Native americans smallpox blankets

REUTERS: American Maureen Connolly's career lasted only four years in the early 1950s but it was enough time for "Little Mo" to make a big impression in the tennis world. Feared and revered for her aggressive style, the 5ft 4in San Diego native's firepower saw her nicknamed in reference to the U.S. Navy battleship USS Missouri - which was dubbed "Big Mo." Connolly exploded onto the scene in 1951 by winning the U.S. Championships at 16 years, 11 months and 19 days - at the time the youngest winner of the tournament. She repeated her success over the next two years. A hard-hitting baseliner who hated losing, Connolly added the Wimbledon title to her trophy collection in 1952 and would cement her place in history as one of the game's greats the following year. After splitting with her coach Eleanor Tennant to work with Australian Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman, she became the first woman to win all four majors in a single year - a feat only Margaret Court (1970) and Steffi Graf … [Read more...] about On this day: Died June 21, 1969: Maureen Connolly, American tennis player

REUTERS: Last September, in the arid hills of northern Nevada, a cluster of flowers found nowhere else on earth died mysteriously overnight. Conservationists were quick to suspect ioneer Ltd, an Australian firm that wants to mine the lithium that lies beneath the flowers for use in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. One conservation group alleged in a lawsuit that the flowers, known as Tiehm's buckwheat, were "dug up and destroyed." The rare plant posed a problem for ioneer because U.S. officials may soon add it to the Endangered Species List, which could scuttle the mining project. Ioneer denies harming the flowers. Their cause of death remains hotly debated - as does the fate of the lithium mine. The clash of environmental priorities underpinning the battle over Tiehm's buckwheat - conservation vs. green energy - is a microcosm of a much larger political quandary for the new administration of President Joe Biden, who has made big promises to environmentalists as well as … [Read more...] about To go electric, America needs more mines. Can it build them?

Source: herbert haseneder/flickr Rusty Schweikhart was a member of the Apollo 9 space mission in March 1969, which carried out tests for the moon landings that took place later that year. Like many astronauts, he found the experience transformational. One of his tests was to do a spacewalk around his lunar module, in which he floated 160 miles above the earth. As he gazed at the planet circling below him, he experienced a profound shift in perspective. Like all of us, he had been brought up to think in terms of different countries with borders between them. But now he lost his identity as an American astronaut, and felt "part of everyone and everything sweeping past me below." As he described it: When you go around the Earth in an hour and half, you begin to recognize that your identity is with the whole thing…You look down there and you can’t imagine how many borders and boundaries you cross, again and again and again, and you don’t even see them…[F]rom where you see it, … [Read more...] about The Psychology of Nationalism

Seth Jahn, a Paralympian and military veteran, has refused to back down from his criticism of anthem kneeling despite being thrown off the U.S. Soccer Athlete Council for his opinion. Cancel culture has taken another scalp, this time from inside the U.S. soccer community as Jahn was summarily removed from the council for his opinion that ending the ban on kneeling during the anthem sends the wrong signal. Jahn’s comments were even called “racist” by U.S. Soccer. The council voted on Saturday to repeal its 2017 rule requiring athletes to stand for the national anthem. However, Jahn spoke up against ending the ban ahead of the vote. He was then immediately kicked off the council for voicing his opposition to anthem kneeling. During the Saturday meeting, the council voted 71 percent in favor of ending the requirement to stand during the anthem. The vote – 71% in favor with only a simply majority required – directly followed this sensational seven-minute dissent by Seth Jahn, … [Read more...] about US Soccer Accuses Combat Vet, Paralympian of ‘Racist’ Comments’ After Speaking Out Against Anthem Kneeling

CHICAGO (AP) — The U.S. Soccer Federation’s athletes council removed one of its members Sunday, a day after he made a speech at the federation’s annual general meeting against removing an anti-kneeling policy. Seth Jahn, a 38-year-old from Florida who played for the U.S. seven-a-side ParaOlympic team at the 2015 Parapan American Games, spoke against repeal of what was known as Policy 604-1, put in place in response to U.S. women’s team star Megan Rapinoe kneeling in support of Colin Kaepernick. The USSF board voted to repeal the policy on June 9, a decision the online annual meeting affirmed Saturday by 71.34% voting in favor of repeal. “I’m sure I’m going to ruffle some feathers with what I’m about to say, especially given the athletes council that I’m on, but given the evolution of our quote unquote, progressive culture where everything offends everybody, those willing to take a knee our for anthem don’t care about defending half of our country and when they do so, then I … [Read more...] about US Soccer Council Member Removed After Speaking Out Against Anthem Kneeling