For decades, many people have viewed academic success measured through grades, exam results, report cards, and tertiary admission rankings. Consequently, learning has been validated as the rote memorisation of bulk content.

As the world becomes increasingly globalised and the future increasingly uncertain, the need for emotional intelligence (EQ) alongside global competence is becoming abundantly apparent.

Global competence is a nuanced concept that involves a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. It refers to individuals developing an awareness of self, of others, of values, attitudes, assumptions, behaviours, cultural and global issues as well as understanding an individuals and the collectives role and responsibility in the world.

Arguably, what sits at its core is emotional intelligence through empathy, problem-solving and communication.

With the first semester of 2022 starting against a backdrop of a continuing pandemic, an escalating climate crisis, political conflict and war, its worth remembering The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declarations view on teaching and learning.

The 2019 national declaration on educational goals for all Australians, agreed upon by all state and territory education ministers, is to prepare young people to thrive in a time of rapid social and technological change, and complex environmental, social and economic challenges.

For that to come to fruition, education must focus on cognitive skills and behavioural skills alongside social and emotional skills. Educators across the nation must provide effective Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) opportunities for young people through explicit opportunities to experience, reflect, build self-awareness, motivation and empathy.

Often interchangeable with the phrase personal and social capability, social and emotional learning sits with the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum.

As the curriculum states, students develop personal and social capability as they learn to understand themselves and others, and manage their relationships, lives, work and learning more effectively.

These key skills and values of self-awareness, motivation, empathy and social skills are exactly what build and foster global competence.

At a recent professional development session I ran for the Asia Education Foundation with teachers in Indonesia on intercultural communication, participants were asked to describe the connection they see between emotional intelligence and global competence.

It builds relationships and opens up new possibilities, wrote one person, it helps us develop our knowledge and understanding of the world and each other.

Another added, it is the key to connection and collaboration.

Together, we looked closely at the role and purpose of communication.

We began with the etymology of the word, which stems from the Latin word communicare, meaning to to share, divide out; communicate, impart, inform; join, unite, participate in.

Again, this is what forms a large component of what is global competence.

We investigated the five key purposes of communication, which are often said to be to inform, to express feelings, to imagine, to influence and to meet social expectations.

As participants identified, whether its a conversation, a story, song or a film, communication and people-to-people connections are how we share, learn and work together. Its how we get to understand different perspectives, to take action.

Emotional intelligence and global competence are so vital because they foster social cohesion, community, relationships and wellbeing.

In 2016, Census data found, nearly half (49%) of all Australians were either born overseas or had at least one parent who was born overseas, and more than a quarter (28%) of the Australian population were first generation Australians (born overseas).

This diversity is represented in classrooms and workforces the length and breadth of the country.

Transnational mobility has also meant young Australians are now travelling or emigrating overseas to study, work, and explore new possibilities. This further highlights the relevance of these transferable skills not just for young people living and interacting in Australia day-to-day, but for when they also travel, work, explore or live elsewhere.

Along with moving cities and countries, other studies have found that young people will move between jobs. Research from the Foundation of Young Australian suggests that todays 15-year-olds will likely navigate 17 changes in employer across five different careers.

Reflecting this, the World Economic Forums Future of Jobs Reports 2020 highlighted the emerging skills now in high demand from Australian employers that include critical thinking, emotional intelligence, active learning, resilience, innovation and leadership.

These are the skills that must be taught in schools and addressed explicitly in the curriculum.

Young people are the future, and that future is now.

Australia has over 3.2 million young people aged 15 to 24, representing one in every eight Australians. For context, that is larger than the entire population of countries like Slovenia, Uruguay, Fiji and Malta.

Rather than being aspirational, Australia must significantly invest in its young people.

So, lets start with courageous conversations, recalibrating our perceptions of academic achievement and prioritising the whole student and their social, emotional, intellectual and physical learning journey to become truly globally competent.

This article was first published onPursuit. Read theoriginal article.

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NSW general counsel says he offered West words of comfort

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Is EQ more important than ever? - The Mandarin

Many retailers are increasingly focusing their product strategies on health, wellness, and convenience. Mark Field the CEO of Prof. Consulting Group outlines why adding nonprescription medicine to the product mix could offer retailers an attractive opportunity to drive consumer traffic and lift profitability.

With a global market value in excess of US$131 billion by 2022 and a healthy growth outlook of ~5% over the next three years, the over the counter (OTC) market is likely to appeal to an increasing number of investors and brand managers.

