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Heroes

Australia wanted tourists to forget climate change is a thing. It backfired.

Climate denial doesn't look good on you, Australia.

It's difficult to overstate the amazingness of the Great Barrier Reef.

Photo by HO/AFP/Getty Images.


Thousands of sea creatures and an array of colorful coral types call this natural Australian wonder home.

Like this curious little fella.

Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.

So it makes sense that tourists are drawn from across the globe to see the reef — the largest structure created by living organisms on Earth.

Photo by Adam Pretty/ALLSPORT/Getty Images.

Great Barrier Reef tourism pours billions of dollars into Australia, so keeping travelers interested in its pristine sights is a pretty big priority Down Under.


Photo by Eddie Safarik/Tourism Queensland via Getty Images.

Unfortunately, the Australian government was willing to sweep a catastrophic problem facing the reef under the rug in order to keep this booming industry afloat.

Climate change has already caused "serious and lasting damage" to a sizable portion of the reef, with coral bleaching — a process caused by temperature influx that calcifies and potentially kills coral — destroying as much as 35% of the reef in certain regions, a new report found.


But Aussie officials would rather not remind the public of these grave threats if it means their tourism numbers might drop.

According to The New York Times, the Australian government requested that UNESCO and the United Nations Environment Program remove the Great Barrier Reef from the (not-so-great) findings of a new environmental report, "World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate."

The UN and UNESCO complied.

Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images.

In fact, all mentions of any habitats in Australia — including Kakadu National Park and the Tasmanian forests — were nixed from the report, according to The Guardian.

“Australia is the only inhabited continent that is not featured in the report,” professor Will Steffen of the Climate Change Institute at Australian National University told The New York Times. “Information is the currency of democracy, and the idea that government officials would exert pressure to censor scientific information on our greatest national treasure is extremely disturbing.”


Protesters urge more action to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Photo by Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images.

Australia has to have some justifiable reason for pressuring the UN into quietly leaving it out of the report, though ... right?

Wrong.

The country's Department of the Environment told The Guardian that an earlier working title of the report — "Destinations at Risk: World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate" — would cause "considerable confusion" to the public in regards to the real dangers facing the reef.

It also argued the report would promote “negative commentary" on the reef and affect tourism. Which, OK, that might be true, but should one country's revenue from tourism really be a consideration for the United Nations Environment Program? Like ... at all?

Yeaah, the Internet doesn't think so either.

Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.

Australia's attempt to downplay the threats of a warming planet illustrates why fighting climate change can be such an uphill battle.

Curbing global temperatures isn't easy. Shifting energy sources, establishing new protective regulations, fighting back against the interests of the world's wealthiest corporations, and, yes, sometimes allowing some damning reports to be published if it means spurring positive change — that's really tough stuff.

But if Australia wants to keep its tourist-magnet flourishing tomorrow, it needs to take on a dire reality facing its waters today.

Photo by William West/AFP/Getty Images.

Prepare to get Thatcherized.

It seems that Adele is going viral once again.

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One student raised their hand, the first to venture a guess.

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The gaze of the approving Boomer.

Over the past few years, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) have been getting a lot of grief from the generations that came after them, Gen X (1965 to 1980), Millenials (1981 to 1996), and now, Gen Z (1997 to 2012). Their grievances include environmental destruction, wealth hoarding, political polarization, and being judgemental when they don’t understand how hard it is for younger people to make it in America these days.

Every Baby Boomer is different, so it's wrong to paint them all with a broad brush. But it’s undeniable that each generation shares common values, and some are bound to come into conflict.

However, life in 2023 isn’t without its annoyances. Many that came about after the technological revolution put a phone in everyone’s hands and brought a whole new host of problems. Add the younger generations' hands-on approach to child rearing and penchant for outrage, and a lot of moden life has become insufferanble.

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Parenting

Teenage girl shamed for her ‘distracting’ outfit fights back in a very funny way

“[Because] she has a figure she was told she had to change.”

Photo from Facebook page.

A clever message written on her T-shirt.

A Lawton, Oklahoma, student who goes by the Facebook user name Rose Lynn had the last laugh after being sent home from school for wearing an outfit deemed "distracting." Rose Lynn believes her outfit attracted the attention of school officials because of her figure.

She proved it by posting a photo on Facebook of her modest outfit, which consisted of black leggings, a t-shirt, long cardigan, and boots. In her post, she wrote that she was sent home "because I'm developed farther than the average girl my age," and because she's a "CURVY woman." Rose Lynn also thinks the appropriate response shouldn't have been to tell her to cover up, but to teach boys to "to respect the boundaries of young ladies."

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Science

She tattooed half her face and you'd never know it. Her skills are just that good.

This incredible medical tattoo technology is giving renewed hope to burn victims.

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Basma Hameed runs a tattoo shop, of sorts...


Meet Samira Omar.

The 17-year-old was the victim of a horrific bullying incident.

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A school assignment asked for 3 benefits of slavery. This kid gave the only good answer.

The school assignment was intended to spark debate and discussion — but isn't that part of the problem?

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It's not uncommon for parents to puzzle over their kids' homework.

Sometimes, it's just been too long since they've done long division for them to be of any help. Or teaching methods have just changed too dramatically since they were in school.

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