residential schools

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, March 27-April 2, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila / Leave a comment

It’s time, once again, to get your mental corn popping.

Paige Skinner: police bodycam footage shows Black Panther director Ryan Coogler mistakenly detained as a bank robber. Buzzfeed

Charlotte Nolin, a two-spirit Métis elder, says “Change has begun,” on Transgender Day of Visibility. CBC

Nebi Qena and Yuras Karmanau: Relief for Kyiv? Russia vows to scale back near the capital. Associated Press

Talks resume as Ukraine denies hitting depot on Russian soil. Nebi Qena, Yuras Karmenau, and AP staff for CTV News.

Morgan Godvin considers mothers and war. JSTOR Daily

Emily Zarevich lauds Marie Curie as a Polish resistor. JSTOR Daily

Olivia Stefanovich reports that Pope Francis apologizes to Indigenous delegates to “deplorable” abuses of residential schools. CBC

Nina Feldman: people with “medium covid” are caught in the middle with little support. NPR

Kim Fahner recounts her continuing struggle with long covid. The Republic of Poetry

Laura Zabel explains how artists can lead a pandemic recovery. Bloomberg

Let’s talk “gold diggers.” Khadija Mbowe

Megan Marples says that workplace “energy vampires” can drain your lifeforce. Stop them with these tips. CNN

Richard Fry: young women are out-earning young men in several US cities. Pew Research

Laura Vanderkam explains why you rethink that morning meeting. Fast Company

Clark Quinn shares his personal knowledge management approach. Learnlets

99 years later … we solved it! Physics Girl

Laura Ungar: scientists finally finish decoding the entire human genome. Associated Press

Hiroshima University develops new procedure to interpret x-ray emission spectra of liquid water. Phys.org

Nicole Mortillaro: a “cannibal” is on its way from the sun, but don’t worry, you may see the northern lights. CBC

Ashley Strickland reveals that Pluto has giant ice volcanoes that could hint at the possibility of life. CNN

Nadia Drake: most distant star ever seen found in Hubble Space Telescope image. National Geographic

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

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

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Dec 19-25, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s New Year’s Eve eve! Get your mental corn popping for the last time in 2021.

Joshua Adams: Martin Luther King Jr. did not dream about banning critical race theory. Color Lines

Alexander Quon: Ottawa announces $700K in funding to support Cowessess First Nation’s efforts at former residential school site. CBC

Aliyah Chavez: solstice is a time to reflect and replenish. While solstice was last Tuesday, I think the whole holiday season shares this theme. Indian Country Today

Britt Julious wonders, who are Christmas movies for? On diversity and gender equity in romantic holiday movies. Harper’s Bazaar

Do CIS boys just wanna have fun, too? Gender policing. Khadija Mbowe

Kim Fahner shares her experience with breakthrough covid on Morning North. And here’s the print version. She’s not brave and strong because she shared her story. She shared her story because she’s brave and strong. CBC

Monica Kidd reveals that the fear of losing freedom common thread behind vaccine hesitancy, according to cross-cultural survey. Healthy Debate

Krissy Holmes and Ramraajh Sharvendiran cover barriers to physician recruitment and employment in Newfoundland. CBC

Why do we dream? It’s okay to be smart

Guy Kawasaki interviews Catherine Price: author, speaker, and creator. The Remarkable People podcast

Christin Bohnke: the disappearance of Japan’s third gender. JSTOR Daily

Diana talks to Katie Mack about our expanding universe. Physics Girl

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the James Webb Space Telescope. Star Talk

Watch the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (Christmas Day!). NASA Space Flight

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

I should be posting my December update and 2021 year in review post on the weekend.

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

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Dec 5-11, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Now this is more like it! Get your mental corn popping in time for the weekend!

Elsa Keslassy announces that Josephine Baker becomes the first Black woman to enter France’s pantheon. Variety

Becky Sullivan: trial begins for ex-officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright. NPR

Khadija Mbowe explains youth liberation and why Gen Z will save us.

Ashley Belanger: the financial abuse shown in Netflix’s Maid is a growing problem offscreen. Teen Vogue

Reina Sultan reveals what it’s like when a climate disaster permanently alters your life. Vice

Rachel Aiello reports that conversion therapy will be illegal in Canada. CTV News

Jason Warick: residential school timelines, unmarked graves, part of new web resource for survivors. CBC

Shanti Escalante-de Mattei reports that the Nez Perce tribe paid $600,000 for their own artifacts. Now, they’ve been repaid. Art News

Lisa Respers France: Rebel Wilson got “pushback” from her team over weight loss. And do click through on that related Pop Life vid. CNN