The Australian OTC market was valued at over US$20 billion in 2019 and was recognised for multi-billion-dollar savings through saved visits to the doctor. This outlook is forecast to continue to grow as consumer interest and confidence in OTC products builds alongside our own self-awareness with regards to our health and wellbeing.

Increases in chronic disease, growth of the aging population, and rising levels of diabetes are all key drivers for growth in the category and are creating a strong demand.

Within retail there is still a significant opportunity for range rationalisation a retailers approach to reducing those less popular lines and replacing them with customer focused innovation. This will provide selling space, allowing for the introduction of innovation. As an example, a recent review of the paracetamol category showed over 17 varieties across brands, pseudo brands and private label.

More importantly, the price per tablet ranged from $0.04 per tablet to $0.20, whilst products with innovative deliveries such as mini tablets, rapid and +flu reached up to $0.55 per tablet. Reducing the range, opening availability and easing the customer experience are all simplification techniques that help create growth in what is widely considered a complex aisle.

Taking the first aid and medical category across one of the leading retailers as an example, ~450 sku in an average store, ~90% is branded (approximately 415 skus), 6% pseudo branded (approximately 30 skus), and <4% is traditional own brand (approximately 3 skus). This suggests that current own brand penetration represents less than 10%, providing a significant growth opportunity.

The completive landscape for OTC products in Australia continues to evolve with the strong presence of the big box discount models such as Chemist Warehouse, the strong independent sector with community chemists such as Terry White, and the growing presence of online alongside traditional grocery.

With over 6500 skus on average in the health and beauty aisle across a standard grocery store and an average product spend in the region of $5 to $7.50 whats clear is the potential opportunity to drive sales, improve profitability and increase consumer traffic to a high value area of Australian retailing.

About the author: Mark Field is the Founder and CEO of Prof. Consulting Group, anaward-winning Melbourne-based consulting firm specialising across the international food and grocery supply chain.

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Could OTC products be the next strategic focus for private label - Consultancy.com.au

For 17 stages of this Tour de France, Geraint Thomas has been riding his own race. For 17 stages, Geraint Thomas has watched Tadej Pogaar and Jonas Vingegaard surge up the road, maintaining an unsteady detente.

In that sense, stage 17 into Peyragudes held this Tours equilibrium, even if the Welshman lost 2:13 on the yellow jersey. He was in third place before. Hes even more in third place now, having lost time to the two whippersnappers and gained it on almost everyone else.

Almost five minutes back, Thomas wont win this Tour, but hes a day closer to locking in a podium finish, having ridden a consistent, unflappable race.

An awareness of his strengths and limitations has been Thomass thread through the last two weeks. When the road tilts upwards and Pogaar stings his rivals, with Vingegaard locked on his wheel, the 2018 champ has the self-awareness and experience to ride his way back into the race rather than reacting his way out of it. I dont even attempt to kick when they go, he said a few days ago.

The gap was bigger today, but Thomass measurement of his effort was characteristically insightful.

I felt alright, but didnt feel quite as light on the pedals as earlier in the race, the Welshman said, shortly after crossing the line and making his way up to his team bus. With UAE Team Emirates driving the pace on the front up the Col de Val Louron first with Mikkel Bjerg, then with an imposing Brandon McNulty Thomas had a choice to make. He chose defence, rather than attack.

[Bjerg] put in a hell of a shift for the kind of rider he is it was cracking me, actually, that he was hurting me as much as he was, Thomas said. Next came McNulty, whose effort slowly whittled the group down to five riders before Thomas lost contact.

I started riding my pace, and I couldve held the gap and tried to edge back over the top or on the descent, but made the call not to go into the red and risk blowing up on this climb, Thomas explained.

A small second group of team leaders coalesced down the road Thomas, Bardet, Gaudu, Lutsenko, a handful of others where Thomas recovered further before putting time in on the steeper ramps toward the top of the climb. I waited for that group behind, saved my legs a little bit, Thomas explained. From then, it was just a matter of riding a solid pace all the way to the line.

There are two stages left, really, where the gaps on the GC can expand or contract. On current indications, Thomas might lose a little tomorrow, might gain a little in the time trial a couple of days later. He was, he agreed, all about the podium now a podium that will likely be shared with Pogaar and Vingegaard, both more than a decade younger with a more explosive turn of speed.

