How badass WNBA players responded when they were fined for protesting injustice.

Social justice activism took an expensive turn for several WNBA players on July 21, 2016.

Hoping to show support for victims of recent police shootings and for the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and Charles Kinsey, several WNBA players wore shirts with Black Lives Matter hashtags on them to recent games .

According to the WNBA, however, these shirts are in violation of the league's uniform sponsorship policy, so the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty were each fined $5,000 for their actions. Several individual players were also fined $500 for wearing the altered shirts.

The fines were frustrating, to say the least, and many players felt the need to speak up about the hypocrisy.

The WNBA is a league comprised mostly of black players, and many of the women are actively involved in advocacy around the Black Lives Matter movement.

While the league has this policy, it's important to note that NBA president Adam Silver didn't fine LeBron James and other NBA players when they wore "I Can't Breathe" shirts in 2014. And up to this point, the league had been fairly supportive of players speaking out on issues that mattered.

Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings was one of many players who called out the hypocrisy.

"Instead of the league taking a stance with us, where they tell us they appreciate our expressing our concerns like they did for Orlando, we're fighting against each other," Catchings said .

In response to the shirts, WNBA president Lisa Borders released a statement defending the league's decision and fines, referencing the league’s uniform guidelines and reminding the league that the women are not allowed to alter their uniforms in any way.

"We are proud of WNBA players' engagement and passionate advocacy for non-violent solutions to difficult social issues but expect them to comply with the league's uniform guidelines," Borders said.

While rules are certainly rules, financially penalizing players who already make significantly less than their male counterparts in the NBA is pretty unfair... especially in a league that's been outspoken in defending a multitude of issues in the past, from LGBTQ issues to health initiatives .

Many players feel that the WNBA's lack of support for Black Lives Matter shows how out of touch the league is when it comes to the lives of its players.

Tina Charles, a player for the New York Liberty, wrote a great response about choosing activism over silence on her Instagram page:

“Seventy percent of the WNBA players are African-American women and as a league collectively impacted. My teammates and I will continue to use our platform and raise awareness for the #BlackLivesMatter movement until the WNBA [gives] its support as it does for Breast Cancer Awareness, [Pride] and other subject matters.”

With the sheer amount of women of color in the WNBA , league officials probably shouldn't be surprised that their players are outraged about the recent shootings, as race relations affect them on a personal level.

And handing out fines for players' peaceful actions represses their right to speak out against injustice and it sends a message that police brutality isn't a topic that should be discussed. Plus, t he players' activism followed a legacy of many athletes' protests before them , such as Muhammad Ali being outspoken about his views of the Vietnam War , players from the St. Louis Rams marching out with their hands up after the Ferguson shooting , and LeBron James when he wore an "I Can't Breathe" shirt after Eric Garner's death .

LeBron James has been fiercely outspoken on police brutality and ending violence. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images.

The actions of leagues and sports teams largely affects public perceptions of issues.

When the Super Bowl pulled out of Arizona in 1990 because the state refused to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day or when the NBA announced their recent ultimatum about North Carolina's discriminatory anti-LGBTQ bathroom law , it made an unmistakable statement.

Some people tend be uncomfortable with the Black Lives Matter movement because they think it's an attack on police. In reality, Black Lives Matter was created to stop violence, not ignite it , and to call out injustice in a blatantly corrupt system. But when key players and public figures, like the women of the WNBA, stand behind issues like Black Lives Matter, even a stand as simple as T-shirts, it matters. It moves the movement forward in the best way.

The WNBA players' fight for advocacy isn't just impressive. It's American to the core.

As these women speak out against a system of injustice in a peaceful and empathetic way, I hope we can all listen.

By peacefully protesting, listening to people of color instead of ignoring them, and supporting efforts to create trust between communities of color and law enforcement , we can stand by what WNBA players and many other athletes of color have already stated: Black lives matter.

