Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Women are not equal to men, Turkish president declares | CTV News

Women are not equal to men, Turkish president declares | CTV News: "ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set off a new controversy on Monday, declaring that women are not equal to men and accusing feminists of not understanding the special status that Islam attributes to mothers.
Addressing a meeting in Istanbul on women and justice, Erdogan said men and women are created differently, that women cannot be expected to undertake the same work as men, and that mothers enjoy a high position that only they can reach.
"You cannot put women and men on an equal footing," Erdogan said. "It is against nature. They were created differently. Their nature is different. Their constitution is different.""



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Head found in front of Penang coffeeshop | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online

Head found in front of Penang coffeeshop | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online: "BUKIT MERTAJAM, Nov 25 ― A decapitated head was found on a five-foot way of a coffeeshop in Taman Impian, Alma, yesterday.

The discovery was made by the owner of the coffeeshop.

The head, believed to be that of a foreigner, was found in a plastic bag left under an open umbrella.

The area is a colony for workers from Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

State CID chief SAC II Mazlan Kesah, who visited the scene, said the 35-year-old coffeeshop owner alerted police at 4.30pm.

He said the bloodstained head was believe to have been severed less than 24 hours before the discovery.

“The CCTV footage from the coffeeshop showed two men, believed to be foreigners, dumping the plastic bag at about 9pm on Sunday.

Police are trying to find the body.

On November 6, police recovered a headless and limbless body of a naked woman stuffed in a suitcase at a carpark near the Penang Botanic Gardens.

Two days earlier, fishermen found the headless body of a woman floating in the waters near Pulau Kendi."



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Monday, November 24, 2014

Scientists Solve Mystery Of West Coast Starfish Die-Off · EarthFix · Oregon Public Broadcasting

Scientists Solve Mystery Of West Coast Starfish Die-Off · EarthFix · Oregon Public Broadcasting: "SEATTLE — After months of research, scientists have identified the pathogen at the heart of the starfish wasting disease that’s been killing starfish by the millions along the Pacific shores of North America, according to research published Monday.

They said it’s a virus that’s different from all other known viruses infecting marine organisms. They’ve dubbed it “sea star associated densovirus.”"



Print



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Seadevil - Monterrey Researchers Caught Rare Deep-Sea Anglerfish On Camera

Seadevil - Monterrey Researchers Caught Rare Deep-Sea Anglerfish On Camera:

anglerfish-caught-on-camera

 "As per the recent reports revealed, a rare deep-sea anglerfish was caught on camera for just about the 6th time in the entire history.

A researchers team carrying out a dive in Monterrey Bay off the shoreline of California have recorded first-ever video of a rarely seen occupant of the deep called the black seadevil. The animal was spotted this week in the dark, deep waters 2000 feet underneath the surface, by scientists of Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Bruce Robinson, MBARI Senior Scientist told the San Jose Mercury News Friday, “We have been plunging around here in the Monterrey Canyon routinely for 25 years, and we’ve seen three.”

Robinson said a luminous “fishing pole” anticipating from the angler fish’s head is a sparkling entice to pull in prey.

Robinson told the paper they caught the fish to study, yet don’t know how long will it will survive."



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Earthquake early alert system ready to expand in California - LA Times

NapaEarthquake early alert system ready to expand in California - LA Times: "The warnings would allow fire stations to get garage doors open before a quake can jam them shut, instruct students to duck and cover, and, eventually, automatically shut off sensitive equipment at private companies and tell surgeons to halt surgery. When the data is more reliable, even amusement parks could have time to shut down rides.

The prospect of expanding the system — which is dependent on federal funding coming through — has brought excitement for both emergency officials and some businesses. Even a few seconds' notice to duck under a sturdy desk could be a matter of surviving a building's collapse, fire officials said.

In Japan, one semiconductor firm that lost more than $15 million in quake damage in 2003 installed machines to automatically shut down sensitive equipment that etches circuit boards. When much larger quakes hit later, the company lost only $200,000."



