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They Hit 16 Different Places In 7 Days. Now 2,000 People Are Dead.

I didn't hear about this on the news. Did you?

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So ... what happened, exactly?

While the details are still sketchy, what we do know so far is:

  • The militant terrorist group Boko Haram (which has been linked to the kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian school girls) is allegedly responsible.
  • They unleashed a shooting and bombing spree on innocent people around Baga, a village in northern Nigeria.
  • The total lives lost is reported as "up to 2,000" across 16 villages. The body count is currently unclear due to conflicting reports between eyewitnesses and the Nigerian government.
  • The attacks began at a military outpost on Jan. 3, made their way to Baga on the 7th, and lasted until about the 10th, with three additional but separate suicide bombings over the weekend. That's almost a full week of violent, deadly attacks.
  • The youngest reported suicide bomber was a 10-year-old girl. Yeah. They used a 10-year-old girl as a bomb.
  • Mostly women and children were killed, and thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes.
  • Conflicting reports aside, this is the most devastating attack linked to Boko Haram to date.
"This attack reiterates the urgent need for Boko Haram to stop the senseless killing of civilians and for the Nigerian government to take measures to protect a population who live in constant fear of such attacks." — Daniel Eyre, Amnesty International

With details still unfolding and the major media organizations only just now starting to pay attention to this story, the best way to stay updated is through social media using the hastag #PrayForNigeria on both Facebook and Twitter. (Warning: some graphic images.)

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Come for the food, stay for the wholesomeness.

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Much of the early criteria for ADHD was written based on how it presented in males, more specifically, white male children, and I was neither. Women like me are being diagnosed more and more lately and it’s likely because social media has connected us in a way that was lacking pre- doom scrolling days.

With the help of social media, women can connect with others who share the same symptoms that were once a source of shame. They can learn what testing to ask for and how to advocate for themselves while having an army of supporters that you’ve never met to encourage you along the way. A lot of women that are diagnosed later in life don’t want medication, they just want an answer. Finally having an answer is what nearly brought me to tears. I wasn’t lazy and forgetful because I didn’t care. I had a neurological disorder that severely impacted my ability to pay attention to detail and organize tasks from most important to least. Just having the answer was a game changer, but hearing that untreated ADHD can cause unchecked anxiety, which I had in spades, I decided to listen to my doctor and give medication a try.

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Pianoforte/Facebook

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Mozart was known for his musical talent at a young age, playing the harpsichord at age 4 and writing original compositions at age 5. So perhaps it's fitting that a video of 5-year-old piano prodigy Alberto Cartuccia Cingolani playing Mozart has gone viral as people marvel at his musical abilities.

Alberto's legs can't even reach the pedals, but that doesn't stop his little hands from flying expertly over the keys as incredible music pours out of the piano at the 10th International Musical Competition "Città di Penne" in Italy. Even if you've seen young musicians play impressively, it's hard not to have your jaw drop at this one. Sometimes a kid comes along who just clearly has a gift.

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