It’s time once again for news and views that you can peruse! It’s time once again for your Weekly Reader! As always, if you have something you’d like to share, drop a link in the comments!
School boards get death threats amid rage over race, gender, mask policies (from Reuters): “While school controversies are traditionally local, these threats often come from people out of state with no connection to the districts involved. They are part of a rising national wave of threats to public officials – including election officials and members of Congress – citing an array of grievances, often underpinned by apocalyptic conspiracy theories alleging “treason” or “tyranny.””
Scientists tracked a mysterious signal in space. Its source was closer to Australia (from NPR): “However, the signal didn’t stay at the same frequency — it drifted, Wright says. “That’s something that you expect from things that are actually in space,” he says, because the Earth’s spin causes a Doppler shift in the frequency.”
Mars Is a Hellhole (from The Atlantic): “Musk is not from Mars, but he and Sagan do seem to come from different worlds. Like Sagan, Musk exhibits a religious-like devotion to space, a fervent desire to go there, but their purposes are entirely divergent. Sagan inspired generations of writers, scientists, and engineers who felt compelled to chase the awe that he dug up from the depths of their heart. Everyone who references Sagan as a reason they are in their field connects to the wonder of being human, and marvels at the luck of having grown up and evolved on such a beautiful, rare planet.”
The Japanese Garden in SF’s Golden Gate Park is one of many in Calif. with a tragic history (from SF Gate): “California’s trove of Japanese gardens is not unique; more than 250 of them are spread over North America. But our connection to the people who built and cared for them is. During World War II, when people of Japanese, Italian and German descent were considered a threat to national security, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. The order created concentration camps that turned the lives of 112,000 Japanese Americans, mostly American citizens, upside down almost overnight.”
Why some New Age influencers believe Trump is a “lightworker” (from Salon): “Ladd goes on to explain that her video isn’t a “political one,” but a “consciousness one,” and that she’s not talking about “voting,” but “ascension.” Trump, as she explains in the next half hour, is here to help assist humans in what many in the New Age and spiritual communities refer to as a great “awakening” of consciousness. The idea behind the awakening is that human consciousness is approaching a “fifth dimension,” which will eventually bring humans closer to the “Source.””
Meet the spouses whose marriages were destroyed by QAnon (from Salon): “Adam tried to rationalize with her, and so did her two children. He begged her to see a therapist, but she refused. One morning, she woke him up early and asked him to watch a 40-minute video purporting to explain how Trump is the “world leader.” He watched it, and in return asked her to watch a Vice documentary on QAnon. Again, she refused.”
Here’s what spanking does to kids. None of it is good, doctors say. (From NBC News): “Parents who hit their children often have serious problems of their own. “Parents who suffer from depression tended to use corporal punishment more frequently. In addition, family economic challenges, mental health problems, intimate partner violence and substance abuse all are associated with increased reliance on corporal punishment,” Sege said.”
On the Worst Day of My Life, I Went to a Star Trek Convention (from Star Trek.com): “Then there’s DS9, a darker, tenser environment plagued with layered conflict and deep-set trauma. This show taught me while our lives may be littered with unavoidable internal and external problems, we have to confront them head-on and work at our issues bit by bit if we ever hope to find lasting peace. Progress is slow and hard, but we must fight for every little step forward.”
That’s all for this edition. But don’t fret, because I’ll be back soon with more interesting reads for you to absorb. Until then, have a great rest of your week, stay safe and happy reading!
Iacon East 