8-second warning for San Francisco





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If Privilege Was Visual, It Would Look Like This — Everyday Feminism

If Privilege Was Visual, It Would Look Like This — Everyday Feminism: "Privilege can be near-invisible to those who have it. Without a conscious, deliberate effort to be aware of it, it’s almost never on our radars.

And because of this, being told that you benefit from systematic social favoritism can be hard to accept at first. It’s not uncommon to feel that people are telling you that your life is simple and that you don’t work for what you have.

But privilege is more complicated than that. This cartoon provides a useful visualization."



The Straight, Ablebodied, Rich, White Man’s Burden



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Sunday, November 23, 2014

As Ferguson braces for grand jury decision, 2 arrested amid mounting tensions | AL.com

As Ferguson braces for grand jury decision, 2 arrested amid mounting tensions | AL.com: "FERGUSON, Missouri -- Crews erected barricades around the building where a grand jury has been considering whether to indict the Ferguson police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, even as a grand jury decision seemed unlikely this weekend.

Tension has been mounting in Ferguson and elsewhere in the St. Louis area in recent days, with many speculating that the grand jury's decision would be announced on Sunday. That seemed increasingly unlikely by late Saturday, although there was a noticeable uptick in the preparations being made."



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18-Year-Old Photographer's Spectacular Conceptual Self-Portraits - My Modern Met

18-Year-Old Photographer's Spectacular Conceptual Self-Portraits - My Modern Met: "18-year-old Laura Williams joins the ranks of fellow young, extremely talented photographers such as Alex Stoddard and Kyle Thompson in creating spectacularly surreal and expressive self-portraits. The Cambridge, England native's photograph entitled Invisible recently went viral, with over 800,000 views on Flickr alone. The photo depicts Williams sitting on the grass with a piercing look in her eyes, holding a mirror that conceals her body while reflecting the empty area surrounding her.

Many of Williams' photos involve concepts of concealment and hiding, as parts of the body and face are obscured by smoke, mirrors, and masks. "I like the idea of creating an image that’s perhaps a little less obvious, like an illusion," she explains, "one that really intrigues the viewer and tries to trick the eye." Her highly conceptual works embody this idea, inviting the viewer to closely examine every detail in the shot in an effort to learn the story behind each evocative image.

The photographer is inspired by many different things, including dreams, music, nature, light, and other photographers. "Inspiration can come at any time," she says, "and often when I find it, I'm not specifically looking for it, it just sort of comes to me.""



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Accused Men Say The System Hurting College Sexual Assault Survivors Fails Them Too

Accused Men Say The System Hurting College Sexual Assault Survivors Fails Them Too: "Sexual assault survivors across the country say they were treated unfairly by their schools. An increasing number of men seeking legal action after being suspended for sexual misconduct say the process is also failing them."



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Saturday, November 22, 2014

Republican-led report debunks Benghazi accusations - CNN.com

Republican-led report debunks Benghazi accusations - CNN.com: "Washington (CNN) -- An investigative report prepared by the House Intelligence Committee finds little to support questions raised about CIA actions on the ground in Benghazi, Libya, the night of a deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound.



The final report, from Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, and ranking member Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Maryland, concludes there was no intelligence failure prior to the attack, no stand-down order to CIA operatives trying to go assist at the besieged consular building and found conflicting intelligence in the wake of the attack about the motive and cause, which were reflected in early public comments by the administration.



But the investigation also found the security at the diplomatic outpost was weak and it described a "flawed" process used to create talking points for House Intelligence Committee members and then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, whose public statements after the attack incensed critics who said the administration was avoiding calling the attack terrorism."



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What Makes Marriage Work? | Psychology Today

What Makes Marriage Work? | Psychology Today: "But there's much more to a successful relationship than knowing how to fight well. Not all stable couples resolve conflicts in the same way, nor do they mean the same thing by "resolving" their conflict. In fact, I have found that there are three different styles of problem solving into which healthy marriages tend to settle:"



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Carla Ferrigno, Angela Leslie And Louisa Moritz Come Forward With Allegations Against Bill Cosby (UPDATE)

Carla Ferrigno, Angela Leslie And Louisa Moritz Come Forward With Allegations Against Bill Cosby (UPDATE): "Three more women have come forward with allegations against Bill Cosby. Carla Ferrigno, Angela Leslie and Louisa Moritz are three of the 11 women who have now publicly identified themselves and accused Cosby of assaulting them in some form.

