ISIS propaganda in Islamic countries isn’t just confined to the airwaves or print. Every day, citizens walk down streets that are marred with hateful graffiti espousing intimidating and vulgar rhetoric. Not only is it a blight on city landscapes, but the vandalism serves as a powerful reminder of the intolerance and violence that has permeated peaceful cultures.
But Sadoun Dhanoun of Mosul isn’t just erasing the messages of hate—he’s replacing them with more progressive, loving missives. The New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi encountered Dhanoun in action and published a brief version of his story on Twitter, shown below.
1. All over liberated areas of Mosul, 1 of the 1st things people are doing is painting over ISIS graffiti. Some are being artistic about it: pic.twitter.com/Rkmj9rZf4Z— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
2. Today I noticed this man across the street, carefully stenciling a message on this freshly painted wall. So we stopped to talk to him: pic.twitter.com/K4HLVGQzXx— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
3. His name is Sadoun Dhanoun, 39. He's been hired by a senior citizen group to paint over ISIS' graffiti preaching hate. He chose magenta: pic.twitter.com/e46DVlO7e1— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
4. This wall here used to be painted with a verse from scripture calling for violence against the kuffar, or infidel. Sadoun painted over it pic.twitter.com/vQKyTCFcJd— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
5. What I love is he didn't stop there. He went to an Internet cafe and Googled حكم ومقولات or "Wise sayings." Here's what he wrote down: pic.twitter.com/zJWagRKW1k— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
6. The one he chose for this wall says, "In life, be like a cube of sugar, so that when you are gone you leave a sweet taste." pic.twitter.com/MJIOVLSp9B— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
7. He said he found that evocative "because ISIS left everyone with a bad taste in their mouth."— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
8. He's painting at least 7 walls in this northern suburb of Mosul with donations amounting to less than $200. So there's a lot more: pic.twitter.com/iVOt1o59ny— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
9. He says he's almost done with this wall and he proudly posed with the quotes & his freshly painted sign. Next he plans to paint flowers pic.twitter.com/3BBHPdkNMj— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
10. His aim is to bring back beauty. It'll be so pretty when he's done, he said, maybe drivers will be distracted. I know it made me stop pic.twitter.com/LGnszG061c— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) April 15, 2017
Mosul has been free of ISIS occupation only since January, but other areas of Iraq are still fighting off their forces. It’s unlikely that Dhanoun’s optimistic graffiti will change the nature of the battles, but hopefully it will inspire those in his city to pick up the pieces quickly and also help ensure that something like this never happens again.
Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.
“A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”
His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.
Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.
So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”
The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.
Any chance your wife is pregnant?
ZZBC | Reddit
The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!
“The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”
Redditors responded with similar experiences.
Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.
realityisworse | Reddit
So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?
Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”
The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
