Just a thread for different kindsa interesting things

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from Malala Yousafzai graduates from Oxford University
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/malala-yousafzai-graduates-oxford-university/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6a&linkId=91293098&fbclid=IwAR2WAwnkadXQfDuZucqqByW-YOljK0hWi5Mmiz3hLzw50-e1ovOeHjExiwU
goodx
Human rights activist Malala Yousafzai is celebrating the completion of her degree at the University of Oxford. Her graduation comes eight years after Yousafzai survived being shot by the Pakistani Taliban.

“Hard to express my joy and gratitude right now as I completed my Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree at Oxford,” the 22-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate tweeted Thursday night. “I don’t know what’s ahead. For now, it will be Netflix, reading and sleep.”

…

Malala became an iconic figure in 2012 when she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman as she rode the bus to school — targeted for campaigning for girl’s education rights. At the time, she was writing an anonymous blog for BBC News about life in Pakistan under the Taliban.

She recovered at an intensive care unit in Birmingham, England, where she continued her education after her family relocated there permanently.

In 2014, at age 17, she became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her education advocacy. She continues to advocate for girls’ education through her nonprofit, the Malala Fund.

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Wow: Prime Minister @jacindaardern of New Zealand sets a high bar for the rest of us. This is leadership.pic.twitter.com/xiUyVlmrQw

— Sheril Kirshenbaum (@Sheril_) June 20, 2020

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This VFX work is absolutely incredible, and it becomes even more amazing when I tell you that it’s made in Blender (which is free and open-source) and the work of a SINGLE PERSON (@mrdodobird, who you should follow) pic.twitter.com/emRVIxUqdJ

— Drew Coffman (@DrewCoffman) June 21, 2020

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In Georgia, there's a stray dog who has made it his job to protect this kindergarten class — so they can cross the street safely.

He shows up every single day — even cursing out the cars that don't stop.

Dogs, bruh…pic.twitter.com/HwaRCdf2lK

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) June 23, 2020

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A white bison was born at the Bitterroot Bison Ranch in Lolo, Montana. A birth of a sacred white bison is a sign of hope and indication of good times to come. #Montana 🤍 pic.twitter.com/nm8OMJbi8x

— Mo Mac (@momac_) June 26, 2020

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CHECK THIS OUT: Brian, Tricia and Brady Hurt were fishing in Northern Wisconsin when they spotted this bear with a plastic container over his head. After a few attempts they were able to remove the container and the bear made it back to shore!

Video courtesy of Hurt Family. pic.twitter.com/fLKVWdo2AC

— NBC15 News (@nbc15_madison) June 28, 2020

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Happy Independence Day, Somalia💙💙 pic.twitter.com/nQKOQFGSRC

— jamad (@Jamaaad) July 2, 2020

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This melts my heart. pic.twitter.com/rjd5coAvdg

— Linzi (@LLFox73) July 3, 2020

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This baker’s skills are phenomenal — all cakes.

🎥: lukevincentini

pic.twitter.com/90NskGSLZO

— FierceWarriorNStilettos (@InactionNever) July 9, 2020

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bbc:https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190411-the-violent-attack-that-turned-a-man-into-a-maths-genius
The violent attack that turned a man into a maths genius

Futon salesman Jason Padgett cared little about anything beyond partying and chasing girls, then one fateful night changed him forever…
…
…But while Padgett was experiencing all these negative consequences from his attack, something incredible was happening too. The way Jason was seeing things changed.

“Everything that was curved looked like it was slightly pixelated,” he explains. “Water coming down the drain didn’t look like it was a smooth, flowing thing anymore, it looked like these little tangent lines.”

The same thing happened with clouds, sunlight streaming between trees and puddles. To Padgett, the world essentially looked like a retro video game. Seeing such a radically different view of his surroundings evoked conflicting emotions in Padgett. “I was surprised…confused. It was beautiful but it was also scary at the same time.”

Because of these visions, Padgett began to think about huge questions in relation to mathematics and physics. Given his hermit-like existence at that time, the internet became a valuable source of information to him as he read extensively about mathematics online…
…
….“I would always describe that math was shapes not numbers and that was the first time I’d heard anybody but me talk about what numbers looked like,” says Padgett.

He scoured the internet for more information and came across Berit Brogaard, a cognitive neuroscientist now at the University of Miami. The pair spent hours talking on the phone and from these conversations, Brogaard hypothesised that Padgett had synaesthesia – essentially a cross-wiring of the brain in which the senses get mixed up…..see link…

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Meanwhile, earlier this evening…

Comet NEOWISE, low in the sky, lurking below the Big Dipper.

July 14 , 2020
An hour after sunset.
Latitude: 41 degrees North.

[ iPhone 11 Pro. Handheld. 4 sec exposure ] pic.twitter.com/Cc0IGGptth

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) July 15, 2020

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Chris Evans sends Captain America shield to boy hurt defending his sister from dog https://t.co/kxfojScRc3

— Jim Fadler (@jimistlboy) July 16, 2020

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A michael bennet quote, fwiw:
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One of my heroes has always been Muhammad Ali. … Ali always stood strongly with the Palestinian people, visiting refugee camps, … and always willing to be a ‘voice for the voiceless.’ I want to be a ‘voice for the voiceless,’ and I cannot do that by going on this kind of trip to Israel.

–Michael Bennett, American Super Bowl Champion, activist
link:https://www.bdsmovement.net/news/15-quotes-mark-15-years-bds

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Will White-Jesus statues be the next to fall?