Ferrigno, Leslie and Moritz's claims join a growing list of allegations made against the 77-year-old actor. In 2005, Andrea Constand filed a lawsuit against Cosby claiming that he drugged and molested her in 2004. Not long after, Tamara Green went on the “Today Show” alleging she had a similar experience with Cosby. Twelve other women were anonymous witnesses in the Constand case, claiming they also had similar encounters with the comedian. One by one these women have come forward to publicly identify themselves, including Barbara Bowman, Beth Ferrier and, just days ago, Therese Serignese who spoke at length with The Huffington Post. Other women to recently make their allegations against Cosby public include publicist Joan Tarshis and supermodel Janice Dickinson."



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Friday, November 21, 2014

Glass ceiling caused by partners and work culture, Harvard study suggests - Business - CBC News

Glass ceiling caused by partners and work culture, Harvard study suggests - Business - CBC News: "Mismatched expectations about family demands are just as important as institutionalized sexism in the workplace when it comes to explaining the gender gap that holds women back in their careers, a Harvard study suggests.

A survey in the Harvard Business Review's report published Thursday asked 25,000 graduates in recent decades to talk about their experiences in their careers and lives after graduation."



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Obama Moves To Protect Millions From Deportation

Obama Moves To Protect Millions From Deportation: "Obama's plan will make a number of changes to immigration policy, such as renaming and revamping the controversial Secure Communities policy, which states and localities across the country have increasingly opposed. It will also redefine Immigration and Customs Enforcement priorities to ensure agents are focusing on recent border-crossers -- defined as those who came after Jan. 1, 2014 -- along with convicted criminals, suspected terrorists and potential threats to national security. The new policies broaden opportunities for high-skilled workers and could lead to further changes in how visas are distributed. The resulting changes could bring the amount of people given legal protection under the executive action to nearly 5 million.

But the centerpiece -- and the most contentious portion -- is its relief for undocumented immigrants, which could lead to millions of people being shielded from deportation and made eligible to work. About 4.1 million will likely be eligible for a new policy that allows undocumented parents of U.S. citizen and legal permanent children to stay in the country and work legally, if they have been in the U.S. for five years or more and pass a background check, officials said."



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Thursday, November 20, 2014

What California’s College Tuition Hike Says About the Future of Higher Education | TIME

What California’s College Tuition Hike Says About the Future of Higher Education | TIME: "On Nov. 20, the regents that control the University of California system will vote on a proposal to increase tuition at its 10 campuses by as much as 5% a year for the next five years. This year’s tuition and fees for in-state students is $12,192, which could rise to $15,564 by the 2019-20 school year under the proposal. The plan was conceived and put forward by Janet Napolitano, who took over the UC system in 2013."



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Tuesday, November 18, 2014

DAP rep moots Penang oversight for Gurney Drive reclamation work | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online

DAP rep moots Penang oversight for Gurney Drive reclamation work | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online: "GEORGE TOWN, Nov 12 — Penang should have direct oversight of the planned reclamation work for popular promenade Gurney Drive here, instead of leaving this to private engineers appointed by the developer, a state lawmaker said today.

Proposing a state committee to undertake the task, DAP’s Pulau Tikus assemblyman Yap Soo Huey said this was necessary to ensure the independence of the review.

“Instead of depending on the Department of Environment or consultants appointed by developers, the state should have its own appointed consultants to review such projects,” Yap said today."



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Mo. governor declares state of emergency in expectation of more Ferguson unrest - The Washington Post

Mo. governor declares state of emergency in expectation of more Ferguson unrest - The Washington Post: "FERGUSON, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency on Monday and the FBI issued a bulletin warning of likely violence across the country as a St. Louis County grand jury concludes its investigation of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Nixon’s announcement, which allows him to mobilize the state’s National Guard to keep order, added to the overflowing docket of anxiety in greater St. Louis as the city braces for the expected news that Wilson will not be charged in the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, 18.

