UN estimates 1 in 150,000 people is currently enslaved
When I become a multibillonaire with the ability to devote large sums of money in the name of fighting wrongs in this world, slavery is going to be my target. I am always appalled at hearing it exists and to hear the latest UN estimates makes me incredibly angry.
This article on TheConversation.com delves into that number, highlighting that the underlying data used to come to that number is unavailable so people have to trust the UN's methodology.
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"The people resurrecting India's ancient fruit trees"
It can take an entire village to grow a new-age garden. That's what 42-year-old Shyju Machathi, a policeman living in Kannapuram in the Southern Indian state of Kerala, found out when his town was declared an "Indigenous Mango Heritage Area" by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board in 2020.
The honour came after the villagers had got together to grow over 200 indigenous species of mangoes, sourced from surrounding towns and villages, preserving diverse varieties that were in danger of dying out.
The technique that made it possible, Machathi says, is the age-old art of grafting. He started experimenting with the technique in July 2016, despite no formal training in farming, after an unfortunate incident shook the village of Kannapuram.
Close look at Europa, Jupiter's moon
A very early and preliminary version of Europa image PJ45_1 obtained by @NASAJuno earlier today (Sept 29, 2022). This shouldn't be very far from Europa's true color; I expect to improve the color later with more careful processing though. North is up. pic.twitter.com/WEDV7UDsmS
— Björn Jónsson (@bjorn_jons) September 29, 2022
"Engaging with History" on the importance of history and context
Marcus Aurelius said, "We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own," which to be honest sounds like something you'll find written on an $11 IKEA poster today. Part of the value of reading an Aurelius quote like that is that he said it almost 2,000 years ago. Its age is the important part. If it was true then, and it's true today, then it's a fundamental part of how humans work and of course it's going to be true for the rest of my life. So I should pay close attention to it.