‘I Got You:’ San Bernardino Shooting Victim’s Last Words to Co-Worker
In the wake of last week’s deadly attack that killed 14 people at the Inland Regional Center in California, one woman recalls how she survived the shooting — thanks to a co-worker who shielded her from gunfire. Shannon Johnson wrapped his arm around Denise Peraza and told her, “I got you,” as rounds of bullets were fired across the room. Peraza was hit once and survived, while Johnson died.
An online fundraising campaign was launched to send Johnson’s remains home to Georgia and spread his message of “I Got You.” [LA Times]
‘Survivors’ of Mass Shootings are Barely Surviving
Beautifully written and photographed, the Washington Post’s look at the life of a survivor of a mass shooting is a damning indictment of the flip, hasty way the country moves on after these tragedies. [Washington Post]
What Muslims Were Really Doing on 9/11
Donald Trump has been on a tear against Muslims in the United States, including a much publicized and much disputed claim that “thousands” of Muslims could be found in New Jersey on 9/11 celebrating as the towers fell. That rumor has been debunked for years, but for anyone unconvinced, New York Magazine gathered the testimonies of New Jersey Muslims who spent the day, like everyone else, huddled in fear, trying to find loved ones and mourning the dead. [NY Magazine]
J.K. Rowling Give Donald Trump the Perfect 'Harry Potter' Burn
J.K. Rowling shared her thoughts on the Donald recently, and the comparison some have made of him to her super-villain, Lord Voldemort. “Voldemort was nowhere near as bad,” the author tweeted, which then prompted fans to reply with several hashtags, including one that’s sure to become a favorite — #HeWhoMustNotBeNamed. [Mashable]
How horrible. Voldemort was nowhere near as bad. https://t.co/hFO0XmOpPH
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 8, 2015Wounded Vets to Receive Penis Transplants in the Coming Months
Sixty wounded vets who lost their genitals in combat will receive experimental penis transplants in the next few months in a study overseen by Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine, the New York Times reported. Only two other attempts at the procedure have been recorded in medical journals in the past — a botched effort in China in 2006 and one successful endeavor in South Africa last year. While some look at the study as non-essential to the patients’ survival, doctors involved told the Times that the hidden shame and stigma of losing their genitals was far worse than other injuries. “Our young male patients would rather lose both legs and an arm than have a urogenital injury,” one doctor told the publication. [NYT]
Scott Weiland’s Ex-Wife Speaks Out: ‘Don’t Glorify This Tragedy’
The accolades have been pouring in this week for Scott Weiland, the former Stone Temple Pilots frontman who was found dead on his tour bus Thursday, according to Rolling Stone. Mary Weiland, Wthe rocker's ex-wife and mother of his two children, penned a heartfelt and frank letter about the late singer’s death that was published in the magazine on Monday.
