get them correct, they will be promoted
to a third pile. An incorrect card will always get demoted to the first pile,
even if they had previously been promoted to the last pile.

         

The reason why this method is so
effective is that you end up reviewing the first pile of cards more frequently—the
cards you don’t know very well. Some people choose to review their Stack 1
cards every day, Stack 2 cards every other day, Stack 3 cards once every three
days, and so on.

         

Once all your cards have been promoted
to the highest box, study them thoroughly and then start over. The continuous
revision trains your speed so that you may reach fluency, which allows you to
recall the information faster.

Timed Memorization

         

The name tells it all: you memorize a
certain text within a time limit, normally around five to ten minutes depending
on your fluency and memorization abilities. When the timer starts, you begin
memorizing. When time is up, you flip to the next page, even if you haven’t
finished the previous page yet. Continue until you’ve gone through all your
material.

         

Timed
memorization helps you to discipline yourself because your brain thinks
that there’s no time for messing around; you have to do this here and now. Make
sure to repeat the things you missed and revise everything frequently. This
method is actually one of the most effective for cramming as it gives a better
coverage than if you spend a whole half hour memorizing one subtopic.

The Memory Palace or Mind Palace

           Sound
familiar? In BBC’s Sherlock, the ‘highly functioning sociopath’ uses this
method to remember vital information and facts. A mind palace is a systematic
arrangement of information, each detail corresponding to a specific object in a
familiar place. To ensure that you really remember everything, the objects have
to appear shocking and conspicuous.

           Here’s an
example: if I wanted to memorize “crimson, 11, delight, petrichor (the smell
after rain)”, aside from imagining Amy Pond or the Doctor saying it, I would
first choose a place, let’s say my school. I’d imagine myself walking up to the
front gate and seeing that the entire building has been painted the color of
blood—crimson. The building would then rise as though it were lifted from the
earth and crumble into rubble, controlled by Eleven, the character from
Stranger Things. Now, since I can’t really picture delight specifically, I’d
probably end up visualizing a colossal sign that simply reads “delight” posted
in front of my school. As for petrichor, I’d imagine curves rising out of the
puddles on the asphalt after a rainy night, a visual representation of the
smell of the rain. Of course, these visualizations have been created to suit my
memory. (I wouldn’t know if you watched Stranger Things.)

           I used this
method when memorizing case studies for geography, although I chose to
visualize fictional places from television series and cartoons. Some people do
opt to create artificial places, but these often become blurry and are easily
forgotten.

           As with any
study method, repetition is vital to storing the information in your long-term
memory. Visit your “palace” as often as you can. Soon enough, you’ll remember
the data as well as you remember the place associated with the data.

So there you have it, three lesser known methods of studying that have proven to be immensely efficient. Now, there is no “correct” way to study, but there are methods that can ease your learning process.