The FBI bulletin warned law enforcement agencies that “extremist protesters” are likely to attack police officers and federal agents after the decision. “The FBI assesses those infiltrating and exploiting otherwise legitimate public demonstrations with the intent to incite and engage in violence could be armed with bladed weapons or firearms, equipped with tactical gear/gas masks, or bulletproof vests to mitigate law enforcement measures,” the bulletin concluded."



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California's drought has reached Biblical-plague proportions. It's time for a drastic measure. - The Week

California's drought has reached Biblical-plague proportions. It's time for a drastic measure. - The Week: "The solution to rectifying California's abysmal water conservation record might be found in California's agricultural sector. In just the past year, prices for irrigation water have risen from ten to almost 40 times last year's price. Those who have the water to spare can make a sizable profit by selling it to those who need it. Thus, because the value of water has significantly increased, every gallon is a precious commodity that is not wasted.

Allowing price to ration water may be a bitter political pill to swallow, but it makes economic and environmental sense. There are examples of this economic solution working in the past. Cities like Santa Fe, Tucson, and Fort Worth allowed price signals to govern water use — the more a household used, the more expensive water was to purchase. Consumers responded by conserving water. These measures worked so well utilities were forced to stabilize the sharp drop in revenue by reconfiguring rates. That is not a bad thing — especially during a drought as austere as California's.

But won't raising prices only hurt the poor and have little effect on those who have the money to afford it anyways?"



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Kamala Harris Speaks Out On 'Inevitability' Of Marijuana Legalization In California

Kamala Harris Speaks Out On 'Inevitability' Of Marijuana Legalization In California: ""I am not opposed to the legalization of marijuana. I'm the top cop, and so I have to look at it from a law enforcement perspective and a public safety perspective,” Harris told BuzzFeed News in an interview in Washington, D.C. “I think we are fortunate to have Colorado and Washington be in front of us on this and figuring out the details of what it looks like when it’s legalized.”
“We're watching it happen right before our eyes in Colorado and Washington. I don't think it’s gonna take too long to figure this out,” Harris said. “I think there's a certain inevitability about it.""



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Sunday, November 16, 2014

Pakistan’s Quiet Reformer | Extraordinary Pakistanis

Pakistan’s Quiet Reformer | Extraordinary Pakistanis: "Hussain soon realized the potential and vacuum that existed in the country to progress and innovate. He worked across all sectors including security and terrorism, development, media etc. His commentary on de-radicalization of suicide bombers won him the award for most read article in Foreign Policy magazine, US, and as the youngest scholar at the famous Woodrow Wilson Center, Hussain delivered a lecture at Pentagon to senior US military leadership on US-Pakistan relations. ‘I was only 24 years old when I stood in front of the US military, and I knew I had to present the case for my country’."



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I’m a black woman with a white husband. People assume I’m a prostitute all the time. - The Washington Post

I’m a black woman with a white husband. People assume I’m a prostitute all the time. - The Washington Post: "The online conversation about women of color being profiled as sex workers made me think about my own stories. The first time I was mistaken for a sex worker I was on my husband’s arm at an event in California four years ago. A man approached me, asking if he could buy me a drink. I declined, and he proceeded to whisper to me, “How much?”

In my naivete, I asked, “How much for what?” It wasn’t until I looked him in the eye that I understood exactly what he meant. I was speechless, angry and embarrassed. I hastily walked away while flashing the ring on my left hand, hoping to indicate that I was married. To this day, I wonder if he thought I was laying out my price."



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The Dutch Village Where Everyone Has Dementia - The Atlantic

The Dutch Village Where Everyone Has Dementia - The Atlantic: "When Yvonne van Amerongen received a phone call from her mother two decades ago, relaying that her father had died of a heart attack—sudden and painless—one of the first things she thought was, Thank God he never had to be in a nursing home.



