NewsFusion | 049

NewsFusion for May 2018

Science...

• Hawaii lawmakers ban sunscreen that damages corals | Hawaii News Now
• If you haven't watched NBC's Genius Junior, prepare to be amazed by these whiz kids | NBC
• The physics of Leia using the force in Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Wired

Design...

• The pros and cons of designing modern day rituals | The Atlantic
• The Met Museum's 'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination' exhibit | Hollywood Reporter
• The surprising role of graphic design in politics, protest, and power | Wallpaper

Culture...

• Moving forward with urban planning for indigenous peoples in Australia means looking back first | The Conversation
• Scientists continue to turn to Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) for insights on natural world | Yale Environment
• Jessica Tyson, 2018 Miss New Zealand aspires to be role model for Māori and other youth | TV New Zealand

Culture Beat - Queen Rania

Queen Rania of Jordan launches YouTube channel to address global stereotypes and increase cross-cultural dialogue.

SeanChron - Kenneth Cole, king of social marketing

Kenneth Cole's new "We all walk in different shoes." ad campaign showcases design and diversity at its best. Kenneth Cole has long been the king of social advertising having created many a slogan that appeals to both one's heart and pocketbook, but this latest campaign is one of his best. Two of the featured individuals in the campaign are none other than Jay Bakker and Matisyahu. Jay is the punk evangelist son of Jim and Tammy Bakker and recently founded the Revolution Church that embraces diverse lifestyles and other religions. Matisyahu, a Hasidic Jewish raggae and rap artist, has wowed crowds around the world with his incredible music and lovable outlook on life. The current campaign also features an albino African American woman, a cancer survivor, and a transgender woman.

Culture Beat - Pope visits US

Pope Benedict XVI's US visit inspires America's 65 million Cathholics and stirs discussion on spirituality, war, wealth, and compassion.

SeanChron - His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama

Today, I had the great honor of attending an event featuring His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. His several day visit to Seattle was part of Seeds of Compassion, a five day event engaging Seattle communities in the idea of peace and compassion.

My day started at the UNICEF booth. I've volunteered with UNICEF for over 10 years here in Seattle so it was a again a great honor to help out during this event. My shift was over just in time to go see the opening ceremonies of the Dailai Lama's event. There were many speakers and an inspiring drum session in which the local Duwamish people took part. The Dalai Lama's speech was incredible, inspiring, and - as is often the case - quite humorous. The wise words and laughter were very well recieved by the audience that almost filled Quest Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks.

In 1997 I took part in an Earthwatch trip to Ladakh (an area of India that is culturally very Tibetan) where we studied the biology and culture surrounding snow leopards. I had the opportunity to visit several Tibetan Buddhist monestaries while in Ladakh and remembering the beautiful landscape and people still inspires me today. It is events like this that reaffirm the culture is a vital part of our lives and will indeed continue to shape our future along with innovative science and design.