Kim Fahner documents her experience with a breakthrough case: a covid diary. So, so important. You can still get covid, even if you’re double-vaccinated. The vaccine simply gives you a better chance of not going to the hospital or dying of the virus. Getting covid can still change your world, though. Please get vaccinated, get your booster when you can, and make sure your eligible children get vaccinated. More important than ever as cases rise again. The Republic of Poetry

Jacqueline Rose reveals how the pandemic has changed our psychic landscape: life after death. The Guardian

Collin Binkley and Hannah Fingerhut: poll reveals pandemic hit Gen-Z hardest. Associated Press

Anna Bruk assures you that other people don’t think you’re a mess. Scientific American

Jue Liang: Buddhist nuns and women scholars are gaining new leadership roles in a tradition that began with the ordination of Buddha’s foster mother. The Conversation

Erik White reports that the Ontario legislature to vote on issuing warrant for Laurentian University documents. CBC

Christopher Plain: DARPA-funded researchers accidentally create the world’s first warp bubble. Engage 🙂 The Debrief

NASA announces 2021 class of astronaut candidates.

Elizabeth Howell reports that NASA celebrates the life and career of Star Trek star, Nichelle Nichols. Space.com

Cody Delistraty: what if we’ve been misunderstanding monsters? JSTOR Daily

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

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

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Oct 24-30, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

And … this will be the last thought Thursday until December 9th! Get your mental corn popping 🙂

The media and the missing; ‘Missing White Woman Syndrome’ explained | Khadija Mbowe

Tanya Talaga reveals that Canada has not truly released all residential school records. The Globe and Mail

Martha Troian: a Cree family’s canoe is returned, after sitting in a University of Saskatchewan storage room for years. Maclean’s

Haley Ott reports that UK women are being drugged by needles in nightclubs. It’s the evolution of the roofie, folks. CBS News

Mari Yamaguchi: Japan’s Princess Mako relinquishes royal status to marry commoner. Associated Press

Public Health Sudbury and District issues covid-19 order as region becomes a hot spot. And we were doing so well … CBC

Sarah Larson reveals Brené Brown’s empire of emotion. The New Yorker

Dopamine isn’t just a happy chemical. SciShow Psych

William Deresiewicz: human history gets a rewrite. The Atlantic

GM to install 4,000 electric car charging stations across Canada. CBC

Ben Turner: scientists capture images of bizarre “electron ice” for the first time. Space.com

Tariq Malik reports that the Sun fires off major solar flare from Earth-facing sunspot. Space.com

An alternative to dark matter? SciShow Space

Jackie Wattles reveals that the alarm that went off on SpaceX’s all-tourist spaceflight was … the toilet. Toilet humour in SPACE #FTW! CNN

Olivia Box explains why the belowground ecosystem matters. JSTOR Daily

Suzanne Simard, author of Finding the Mother Tree, heads up The Mother Tree Project.

Kelli Bender reports on very good doggo Bear, who saved koalas during the Australian wildfires, and was honoured with an award. People

Mary Jo DiLonardo announces that dozens of bison released on Sioux tribal lands in South Dakota. Treehugger

Squil-le-he-le Raynell Morris and Tah-Mahs Ellie Kinley: one stolen whale, the web of life, and our collective healing. Grist

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

I’ll pop in on the weekend for my first mini-update.

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

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Oct 3-9, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

The weekend is in sight! It’s time to pull your head out of work and get your mental corn popping 🙂

Kimberly Brown Pellum reveals how Maryrose Reeves Allen taught Black women’s self-care during Jim Crow. JSTOR Daily

Renée Lilley reports that residential school day scholars may be able to start claims process in December. Students who went home at night suffered the same abuses but weren’t included in the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. CBC

Literacy program launched for Indigenous elders, residential school, and day school survivors. CBC

Amar Chebib (film) and Dan Greene (text) present the story of how Cree skateboarding legend Joe Buffalo grapples with the trauma of Canada’s residential schools. The New Yorker

University of Sudbury transfers online Indigenous studies courses to Kenjgewin Teg. CBC

Joe can’t believe he’s making another Covid video. It’s okay to be smart

Lizzy Davies reports that the WHO endorses use of first malaria vaccine in Africa. The Guardian

True facts: the mosquito. Ze Frank

Key findings from the Pandora Papers. The Washington Post

Our first glimpse of the dark side of the moon. SciShow Space

Stuart Campbell, Elizabeth Healey, Yaroslav Kuzmin, and Michael D. Glascock reflect on John Dee’s obsidian mirror: the mirror, the magus, and more. Yes. An actual scholarly paper 🙂 Cambridge University Press

Guy Kawasaki interviews Olympia Yarger: entrepreneur and maggot evangelist. The Remarkable People podcast

Olivia Box: what does a tree see? On the importance of “witness” trees. JSTOR Daily

Robby Berman says, crows are self-aware, just like us. Big Think

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

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

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Sept 26-Oct 2, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Moar treats to get your mental corn popping.