 Van Amerongen was working as a staff member at a traditional Dutch nursing home at the time, getting a front-line view of what she never wanted for her parents. That call from her mother spurred Yvonne into action as she became committed to making nursing homes more livable and less of a departure from reality for their residents. She envisioned a setup as far away as possible from the nondescript buildings and polished floors of her workplace, where everything carried the scent of a dentist’s medical cabinet. Over the next 20 years, she worked to secure the funding she’d need to make the idea a reality."



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Leading Activist Apologizes For Starting Anti-GMO Movement | Hawaii Reporter

Leading Activist Apologizes For Starting Anti-GMO Movement | Hawaii Reporter: "So I did some reading. And I discovered that one by one my cherished beliefs about GM turned out to be little more than green urban myths.





  • I’d assumed that it would increase the use of chemicals. It turned out that pest-resistant cotton and maize needed less insecticide. 
  • I’d assumed that GM benefited only the big companies. It turned out that billions of dollars of benefits were accruing to farmers needing fewer inputs. 
  • I’d assumed that Terminator Technology was robbing farmers of the right to save seed. It turned out that hybrids did that long ago, and that Terminator never happened. 
  • I’d assumed that no-one wanted GM. Actually what happened was that Bt cotton was pirated into India and roundup ready soya into Brazil because farmers were so eager to use them. 
  • I’d assumed that GM was dangerous. It turned out that it was safer and more precise than conventional breeding using mutagenesis for example; GM just moves a couple of genes, whereas conventional breeding mucks about with the entire genome in a trial and error way. 




But what about mixing genes between unrelated species? The fish and the tomato? Turns out viruses do that all the time, as do plants and insects and even us – it’s called gene flow.
But this was still only the beginning. So in my third book The God Species I junked all the environmentalist orthodoxy at the outset and tried to look at the bigger picture on a planetary scale."



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After 18th Myanmar murder in Penang, cops insist no connections | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online

After 18th Myanmar murder in Penang, cops insist no connections | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online: "Police maintain the brutal slaying of Myanmar nationals in Penang were not linked to each other even as the 18th victim this year was found with his throat slit at an oil palm estate yesterday morning. 

State criminal investigation chief SAC II Mazlan Kesah said police had no reason to believe the cases were related although the victims might have died from similar wounds. "



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US Announces Peace Corps Program in Myanmar

US Announces Peace Corps Program in Myanmar: "The United States has announced it will set up a Peace Corps program in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

It is the latest way in which the U.S. has expanded cooperation with the long-isolated Southeast Asian country.

A White House statement said there is no better way for the U.S. to demonstrate its commitment to Myanmar than through such "people-to-people connections at a grassroots level."

It says the first Peace Corps volunteers will arrive in Myanmar in late 2015 and will undergo three months of training before moving to their work sites for two years."



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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Bringing Mom & Dad to work bridges generation gap - San Jose Mercury News

Bringing Mom & Dad to work bridges generation gap - San Jose Mercury News: "Conceived by LinkedIn last year, more than 50 companies and other organizations in 16 countries are now embracing this generational spin on the take-the-kids-to-work craze that began a couple decades ago. Companies realize that some parents who once tried to enlighten their kids by letting them tag along at work may be confused about what their now-adult children do.

"The first reaction when you hear about this is, 'Really, bring your parents to work? Is that really something you should be doing?" says LinkedIn Corp. CEO Jeff Weiner. But it makes sense, he says, "once you have done it and see how meaningful it is. It helps us all speak a common language in terms of how the world is working today.""



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46 murders in Penang since January, cops set up special team - The Malaysian Insider

46 murders in Penang since January, cops set up special team - The Malaysian Insider: "A string of 46 murder cases since January this year has prompted Penang police to set up a task force to investigate the cases, The Star Online reported today.

About 65% of the murder cases involved foreigners, of whom 17 were Myanmar, Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi told the portal.

"The situation is under control, there is no need to panic," Rahim said, calling for calm and patience.

The latest gruesome murder reported on the island was the discovery of a headless body in a suitcase near the Botanic Gardens on Thursday, two days after another headless body was found floating in the sea about seven nautical miles off Pulau Kendi.

Both are believed to be foreign women."



