The West African country of Benin is granting citizenship to descendants of enslaved people in an effort to attract the Black diaspora, acknowledge its role in the slave trade, and promote tourism. “By legally recognizing these children of Africa, Benin is healing a historical wound. It is an act of justice, but also one of belonging and hope,” Justice Minister Yvon Détchénou said at a ceremony in the city of Cotonou during which U.S. singer Ciara received her citizenship. Here's more from [@AssociatedPress](
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Associated Press (@AssociatedPress) on Flipboard
News & analysis from the Associated Press. Follow AssociatedPress on Flipboard, to explore their latest magazines and flipped articles.
 ).
AP News
Ciara is among the first descendants of enslaved people granted citizenship by Benin
U.S. singer Ciara is one of the first public figures to become a citizen of Benin under a recent law by the small West African country granting cit...
 #Benin #Africa #SlaveTrade #USHistory #History #BlackMastodon @npub1e4zk...xz2t
Here's an [@AtlasObscura](
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Atlas Obscura (@AtlasObscura) on Flipboard
The definitive guide to the world's hidden wonders. Follow AtlasObscura on Flipboard, to explore their latest magazines and flipped articles.
 ) article for if you have fond memories of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series (The one where you were at summer camp and then suddenly, in a Robin Hood story! Holding your finger in a page where you'd made a choice in case your adventure ended and you needed to go back to that crucial point!) Back in 2017, Sarah Laskow wrote about projects to map the forking structure of the stories, in doing so, revealing how the series evolved, its connection to modern interactive fiction, and the most complex, straightforward, and frustrating books. https://flip.it/WP6e3c #Books #Bookstodon @bookstodon group #ChildrensBooks #ChooseYourOwnAdventure #InteractiveFiction
"Happy Gilmore 2," the sequel to the well-loved 1996 comedy, is out on Netflix now. In honor of this, [@RollingStone](
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Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) on Flipboard
Rolling Stone: Stories that matter, reporting you can trust. Get the latest music, politics, pop culture news, and more
 ) has ranked all of Adam Sandler's movies (there are some gems among the absolute stinkers). Which do you think came top?
Adam Sandler’s Movies, Ranked Worst to Best
From Happy Gilmore to Uncut Gems, the greatest (and most grating) films of the star we call the Sandman.
 #Movies #Film #Cinema #AdamSandler #HappyGilmore
Tom Lehrer, the song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and more, has died at 97. Read about his remarkable music (“The Old Drug Peddler”), career (math instructor at Harvard) and life (he served two years in the U.S. Army) from [@AssociatedPress](
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Associated Press (@AssociatedPress) on Flipboard
News & analysis from the Associated Press. Follow AssociatedPress on Flipboard, to explore their latest magazines and flipped articles.
 ):
AP News
Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97
Tom Lehrer songs included “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “The Old Dope Peddler,” “Be Prepared” and “The Vatican Rag,” in which he...
 #Culture #Music #Entertainment #Satire
You don’t have to be old to say “what a load of sh-t the kids are listening to these days.” Lauren Hunter, a 22-year-old writer, spells it out in a column that just needed to be written, titled “Recession Pop: Are we being amused to death by feel-good music?” Read it [@FarOutMagazine](
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Far Out Magazine (@FarOutMagazine) on Flipboard
Curating Culture. Follow FarOutMagazine on Flipboard, to explore their latest flipped articles, magazines, and more.
 ): https://flip.it/aO5DGT #Culture #Music #Entertainment #PopMusic #Recession
Think you have what it takes to be a spy? You might have the makeup of one more than agents of cinema like Tom Cruise, Matt Damon or Daniel Craig. Andrew Bustamante is a former CIA spy who looks nothing like a spy, doesn’t dress like a spy and still doesn’t fully understand what the CIA saw in him. He explains the agency’s process for developing spies and much more in this captivating video from BigThink.com:
Big Think
The hidden process of becoming a CIA agent, from a former spy
“The public really doesn't realize that they are much closer to CIA spies than they think they are.”
 #Culture #CIA #Spies #Covert
The Texas Republican party has revived a failed bill that would ban trans women from bathrooms and locker rooms at public spaces including government buildings and schools, and from women's prisons and domestic violence shelters. @npub1npnp...ecka writes about how cis women, including former State Senator Wendy Davis, State Rep. Jessica Gonzalez. who is chair of the Texas House LGBTQ caucus and State Senator Molly Cook are showing up to protest against the bathroom ban and support trans people. "This bathroom ban is nothing but a cheap cruel attempt to distract and divide us," said Gonzalez in a speech this week. "It's not about safety, it's not about public policy. It's about hate, it's about control, and it's about fear of people living authentically and unapologetically." A hearing on the bill has not been set yet, but Gov. Greg Abbott has outlined the restrictions as a special session priority. Read more about it at the second link, which is from the Texas Tribune. https://flip.it/SfNuAC
The Texas Tribune
Texas again trying to restrict the bathrooms transgender people can use - The Texas Tribune
The bills would carry a $5,000 fine for a first-time violation and comes as momentum for such restrictions has increased in the state and nationally.
 #Texas #TransRights #TexasPolitics #USPolitics #BathroomBans #Republicans
Thousands of people are arriving in San Diego for Comic-Con 2025. Comics Beat has written this guide on what to do if you're attending and ICE shows up. "In the event that federal officers crash SDCC, it’s important to know your rights and execute them to protect yourself and your community—no matter your immigration or citizenship status," write the team.
The Beat
SDCC ‘25: What to do if ICE crashes the con
If you see ICE or Border Patrol agents while attending San Diego Comic-Con, know your rights and exercise them.
 #ComicCon #ComicCon2025 #USPolitics #USImmigration #PopCulture #Entertainment #ICE If you'd like to stay up to date on what's going on at SDCC in general, you can follow [@ew](
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Entertainment Weekly (@ew) on Flipboard
We keep you plugged into pop culture. Follow ew on Flipboard, to explore their latest magazines and flipped articles.
 )'s federated Magazine here: [@comic-con-ew](
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Comic-Con | @ew | Flipboard
Gear up for San Diego Comic-Con with the latest scoop from EW.
 )
The second season of "Sandman" was quietly released on Netflix on July 3 and 24, with a bonus episode coming on July 31. [@inversedotcom](
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The coolest place to get smarter. Follow inversedotcom on Flipboard, to explore their latest magazines and flipped articles.
 )'s Hoai-Tran Bui reviews the series in the context of the accusations against Neil Gaiman, on whose graphic novels the TV show is based. "It’s still difficult to parse a story that impacted so many, from an author who hurt many more. In the end, it seems the funeral for 'The Sandman' will be a hushed one," she writes. Article contains spoilers.
Netflix Just Quietly Released The Finale Of Its Most Controversial Fantasy Epic
 #Television #TV #Entertainment #NeilGaiman #Sandman #Netflix