Tim Arango and Shaila Dewan: more than half of police killings are mislabeled (and thus, uncounted), according to new study. The New York Times

Can we ever stop obsessing over race? Khadija Mbowe

Anastasia Tsioulcas reports that R. Kelly found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking. NPR

Emma Farge and Hereward Holland reveal that WHO employees took part in Congo sex abuse during Ebola crisis. Et, tu, WHO? Reuters

Roberta Hill explains how she survived residential school. Toronto Life

Juanita Taylor reveals how the Inuit practice of Kakiniit is etched on the skin. CBC

Endangered Tlingit language has only a few hundred speakers. Mariella Wentzell is out to change that. CBC

Akiko Busch: the invisibility of older women. The Atlantic

Amy Davidson Sorkin explores the supply-chain mystery. The New Yorker

Danny Westneat is wondering why society went off-kilter during the pandemic. Apparently, there’s a book about it. Published in 2019. The Seattle Times

Cal Newport talks to Chris Herd: is going back to the office a broken way of working? The New Yorker

Totten Mine update: 35 trapped miners safe after rescue; 4 more on long trek out of mine. The Sudbury Star

Creating a template for habitable exoplanets. SciShow

Alexandra Larkin: Hubble discovers six mysteriously dead, massive galaxies from early universe. CBS News

Michelle Gamage and Zoe Yunker report that judge ends Fairy Creek injunction in a bombshell decision. The fight to protect old growth continues. The Tyee

On Ecological Disconnect, Climate Despair, and Our Changing Relation to “Nature.” Like Stories of Old

Angela Dewan: Greta Thunberg roasts world leaders for their “blah, blah, blah” on climate change. CNN

Simon Hattenstone documents the transformation of Greta Thunberg. The Guardian

Sierra Garcia: climate change and the criminal justice system. JSTOR Daily

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

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

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Sept 12-18, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to fall! It’s thoughty Thursday, your opportunity to get your mental corn popping in time for the weekend!

Jelani Cobb: the man behind critical race theory. The New Yorker

Matt Lavietes reports that the Department of Justice limits use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants. Axios

Patty Nieberg: police in Elijah McClain’s hometown racially biased, officials say. Associated Press

Alysia Harris: “We have to evaluate the motives of health care institutions.” Scalawag

Curtis Bunn: digital records from 19th century give Black families a glimpse of their ancestry. NBC News

Ashawnta Jackson explains how Eyes on the Prize, one of the most influential historical documentaries of all time, almost didn’t get made. JSTOR Daily

Sagamok Anishnawbek, Mississauga, and Serpent River First Nations to host ceremony before searching residential school site. CBC

Kelly Hayes reports that Line 3 resisters light the way in a battle for life on Earth. TruthOut

Lindsey Bark reports that Lawrence Panther teaches first Cherokee language class at University of Arkansas. Cherokee Phoenix

Leila Fadel: for many American Muslims, the legacy of 9/11 is the fight for civil rights. NPR

1,000 Dreams shares the stories of refugees. Compelling.

Livia Gershon: evading abortion bans with mutual aid. JSTOR Daily

Brian Naylor: Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, and Maggie Nichols blast the FBI’s mishandling of their allegations about Larry Nassar. NPR

Joe Friessen and Molly Hayes: Western University reels as student dies from assault; social media sparks investigation into sexual violence. The Globe and Mail

Avis Favaro, Elizabeth St. Philip, and Alexandra Mae Jones take us inside an Ontario ICU where all the covid-19 patients are largely young, and all unvaccinated. CTV News

Guy Kawasaki interviews Juliet Funt (daughter of Alan, of Candid Camera fame) about how you can really be productive at work (spoiler: it’s not do more with less). The Remarkable People Podcast

The entire SpaceX Inspiration4 launch. The exciting part is in the last 30 minutes or so, but if you have the time, the commentary throughout is fascinating. NASA Spaceflight

Frank Jacobs: did dark magic conjure up the British Empire? Big Think

Alice Albina reviews history from Boudicca to modern Britain: the dream of island utopias ruled by women. The Guardian

Olivia Box explains how wind energy could affect marine ecosystems. JSTOR Daily

Jessica Steward shares Albert Dros’ enchanting photos of Madeira’s ancient Fanal Forest filled with 500-year-old trees. My Modern Met

The mystery of Earth’s disappearing giants. In our nature | It’s okay to be smart

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

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

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Aug 29-Sept 4, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to thoughty Thursday, your chance to get your mental corn popping in time for the weekend!

