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The Missouri State Fair is open ten days from Aug 8th through the 18th, 2024. The first few days of the fair saw some amazing wins for a young man named Bubby from Diamond N Equine. His proud mom posted news of his accomplishments on TikTok and YouTube. After placing first in the Peewee Lead Line competition, it was time to move on to the fair’s costume contest. Bubby and Mater wowed the fair judges with the creative use of a mule in their costume design. They also placed first in the costume contest! Image from TikTok. The costume design inspiration came from World War II hero mule teams integral to the Pacific theater and Allied victory. Mule teams traversed the mountainous terrain with an M1A1 Howitzer parts strapped to their back. The loads consisted of the massive guns’ barrel, wheels, and frame. The men and their mules walked hundreds of miles over the mountainous terrain to deliver their loads. A photo from the period inspired Bubby and Mater’s costume. Image from U.S. Army. When designing the costumes for Bubby and Mater, they paid attention to detail. The two were wearing olive-drab green fatigues. Mater had a replica M1A1 Howitzer barrel strapped to his back. Care was taken to make the fair costumes for mule and boy the appropriate size for the tiny contestants. The result was complete perfection. Image from TikTok. We’re unsure if Bubba got to ride carnival rides, but we hope he did. After placing first in both the Lead Line and Costume competitions, he certainly earned a reward. This isn’t our first time seeing an impressive child’s costume design. Even though we know the parents had an influence, the costumes are still amazing. Please share. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Old School Cool: Little Boy’s Creative Mule-Assisted Costume Earns Him First Place At The Fair appeared first on InspireMore.

The Nabataeans, a nomadic people, achieved something extraordinary in the heart of the desert—they made Petra not only a trade hub but also a thriving city. What made Petra unique wasn’t just its magnificent architecture carved into the rose-red cliffs, but also the Nabataeans’ remarkable ability to control a vital and scarce resource: water. The Ancients presenter, Tristan Hughes travelled to Petra for History Hit to find out more about this fascinating subject. Nestled within the mountains, Petra was strategically located to collect water from rainfall and natural springs. Surrounded by arid desert, the Nabataeans utilized the natural topography to create a sophisticated system for capturing and distributing water throughout the city. The Greek geographer Strabo once recorded that Petra abounded with water sources, and archaeological evidence supports this claim. Remnants of the complex water system can still be found all around Petra, if you know where to look. One of the most iconic areas of Petra is the Siq, a winding canyon leading to the famous Treasury. Here, you can see a deep channel carved into the rock—a reminder of where water once flowed. Imagine travelers walking through this narrow passage, hearing the trickling of water as it flowed through the channels alongside them. This auditory experience would have been a stark contrast to the harsh silence of the desert, creating a sense of wonder as they approached the city. Archaeologist Matthew Vincent remarks You’re walking through this canyon and to your side. You would have heard the trickling of water flowing down this channel. The Water System in Petra allowed them to become a super power.Image Credit: History Hit Tristan then explains how the Nabataeans engineered an extensive water system consisting of over 125 miles of channels, pipes, and cisterns. It is estimated that this system could provide up to eight liters of water per person per day. This not only ensured the survival of Petra’s inhabitants but also transformed the city into an oasis of lush gardens, orchards, and ponds. Vincent tells Tristan how a land where water is synonymous with power, the Nabataeans had achieved something extraordinary: they made Petra a fertile paradise in an otherwise unforgiving landscape. It’s been estimated it could provide up to eight liters of water per inhabitants per day…[and made Petra] a city full of gardens, orchards and ponds. Visitors to Petra today often think of it as a city of the dead, with its towering tombs and silent monuments. But in its prime, Petra was a city full of life. The sound of water would have filled the air, as it does in other historical cities like the Alhambra in Granada. Petra’s water system wasn’t just functional—it was a symbol of power and prosperity. Walking through the Siq, one would be surrounded by greenery, pools, and baths—a far cry from the desolation of the surrounding desert. …imagine you’ve just spent two months in the desert on your camels, moving your goods from here. You’re hot, you’re tired, you haven’t showered or bathe for who knows how long….But you get in here and all of a sudden there’s a flex…there’s a power, there’s saying like we are people who not only, control the land control trade routes, we control water. For travelers who had spent months crossing the desert on camelback, Petra would have been a welcome respite. Hot and exhausted, they would enter this vibrant city, where the Nabataeans’ mastery over water was on full display. It was more than just an oasis; it was a statement of power. The Nabataeans controlled the land, the trade routes, and perhaps most importantly, the water. Their skill in harnessing this life-giving resource is what made Petra a thriving metropolis in the midst of a barren desert, and what continues to captivate visitors to this day. To find out more about The Nabataeans, you can sign up below: Sign up to watch