I think all in all it was a decent day, Thomas reflected, mulling his performance. In the end, I got dropped by those two, but theyre another level.

Thats one way of putting it, but Thomas good for a quote had another. I want to have what they have for breakfast, because they were going, he said, half bemused, half impressed, entirely Geraint Thomas.

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Geraint Thomas wants what theyre having for breakfast - CyclingTips

The Campaign Includes A Vibrant and Authentic Merchandise Collection That Hopes To Drive Large Scale Awareness for The Launch of 988 and Encourages Support of Didi Hirsch and Their Efforts to Prevent Suicide

LOS ANGELES, July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services (Didi Hirsch), home of the nation's premier Suicide Prevention Center and a leading provider of whole-person mental health and crisis care, is excited to announce a purpose-driven partnership with Self-Care Is For Everyone, an emerging advocacy organization and apparel retailer that aims to make healing resources, reminders and experiences more accessible. This impactful merchandise collaboration and the campaign aim to drive funding and awareness for the launch of 988, the new 3-digit phone that connects people experiencing a mental health suicidal crisis with a trained counselor 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

The "What If It Gets Better?" campaign includes an awareness-driven merchandise collection that will donate all proceeds to support Didi Hirsch's implementation of 988. The campaign highlights various crisis care frontline workers and volunteers within Didi Hirsch for an intimate portrait of the impactful work of suicide prevention hotlines. As California's lead 988 agency, Didi Hirsch has partnered with 12 other crisis centers across the state, both public and private, who field over 270,000 calls together a year to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. The California crisis centers have started receiving calls to 988 since July 16, 2022, when it became available nationwide.

"We at Didi Hirsch are dedicated to working towards the common goal of providing a solution to the mental health crisis our nation faces today," said Didi Hirsch's Chief Executive Officer Lyn Morris, LMFT. "We are excited about our partnership with Self-Care Is For Everyone and know this campaign will help drive awareness of the historical launch and support the cause".

Founded on World Kindness Day in 2018 by three family members and mental health advocates: AJ Martofel, Sasha Aronzon-Martofel, and Jonathan Martofel a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles, Self-Care Is For Everyone has had a founding commitment to utilizing the platform to encourage mental-health conversations and help prevent suicide. Self-Care Is For Everyone (@selfcareisforeveryone) has distributed more than $680,000 to independent artists and nonprofit organizations serving the mental-health community.

"We feel so grateful that we get to partner with Didi Hirsch to amplify the importance of 988. This new and faster way to access mental health care gives us hope for a better future where those struggling can feel less alone," shares Self-Care Is For Everyone Co-Founder Jonathan Martofel, LMFT. "Being able to give back through this collection is really meaningful because the funds go directly to support Didi Hirsch and help strengthen their efforts in answering these life-saving calls."

988 is more than just an easy-to-remember numberit's a direct connection to compassionate, accessible care and support for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress whether that is thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

Self-Care Is For Everyone partnered with mental health advocate and artist Cami Zea (@zeaink) to create the designs for the merch collection. The "What If It Gets Better?"collection includes two unique designs in two colorways available in t-shirts ($29.88) and crewnecks ($39.88), with 100% of the net profits being donated to Didi Hirsch. The designs feature a range of affirmations and healing statements that spell out the words 988 in large letters and remind those who are struggling with their mental health to call 988. Every order includes a free 3" vinyl 988 sticker, access to a digital mental health self-care toolkit, a voucher to try one free month of online therapy, and a campaign postcard with healing affirmations.

The "What If It Gets Better?" collection is exclusively available on Self-Care Is For Everyone's Instagram and website. You can find more information surrounding the campaign and collection at http://www.selfcareisforeveryone.com.

About Didi Hirsch:

Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services has been a national leader in whole-person mental health and crisis care for 80 years. Its first-in-the-nation Suicide Prevention Center operates multiple English/Spanish hotlines 24/7, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline becoming 988 in July 2022, the national Disaster Distress Helpline for those suffering emotionally from natural or manmade disasters, a new line diverting 911 calls from the LAPD disproportionately connecting Black and Latinx young men to care, as well as Teen Line. Didi Hirsch's highly specialized experts also provide outpatient therapy and medication management, crisis counseling and support groups for people with suicidal thoughts, attempts, or loss, as well as suicide prevention training for students, teachers, clergy, police, and first responders. Didi Hirsch serves nearly 160,000 children, adults and families each year through 10 facilities and over 75 schools across Los Angeles and Orange counties. Learn more today at http://www.didihirsch.org