Eric Levenson and Stella Chan report that grand jury indicts police officers and paramedics in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain. CNN

Mohammed Elnaiem: what is critical race theory? JSTOR Daily

Khadija Mbowe: who benefits from all this outrage and division?

Hannah Kost: pipe ceremony held at Calgary City Hall to start planning a permanent residential school memorial. CBC

Adam Edelman reports that the Supreme Court declines to block Texas’ restrictive abortion law, dealing a blow to Roe vs. Wade. NBC News

Karen Gallardo: on the front lines, this is what the seven stages of severe covid-19 look like. Los Angeles Times

Denis Constantineau: Laurentian has lost trust of Francophone community. The Sudbury Star

Joe Hernandez provides the latest updates on Ida, the hurricane thrashing the Gulf Coast. NPR

How mirrors could solve our energy problem. Physics Girl

Paola Rosa-Aquino: floating wind turbines could open up vast ocean tracts for renewable power. The Guardian

Christine Rankin: two Canadians win gold and break records at the Paralympic games. CBC

Extreme senses. In our nature | It’s okay to be smart

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

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, Aug 22-28, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to September! It’s time, once again, to get your mental corn popping.

Kristin Corry says that the new era of Black reality TV feels more like real life. Vice

Umme Hoque: the pandemic put adult pressures on many young girls. Prism

Ben Andrews: hundreds join the final leg of residential school survivor’s 79-day “Walk of Sorrow.” CBC

Elissa Carpenter reports that the former residential school sites at Piikani Nation are being investigated: “It’s not going to be an easy task.” CBC

Ryerson University to (finally) change its name amid reckoning with history of residential schools. But we’ll have to wait until next spring to find out what the new name will be. CBC

Kory Floyd explains why we missed hugs. The Conversation

Alain de Botton on existential maturity and what emotional intelligence really means. Brain Pickings

Why are so many autistic adults undiagnosed? Kip Chow | TEDxSFU

Christy Ann Conlin: the old lady who waits within me. CBC

A two-for from Livia Gershon. First: the changing meaning of “mysticism.” Then, she describes a holy trinity in ancient Egypt. JSTOR Daily

Jessica Stewart: Vermeer painting restoration reveals a cupid painting obscured for over 350 years. My Modern Met

Why we should be thinking about energy storage. Physics Girl

Alyse Stanley invites you to go on a panoramic video tour of Mars with the Curiosity Rover. Gizmodo

Tom Metcalfe reports that Hubble captures an “Einstein Ring.” NBC News

Kate Aranoff: is democracy getting in the way of saving the planet? The Guardian

Alex Young shares Nandi Bushell’s performance of “Everlong” with the Foo Fighters at the Forum. I’m not ashamed to admit, tears of joy came to my eyes when Nandi started playing. Consequence

The real reason dogs kick when you give them skritches. SciShow

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

This weekend, I should be posting my next chapter update for the month of August.

Until then, be well and stay safe, everyone!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Aug 15-21, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to thoughty Thursday. You know what tomorrow is 😀 Rev up for the weekend by getting your mental corn popping!

Yordanos Eyoel and Aimee Allison report that women of color are the undercapitalized warriors of American democracy. The Hill

Lil’ Wayne: mental health doesn’t discriminate. Uncomfortable conversations with Emmanuel Acho

Eva Fedderly introduces us to the Black architects who built New Orleans. Architectural Digest

Kevin Waite reveals the little-known history of how slavery infiltrated California and the American West. The Conversation

Critical race theory. Khadija Mbowe

Ethan Sawyer reports that six more First Nations in BC launch investigation into residential school sites. CBC

Anne Applebaum believes that liberal democracy is worth a fight. The Atlantic

Robert Fife and Steven Chase: Canada working “closely” with allies on evacuation from Kabul amid “extremely fluid” situation. The Globe and Mail

Kait Hanson: 10 girls on Afghanistan’s robotics team rescued. NBC News

Death toll reaches nearly 2,000 after Haiti’s earthquake. BBC

Brianna Milord: after the earthquake, a mayor in Haiti struggles to console his town. The New Yorker

Desmond Brown: University of Guelph to establish Indigenous research lab, unique at a Canadian university. CBC

Course aims to keep Stoney language alive for years to come. CBC

Rose Minutaglio introduces us to Annie Vang, the woman who created an app to save her endangered language. Elle

Bob Yirka: analysis of returned Stonehenge core sample helps explain megalith’s durability. Phys.org

Physics Girl compares battery and hydrogen electric cars.

Sierra Garcia: tidal power is the forgotten renewable resource. JSTOR Daily

Why some species team up to survive. In our nature | It’s okay to be smart

Benji Jones reports that animals are shrinking. Blame climate change. Vox

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

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