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CURIOUSMINDS
A weekly serving of great articles we curate, and original content we produce. So, all you have to do is pick, read, watch and listen. |
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Stories from Around the World that Affect Us |
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Netanyahu Presidies over a Divided Israel HUMAN RIGHTS
He has given Israel – and the outside world – a consistent message since Hamas attacked Israel almost two years ago. He stated it clearly when he ordered the first big ground offensive of the war into the Gaza Strip on 28 October 2023, three weeks after the attacks, and since then he has repeated the themes many times.
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Spain Wildfire Death Toll Rises ENVIRONMENTS
The European Union has sent two firefighting planes to Spain to help battle raging wildfires, after the country activated the bloc's disaster assistance mechanism for the first time. The assistance comes as the country recorded a third wildfire-related death on Thursday morning. Wildfires could spread as temperatures reach 44C in some areas. Spain is the fifth European nation to request assistance with fighting wildfires. In Greece, 25,000 acres of land have burned since Tuesday.
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We were Never Friends HUMAN RIGHTS
"I just watched a movie about the Nanjing Massacre," he said, referring to the Japanese army's six-week rampage through Nanjing in late 1937, which, by some estimates, killed more than 300,000 civilians and Chinese soldiers. Around 20,000 women were reportedly raped. |
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Life and Death in Gaza
Persuasion Human Rights
Abdelkareem Alsalqawi MD is an orthopedic resident in Gaza. This is his harrowing story
This is the situation for the past month or month and a half. We continue to receive massive casualties until at least after midnight or one in the morning. Imagine: you start your shift at nine and you are at the ER until after midnight. You are coming from a home with no proper food. At the hospital there is no food served for the staff. There is no coffee, no sugar, no chocolate bars or protein bars. So what I have is the food that I brought from my home, usually one loaf of bread, a few olives, and a tomato. This is my food for the day. Image created by Ideogram
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The Chosen OnesNational Geographic Religion |
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Almost every faith has a figure believed to be chosen by God. Morgan Freeman goes in search of the chosen people walking the earth today. |
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Quote of The Week
I live in the digital age. So why do I feel like a grandfather clock whose ticks get fainter day by day, as I wait for someone to wind me up.
- James King -
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Top Stories from our favourite publications to stimulate your curious mind, |
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Rules Matter More Than Rulers
Door #1: A Democrat in Office wishing to reverse Trump’s legacy. Given the expansion of executive power in recent years, the new president’s authority is largely unconstrained.
Door #2: A MAGA-aligned figure sits in the White House, eager to extend Trump’s protectionist policies and anti-immigrant, culture war agenda. But rather than enjoying expanded executive powers, the president is hemmed in by institutional guardrails.
WHICH ONE WILL YOU CHOOSE? |
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China’s Strength
YASCHA MOUNK (Politics) ***
Any attempt to understand China, and the challenge it poses to Western values, must start with an honest enumeration of its strengths.
For the foreseeable future, the United States and China are going to be the two biggest powers in the world. Unless these two powers are able to come to some kind of modus vivendi, we will collectively fail at any task, from reining in the dangers of artificial intelligence to preserving the environment, that requires international cooperation. An all-out war between the two nations could quickly turn into an extinction-level event for humanity. And of course, about one in six humans are citizens of China, meaning that anybody who cares about the fate of over a billion people must hope for the country to thrive. |
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How to Be a Happier Creature
THE MARGINALIAN (Philosophy)
*** It must be encoded there, in the childhood memories of our synapses and our cells how we came out of the ocean 35 trillion yesterdays ago, small and slippery, gills trembling with the shock of air, fins budding feet, limbs growing sinewy and furred, then unfurred, spine unfurling beneath the bone cave housing three pounds of pink flesh laced with one hundred trillion synapses that still sing with pleasure and awe when touched by the wildness of the world. Even as the merchants of silicon and code try to render us disembodied intellects caged behind screens, something in our animal body knows where we came from and where we belong.
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Ignoring the Truth About US Politics
THE NEW REPUBLIC (Politics) ***
The mainstream media keeps missing the radicalism of the Republican Party—in part because too few reporters and editors follow news at the state level. In the inaugural episode of his new video interview series, The New Republic’s Perry Bacon discusses these issues with Michael Podhorzer, the former political director of the AFL-CIO who now writes a widely read Substack newsletter
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What Gave Humans Language
THE RUFFIAN (Literature) ***
“I found this book amazing. I read it through quickly because it was so interesting, then turned around and read much of it again.”—Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking Fast & Slow.
