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“Safinaz Abu al-Shamat and Jamal al-Saadi made history last Sunday by becoming the first Saudi women to register to vote.

For the first time in the kingdom’s history, women will be able to vote, register as candidates and run for office in the municipal elections to be held on December 12. These will be the first polls since the 2011 decision by late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to grant women the right to vote and run for office.

An estimated 70 women are planning to register as candidates, and an additional 80 as campaign managers, according to local media. Neither male nor female candidates will be allowed to use pictures of themselves in campaign advertising, and on election day, there will be separate polling centres for men and women.

Women’s rights activists had long fought for the right to vote in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, whose legal code applies a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam that bans females from driving and travelling without the consent of a male guardian.

Female participation in December’s elections “is an important step towards creating greater inclusion within society”, said Nouf al-Sadiq, a Saudi citizen and graduate student in Middle East studies at George Washington University. “It is also a vital step towards moderation, and for reaching a better understanding of our own society.”

Read the full piece here

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The Kingdom of Kush was a very advanced civilization.

Amanirenas was but one of its great rulers.

Black History: Amanirenas

Amanirenas (60s or 50s BCE-1o BCE), also referred to as “Queen Candace,” was the one-eyed Qore and Kandake (queen mother) of the ancient African kingdom of Kush. The queen mother took her forces to attack Rome’s Egyptian colonies to try to stop their push further into Africa. She held the colonies for a year, which began a five year war between her and the empire. In the end, she fought the Romans down to the negotiating table where they the Romans would vacate the Kushite capitol, the Kushites agreed to allow the empire a military border in their kingdom, and the Kushites wouldn’t have to pay tribute to Rome, This deal was overwhelmingly favorable to Amanirenas and her kingdom and it sparked two centuries of peace between Kush and Rome.

Black history, black excellence

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Afropunk Day 2

Photographer: Damion Reid

Fort Greene, Brooklyn

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In case you missed it earlier in July, here’s a look at how our view of Pluto has changed over the course of several decades. The first frame is a digital zoom-in on Pluto as it appeared upon its discovery by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 (image courtesy Lowell Observatory Archives). The other images show various views of Pluto as seen by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope beginning in the 1990s and NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. The final sequence zooms in to a close-up frame of Pluto released on July 15, 2015.

This amazing view of details on Pluto came via New Horizons, which launched on Jan. 19, 2006. New Horizons swung past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February 2007, and conducted a reconnaissance flyby study of Pluto and its moons in summer 2015. Pluto closest approach occurred on July 14, 2015. As part of an extended mission, the spacecraft is expected to head farther into the Kuiper Belt to examine one or two of the ancient, icy mini-worlds in that vast region, at least a billion miles beyond Neptune’s orbit.

Image credits available here.

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Good news!

WΛW | Like : Tweet : Pin : Blog

#WeAreWakanda

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9 Times Ms. Marvel Tackled Real Issues

By Sofía Marlasca (princessamericachavez)

Since its debut, Ms. Marvel has been a massive success with all kinds of audiences. Marvel has been applauded for the introduction of a new Muslim American superhero (not the first one, mind you) and G. Willow Wilson’s writing has been universally acclaimed. So much, that it seems Kamala will be joining the main All-New, All-Different Avengers.

There’s a reason for all these: Ms. Marvel is brilliant. And yes, it is culturally diverse and inclusive, but the real brilliance of this title goes beyond that. Wilson has managed, time and time again, to tackle a wide variety of issues many other comic books shy away from and it has done it in fun, innovative, and creative ways.

Kamala Khan has become, without a doubt, the voice of a generation: a way in for thousands of readers and fans who identify with a lovable geek who is facing this world one day at the time, with the earnestness and determination so many other heroes lack this days. Now, we bring you a collection of Ms. Marvel‘s most insightful moments so far.

