JOHN VALENTINE IS AN AUTHOR AND CULTURAL HISTORIAN. HE POSTS ABOUT POLITICS, SOCIAL ISSUES, HISTORY, SCIENCE, MUSIC, AND OTHER TOPICS WITH WIT AND INSIGHT.
Memphis, Tn.
Joined March 2021
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AN OPEN MIND IS THE GATEWAY TO KNOWLEDGE. A CLOSED MIND WILL ONLY LEAD TO A DUNGEON OF DARKNESS AND IGNORANCE. LEARNING IS A LIFELONG PROCESS. DARE TO OPEN YOUR MIND TO THE INFINITE WONDERS OF THE WORLD, THE JOYS OF BROTHERHOOD, AND THE HEALING POWER OF LOVE AND LAUGHTER.
Here we go again. Is there anything safe to eat anymore?
Butter recalled over yeast, mold and E.coli concerns gets FDA risk classification aol.com/articles/butter-reca…
JOHN VALENTINE retweeted
The largest trees in the world are found in Sequoia National Park, California.
📽: Muhammad Arsalan Sabir
JOHN VALENTINE retweeted
I love seeing old photographs like this.
We’re so used to seeing the Great Sphinx fully uncovered that it’s easy to forget it spent much of its life buried beneath the sand.
Just imagine walking across the Giza Plateau and seeing that enormous head emerging from the desert.
Makes you wonder what else might still be buried out there, waiting to be found.
JOHN VALENTINE retweeted
Msituni was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with a deformity in her front legs that prevented her from standing to feed. Already measuring 178 cm, her life was in serious danger.
To save her, the zoo contacted Ara Mirzaian, a renowned human orthotist.
After studying giraffe anatomy intensively day and night, he designed custom orthopedic braces that corrected her posture and ultimately saved her life. ❤️❤️
JOHN VALENTINE retweeted
This beaver was rescued as an orphaned newborn, yet it still has the natural instinct to build a dam without ever learning from its parents
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This is great! The Hornets surprise Muggsy Bogues with the news that his No. 1 jersey will be retired.
MUGGSY BOGUES 👏
5’3” & played 14 SEASONS!
10 PTS, 8 AST, 2 BLK!!!
13 PTS, 17 AST, 7 STL
24 PTS, 10 AST (9/11 FG)
22 PTS, 10 AST (9/10 FG)
20 PTS, 15 AST (9/10 FG)
18 PTS, 17 AST, 0 TO
📼 @DUNKC0MP
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Many Black people still maintain a deep connection to their ancestors despite centuries of slavery and colonialism that sought to break those ties. Our ancient ancestors were the first to believe the spirit survived death and was always available to provide counsel and comfort.
JOHN VALENTINE retweeted
This photo shows the difference between the original form and the current state of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Above: The pyramid is recreated in its original form from approximately 4,500 years ago during the reign of Khufu. At that time, the entire surface was covered in polished white limestone (Tura limestone), making the pyramid look very smooth and reflect sunlight strongly, almost glowing in the desert. ✨
Below: This is its current state. The outer layer of white limestone has gradually eroded over thousands of years due to earthquakes, weather, and quarrying for construction in Cairo. Therefore, the rough inner core is exposed, creating the uneven, stepped surface we see today. 🏜️
JOHN VALENTINE retweeted
Dolores Huerta, a pioneering labor organizer and civil rights icon who cofounded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez in the 1960s, has died at 96, her family said in a statement. cnn.it/4iMPEBd
JOHN VALENTINE retweeted
In January, 1969, the Free Breakfast for School Children Program was initiated at St. Augustine''s Church in Oakland by the Black Panther Party. The Panthers would cook and serve food to the pơor inner city youth of the area. Initially run out of a St. Augustine''s Church in Oakland, the Program became so popular that by the end of the year, the Panthers set up kitchens in cities across the nation, feeding over 10,000 children every day before they went to school.
Photo: Nancy Thompson ,Black Panthers'' Free Breakfast for Children'' program (Oakland, 1971)
RACISM MUST BE KNOWN AS A GLOBAL ISSUE: NOT JUST A LOCAL ONE.
theguardian.com/world/2026/o…
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People can be imprisoned, silenced, exiled, or killed—but ideas do not die with them.
Throughout history, those who challenged injustice were often treated as threats rather than reformers. Governments tried to suppress their influence through surveillance, arrests, bans, and violence. Yet the ideas they carried continued to move through communities long after attempts were made to erase them.
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"Ain't Nobody" almost never happened. Rufus initially rejected the song because its unusual drum machine pattern and minimalist arrangement sounded too different from the band's previous material. Keyboardist David "Hawk" Wolinski insisted on keeping it, believing it had the potential to become something special. According to Wolinski, producer Quincy Jones later wanted Michael Jackson to record the song for Thriller but he refused because he believed it belonged to Chaka Khan and Rufus.
Released in 1983 as one of the studio recordings on the live album Stompin' at the Savoy, "Ain't Nobody" became Rufus and Chaka Khan's final hit together. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart. It also won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1984. Its innovative blend of funk, R&B and electronic production helped transform it into a timeless classic that continues to be sampled and covered decades after its release.