AHHH YES

Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, lies 5 million year old star cluster, NGC 602. Surrounded by gas and dust, NGC 602 is featured in this stunning optical Hubble image of the region, is a combination of images in the X-ray by Chandra, and in the infrared by Spitzer. Fantastic ridges and swept back shapes strongly suggest that energetic radiation and shock waves from NGC 602’s massive young stars have eroded the dusty material and triggered a progression of star formation moving away from the cluster’s center. The background galaxies are hundreds of millions of light-years or more beyond NGC 602.

Image Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/Univ.Potsdam/L.Oskinova et al; Optical: Hubble: NASA/STScI; Infrared: Spitzer: NASA/JPL-Caltech 

Do not look for my heart any more, the beasts have eaten it.

Charles Baudelaire, The Flowers of Evil (via wnq-writers)

My piece for the upcoming Beauty and the Beast show at Gallery Nucleus. Check it out this Saturday(~April 2) if you’re around LA! 

When I was in fourth grade, I wanted to read Harry Potter. Someone in my class told me I couldn’t because it wasn’t in my level and I wouldn’t understand it. I read Harry Potter just to spite him. I’ve reread it a million times, it’s one of my favourites. I realised after reread and reread that I didn’t understand it in fourth grade. When I was in sixth grade, I wanted to read the classics. I read the Bell Jar, Red Badge of Courage, Shakespeare, and as many as I could find. I couldn’t tell you what they said. But I looked like I could read at a higher level than I could. I read the same books and plays in high school. They made sense, I enjoyed them, I read them not to prove something but because I wanted to. When I was in eighth grade, I only read murder mysteries and criminal books. That’s what more advanced readers read. I wanted to prove that I could read as well as someone twice, three times my age. I enjoyed them, but it was because I was proving something. When I was in college I reread the series of unfortunate events. I loved every single book, every single line. I’d forgotten what it was like to read a book because I wanted to. I read young adult novels more than anything because I like them. I don’t care that they’re below my level, that they’re ‘too’ young for me. I don’t care that people see me reading them. I realised something. I was taught to read because I needed to. Intelligent people read, that’s how people become smart. Reading isn’t a waste of time like television. I wasn’t taught to love to read. No one is. I found a love of reading by giving up the idea that people gave a shit if I read or not. I enjoy it more than I should. I realised that instead of instilling the idea of doing something because it’s expected or because someone should do something, instill the idea of doing something because you want to. Instill the idea that happiness comes from what we choose, not what others have chosen for us. I realised that when I’m happiest, when I have the most joy, it’s when I do something for me. It’s when there are no expectations, no drive to prove someone wrong. I realised that my happiest when all inhibitions and perceptions are gone. Maybe that’s how we should enjoy our hobbies.

KJS // Advice for someone hiding themselves (via wyattwesleywriting)

you don’t say

My theory is that Aliens just really like cows 

The substance of grief is not imaginary. It’s as real as rope or the absence of air, and like both those things it can kill.

Barbara Kingsolver,  The Poisonwood Bible (via theliteraryjournals)

He drinks and he smokes to forget about me, but at the end of the night, when he’s absolutely wasted and faded, he’s crying over me into another girl’s arms. He is yet again reminded that nothing could take away how much it hurt to lose me. No substance, no drug, nothing. I will always live within his mind and within his heart. It is not a choice. He will have to live with the pain that is the loss of something so great, the best he’ll ever have.

v.m (via writingboutyou)

“The Evening of Ashura” 

Mahmoud Farshchian, 1976. 

This poster depicts the female members of Imam Hussain’s family mourning his death at the Battle of Karbala in 680AD.

Take action - 4 things you can do for Syria

As the war in Syria enters its seventh year, many of us feel helpless. We hear stories about children such as Fares, a 6-year-old from Syria who has never seen a classroom in his life, and we wish there was something we could do.

“My name is Fares. I do not know how to read or write. I only know how to draw the sky, the sea and the sun.”

But we must not give up hope. Together, we can take action. Together, the Messengers of Humanity can show their solidarity with the Syrian people.

In the following weeks, we will send you powerful actions that you can take to make a difference for the people trapped in Syria’s conflict and for the people who had to flee and leave everything behind.

Remember, you are not alone! The UN and our partners in Syria are delivering aid to millions of civilians, trying their best to reach as many people as possible. And on 4 and 5 May, world leaders will come together in Brussels to discuss the future of Syria and to find a lasting political resolution.

Her are 4 actions you can take to support refugees & displaced people

1.      Make sure that Syria is not forgotten – share on social media

UNICEF released this moving video of 10-year-old Ansam, a blind girl who was displaced by the violence in Syria. Her song is a message of hope to the world. Children such as Ansam are not giving up and neither should we. Please share!

Click here to tweet: Do you wish there was something you could do to help #Syria? Check out these 4 actions that you can take now http://bit.ly/4thingsyoucando

 2.      Encourage universities to offer scholarships for refugees

For refugee students, not being able to continue their studies is devastating. Help them by writing an e-mail or a letter to your own university or a college near you and ask them to support a refugee. You can also e-mail major universities in the USA, asking them to admit more refugees. Here is a handy template.

3.      Support internally displaced people in Syria

We hear a lot about refugees who seek safety outside Syria, but more than six million Syrians are displaced within their own country. They are often forced to flee at very short notice and have to leave everything behind. Many of them find refuge with host families, but others have to stay in overcrowded shelters. As the conflict continues, they are struggling to find food and water and are in dire need of humanitarian aid. If you want to help internally displaced people in Syria, you can donate to the UN’s humanitarian fund in Syria. Your donation will provide emergency food, water, shelter, medicine and other life-saving assistance to those who need it most.

4.      Help refugees to integrate into a new culture

Refugees often feel lonely and isolated when they try to restart their life in a new country. Could you see yourself mentoring a refugee family? Imagine teaching the kids your language or helping the parents figure out the public transport system. Even small gestures of friendship can mean a great deal! A quick Google search can show you which groups and local non-profits are active in your area and looking for volunteers.

That’s it for today! Stay tuned, because over the following weeks and months we’ll share more actions that you can take to make a difference.