Monthly Archives: November 2015

Nov
14
2015

Obama on Paris shootings

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Obama Paris shootingsPresident Obama has spoken, condemning the attacks in Paris, calling them an “outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians.”

He said this is “not just an attack on the people of france, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share.”

He said the US stands prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance France needs to respond, but did not want to speculate on who may be behind the attacks.

“France is our oldest ally” and has stood shoulder to shoulder with us time and again.”

“Those who think they can terrorize France or their values are wrong,” he said.

“Liberté, égalité and fraternité are values that we share, and they are going to endure far beyond any act of terrorism.”

“We don’t yet know all details of what has happened we have been in contact with French government.”

“We know what it’s like, we’ve gone through situations like this. Whenever these kinds of attacks happen, we’ve always been able to rely on France.”

More about the Paris shootings here: http://www.theguardian.com

Nov
13
2015

Women scientists

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12 badass scientists(STEM : Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

“Everywhere you look, odds appear stacked against women in STEM. Young male scientists receive up to twice as much funding as their female counterparts in Boston’s biomedical research institutions, a global research hub. Only 30% of the world’s researchers are women, and women hold fewer than 25% of STEM jobs in the US. In fact, one recent survey found 67% of Europeans and 93% of Chinese respondents don’t even believe women have the skills to do science — and Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Tim Hunt thinks women cause ‘trouble’ in the lab.

But take a look at the above portrait, which was taken by photographer Bret Hartman at the TED Fellows Retreat in Pacific Grove, California in August 2015. These 12 scientists represent a range of disciplines — from astrophysics, biology, genetics, archaeology, medicine, glaciology, data science and more — and represent 5 countries around the world. They also happen to all be women. And while a portrait like this one shouldn’t be extraordinary in 2015, it sadly is — highlighting a very real, very large gender gap in the sciences.”

To read a short profile on each of these inspiring scientists, check out Karen Eng’s article at http://bit.ly

Nov
08
2015

Meet the peanut-turtle!

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This turtle (a red-eared slider) was found wandering the St. Louis area in 1993 with a six-pack ring trapped around his mid-section.

Due to the constriction of his shell, some of Peanut’s internal organs (his lungs, in particular) failed to grow properly. He was an easy pray for predators so he could not be released into nature.

turtle Peanut 6 packHe has become the official mascot for Missouri’s Department of Transportation and Department of Conservation’s anti-littering effort, a program called No MOre Trash.

This is what Peanut looks like now:

turtle Peanut 6 pack 2Whether it’s turtles in six-pack rings or squirrels in yogurt containers, what happens to our trash and how we dispose of it matters.

Here are a few other common household items to watch out for: any fishing line, or plastic lines, because animals can get tangledin them, not just in the water, but also birds or squirrels. And be mindful of balloons when they pop outside. Birds and other animals may ingest them and die.

Every little effort counts ! Remember to cut up plastic packaging in small pieces when you put them in the bin, and avoid using plastic bags or balloons.

More here: Upworthy-Peanut story

Nov
07
2015

Undercover policeman in wheelchair sees acts of kindness

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After two robberies of wheelchair-bound people that were carried out at knifepoint, a Vancouver police officer went undercover as a paralyzed man in a wheelchair with brain injury.

Much to his surprise, instead of being victimized, he saw repeated displays of human kindness in this rough neighborhood.

Sometimes he asked people to buy something for him, to see if they would steal his money. At the end of the operation, the officer had $24.75 more than he started with. People chose to give rather than steal.

We usually see news stories about people doing bad things, but those aren’t the only stories.

The reality is that there are lot of kind people in the world who treat others with respect and consideration.

Operation Wheelchair – YouTube.

More detail here:

Upworthy-wheelchair undercover