Image: source.

Loving the simple but unique jewelry from Sunday's Best! The perfect blend of simplicity, uniqueness, and style.

Puppies and birds!

Image: source.

"PBS reports that, because of the Obama administration's Secure Communities program’s failure to focus on high-level offenders, critics say it’s causing fewer immigrants to share information with police that can help solve cases or prevent future crimes. Thus, despite its name, the program may actually hurt public safety." via Immigration Prof. Blog.

“Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one.” - Marianne Williamson

Beautiful work of Joetta Maue.

Image: source.

Image: source.

Photos of NYC subways in the 1980's. (5 days till my trip!)

The origins of ABC from I Love Typography.

Great photos of abandoned Antarctic spaces, including

Shackleton's former home.

Image: mrYen.

"More than 5 million children currently live in the United States with at least one undocumented parent. Close to 75 percent of those children are U.S. citizens. When one or both parents are deported, children often have to choose between living with their immediate family — in another country — or living without them in the United States." A Simple Truth: When Parents Get Deported Citizen Children Fight to Survive.

“You may seek companionship and warmth, for example, but if your unconscious intention is to keep people at a distance, the experiences of separation and pain will surface again and again until you come to understand that you, yourself, are creating them. Eventually, you will choose to create harmony and love. You will choose to draw to you the highest-frequency currents that each situation has to offer. Eventually, you will come to understanding that love heals everything, and love is all there is. The journey may take many lifetimes, but you will complete it. It is impossible not to complete it. It is not a question of if but of when. Every situation that you create serves this purpose. Every experience that you encounter serves this purpose.” Source.

Image: source.

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of it's furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

- Rumi

Image: mrYen.

Ooooh, I definitely want to make my own lavender oil. I love when its hot and dry here in Oregon, and you can smell the lavender as you pass peoples houses (also I have a huge soft spot for lavender ever since going to Provence...)

Rap and GoogleMaps, a match made in heaven. Who knew?

Image: source.

Before seeing The September Issue this would've meant nothing to me, but I was pretty taken with Grace Coddington and would totally check out her memoirs.

Book shelf (room/tower) love!

"The CA legislature is considering a bill to eliminate juvenile LWOP for any crime."

“Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” - James Arthur Baldwin

“It is shocking and profoundly regrettable, but, apparently, sales of oranges are falling steadily because people can no longer be bothered to peel them. As soon as I read this, I began buying oranges more frequently and eating them with greater pleasure. Now I peel an orange very slowly, deliberately, voluptuously, above all defiantly, as a riposte to an age that demands war without casualties, public services without taxes, rights without obligations, celebrity without achievement, sex without relationship, running shoes without running, coursework without work and sweet grapes without seeds.” - From The Age of Absurdity:Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy by Michael Fole

Image: source.

Covers I'm loving: Bon Iver "A Satisfied Mind," Kelly Clarkson "That I Would Be/Use Somebody," Muse "Feeling Good," The Gaslight Anthem "I Do Not Hook Up," Ted Leo "Since U Been Gone/Maps."

Love it: The Book Cover Archive.

Image: source.

Obama bin Laden's abandoned Florida mansion - great photos.

Amazingly powerful photos highlight the complexity and reality of immigration.

Three movies I've seen recently, all of which I enjoyed, to varying degrees: "The Kids Are All Right" (not perfect, but oddly affecting and often funny), "I Am Love" (flawed, but gorgeous and enthralling), and "Inception" (fun but incredibly overrated). I especially loved the New Yorker's reviews of the last two. I liked "The Kids Are Alright" more than the NY'er did, although I agree with some of their criticism and I love this line from the review: "Paul, a bearded restaurateur, turns out to be randy but unthreatening, warm to the touch but cool about stuff, with a dash of smugness in his easy smile, all of which is a way of saying that he is played by Mark Ruffalo."

A Series of Questions by L. Weingarten is an “ongoing body of work explores the power dynamics inherent in the questions asked of transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, and gender-variant people.”

Image: Georgia O'Keefe, The Lawrence Tree.

This cover of Kelly Clarksons "I Do Not Hook Up" is so unexpectedly beautiful! (I love the original but this cover really takes it there. There's nothing like a cover that really brings something new to the original.)

“And then one student said that happiness is what happens when you go to bed on the hottest night of the summer, a night so hot you can’t even wear a tee-shirt and you sleep on top of the sheets instead of under them, although try to sleep is probably more accurate. And then at some point late, late, late at night, say just a bit before dawn, the heat finally breaks and the night turns into cool and when you briefly wake up, you notice that you’re almost chilly, and in your groggy, half-consciousness, you reach over and pull the sheet around you and just that flimsy sheet makes it warm enough and you drift back off into a deep sleep. And it’s that reaching, that gesture, that reflex we have to pull what’s warm - whether it’s something or someone - toward us, that feeling we get when we do that, that feeling of being sad in the world and ready for sleep, that’s happiness.” - Paul Schmidtberger (Design Flaws of the Human Condition)

I really enjoyed the documentary Helvetica, and am looking forward to the directors new movie, Urbanized.

which "looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design, featuring some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers."