About Self-Care Is For Everyone:

Self-Care Is For Everyone (@selfcareisforeveryone) exists to amplify the voices of mental health advocates through art and design. Self-Care Is For Everyone is a family-run mental health advocacy brand that was founded on World Kindness Day 2018 by mental health advocates: Sasha Aronzon-Martofel, Sasha's husband AJ Martofel, & AJ's older brother Jonathan Martofel, LMFT 126269, a licensed therapist with a practice in Los Angeles, CA. The Self-Care Is For Everyone community is made up of over 1 million mental health advocates who recognize that self-care practices like resting, staying hydrated, and going to therapy are essential in order to keep going and prevent burnout. Each day, @selfcareisforeveryoneshares artwork & reminders that inspire hope, raise awareness, and encourage everyone to talk more openly about their mental health struggles. Self-Care Is For Everyone donates 10% of their net profits and helps raise funds for suicide prevention nonprofits like The American Foundation For Suicide Prevention and Didi Hirsch! For more reminders that are good for your mental health, please visit: http://www.selfcareisforeveryone.com

Media ContactDISRPT PR[emailprotected]

SOURCE Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services

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Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and Self-Care Is For Everyone Announce Campaign To Spotlight Mental Health and 988 Launch - PR Newswire

As individuals who fear the unknown, loyalists can often spiral down a rabbit hole when thinking about future events. This behavior often leads to "catastrophizing," which Healthline defines as "when someone assumes that the worst will happen."

Whether you have an upcoming exam, a pending performance review with your boss, or a big family reunion next week, there are several healthy coping mechanisms you can utilize to offload your anxieties. To help clear your head of overwhelming and stressful thoughts, The Every Girl recommends meditating using an app such as Headspace, Unplug, or SuperHuman. Meditation has many scientifically proven benefits including improving sleep, increasing self-awareness, and reducing anxiety.

Writing down everything you are thinking or feeling is another healthy way to offload your stress, as recommended by Truity. Using this tactic helps you literally transfer all of the stressful thoughts from your brain to a piece of paper. Once all of your worries have been written down, you can then begin to work through each one. It's important to remind yourself of a few things when looking at that list. For one, not all of these worries are within your control, and not all of these worries are your burdens to bear.

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If You're An Enneagram Type 6, You Should Try This Wellness Trend - The List

University of Minnesota School of Public Health postdoctoral fellow Tongtan (Bert) Chantarat co-led a study, published in Health Services Research, that quantifies problems involving workplace climate, culture and professional discrimination experienced by researchers within the health services and policy research (HSPR) field. His collaborators are Taylor B. Rogers (University of California, Los Angeles), Carmen R. Mitchell (University of Louisville) and Michelle J. Ko (University of California, Davis).

In the HSPR field, researchers use multidisciplinary research approaches to understand health and healthcare problems. Their work includes identifying strategies to dismantle structural oppression and its health impacts. To accomplish this, it is vital that researchers look at challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within their own field.

Prior research has shown significant gaps remain for groups historically and structurally excluded from health professions, including those who are Black, Hispanic/Latinx and LGBQTI+. The study surveyed 906 researchers and trainees in the U.S. to understand the professional climate in HSPR workplaces, such as universities, non-academic institutes and private corporations, and to ascertain efforts to advance DEI in the HSPR workforce.

The research found:

When people talk about DEI, most focus on the diversity part because they can report statistics to show progress, said Chantarat. But, it is just as important to ensure that workplaces have systems to support the success of those from historically and structurally excluded groups. We will not achieve health equity if we continue to uphold harmful environments that push researchers from our workforce.

These findings help identify areas for growth to strengthen the HSPR workplace climate. Prior research has shown that non-inclusive work conditions have driven Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx scholars from academic institutions.

Workplace equity and inclusion are also necessary components for ensuring sustainability of DEI efforts. HSPR research plays a critical role in the work of health equity, and it is vital that self-awareness, accountability and substantive institutional reform occurs within the field itself. The Workplace Culture Survey, which the study team used to collect the data, is available for future projects to use.

This work is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in cooperation with the UC Davis Center for a Diverse Health Workforce. Participant recruitment support was provided by AcademyHealth; however, AcademyHealth did not provide financial support for this project, and was not involved in the design of the study or the analysis and interpretation of the results. Additional technical support was provided by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the UCLA Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice, and Health.

