Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Oct 17-23, 2021

We’re almost at the end of October! Will you NaNoWriMo this year? I’m still not sure. If I do, I’ll be a rebel and will probably set a goal considerably lower than 50k words. We’ll see.

Jesse Washington: history is made as reparations start to flow in Evanston, Illinois. The Undefeated

Olivia Sanchez and Meredith Kolodner explain why white students are 250% more likely to graduate than Black students at public universities. The Hechinger Report

Lizzo and the art of flaunting. Khadija Mbowe

Heidi Atter: Inuk woman creates language book to showcase fading Inuktitut dialect. CBC

John Reinan announces that the Mille Lacs Band launches Ojibwe language books. Star Tribune

Namrata Verghese explains Orientalism: a stereotyped, colonialist vision of Asian cultures. Teen Vogue

Hilary Whiteman reports that Australia’s offering money to help victims leave violent partners. CNN

Tanya Melendez reveals how TV lied about abortion. Vox

Sharon Pruitt-Young: covid 19 memes helped us cope with life in a pandemic, new study finds. NPR

Eleanor Cummins considers the self-help no one needs right now. The Atlantic

Monica Kidd reveals that Canada doesn’t know how bad its doctor shortage is, let alone how to fix it. The National Post

How to summon spirits. JSTOR Daily

Glaciers are disappearing as fast as you can ski down them. Climate Games | Physics Girl

Jonathan Watts: 99.9% of scientists agree climate emergency caused by humans. The Guardian

Justin Rowlatt and Tom Gerken uncover a document that reveals nations lobbying to change the “Red Alert” climate report ahead of COP26. BBC

Sand dunes shouldn’t exist. Here’s why they do. It’s okay to be smart

Michael Greshko: NASA’s Lucy mission blasts off to solve the mysteries of the solar system. National Geographic

Tom Metcalfe reports that signs of Vikings in North America found in tree rings and radioactive carbon. NBC News

David Graeber and David Wengrow unfreeze the ice age and reveal the truth about humanity’s deep past. The Guardian

How ancient whales may have changed the deep ocean. PBS Eons

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Just to let you know, I probably won’t have a next chapter update for October if I decide to NaNo this year. Also, after the first week, weekly curation will be suspended for the rest of November. I’ll do weekly NaNo updates, as I have in past years, and do a double next chapter update for October and November in December.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, 21-27, 2021

No April fools today! Just an opportunity to get your mental corn popping.

Illinois becomes the first city to offer Black residents reparations. Associated Press

Kim Barker, Mike Baker, and Ali Watkins: in city after city, police mishandled Black Lives Matter protests. The New York Times

Ashawnta Jackson explains how Mary Fields became “Stagecoach Mary.” JSTOR Daily

Lawrence Hurley: SCOTUS expands the ability to sue police for excessive force. Reuters

Related: Jacob Blake file excessive force lawsuit against officer who shot him in the back. CBS News

Whittney Evans reports that Virginia becomes the first southern state to repeal the death penalty. NPR

Li Zhou: the Atlanta shootings can’t be divorced from racism and misogyny. Vox

Kareem Fahim reports that Erdogan pulls Turkey out of European treaty aimed at protecting women from violence. The Washington Post

Nahal Toosi: US, UK, EU, and Canada announce sanctions on China for Uighur genocide. Politico

This is why we can’t have nice things. Real conspiracies. Veritasium

Ian Austen highlights Winnipeg’s new showcase and meeting place for Inuit art and artists. The New York Times

The history of throwing shade. The Take

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal win a humble prize for architecture. Christian Science Monitor 

Breakthroughs in artificial wombs and growing heart valves. SciShow News

Jenny Stevens offers some big vagina energy: the return of the Sheela na gig. The Guardian

The biggest lie about nuclear energy. ASAP Science

In honour of World Water Day, Nina Munteanu writes about water protectors.

“Our biggest challenge? Lack of imagination: the scientists turning the desert green. Steve Rose for The Guardian.

Stuart Clark: Elsa-d mission to clean up space debris set for launch. The Guardian

Robin George Andrews: scientists spot a “space hurricane” for the first time. National Geographic

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you took away something to inspire your next creative project.

This weekend, I should be posting my March next chapter update.

Until then, be well and stay safe, my writerly friends!