Image: source.

"Stephen Colbert helps make it clear why repealing 14th amendment has become the latest anti-immigrant pet project. Because, clearly, changing the constitution – the foundational document of our freedoms and rights, considered sacred to our country – makes much more sense than reforming our currently broken immigration system. Right?"

This essay just barely scratches the surface, but touches on some interesting topics: The Town That Corbusier Built: Respect for the design of Chandigarh, India, is growing, even as the modernist city is showing wear. But who will care, if access to its most impressive monuments is restricted? Ashish Nangia addresses the above questions in “The Town That Corbusier Built” published yesterday on Design Observer. Le Corbusier was commissioned to design a city in 1950, to included a capitol complex and located in Punjab. Nangia assesses the political ideals and realities connected to the project, most importantly taking a concerted view of the legacy of Le Corbusier’s creation. Via Curated.

Image: source.

Image: source.

This article on the first ever Boston Food Truck Festival made me miss Boston. It really was a great city to live in.

The awesome StoryCorps is coming to tv! Very cool, although I have to say I love the simplicity and intimacy of just hearing peoples voices. That said, let's remember how insanely in love I was over this animated story.

Image: giant coin mural.

Interesting: The Former Prison Official’s Case for Criminal Justice Reform.

Phillip Gourevitch on Ted Stevens. With the excellent (IMHO) opening sentence, "To go down in a plane crash is such an Alaskan thing to do that to die by falling from the sky amounts in Alaska to dying of natural causes." I wasn't a fan of the man, but I respect his place in Alaskan politics and culture, and appreciated Gourevitch's write up.

Now that's how you write a postcard.

Who are the most overrated contemporary authors?

Love this little mountain pattern. Want it on wallpaper.

Oooh, new features added to the This American Life iPhone app!

"What you risk reveals what you value." - Jeanette Winterson

I love Gemma Correll's work, and love ampersands, so this is a winning combo.

Image: source.

I do love good book design.

Contrane's Giant Steps, animated.

Image: Hugh Turvey is a contemporary British artist who uses x-rays to capture hauntingly beautiful images (in this case, a row of hyacinths at various stages of development).

More on the mental health crisis in US prisons.

How to simplify when you love your stuff. I'm definitely a stuff lover, and also someone who's constantly trying to simplify...it's a process.

Fascinating metro cable design for a Venezuelan metropolis.

“But most days, if you’re aware enough to give yourself a choice, you can choose to look differently at this fat, dead-eyed, over-made-up lady who just screamed at her kid in the checkout line. Maybe she’s not usually like this. Maybe she’s been up three straight nights holding the hand of a husband who is dying of bone cancer. Or maybe this very lady is the low-wage clerk at the motor vehicle department, who just yesterday helped your spouse resolve a horrific, infuriating, red-tape problem through some small act of bureaucratic kindness. Of course, none of this is likely, but it’s also not impossible. It just depends what you what to consider. If you’re automatically sure that you know what reality is, and you are operating on your default setting, then you, like me, probably won’t consider possibilities that aren’t annoying and miserable. But if you really learn how to pay attention, then you will know there are other options. It will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, hot, slow, consumer-hell type situation as not only meaningful, but sacred, on fire with the same force that made the stars: love, fellowship, the mystical oneness of all things deep down.” - David Foster Wallace

Infuriating: President Obama remains opposed to same-sex marriage.

Image: I love whales, this is a beautiful print.

7 Spectacular Swimming Holes in the US - I wanna go to them all! One is even in Oregon...

“Epidemic” of Suicides in Massachusetts Prisons: On July 15, an inmate hanged himself in his cell at the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater, bringing the number of suicides in Massachusetts state prisons this year to eight. The rate of suicides, which so far averages one a month, is four times the national average.

Interesting discussion on the difference between sexual harassment v. gender harassment.

Unique mobile museum: Mobile Museum Focuses on Poor Working Conditions of Florida Ag Workers

“If you have the ability to desire it, the Universe has the ability to deliver it. You’ve just got to line up with what you want, which means—be as happy as you can be as often as you can be there, and let everything else take care of itself.” Source.

Image: source.

Combining my affection for stop-motion, graffiti, and miniatures.

The Voting Acts Right, 45 years later.

Image: gorgeous pic of lightening from 1885.

Absolutely stunning video of the Galapagos underwater.

I like this "visual diary documenting a flight from New York to Berlin (with a layover in London)."

On what it feels like to be stop and frisked.

More from StoryCorps (i.e. Sarah's sobfest)

Today I'm starting The Artists Way Workbook - looking forward to having a structured encouragement to write every day. It's been a while.

“We believe we are hurt when we don’t receive love. But that is not what hurts us. Our pain comes when we do not give love. We were born to love. You might say that we are divinely created love machines. We function most powerfully when we are giving love. The world has led us to believe that our wellbeing is dependent on other people loving us. But this is the kind of upside down thinking that has caused so many of our problems. The truth is our well being is dependent on our giving love. It is not about what comes back; it is about what goes out!” - Alan Cohen

Where Children Sleep: amazing, touching, beautiful, entertaining book of photographs of children and their bedrooms.