1. When it portrayed how misplaced and disrespectful the “White Savior Complex” is:

2. When it talked about sexism within households:

3. When it talked about the unfulfilling reality behind pretending to be someone else:

4. When it showed us the supportive and caring side of Kamala’s strict parents and their reasons:

5. When it gave us this amazing “with great power…” level quote:

6. When it portrayed religious and authority figures as understanding and helpful, rather than demonizing Kamala’s culture:

7. When it talked about the way Millennials are treated:

8. When it talked about extremism and terrorism (and clearly showed how personally it affected Kamala):

9. When it talked about consent and victim-blaming:

We are very excited to see what else Kamala and the Ms. Marvel creative team have in store for us! And if you are not reading this title yet, what are you waiting for?

gwillow allnewmsmarvel iherring marvelentertainment kellysue mckelvie kristaferanka jakewyattriot comics womenwriteaboutcomics heypanels

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SIGNAL BOOST SIGNAL BOOST GUYS IM SCARED FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. By 2050, there will be approx 9.2 billion people on this planet. It’s predicted we’re going to use 80% more energy than we already do today. The global warming rate is going to raise by 6 degrees, which is absolutely insane because all the glaciers are going to melt. That’s going to cause the sea levels to rise. That means most of Manhattan, San Francisco, Venice, and countless other cities everywhere will be flooded and underwater. TODAY AS OF 2014, nearly HALF of the species on earth have gone extinct. Think of what it will be in 2050. The scientists predict that if no immediate action is taken by 2020, OUR EARTH WILL BE SCREWED. In 2050, I won’t even be a grandma yet. I can’t even imagine the world my grandchildren will have to live in, if there is still one left. WE MUST DO SOMETHING. EVERYONE, must take part, the future of this earth is counting on YOU. If EVERYONE recycled, turned off their lights when they weren’t in use, unplugged appliances and turned off the water when it isn’t used…think of the difference we can make. Please guys, you shouldn’t just brush global warming off as if it’s a minor issue, this is huge and scary. Please reblog to spread awareness of this serious and very real issue. Thank you so much

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One of my neighbours slipped this under my door while I was practising, I thought they were going to make a noise complaint but they just had a request. I played it with my windows open and I heard really loud clapping come from a balcony a few stories up which was super lovely. I’m in such a lovely mood now it’s so nice to be appreciated.

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Another cheer for these ladies!

It was a “dream” come true for women in Saudi Arabia!

History was made in Saudi Arabia this week when two women registered to vote for the first time. 

Photo by Stringer/Reuters

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Women In Science - The Ancients

Aglaonike, 1st-2nd century Greece, Astronomer

People believed she was a sorceress for her ability to “cause the moon to disappear” - to predict lunar eclipses. 

Mary The Jewess, 1st-3rd century Europe, Alchemist/Inventor

The first “true alchemist” of the Western world is credited with inventing various apparatuses to distill, collect, and refine chemicals. She may have discovered hydrochloric acid. 

Merit-Ptah, 2700 BcE Egypt, Physician

She may be the first named woman in science. In ancient Egypt, she held the title of “Chief Physician” and her likeness is painted in the Valley of Kings.

Hypatia, 3rd-4th century Byzantium, Mathematician/Astronomer 

The head of a Neoplatonic school at Alexandria, she “made such attainments in literature and science, as to far surpass all the philosophers of her own time.” She was caught between a feud between two prominent leaders and murdered by a Christian mob. 

Agnodice, 4th century BCE Athens, Physician/Midwife

Athenian leaders banned women from working in medicine after discovering midwives were being performing abortions. She cut her hair to continue her practice and later left for Egypt to continue her training. 

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my fave greek history story to tell is that of agnodice. like she noticed that women were dying a lot during childbirth so she went to egypt to study medicine in alexandria and was really fucking good but b/c it was illegal for women to be doctors in athens she had to pretend to be a man. and then the other doctors noticed that she was 10x better than them and accused her of seducing and sleeping with the women patients. like they brought her to court for this. and she just looked at them and these charges and stripped in front of everyone like “yeah. im not fucking your wives” and then they got so mad that a woman was better at their jobs then them that they tried to execute her but all her patients came to court and were like “are you fucking serious? she is the reason you have living children and a wife.” so they were shamed into changing the law and that is how women were given the right to practice medicine in athens

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Wisdom

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