The Monday Mix (12/07/2021
Hi friends,
Yesterday, the England football team failed to win their first trophy in 55 years. While the team did well, their failure to win resulted in a wave of racist abuse against the players who missed the penalties in the decisive shootout.
Their crime? The colour of their skin.
That racist abuse is still widespread in 2021 reveals an uncomfortable truth. No matter how much progress we’ve made, there are still many who believe in the superiority, and inferiority of people based on the colour of their skin.
What should have been a celebration of football, instead turned into a macabre look at the underbelly of society. No matter the tragedies that have unfolded in the past, there are still those who seek to divide. The response to this abuse has been deafening, but the fact this conversation needs to be had in this day and age says more than words can.
For all the progress we’ve made, we still have a long way to go.
On a lighter note, I published a new piece on Medium last week. It looks at a few underrated signs that you might be more intelligent than you think. If you downplay your intelligence or don’t consider yourself smart, it might be worth giving this a read.
Four Signs You’re Smarter Than You Think
Help out a fellow Medium writer
Shannon Ashley is one of my favourite writers on Medium. Ever since she joined the platform back in 2018, I’ve enjoyed reading her articles on a variety of topics and how she’s made a living from the platform.
Unfortunately, she’s suffering from lipedema. A disease that’s debilitating and requires surgery to remedy. Due to the absurdity of the US healthcare system, something I’ve talked about here, she needs to pay for her surgery which isn’t cheap. She’s fundraising at the moment and any amount you can give would help a lot.
The Medium community isn’t the biggest, but it’s important to help people when they need it most. Shannon has given a lot to the community over the years, it’s only fair we reciprocate when we can. Please donate as much as you can, even $20 would go a long way!
Unlocking the gut ‘microbiome
I read this interesting article in the paper yesterday and was intrigued by it. I’ve been looking into gut health recently after experiencing a few issues. One of them was drinking Kombucha, which this article advises.
While it doesn’t offer a definitive take on the importance of the gut, the jury still seems to be out on that, it does suggest the evidence is starting to accumulate. In the . coming years, gut health and personalized medicine could become more commonplace. I think that can only be a good thing.
Kessler Syndrome
I hadn’t heard of Kessler Syndrome until I read this article. It proposes that a chain reaction of exploding space debris can end up making space activities and the use of satellites impossible for generations. This might seem fanciful but it’s not as crazy as it sounds.
There are thousands and thousands of satellites and pieces of space junk orbiting our planet. It only takes collision to set off a chain reaction which could be catastrophic. Add in Elon Musk’s plan to launch more satellites for his Starlink program and you have a potential recipe for disaster.
Book I’m reading - Why We’re Polarized: A fascinating look at the polarization of American politics in recent times. While the book focuses on America, it still offers lessons for other countries. I’m only halfway through but I’ve already learnt a lot.
Quote I’m pondering - '“We have, I fear, confused power with greatness.” - Stuart Udall
That’s all for this week, until next time!
Tom