Thursday, June 17 top stories
Hello, it is Thursday, June 17. I am taking Alex’s place this week. Ready for today’s top news?
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In northwestern China, three Chinese astronauts launched into space to begin their three-month stay on a new space station named Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony.
The astronauts will conduct various experiments, test equipment, and prepare Tinahe for expansion with new laboratory modules designed to be added next year.
China is the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to send its own astronauts into space.
NPR explained that China is not a participant in the International Space Station largely because of U.S. objections to the Chinese program’s secrecy and close military ties.
China has been rapidly advancing their space program , sending a probe that successfully landed on Mars last month and another probe that landed on the moon two years ago.
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In Missouri, a woman discovered a long worm that looked similar to an earthworm, but its head is shaped like a hammerhead shark. It is called a bipalium.
The woman said she did some research when she found that it was an invasive species, she had to kill it.
An invasive species is something that can negatively affect the new environment it is introduced in.
Scientists said the worms prey on native earthworms and other species that live in the soil, so eliminating them is important for our soil health.
It is possible that the hammerhead worms were introduced to new regions through customers buying soil from stores that were transported from out of state.
If you see a hammerhead worm, scientists recommend you kill it by pouring salt on it. If you try to chop the worm in pieces, it will regrow its tail.
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Victoria’s Secret abandons its scantily clad models, angel wings and racy catwalks saying they are no longer ‘culturally relevant’.
Victoria’s Secret has been criticized for years over its marketing that uses slender models dressed in lingerie. Especially in 2019, the company cancelled its Victoria’s Secret Fashion show following backlash that it didn’t include models of all sizes and backgrounds.
Activists and entrepreneurs will be the new faces of the brand. The brand has enlisted Olympic soccer champion Megan Rapinoe, actress Prikyanka Chopra Jonas, transgender model Valentina Sampaio and many others in a push to be more inclusive.
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Andy Duran grew up skateboarding in California’s Bay Area. Now 36 years old, he found himself stuck at home when the pandemic hit. That’s when he got the urge to get rolling again.
Once he began looking online for new gear, he was surprised by the lack of resources and information for overweight skaters. Many of the boards had weight limitations below 300 pounds and even plus size skating t-shirts were scarce. Duran currently weighs over 300 pounds and identifies as fat.
Duran wanted to prove that people of all sizes could skateboard and hoped he could encourage others. That’s when the idea of Chub Rollz ramped up in Duran’s mind. Chub Rollz is a safe space open to plus-size people wanting to learn and skate together - be it on a skateboard, roller skates or any other type of wheels.
Besides being body-positive, Duran, who is Black and Mexican, is proud that Chub Rollz is BIPOC-founded and led by a queer and trans team.
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.npr.org/2021/06/17/1007471106/china-launches-first-crew-to-live-on-new-space-station