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About the School of Public HealthThe University of Minnesota School of Public Health improves the health and wellbeing of populations and communities around the world by bringing innovative research, learning, and concrete actions to todays biggest health challenges. We prepare some of the most influential leaders in the field, and partner with health departments, communities, and policymakers to advance health equity for all. Learn more at sph.umn.edu.

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Perceptions of DEI within health services and policy research workplaces - UMN News

Setting limits can be liberating

In the discussions about work-life, there is plenty of focus on saying no. Setting boundaries, imposing limits and restricting activities seem like logical responses to the too-fast, too-much, too-demanding reality that many people face.

But there are some important new ways to look at why you would say no andon the contrarywhy you should say an enthusiastic yes to other pursuits. In fact, your choices about where to invest and where to divest are important to your career.

An important starting point is to consider when you will want to engage, get involved and participate. Rather than having a world view which starts by shutting down opportunities, it will be more powerful to focus on all you have to contribute and the places you want to plug into your community.

People want to work with colleagues who are enthusiastic and embracing of possibility. In addition, you will feel more rewarded when youre deeply involved in projects you care about. All of these are reasons to lean in with energy and passion.

But saying no is critical to your sanity as well. You want to be a person who sets smart limits, but isnt limited. You want to be selective about where you contribute, but also enthusiastically engaged. You want to be respected as someone who manages your energy, but is also energetic. Of course no one will balance these perfectly, but keeping them in mind can help your career blossom.

Surprisingly, saying, no is a path to finding these balances and to saying, yes enthusiastically. Heres how to think about setting limits in new ways.

For work-life satisfaction and fulfillment, people must come to terms with their limited hours and years. The wheel in which you keep running is fueled by the mistaken belief that if you just go a little faster and work a little harder you can do it all. It is the misguided perception that if you just manage your time a bit more efficiently you can squeeze it all in.

But this is crazy-making. You cannot do it all, and the paradox of efficient time management is that while you may be leveraging every last second of your day, or optimizing your calendar, youll be reducing your personal fulfillment.

The alternative is to embrace your limits. Even though there will always be tremendous demands on your time, you cannot do it all. And this is a good thing. When you realize your time is limited, you can be more selective about how you spend it. Decide on whats most important to you and lean into those activities. Say yes when something is aligned with your passion or your goals. Say no when its not.

People who succeed in their careers tend to be those who have strong brands. They are known for a certain type of expertise or a well of talent in a particular area. When you are clear about who you are and what you do well, and the areas in which youre developing, you will be building your career because people will know you through your choices and actions. Youll say yes to what youre good at and the direction of your growth. And youll say no to everything else. Youll be legible and easy to readsomeone others can understand and count on.

Rewarding careers are the result of current success, but also the result of staying on a journey toward continued development. Choose when to say no and when to say yes by keeping the bigger picture in mind.

Choose to engage when you know an activity is a step on the path to your goals or aligned with your purpose. Give yourself permission to back away when a request lacks alignment with where youre headed. For example, you agree to manage the budget for your association, because you know you can add value and because the work will help you develop your analytical skills. On the other hand, you turn down the opportunity to procure supplies for the neighborhood picnic because while you love your cul-de-sac friends, its not aligned with other priorities, and you know you cant do it all. You will grow your career by developing your skills and growing your talents, so when choosing to engageor notuse this as one a criterion.

Choosing well helps you truly invest.

Growing your career hinges on your relationships and the quality and depth of the rapport you build with others. Making good choices about where you engage is a fundamental part of the relationships through which your career can progress.

Consider the people with whom you want to build connections, and engage in the activities which foster these. Say yes to the opportunity at work in which you will collaborate with people in marketing, because you want to build your marketing acumen and because you want to make a contribution. Choose not to invest your energy when you have less to contribute to a community, or when you have less to learn from them. You value all your colleagues and have a thirst to learn from everyone, of course, but remind yourself that you cant build meaningful relationships with unlimited numbers of people.

Also ensure youre able to spend the time which is necessary to nurture great relationships. Research has demonstrated true friendships are built over about 60 hours. While you may not have to invest quite this much in a strong relationship with a work colleague, your choices for where you engage should allow for real investment of time. If you choose to engage in too much, youll always be flitting from one activity to the next and youll miss the opportunity for the conversation before the call or the reflection time after the meeting.