Community

Facebook group brings people together IRL to make meaningful friendships

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

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A post shared by 𝐍𝐘𝐂 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝® (@nycbrunchsquad)

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

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friendship

Education

3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

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education

Health

Please read this before you post another RIP on social media

There is a hierarchy of grief and it's important to know where you fall on it before posting about someone's death.

Image from GOOD .

Working through grief is a community thing.

Grieving in the technology age is uncharted territory.

I'll take you back to Saturday, June 9, 2012. At 8:20 a.m., my 36-year-old husband was pronounced dead at a hospital just outside Washington, D.C.

By 9:20 a.m., my cellphone would not stop ringing or text-alerting me long enough for me to make the necessary calls that I needed to make: people like immediate family, primary-care doctors to discuss death certificates and autopsies, funeral homes to discuss picking him up, and so on. Real things, important things, time-sensitive, urgent things.

At 9:47 a.m., while speaking to a police officer (because yes, when your spouse dies, you must be questioned by the police immediately), one call did make it through. I didn't recognize the number. But in those moments, I knew I should break my normal rule and answer all calls. "He's dead??? Oh my God. Who's with you? Are you OK? Why am I reading this on Facebook? Taya, what the heck is going on?"

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culture

How badass WNBA players responded when they were fined for protesting injustice.

Social justice activism took an expensive turn for several WNBA players on July 21, 2016.

The fines were frustrating, to say the least, and many players felt the need to speak up about the hypocrisy.

Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings was one of many players who called out the hypocrisy.

Many players feel that the WNBA's lack of support for Black Lives Matter shows how out of touch the league is when it comes to the lives of its players.

The actions of leagues and sports teams largely affects public perceptions of issues.

The WNBA players' fight for advocacy isn't just impressive. It's American to the core.

Van Gogh saw something it took scientists another 100 years to see.

I'm not easily impressed, OK?

Get this: Van Gogh was a pretty cool artist (duh), but as it turns out...

...he was also A SCIENTIST!*

Here's the story.

~~~TURBULENCE~~~

Thing is, scientists are pretty much *just* starting to figure this stuff out.

Then you've got Van Gogh, 100 years earlier, in his asylum, with a mutilated ear, who totally nailed it!

But did other artists depict turbulence the way Van Gogh did?

Not even "The Scream" could hold a candle to Van Gogh!

Watch the video below to learn even more:

And experimenting with online dating for dogs and cats might just be working.

An estimated 50 million people worldwide use Tinder. So LifeLine and other shelters and rescues figure why not give it a shot?

Animal profiles are also showing up on Bumble, which is home to another 20 million users or so.

Like sweet Duke here.

Each pet is assigned to a volunteer who creates the profile and handles the conversations after a match

For LifeLine, the experiment is still new. But Hirsch says people are responding to it incredibly well so far.

This new animal dating idea has another upside for apps — and the people using them, too.

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

There is a hierarchy of grief and it's important to know where you fall on it before posting about someone's death.

Grieving in the technology age is uncharted territory.

While I can in no way speak for the entire planet, I certainly feel qualified to propose some suggestions — or, dare I say, rules — for social media grieving.

There is a hierarchy of grief.

In the days before social media, these expressions came in the form of phone calls, voicemail messages, and floral deliveries.

Please give us a minute.

Do you get where I'm going with this?

Your love and expressions of support are appreciated and needed, but they can also be ill-timed and create unintended additional stress.

Few gifts are greater than having your final wish granted.

Before 54-year-old Mario passed away, he had one special goodbye he needed to say ... to his favorite giraffe.

The Ambulance Wish Foundation , a Dutch nonprofit, helps people like Mario experience one final request.

Even more beautiful than the work this organization does, though, are the things its patients are asking for.

Sometimes it feels like there's never enough time. Not in a day. Not in a year. Not in a life.

A victory for America.

~TURBULENCE~

Thing is, scientists are pretty much just starting to figure this stuff out.