In The Buzz Cut, we bring you a round-up of all the weird, controversial, and wonderful stories we’ve been reading all week.
Approximately 4 percent of people worldwide have reported hearing what researchers say is a global ‘Hum,’ that exists outside of everyday noises that manmade objects make. While there is a World Hum Map and Database for the Hum hearers to document their experience, researchers have not yet been able to locate a source.
*
Who was Toto Koopman? You probably don’t know her. She remains one of the most mysterious women in history, despite being an openly bisexual, biracial Vogue cover girl and a model for the likes of Coco Chanel — in addition to serving as a spy for the Allies in World War II.
*
How ethical is it to have children in this climate? Members of an organisation called Birthstrike have decided not to have children in light of an impending “climate breakdown and civilization collapse.” They say their decision will reduce their carbon emissions and prevent their progeny from having to live in an increasingly unhealthy and catastrophic environment.
*
Double take: Denmark, despite having been touted as one of the most gender equal countries in the world, has the “highest prevalence of sexual violence in the world,” some studies say.
*
Who is Naomi Osaka? The 20-year-old Japanese-Haitian tennis wonder who managed to defeat legendary champion Serena Williams at an action-packed U.S. Open final in 2018 opens up in this profile.
*
Facebook is helping solve anti-semitism (I know, it sounds like an oxymoron) in France. The country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, is in talks with the embattled social media platform to develop proposals to combat hate speech online.
*
The pervasive reach of social media into kids’ lives, aided by unapologetic ‘sharenting,’ is affecting the identities of the younger generation, who are increasingly going online to take control of their narrative. How?
*
Harvard researcher Jean Briggs traveled to the Arctic Circle and found a remarkable parenting technique among Inuit families there: they had a superhuman ability to control their anger, which they passed on to their kids. The trick is, apparently, never to scold, berate, or raise your voice.
*
Women continue to be underrepresented in Indian politics, even though studies have shown women in local panchayats spend more than men on infrastructure that benefits everyone. If we know this — then what gives?
*
What, pray, have been the perks of the advent of fashion blogs? For one, they have made the increasingly exclusive fashion industry accessible to normal people, democratizing the process of success and failure for fashion brands.