Emerging from the pandemic, there is a renewed emphasis on the quality of relationships, and on building depth, not just on growing your number of LinkedIn connections. People will help you in your career when they feel they know and understand you, and when they have felt valued by you. And these are only possible when youve been able to invest time and energy in the relationship. Say no to doing it all, so you can truly engage with people and build depth, not just breadth, in your network.

Developing your career requires you to be committed and energetic. People want to work with those who are enthusiastic and passionate about their pursuits. When you make conscious choices about taking something on, your investment will contribute to your credibility.

If you say yes too frequently, you wont really be committing to anything because your focus will be scattered and you wont be able to do anything to your fullest potential. Instead, by choosing when to disengage, youll be able to fully immerse yourself in what you care most aboutand those with whom youre working will appreciate your full contribution on your chosen activities.

Knowing you cant do it all will help you determine what you can and should do. Your own self awareness should power your choices to say no and they will help you flourish in your career.

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Know When To Say No: 3 Ways Saying No Can Build Your Career - Forbes

Linh Ta as told to Andrea Sahouri| Des Moines Register

Linh Ta: Too American or too Asian | Des Moines Storyteller's Project

How this Iowan learned to love all sides of herself, as told at the Des Moines Storyteller's Project's "Love" on, Feb. 15, 2022.

Des Moines Storytellers Project, Mediacom

Editor's note: Linh Tafirst told this story on stage at theDes Moines Storytellers Project's "Love: Stories of companionship, desireand commitment."The Des Moines Storytellers Projectis a series of storytelling events in which community members work with Register journalists to tell true, first-person stories live on stage. An edited version appears below.

Here in Des Moines, thousands upon thousands of miles away from the home they first knew, my parents met.

My dad always said that my mom was the prettiest girl in town.

She had a few other feelings about him. But she eventually got to know him and they married two people with a dream of a fruitlife life they hoped would happen through a Vietnamese restaurant and a family.

A lot of us know the story about how Iowa shone as a beacon of hope when the Vietnam War displaced refugees who needed homes. Thousands of them came here to Iowa, including my parents.

But then what happened?

On an April day Duc Ta and Thanh Nguyen-Ta had me.

They chose the name Linh L-i-n-h because it was a common Vietnamese name, but alsoIowans could pronounce it too.

Jokes on them. Sometimes, they cant.

There was no guidebook for how we were supposed to navigate our lives here. No family recipe to reminisce grandmas Thanksgiving dinner. No creaky home where generations of our family stayed we were just seeds in the air trying to find land that wouldnt spit us back up.

Add on top of that, I was quickly growing into an American child of the 2000s that demanded a Gameboy Color and beads in my hair and a growing desire to be more like a Linda versus a Linh.

When I was 10, I had a crush on the neighbor boy with his bright blue eyes. Wed make sand castles in his backyard and I would twist up grass and make little rings, one for him, one for me.

He invited me over for dinner sometimes and I sat with his family around their laminate table, hands together in prayer. That's where I discovered for the first timefive-minute rice with butter, which I politely shoveled under some food.

They were so freely nice, telling me that I could come over whenever and come play on their swingset.

But for my family, like many other Asian families, there's a lot of love between us, but there's also a reservation to others that can come off as coldness.

That meant misunderstood interactions, lots of nos when I asked if friends could come to our house and a general assumption from outsiders that well they must not like us, so we dont like them.

After a particularly fun day of playing with the neighbor boy, I begged my mom to let him stay for dinner. To my shock, she said yes it was something that rarely, if ever happened and I was elated.

We talked Pokemon cards and laughed about school. He was my best friend and to bring him to my table,I was ecstatic.

But when I looked across the dinner table, twinges of embarrassment kicked in. She didnt have to say it. But I could sense it. The judgment. I avoided my moms gaze and we finished dinner and he went home.

Later that night, I asked her what she thought of him at dinner. Without a beat of hesitation, she said he was rude. No please or thank you. Shoes on inside the house. I went to defend his reputation even though she felt like she was defending mine.

We argued that night as she cleaned up the dishes her fingernails scratching off flecks of food even though we had a dishwasher right there. I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed that in her eyes, I chose wrong. I was embarrassed because we were the house where people had to act a certain way, where American families Iowan families were so warm and welcoming and we were so utterly not.