Great video of the crowd waiting to hear about Prop 8 yesterday - the tears definitely started coming about minute two....

Image: source.

Beautiful but very intense photography of India and Pakistan from AP photographer Mohammed Sajjad.

Wants v. Needs.

Doppleganger Design.

Woah. Macro photos of eyeballs.

On adding a social justice aspect to the teaching of property law. My wonderful (truly) law school tries to do this, but could always do a bit better....

An issue always in need of reconsideration and careful attention: Pennsylvania Legislators Hold Hearings on Solitary Confinement.

“For at the center of all spiritual traditions is the beacon of a truly radical proposal: Open your heart to everybody. Everybody.” - Marc Barasch

Image: source.

Beautiful photo.

From the NYTimes Photobooth: POSTCARD FROM THE BORDER: DAVID TAYLOR: "As tensions on both sides of the border escalate—violence in northern Mexico, legal battles in Arizona—the national conversation around immigration seems to grow more polarized with each passing day. Guggenheim fellow David Taylor’s new monograph, “Working the Line,” seeks a balance between extremes. 'It’s convenient for the sake of brevity to boil the narrative down and populate it with a cast of stereotypical players,' he writes in an e-mail. 'You can find examples of any of those stereotypes, but the challenge is to see beyond them.'”

Uh, yeah, that seems like it should be true: "Mentally ill immigrant detainees should receive legal representation, suit says"

On a lighter note, I love all these earrings. Yes, I'm materialistic.

Image: love these paper flowers.

Such great news: Prop 8 Overturned! Some choice quotes of the decision: "Plaintiffs do not seek recognition of a new right. To characterize plaintiffs’ objective as “the right to same-sex marriage” would suggest that plaintiffs seek something different from what opposite-sex couples across the state enjoy —— namely, marriage. Rather, plaintiffs ask California to recognize their relationships for what they are: marriages."

and

‎"Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples."

“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s wet and round and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’” - Kurt Vonnegut

Geese appear high over us,
pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,
as in love or sleep, holds
them to their way, clear
in the ancient faith: what we need
is here. And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye,
clear. What we need is here.

- Wendell Berry

The Boston Globe covers "The Stories of America": "This country desperately needs comprehensive immigration reform. But it is devilishly complex, and political will is lacking. At a minimum, though, Congress should be able to pass the Dream Act, which offers hope to responsible young adults whose illegal status is no fault of their own. This week Senator Harry Reid said he’d be willing to take up the Dream Act this fall. The young people on these videos give powerful testimony in its favor. Speaking out is dangerous, and these immigrants could face severe consequences. But there is comfort, and a certain power, in coming out of the shadows."

What a disgusting day in women's retailer news: first, my much-relied-upon-for-business-wear Ann Taylor reveals some insane photoshopping, and then the Gap busts out with an offensive ad campaign telling us to cover our legs. Thanks guys!

My small house/small apartment/small....polyhedron? love lives on.

Left: beautiful Edward Hopper interiors.

Papers from the UCLA Law Review symposium on sexuality and gender law now available.

"I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"

- Mary Oliver

Image: my weekend walk in Lithia Park (Ashland, OR)

From NUSL professor Rachel E. Rosenbloom, Bring Back the Wrongly Deported: "Now that the Court has held that minor drug-possession convictions are no basis for mandatory deportation, DOJ should permit reopening of cases."

I'm crushing on lots of the jewelry from Better Late Than Never.

Image: wonderful illustrations from Caroline Morin.

Um, is this mountain lake for real?? I like....very much.

Oooh, I bet seeing Sharon Jones live would be awesome...

These paper bird sculptures are beautiful.

And a little John Lee Hooker, because why not.

Interesting article from TinyBuddha on erasing credit card debt and spending mindfully. I'm currently in the process of trying to adhere to a strict budget in order to pay off (minimal but still nagging) credit card debt, as well as build up a small savings for the first time in years. It's not easy on a legal services attorney salary, but I know I will be much happier if I can learn to spend less and save more.

ACLU Tennessee launches a site to help immigrants know their rights and options - good stuff!

Image: source.

From the Chicago Tribune, "For family separated by immigration laws, bonding time is via laptop;

Surreal connection becoming increasingly common reality." Heartbreaking.

Although I enjoyed Stieg Larsson's trilogy, I really appreciated this article's dissection of its heroine and the copious amounts of violence against women.

Loved this chat between father and son about logos and good design.

Piece from Wired on the death of the phone call - I'm newly committed to overcoming my phone phobia, and am learning to appreciate it's unique qualities of intimacy.

Ooooh, an iPhone app for the (beloved by me) Museum of Natural History. I like.

“Do not look for rest in any pleasure, because you were not created for pleasure: you were created for Joy. And if you do not know the difference between pleasure and joy you have not yet begun to live.” - Thomas Merton