Off Camera with Sam Jones, Episode 5 featuring Robert Downey Jr.

Now available to read, listen, and watch.

ryeou:

(by alexedg)

(Source: kugyuu)

the-healthy-princess:

(source)

pichiinyan:

gly9h-the-hellhound:

pillory:

Oscar was adopted as a kitten from an animal shelter and grew up in the third-floor end-stage dementia unit at Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The 41-bed unit treats people with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses, most of whom are in the end stage of life and are generally unaware of their surroundings. Oscar was one of six cats adopted by Steere House, which bills itself as a “pet friendly” facility.

After about six months, the staff noticed that Oscar, just like the doctors and nurses, would make his own rounds. Oscar would sniff and observe patients, then curl up to sleep with certain ones. The patients he would sleep with often died within several hours of his arrival. One of the first cases involved a patient who had a blood clot in her leg that was ice cold at the time. Oscar wrapped his body around her leg and stayed until the woman died.In another instance, the doctor had made a determination of impending death based on the patient’s condition, while Oscar simply walked away, causing the doctor to believe that Oscar’s streak (12 at the time) had ended. However, it would be later discovered that the doctor’s prognosis was simply 10 hours too early: Oscar later visited the patient, who died two hours later.

Oscar’s accuracy led the staff to institute a new and unusual protocol: once he is discovered sleeping with a patient, staff will call family members to notify them of the patient’s (expected) impending death.

Most of the time the patient’s family has no issue with Oscar being present at the time of death. On those occasions when he is removed from the room at the family’s request, he is known to pace back and forth in front of the door and meow in protest. When present, Oscar will stay by the patient until they die, then after death will quietly leave the room.

i find this very interesting as this behavior seems common in many cats that reside in mental and nursing homes. Often sharing the bed of the soon to be deceased. In the ancient world cats were revered by many cultures, most famously Ancient Egypt, as guardians of the underworld, keepers of the gate of death, and sometimes even harbingers of death itself. This makes me wonder whether this behavior was observed during ancient times as well and perhaps prompted this belief and many practices surrounding it. 

a beautiful angel of death

5-nin-de-arashi:

abyarashi:

treasurewisesilliness:

princesstamii:

s-nn-mero:

Japan > Everywhere else

OMG! *m*

This is Japan in a nutshell.  Forget all the crazy stuff with the weird tv programs and the cosplaying—that’s just the outer shell that gets attention because it’s unusual.  This, this is the beauty of the country.  I’ve had little grandmothers chase me down because I dropped my shinkansen tickets.  In amusement parks, the attendants do their upmost to get lost items (usually cardigans or kids’ shoes) back to the owners—before the owners even realize they’d lost said item(s). I’ve had complete strangers not only give my thorough directions but have offered to drive me to the place I needed to go.

It is so, so, so hard to go back to the States after you get the J-treatment. I mean, Japan has its downside (“What is this madness you call pizza???”), but the general attitudes of everyone—even the so-called hardcore yankees (two of whom who, on a blazing summer day, helped me find one of my schools when I was heinously lost in the labyrinth that is the neighborhood in which said school is located)—is the epitome of the mindset that I wish everyone would adopt. Because yelling at people gets you nowhere. And being able to empathize with people kinda helps make this country a really nice place to live in.

Reblogging again for THIS ↑↑↑↑

THIS IS THE MOST ACCURATE POST I’VE SEEN ON TUMBLR

chipcococafe:

Steamed Totoro Cupcakes with recipe (spanish)

gamingartsanctum:

by squiid

the-absolute-best-posts:

ichinitsuite:

Furisode (振袖) is a style of kimono distinguishable by its long sleeves, which range in length from 85 centimeters for a kofurisode (小振袖) to 114 centimeters for an ōfurisode (大振袖).

Furisode are the most formal style of kimono worn by unmarried women in Japan.

Many parents buy the Furisode for their daughters to celebrate this significant point in a young woman’s life. Furisode is a formal kimono for single women, it is brightly colored and made of very fine quality silk. In the very modest Japanese society wearing a Furisode is a very obvious statement. It is a very loud and clear advertisement that the single woman is available for marriage. (x)

images source: (x) (x) (x)

lunawings:

Ministop convenience store is doing a rather ingenious Dragonball Z fast food promotion. 

The latter picture is of some “pizza balls” which were absolutely DELICIOUS by the way.

The New Team Seven

(Source: nara-sherry)

novemberschopin:

京都住宿 和樂庵 (by keeeee_)

nanazumi:

✖

第七班

(Source: t-o-k-i-d-o-k-i)