Years later, when the neighbor and I were both teenagers in middle school, we took the bus together. It wasnt together-together, as we had reached that awkward age of self-awareness where one small move could mean social calamity in the vicious world of teenage popularity.

I was no longer the cute, elementary student that charmed people. New school, new students, acne-ridden. To the new kids at my school, I was then that Asian kid.

The new anonymity was freeing and trapping in certain ways. I leaned into stereotypes, pretending I was good at math when I was not good at math. I started making friends with the other Asian kids and felt a new sense of camaraderie I hadnt before.

But one day on the bus, when I was sitting with the other Asian kids, the neighbor boy the one who knew me turned to us and asked: Did you guys get your names from your parents throwing pots and pans down the stairs?

I was able to shrug off the comments from the other kids, but this one, I wasnt protected from. It was a reminder that no matter how hard I tried to assimilate, no matter how hard I tried to fit in, I was the Asian kid, first and foremost.

Plus, our stairs were carpeted. He knew that.

Being the kid of immigrants, its a wave you learn to ride.

Your great aunt gives you a bar of soap and points to your face, you nod and smile and say, "Im taking care of it, I know you love me, dont worry, theres this new three-step process called Proactiv."

When a white guy on Tinder immediately asks you if youre into anime you say well, duh but swipe left.

I let jokes slide by that I shouldnt have. And felt parts of myself slip away that I should have held dear, things that I should have loved in myself like my mothers eyes or my fathers tan skin.

But even among the people I looked like I feared their judgment too. Too Asian for the American people, but too American for Asian people.

I could help relatives with their resumes, but could barely speak with my own grandmother in Vietnamese.

And while I grew okay with being a Linh, the uncomfortable gray area sat with me for a long time.

But love changes things. And loving yourself is hard, oh so hard. But sometimes, when you love somebody else and see parts of yourself in them, it makes it easier to love yourself too.

For me, that started when I watched my little cousins grow up.

The next generation of my family isnt shy about sharing their lives, which is why I know way too much right now about Harry Styles and YouTube drama.

Its so fun watching them live their fun, authentic lives where they dont hesitate to share details about their heritage with their friends and classmates.

But when my little cousin was upset one day and told me the story about a boy who asked her if she ate dogs you better know, I was ready to beat a kid up.

And thats when I realized how badly my parents must have only wanted to protect me from the same cruelties and glares when they first came here so many years ago.

And I love them for who they are trying to keep me safe from a world that can be cruel and instantly judgmental.

I love my cousins for how open they are and how they dont hide themselves. And as they get older and that self-awareness kicks in, I want them to see that I love myself and that there's nothing they need to hide.

And when I think about my life now so many years later and all the different types of people who care about me, I feel forever grateful.

Andyou know what my parents have been doing? Theyve been asking me about when Im going to bring a nice person over.

ABOUT THE STORYTELLER:Linh Ta is a proud Des Moines resident, born and raised. She works as a reporter for Axios Des Moines, a daily newsletter that covers everything from politics to the best eats in town. Prior to that, she worked at the Des Moines Register and Iowa Capital Dispatch. As a new homeowner, her days are spent asking "how the heck do you do that?" and telling her cat to knock it off.

The Des Moines Storytellers Project strongly believes that everyone HAS a story and everyone CAN tell it. None of the storytellers who take our stage are professionals. They are your neighbors, friends or co-workers, and they are coached to tell byRegister journalists.

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Excerpt from:
Too American or too Asian? How this Iowan learned to love all sides of herself - Des Moines Register

Ritual treatment of the dead, either through burial ceremonies or other funerary activities is often seen as a signal of self-awareness and interpersonal relationships in animals, which of course includes humans. Finding death rituals in non-human animals can be tricky, but it does happen. Apes, elephants, dolphins, and some birds have all been observed either watching over the bodies of the deceased or otherwise treating them in some socially meaningful way.

Humans, of course, take this relationship with the dead to a level not seen in other animals. Certainly, our relationship with the dead has evolved over time and a critical step in that evolution was recently uncovered in the ancient city of atalhyk, in modern-day Turkey. atalhyk is thought by some to be the worlds oldest city, dating back approximately 9,000 years. The people there lived in houses made of mud bricks and engaged in unusual funeral rites involving the painting of both bodies and houses.

