but, not

lauraallover:

fuckyesmaps:

youlovemoney:

Money Map of the World.

Two of my favorite things: maps and money from around the world.  I want a big print of this, now!!!

travelhighlights:

Terminal Mirage by David Maisel

From Christine Friar:

I want to talk to you about planes and how great they make me feel.

I’ve never been on a plane for a bad reason, ever.

I’ve only ever flown someplace to visit someone or see something new or live someplace I’ve never lived before — and that’s exciting.

I love the standardization of it. Everything packaged. Everything one-serving-only.

Sitting in the window seat, music on, there’s this momentum and electricity behind everything. You are on your way for an extended period of time, but the ending is scheduled. It’s part B of an A, B, C plan.

Plus, you have this tiny viewfinder and the world looks entirely smaller and more understandable than it feels when you’re down there. Cars are small parts of roads that lead to highways that lead to other towns — the coastlines, the mountains, the patchwork of farmland and suburban lots. A tiny pool. A barely-visible baseball diamond. All of it. It’s all one big thing you’re looking at.

The world gets bigger. The world gets huge. Your humanity gets huge.Turbulence makes you feel, if even for a second, that you could die. You pass a flock of geese on takeoff and, holy shit, what if you’d hit them? You cross an ocean and what if the plane just fell?

And, more importantly, you’re headed somewhere. You’re headed to someone or someplace or something.

The things you’re capable of doing in the here-and-now are virtually cut off. All you can do is sit.

All you can do is think. And wait. And know that something else is coming very soon.

And I love it.

I love it, I love it, I love it.

Via drinkyourjuice:robot-heart

travelhighlights:

Wild Poppy Field by National Geographic

From newfilosofee:

It’s interesting when I see a photo of a beautiful place or read about it somewhere. I want to be there so much. We desire to visit and sometimes even move to places because they seem so much better. Although, once there, you realize that there is another place you want to go and so again you make another journey. That’s just the way life works, we are ever changing. Looking for new and “better” places.

Kairouan, Tunisia

Via constantflux

travelhighlights:

Sub-urban ‘Community’ by Oscar Ruiz

Mexico City’s mass-produced and anonymous urban landscapes take the shape of informal settlements or low-income sprawl and compete for limited resources such as water and electricity.

Ixtapaluca, Mexico

Via iamjen:anddouglassays:paper-or-plastic

More:

wait, is this real life?

mysocialimpact:

Frommer’s 500 Places Where You Can Make a Difference: “Make a profound difference in how you travel.  This guidebook leads you to places around the globe where you can serve communities while exploring them in a unique, connected way. From caring for orphans in Delhi, India, to teaching English on the beaches of Salvador, Brazil, to tracking dolphins in Oahu, Hawaii, or building a school in Madagascar, you’ll find an adventure that matches your interests and lets you see your destination with new eyes.

The book will inspire you with both short- and long-term travel choices, while giving you accurate pricing, trip provider contact information, suggestions on nearby sites to visit, and advice on how to pick the right trip for you.

See the World in Extraordinary Ways

• Care for baby elephants in Sri Lanka

• Restore a medieval village in Tuscany, Italy

• Work with scientists inside the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

• Live with the Maasai people in Kenya

• Teach swimming to children in Fiji

• Study mammoth bones in South Dakota”

i could spend days reading guidebooks. this is so cool, gimme

lauraallover:

sexartandpolitics:

I honestly have no idea why I remember a Slate article from 2002, but What’s Wrong With Marrying Your Cousin? is fascinating.

Now a study by the National Society of Genetic Counselors says that having a child with your first cousin raises the risk of a significant birth defect from about 3-to-4 percent to about 4-to-7 percent. According to the authors, that difference isn’t big enough to justify genetic testing of cousin couples, much less bans on cousin marriage. […] “I tell almost ALL my correspondents who are considering expressing a more than casual affection for their cousin to remember a few important things,” [Aunt Kate’s advice column at cousincouples.com] writes. “The first one is that you already have a guaranteed, life long relationship that you will live with for a very long time. Don’t mess it up.”

Also, it’s legal in Canada.

chart via notthatkindagay:daysinboston:dreamsonfire:ewokgia

Yay, America.

i might just move to mexico city. warmer weather and the right to marry someone i love? i don’t hate it..