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link:https://theconversation.com/the-long-history-of-how-jesus-came-to-resemble-a-white-european-142130?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20July%2017%202020%20-%201680416205&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20July%2017%202020%20-%201680416205+Version+A+CID_0d7f3e4ec385d8cf5621a3114a1b07a0&utm_source=campaign_monitor_us&utm_term=The%20long%20history%20of%20how%20Jesus%20came%20to%20resemble%20a%20white%20European

The long history of how Jesus came to resemble a white European
July 17, 2020
The portrayal of Jesus as a white, European man has come under renewed scrutiny during this period of introspection over the legacy of racism in society.

As protesters called for the removal of Confederate statues in the U.S., activist Shaun King went further, suggesting that murals and artwork depicting “white Jesus” should “come down.”

His concerns about the depiction of Christ and how it is used to uphold notions of white supremacy are not isolated. Prominent scholars and the archbishop of Canterbury have called to reconsider Jesus’ portrayal as a white man.

As a European Renaissance art historian, I study the evolving image of Jesus Christ from A.D. 1350 to 1600. Some of the best-known depictions of Christ, from Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” to Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel, were produced during this period.

But the all-time most-reproduced image of Jesus comes from another period. It is Warner Sallman’s light-eyed, light-haired “Head of Christ” from 1940. Sallman, a former commercial artist who created art for advertising campaigns, successfully marketed this picture worldwide…..see link

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Every morning this really good boy bounces out the door with a breakfast carrot for his best buddy.

Dogs, bruh…pic.twitter.com/Li8Zdogalk

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) July 21, 2020

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Two brothers, ages 3 and 10, were saved from an apartment fire in France when they dropped more than 30 feet from a window and were caught by neighbors below.⁣
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The boys, along with 17 residents of the building, were treated for smoke inhalation. https://t.co/4JS1iIvozl pic.twitter.com/GXq7oNH0cI

— ABC News (@ABC) July 24, 2020

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His girlfriend was struggling with her hair loss from alopecia.

Get out the tissues.

Humanity.🌎❤️ pic.twitter.com/EikwKnlACo

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) July 29, 2020

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That lady has one of those faces/bone-structures that may very well look better without hair. I know that wasn’t the point.

Rex Chapman does it again. Man, he’s becoming an internet Tweet-legend.

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fortune:https://fortune.com/2017/09/08/pledge-of-allegiance-francis-bellamy-immigration/
How a Socialist Ended Up Writing the Pledge of Allegiance
By
Charles Dorn

September 8, 2017
“…One hundred twenty-five years ago, a former minister turned advertiser published an oath that would become a hallmark of American schooling. Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge of Allegiance partly as a marketing scheme. The Youth’s Companion, one of the first weekly magazines in the nation to target both adults and their children, hired Bellamy to develop promotional strategies for commemorating—and profiting from—the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to America. He was an odd choice for the job. An outspoken supporter of workingmen’s rights, Bellamy was vice president of Boston’s Society of Christian Socialists and an avid participant in the social gospel movement: a late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century crusade against social, political, and economic injustice.

Much of Bellamy’s activism was in response to a dramatic increase in U.S. immigration that took place during his lifetime. Rather than joining a rising tide of nativism, Bellamy and other social gospel advocates anticipated that a “well-organized and patriotic public education system” would inculcate newcomers with American ideals and values. Accordingly, the highlight of Bellamy’s Columbus Day program involved assembling students at their local schools to recite a pledge in salute to the American flag (with the Companion profiting from flag sales throughout the lead-up to the event). The U.S. didn’t have an official pledge of national loyalty, however, so Bellamy composed his own: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Bellamy later admitted writing the pledge with an eye toward the ritual entailed in reciting it rather than an understanding of its meaning. “When you analyze it,” he claimed, “you find a mouthful of orotund words, most of them abstract terms—a bunch of ideas rather than concrete names . . . this pledge would seem far better adapted to educated adults than to children.” Nevertheless, school boards around the country began compelling student recitation as part of a morning flag salute. In 1898, New York became the first state to legislate the requirement, passing its statute one day following the U.S. declaration of war against Spain. By 1917, with the eruption of nationalism accompanying America’s entry into World War I, pledging allegiance to the flag became a fixture of public education in America….see link….

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Even Entomologists are struggling with race knowledge these days.
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bug-blog:http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-problem-with-murderanything.html

“…the fact that i can speak more intelligently about social wasps, than people of color is disgraceful….”
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This ad is getting accolades for its editing.

It’s also a message about unity and diversity.

It’s still an ad. What qualifies it as a kinda good & interestin thing?

I dunno, just thought I would post it.

…

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The good news.
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Vietnamese lady’s point of view.
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Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn helped build a well in Tanzanian village Lanjani.

Lynn had to cancel a trip to Africa this year due to COVID-19, but the well is now being used after several months of planning 🙏 @brgridiron

(via @LynnFoundation_) pic.twitter.com/F6vuhkQZIV

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 1, 2020

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.@ChennedyCarter is a problem 🎯

🏀 35 Pts
🏀 3-4 from 3-PT range
🏀 Youngest player in WNBA history to score 30+ points in a game pic.twitter.com/0QEtcBpMCg

— espnW (@espnW) August 7, 2020

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The run. The tackle. The assist.

Two years ago today, Wayne Rooney stunned us with this play 🤯 pic.twitter.com/audo9Z9Fdw

— ESPN (@espn) August 12, 2020

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Lodi, California:

Oh. My. God.

This Lodi police officer saved a man’s life from oncoming train.

She saw this man stuck in his wheelchair on the tracks. She jumped out of her car and was able to pull him out of his wheelchair at the very last moment…pic.twitter.com/Pvg1xpOSmY

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) August 13, 2020

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He was a white guy in a wheelchair, though. If he’d been black…

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