It tells the story of how human intelligence evolved, by way of five “breakthroughs”. From nematodes - tiny worms - 600 million years ago, to us. One of the striking things is how similar human brains are to those of fish and most other animals. It was really only the capacity to speak, language that saw us pull away from the pack.
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Bringing Human Nature Back In
PERSUASION (Philosophy)
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Human nature has been critical in the development of Western political philosophy, and hence of politics. Socrates in the Republic posed the question of what is true of humans “by nature,” and what is merely customary. Customs are subject to change and can be deliberately shaped by societies, while human nature has a permanence which gives it a priority with respect to human ends. To take one example, human languages vary across cultures, but the faculty for language is common to individuals in all cultures, Greek or barbarian, and the ability to use language has been closely connected to human reason and social organization.
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UPGRADE to PAID
CURIOUSMINDS content and opinions contain important information curated from reliable sources. We rely on reader support to keep it FREE. We want it to reach as many people as possible. If you value what we do and would like to help us sustain it, please consider a small monthly or annual contribution. Contributing subscribers get full access to all James King Publications including archives of CURIOUSMINDS, and a valuable BONUS: FREE ebook versions of all James King’s published books.Click - View them at Amazon · Donate via the - Choose a subscription plan - page. If you are not a subscriber already - Go to the Welcome page |
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James King Blog offers valuable resources for students of Arts and Humanities. Particularly those interested in Environments, Literature, Performing Arts, Visual Art, Philosophy, Travel, and Human Rights. The articles provide insights into complex interactions between humans and their environments, and the ethical and moral dimensions of environmental issues. The Blog is relevant to students of all ages and those who are just fascinated by the Arts and Humanities. |
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 Functions of the Biosphere: Important Impacts and Processes
One of the key functions of the biosphere is conservation. It involves the preservation of landscapes, natural ecosystems, species, and genetic variation, ensuring the continuity of life on Earth. The biosphere also contributes to sustainable socio-cultural, economic, and ecological development. |
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FREE BOOKS77 Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense FreebiesThis Promo Closes between August 31 and September 8 Thriller authors join forces in joint promotion campaigns to introduce themselves to readers. You can download as many books as you like.
I hope you find plenty to entertain you. CLICK THE BANNER BELOW TO VIEW THE PROMO - AND GRAB AS MANY BOOKS AS YOU WANT |
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ALFIE GOES TO THAILAND - SERIES
If you like thought-provoking drama, romantic tragedies, and damaged characters, then you’ll love the tropical sauna and wry humour of POST- IT NOTES and the other books in this Psychological Thriller series. The Series is a story of human challenge, manipulation, rejection, abuse, and a search for peace. |
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THE KENRIGHT CHRONICLES - SERIES
The Kenright Chronicles is a psychological thriller series. Jack Kenright, a young investment banker gets involved in an international art swindle. which cripples his business and threatens his life and his family. He ends up a recluse, working for the FBI undercover and exposes massive corruption in the gambling world. |
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The Last SurgeonBy Michael Palmer The New York Times–bestselling author introduces "one of the most deadly villains to grace the pages of a novel since the introduction of Hannibal Lecter" (The Huffington Post). Michael Palmer's novel pits a flawed doctor against a ruthless psychopath, who has made murder his art form. Dr. Nick Garrity, a Gulf War vet suffering from PTSD, spends his days and nights dispensing medical treatment from a mobile clinic to the homeless and disenfranchised in D.C. and Baltimore. In addition, he is constantly on the lookout for his war buddy, who was plucked from the streets by the military four years ago for a secret mission and has not been seen since.
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The Genesis CodeBy Christopher Forrest
A real secret code hidden in human DNA has two scientists running for their lives in this thriller that's Michael Crichton meets Dan Brown.
"Be prepared! The Genesis Code will make you question the fundamentals of mankind's past. Cutting-edge science and lost history collide in a thrilling tour de force. A debut not to be missed." —James Rollins, New York Times–bestselling author
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Substack - Creative Xellence -
Join us at Creative Xellence where we are building a home for James King's Poetry, Short Stories and serialised Novels. Subscribe for Free and you will be notified of new content and recieve the Newsletter.
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Medium
At Medium we curate high value informative articles related to A&H from major publishers and authoratative sources. And we publish a smattering of selected articles from James King Blog and articles written by James King for Medium Publications.
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