Eline Schotsman from the PACEA laboratory at the University of Bordeaux, and colleagues, were examining human remains at the site to better understand the use of pigments in funeral rituals at atalhyk. Their findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The majority of the deceased in this community were simply buried and left in the ground, not unlike the way we bury our dead today. Some, however, received special treatment. A small portion of the dead, about 6 percent, were painted with various pigments. Its unclear why some individuals received this treatment while most did not.

This is the beginning of social differentiation, but were not sure why some were painted. It isnt based on age, or sex, or specific families. At the moment, we dont really have an answer. We think it was a kind of social memory, Schotsman told SYFY WIRE.

We can think of the rituals as similar to the way modern humans might keep mementos of lost loved ones in their houses as a way of triggering memories of the deceased. The people of the time didnt have photographs or other visual means of remembering, so they used pigments.

In addition to painting the dead, they also painted their houses, and the number of domicile paintings lines up with the number of painted remains, suggesting they were done at, or around, the same time. Adding pigment to the remains and then adding the same pigments to your house offers a visual and tactile connection to the dead which remains even after the body is buried.

Blue and green colors were used for women and children only, which is quite special. Cinnabar was only used for males and only found as a head band. Ochre was used for everyone, Schotsman said.

Theres also evidence that burial wasnt necessarily permanent. Researchers found indications that bones were sometimes removed from the grave and kept in the community for a time. Theyd be passed around and these secondary or tertiary funeral rituals often included the painting of houses and addition of pigment to the remains or the burial site.

The fact that these activities were not evenly distributed across individuals might be an early example of social inequality which evolved over time until it reached its modern form. Its interesting to consider that relationships as complex as racial, sexual, or economic inequality might have gotten their start with stripes of paint applied to the head.

It lends a little more weight to the way we inter and celebrate our dead. Theres no telling how the difference between cremation, standard burial, or a mausoleum might trickle into the future and influence the way our descendants live.

Maybe we should all just slide our bodies into a peat bog and call it a day.

See the article here:
Bone canvas: Ancient humans painted and passed around the remains of their dead - Syfy

Article content

The Toronto Sun takes you straight to the heart of the action.

Whether its local news, provincial and national politics, or the worlds of celebrity and sports, we have you covered.

Some stories set the world on fire. And these ones are the most popular online stories from the past seven days, clicked on by Sun readers like you.

Here are our top stories:

DICTATORSHIP OF THE WORST KIND: European MPs blast Trudeau for COVID rights violation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the European Parliament speaking about how important it is for countries on both sides of the pond to work together to defend (cough, cough) democracy. Oy.

The Suns Eddie Chau went down a rabbit hole of some of the best comments from the MPs in the room who accused him of violating human rights over how he and his government handled the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa last month. (Was it only last month? It seems like forever ago.)

The most memorable? One MEP described Canada in recent months as a symbol of civil rights violation under Trudeaus quasi-liberal boot, and his invoking of the Emergencies Act was of a dictatorship of the worst kind.

LILLEY: Trudeau warns Canadians, European leaders against politicians acting as he does

Chau passed the baton off to political columnist Brian Lilley who went one step further to question Trudeaus complete and utter lack of self-awareness.

He issued a warning, first to European leaders, then Canadians, against politicians who act just like he does. Um, what??

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Man who fell off Jet Ski shot and killed by his rescuer in South Carolina

Did you hear the one about the man who saved a man and woman who fell off a jet ski, then ended up shooting the man who nearly drowned?

Okay, well, this is no laughing matter but it did happen, in South Carolina, and the shooter was not prosecuted after the shooting was ruled as self-defence.

Just when you thought things couldnt get more bizarre.

ITS AN HONOUR: Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews caps hat deal

From hat tricks to hats, Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is the new face of Lids, the North American sports cap retailer.

It also makes him the first NHL player and first pro athlete from a Canadian team with such a partnership.

Its an honour for me, Matthews told the Suns Lance Hornby. Ive always been into hats; I think theyre a really big part of hockey culture.

Don Cherry may not be a fan of Matthews fashion choices but others sure are. Hats off to you, Auston!

KINSELLA: Breaking down the motive for this undemocratic Liberal-NDP backroom deal

As you already know, the Liberals reached an agreement that would see the New Democrats support Justin Trudeaus minority government through to 2025.

Political columnist Warren Kinsella broke down, then broke down the undemocratic backroom deal between the two parties that transformed Trudeau, the minority prime minister, into Trudeau, majority prime minister something most Canadians didnt want back in October during the election.

Read more:
TOP CLICKS: The week that was in viral stories - Edmonton Journal