Rhodes Scholars from US - Very Diverse Group

The Rhodes Trust has announced the diverse class of American students who will study at the University of Oxford beginning next year as Rhodes Scholars.

 

Collectively, the 32 winners mark the third consecutive year that the majority are minorities, and nearly half are first-generation Americans.

 

"This year's American Rhodes Scholars—independently elected by 16 committees around the country meeting simultaneously—once again reflect the extraordinary diversity that characterizes and strengthens the United States," Elliot F. Gerson, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust, said in a statement. 

 

At least 21 of the 32 recipients identified as women, the most ever in an American Rhodes class. It's worth a note that the scholarship, which was founded in 1902, wasn't open to women until 1976.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/25/us/rhodes-scholars-us-2020-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1ISdMBLcR5PMZU5UDxarc7oeBAEo4Z596L8b-tRYag0JPuLqsQQbm0xmc

Girls Win All Five Top Prizes for Middle Schoolers in STEM

In the 2019 Braodcom MASTERS Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) competition, all of the top five winners were female. 

The five winners were chosen from 30 finalists selected from 2,348 applicants in 47 states by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers and educators. This year, 60% of the finalists were female—a first for the competition. That's an encouraging sign for the STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field, in which women are still underrepresented.

https://www.upworthy.com/girls-won-all-five-top-prizes-in-national-stem-contest-for-middle-schoolers?fbclid=IwAR1Jnh2u0Zsj6imj-V8o28JHShRLyzWL4NvoeNwbL7ALy6LT-YmXGEWjbTg

Chief Standing Bear Honored in National Statuary Hall

 Nebraska replaces its statue in the National Statuary Hall with a native leader Chief Standing Bear. 

At the dedication ceremony Wednesday, which included Ponca tribal leaders and members of the House and Senate, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said it was an honor to recognize “one of the most important civil rights leaders in our country that almost nobody knows about.

“And we hope to be able to correct that today and tell his story,” Ricketts said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/09/20/civil-rights-leader-almost-nobody-knows-about-gets-statue-us-capitol/?fbclid=IwAR21nbTtzL2z45hpdYsCBNo9dgT1MT1SU9KEOAPJeiNHJmPouRJV3Tl3TOI

Hierarchial God Sends Hierarchical President

Typically, people who profess a deity who supports hierarchies will find people who also support hierarchies to be "Sent from God."

Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a portion of an interview released by "Fox & Friends" this past weekend that he believes President Trump is the “chosen one.”

"God's used imperfect people all through history. King David wasn't perfect. Saul wasn't perfect. Solomon wasn't perfect,” Perry said in the clip.

“And I actually gave the president a little one-pager on those Old Testament kings about a month ago and I shared it with him,” he continued. “I said, 'Mr. President, I know there are people that say you said you were the chosen one and I said, 'You were.’ "

"I said, 'If you're a believing Christian, you understand God's plan for the people who rule and judge over us on this planet in our government,’ ” he added.

Amazing what hierarchy supporters will do to build and maintain their hierarchies.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/471868-rick-perry-says-trump-is-the-chosen-one?fbclid=IwAR0nvz3i27JsZOqAFywfqzhDbrpfWbsC7P4WA2dkXN0yFUi2Y7js_ZbUZwI

DeVos Gives More Rights to Sexual Assault Attackers

People who want to exert power and control over others are expected to be given more rights to do so by the Department of Education.

Betsy DeVos's The Department of Education is expected to finalize rules changing the process of how schools and universities handle sexual assault claims following the publication of the agency's initial proposal earlier this month.

A plan released earlier this month by the agency would allow accused students the right to cross-examine their accusers at a hearing and narrow what the agency described as “overly broad definitions” of sexual harassment.

The plan represents the Trump administration's replacement for the Obama administration's changes to sexual assault guidance for schools and universities, which DeVos rolled back in 2018.

Critics of the plan say that the changes give too much power to accused students and set up sexual assault victims for confrontations with their attackers at hearings.
 
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/472013-devos-expected-to-give-more-rights-to-those-accused-of-sexual-assault?fbclid=IwAR3yNGKn8fKSlDXm1xFqU85uVWzjn8vXYzmDvmj37ZB8aNKOD2tGoz-zoT0

Colin Kaepernick on Alcatraz Island for UnThanksgiving Day Event

Colin Kaepernick is on Alcatraz Island to join Native Americans protesting the “genocide” they say is represented by Thanksgiving Day.

Indeginous people and supporters occupied the island off the coast of San Francisco between 1969 and 1971. Since then, there has been an annual sunrise gathering to highlight the deadly, destructive impact on indigenous people of the arrival in America of European colonizers more than 400 years ago.

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was seen on video receiving two eagle feathers from a Native American elder before delivering a brief speech at the UnThanksgiving Day event.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kaepernick-unthanksgiving-day-alcatraz-native-american-celebrations-kneeling-nfl-player-a8074596.html?fbclid=IwAR0fBOfZYHxNtEBiJtr3xrzxkcn-0JjVd3Qn_HblfKX31sljrpdvqlkGpKE

American Don't Want Religion in Politics

Religion in this country is built around hierarchies, at least the ones who claim that they can determine what is right for other people, and claim their deity says so.

In hierarchical religions, "man" is not made in the image of God, but God is made in the image of a man on top of a hierarchy.

While Americans largely have a positive view of the role of religion in public life, they overwhelmingly want religious institutions to stay out of politics, a new survey from the Pew Research Center has found.

Sixty-three percent of U.S. adults believe churches and other houses of worship should "keep out" of political matters. When asked if religious institutions should endorse political candidates, 76 percent say no. And a plurality of adults—at 37 percent—believe that religious groups already have "too much" political influence.

https://www.newsweek.com/religion-democrats-republicans-politics-pew-poll-1472207?fbclid=IwAR3PiSLuejKyEVY-UrE6AM0A7ZLQaRmZ9ZCupc2uPoAX0WBLeriA4Gou05M