On Wednesday's The Source with Kaitlan Collins, CNN fill-in host Pamela Brown brought on left-wing American Federation of Teachers union leader Randi Weingarten as a guest so she could bash GOP vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance for criticizing her in a three-year-old clip liberals have recently been hyping. Brown set up the segment about the liberal opposition research: Tonight, Donald Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, is facing some fresh scrutiny for yet another disparaging remark he made in the past about people who aren't parents. Vance, of course, has been criticized for his 2021 dig at, quote, "childless cat ladies." It's a comment that he says was a sarcastic joke aimed at Democrats. But, in a newly resurfaced video from that same year, he blasted a teachers union president for not having children of her own. Then came a clip of then-Senate candidate Vance at an October 2021 candidates forum held by the Center for Christian Virtue in which he complained about how questionable it is for left-wing education activists like Weingarten who are without children themselves to make demands on how children should be taught against the wishes of actual parents. Brown's first question? "Hi, Randi. You're shaking your head. What's your reaction?" Weingarten, who is married to a female rabbi, dismissed the whole thing as desperate: I'm used to right wing taking shots at me. You know, they don't like unions, and they don't like public schools. ... they've said -- you know, Christopher Rufo and others -- that they're going to try to create great public school distress. So I'm used to that. But this is what's so crude and gross about what he did here. We're at the start of the school year. Teachers and parents need, right now, to really connect with each other so that we can help kids engage. That's the number one thing that parents want our public schools for their kids. So when the guy who's running for Vice President now takes on every teacher who doesn't, you know, who he thinks doesn't have kids. By the way, you know, I have kids by marriage. But every teacher he thinks doesn't have kids and takes on every modern family at the same time -- takes on Catholic nuns, takes on new teachers who got married. I mean, what is he doing? What is he thinking? But, for me, what's worse about this, is that it makes it harder for teachers and parents. It makes it harder for kids when he goes on with this rubbish. If she thinks Vance was talking about Catholic nuns, she's really mistaken. The CNN host seemed disturbed as she recounted that the Ohio Republican had recently "doubled down" on his comments, "So is that how you heard it, that he wasn't criticizing you for not having kids?" Weingarten suggested that there is "something wrong" with Vance:  Maybe he didn't listen to his own tape for 2021, but the fact he doubled down on teachers today, and, you know, it's just pathetic. Like, he has no idea how I teach or what I taught....We teach kids how to think, not what to think. We teach kids to critically think. We teach kids compassion -- we teach kids caring -- we teach kids communication skills. We teach kids skills so that they can thrive in America, so I have no idea why he would even think that that kind of teaching is brainwashing. I think there must be something wrong with this guy. Pamela Brown, the daughter of the late Democrat Gov. John Y. Brown, did not follow up by asking Weingarten about her history of defending both Critical Race Theory and a liberal approach to treating gay issues in schools.  Transcript follows: CNN's The Source with Kaitlan Collins August 28, 2024 9:29 p.m. Eastern PAMELA BROWN: Tonight, Donald Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, is facing some fresh scrutiny for yet another disparaging remark he made in the past about people who aren't parents. Vance, of course, has been criticized for his 2021 dig at, quote, "childless cat ladies." It's a comment that he says was a sarcastic joke aimed at Democrats. But, in a newly resurfaced video from that same year, he blasted a teachers union president for not having children of her own. J.D. VANCE, GOP VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE (speaking at the Center for Christian Virtue, dated Oct. 24, 2021): So many of the leaders of the left -- and I hate to be so personal about this, but they're people without kids trying to brainwash the minds of our children. And that really disorients me and it really disturbs me. Randi Weingarten -- who's the head of the most powerful teachers union in the country -- she doesn't have a single child. If she wants to brainwash and destroy the minds of children, she should have some of her own, and leave ours the hell alone. BROWN: Well, you just heard her name there. My source tonight is Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Hi, Randi. You're shaking your head. What's your reaction? RANDI WEINGARTEN, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: I mean, look, I'm used to right wing taking shots at me. You know, they don't like unions, and they don't like public schools. They, you know, told us that, and they've said -- you know, Christopher Rufo and others -- that they're going to try to create great public school distress. So I'm used to that. But this is what's so crude and gross about what he did here. We're at the start of the school year. Teachers and parents need, right now, to really connect with each other so that we can help kids engage. That's the number one thing that parents want our public schools for their kids. They want them to thrive -- they want them to engage -- they want them to have a love of learning. So when the guy who's running for Vice President now takes on every teacher who doesn't, you know, who he thinks doesn't have kids. By the way, you know, I have kids by marriage. But every teacher he thinks doesn't have kids and takes on every modern family at the same time -- takes on Catholic nuns, takes on new teachers who got married. I mean, what is he doing? What is he thinking? But, for me, what's worse about this, is that it makes it harder for teachers and parents. It makes it harder for kids when he goes on with this rubbish. That's what's bad about this. He knows better than this. He should take some responsibility at least at the start of the school year as we're trying to really help kids get into school again. BROWN: And he made those comments in 2021, but he had more to say -- WEINGARTEN: He doubled down. BROWN: Yeah, exactly. He doubled down. I mean, he didn't back away -- he didn't apologize -- he didn't, you know -- let's actually listen to it, and then we can talk about that at the other side. So let's listen. VANCE: I didn't criticize Randi Weingarten for not having kids. I criticized her for wanting to brainwash mine. BROWN: So is that how you heard it, that he wasn't criticizing you for not having kids? WEINGARTEN: Well, first he criticized -- I mean, maybe he didn't listen to his own tape for 2021, but the fact he doubled down on teachers today, and, you know, it's just pathetic. Like, he has no idea how I teach or what I taught. He should have come into one of my classrooms -- love, you know, I may be teaching again this spring -- college-teaching this spring. I'll invite him to a classroom. I taught at Cornell last spring. My kids -- just FYI -- were champions -- state and city champions in the Constitution on the Bill of Rights. We teach kids how to think, not what to think. We teach kids to critically think. We teach kids compassion -- we teach kids caring -- we teach kids communication skills. We teach kids skills so that they can thrive in America, so I have no idea why he would even think that that kind of teaching is brainwashing. I think there must be something wrong with this guy. BROWN: Well, you have invited him now on this show to sit in one of your classes. We'll see if he takes you up on that invitation. Randi Weingarten, thank you so much.

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