“Our hope for Scott has died, but there is still hope for others,” she wrote. “Let's choose to make this the first time we don't glorify this tragedy with talk of rock and roll and the demons that, by the way, don't have to come with it.” [Rolling Stone]
The Supreme Court’s Only Woman of Color is Also Its Only Justice to Condemn Police Killings
The Supreme Court just decreed that it was OK that a police officer fired multiple times at a fleeing suspect, even though his supervisor told him not to and his colleagues had already set up a way to stop the suspect without killing him. The only justice to dissent from the opinion was Sonia Sotomayor, who condemned her colleagues for “sanctioning a ‘shoot first, think later’ approach to policing.” [Slate]
Jimmy Carter Says He is Cancer-Free, Credits New Drug
Former president Jimmy Carter announced that his cancer is gone. Carter, 91, said in August that doctors found melanoma lesions on his brain, but an MRI last week showed that he was cancer-free. While experts say his cancer could still return, Carter credits a drug known as Keytruda for shrinking his tumors. The pharmaceutical belongs to a new class of drugs that battle the disease by boosting the body’s immune system. [USA Today]
Hulu Ran a Nordstrom Ad Featuring a Gay Couple
Streaming website Hulu ran a Nordstrom holiday commercial featuring two men kissing (and an adorable giant dog). Heartwarming — unless you’re a conservative blogger who happens to spot the ad while watching “Dennis the Menace” and “The Rifleman” (yes, really). A blogger for the American Thinker apparently complained for weeks to Hulu about the gall of showing such an ad during “55-year-old television shows” whose audience, he says, “don’t include a large proportion of Haight-Ashbury and Greenwich Village types.” [Queerty]
Straight College-Educated Women Have Harder Time Finding a Guy, But Stay Married Longer
College-educated straight women seeking a spouse with the same education level will face tough odds — a third more women are graduating from college than men, according to financial reporter Jon Birger. But a report out of the Pew Research Center shows that 78 percent of college-educated women who marry a man will stay married for twenty years, as compared to 40 percent of women with a high school degree or less. [Quartz]
And the Biggest Troll of 2015 Is …
In a time when Internet trolling is becoming a national pastime, who came out as the year’s best prankster? VICE made a list of the best hoax moments of 2015, including when Twitter pretended not to know Paul McCartney, when Al-Jazeera unknowingly put an notorious troller on a live segment about Edward Snowden and when some guy tried to sell a bag of “Williamsburg air” for $20,000 on Ebay. Yeah, it’s been a good year. [VICE]
What It’s Like to Be a 23-Year-Old Guy at a 4,000-Person Chinese Singles Party
Forget OKCupid and Tinder — in China, “Love and Marriage Expo’s” are the booming way to find your match. Thousands of singles, matchmakers, mothers of singles and “marriage marketers” gather at this massive annual event — where men registered have their photos and personal details (age, salary, height, education) posted like “wanted posters.” The story lets you follow one man’s first attempt at navigating the Shanghai expo. Spoiler alert: he’s still single. [Quartz]
Queens High Schoolers Act Out Presidential Race and Personalities
High schoolers are listening. Students at Townsend Harris High School acted out this year’s presidential race and they kept it real by taking on the personalities of each candidate and the hard-hitting journalists who interview them, according to WNYC. For example, during one debate, “Donald Trump” crosses a line, accusing “Hillary Clinton” of PMSing — not far off from sexist remarks he’s made in real life. In the end, Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton lead the election simulation. WNYC poses the question: How different are real politics from high school? [WNYC]
This Sexy Santa is All You’ll Want For Christmas
Canadian model Paul Mason has been dubbed “Fashion Santa” for his role as a dapper St. Nick at a mall in Toronto. [Buzzfeed]
#YorkdaleFashionSanta makes our days merry & bright 🎄 His appearance dates are on the blog https://t.co/1bt5QZkz1S pic.twitter.com/r0pkC0JEn3
— Yorkdale Style (@YorkdaleStyle) December 1, 2015Hidden portrait ‘found under Mona Lisa’, says French scientist
Scientist Pascal Cotte is challenging long-held notions about the identity of the “Mona Lisa,” Leonardo Da Vinci’s most popular work, according to the BBC.
Many have come to believe the painting depicts the Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine silk merchant, but Cotte has recently claimed to have found evidence — discovered through more than 10 years of analysis using reflective light technology — that proves the Mona Lisa is actually another woman. [BBC]
A New Dating Website Caters Specifically to Disney Fans
A new dating site called Mouse Mingle wants to help people who love Disney start loving each other as well. The site costs $12.55 a month and asks users questions about their favorite Disney parks, characters, memories and songs to help them find love. This may not sound as romantic as saving your crush from Urusla or Jafar, but in the age of online dating, it could still get the job done. [Mashable]
This column was compiled by DNAinfo reporters Lisha Arino, Camille Bautista, Jeanmarie Evelly, Emily Frost, Gwynne Hogan, Noah Hurowitz, Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, Carolina Pichardo, Irene Plagianos, Eddie Small, Rachel Holliday Smith, Danielle Tcholakian, Shaye Weaver and Nikhita Venugopal.