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Serial killer on the prowl in Penang?, AsiaOne Malaysia News

Serial killer on the prowl in Penang?, AsiaOne Malaysia News: "GEORGE TOWN: The discovery of two headless female bodies in the space of three days has raised fears of a serial killer on the loose.

There is also talk that the two cases are connected to the gruesome murders of 17 Myanmar men on the mainland this year.

In some cases, the victims had their throats slit and their bodies dumped in dark alleys or by the roadside.

Penang police chief Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Abdul Rahim Hanafi, however, considered the latest incident, involving a brutally murdered woman believed to be a foreigner, to be an isolated case."



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Malaysia's Sharia law costs non-Muslims their kids - Yahoo News

Malaysia's Sharia law costs non-Muslims their kids - Yahoo News: "Gandhi's case and others highlight perils of Malaysia's divided legal system, where majority Muslims use Shariah courts for religious and family issues such as conversion, divorce and death. The other 40 percent of the country — mainly Christians, Buddhists and Hindus — use a secular legal system inherited from the Southeast Asian country's British colonial rulers.

Critics accuse the ethnic Malay Muslim-dominated government of doing too little to resolve problems when those legal systems collide. The government has become increasingly reliant on support from Islamist and right-wing pressure groups as other constituencies flock to the opposition."



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Friday, November 7, 2014

Court Upholds Marriage Bans In Four States - NYTimes.com

Court Upholds Marriage Bans In Four States - NYTimes.com: "A federal appeals court in Ohio upheld on Thursday the right of four states to ban same-sex marriage, contradicting rulings by four similar courts and almost certainly sending the issue on a rapid trajectory to the Supreme Court.

The much-anticipated decision, written by Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton, an appointee of George W. Bush, overturned lower court rulings in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee that were in favor of same-sex marriage.

“This is the circuit split that will almost surely produce a decision from the Supreme Court, and sooner rather than later,” said Dale Carpenter, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Minnesota. “It’s entirely possible that we could have oral arguments in coming months and a Supreme Court decision by next summer.”"



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Man who broke law by feeding homeless undeterred | Sandusky Register

Man who broke law by feeding homeless undeterred | Sandusky Register: "Despite being charged with violating a new law by feeding the homeless in South Florida, 90-year-old Arnold Abbott said he's not deterred and even went back out to serve more food at a public park.

The faceoff in Fort Lauderdale over the ordinance restricting public feeding of the homeless has pitted those with compassionate aims against residents and businesses trying to protect their neighborhoods."



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Brown to Start 4th California Term With Pledge for Fiscal Restraint - NYTimes.com

Brown to Start 4th California Term With Pledge for Fiscal Restraint - NYTimes.com: "LOS ANGELES — Gov. Jerry Brown did not even make a campaign stop until nine days before the election. He did not air any commercials for his own candidacy, even as he amassed more than $20 million in campaign funds. And yet, in an election in which so many Democratic incumbents came to woe, he easily defeated his Republican opponent, a businessman named Neel Kashkari, and glided into an unprecedented fourth term as governor with 58.6 percent of the vote.

Now, 40 years after he was first elected governor of California, Mr. Brown, 76, will begin what will almost certainly be his last term in public office, and the question will be what he intends to do with his power. In an interview Wednesday, he emphasized the importance of fiscal restraint, which has long been one of his biggest points of pride, and which he seems to want to turn into his permanent legacy for California: After years in which the state lurched from one budget crisis to another, Mr. Brown and the Legislature have managed to pass a succession of on-time balanced budgets."



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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

The Second Languages In Every Part Of The World - Business Insider

The Second Languages In Every Part Of The World - Business Insider: "The website MoveHub.com is a resource for people looking to move abroad.

It has released this eye-opening infographic that shows the second language of every region across the globe. Some are rather predictable, like Canada's knowledge of French. 

But others are very telling about the histories of certain regions and how our global story has played out over hundreds of years.

Take a look at what the website compiled:"



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Staying Is Settling: Why You Need To Move At Least 5 Times In Your Life

Staying Is Settling: Why You Need To Move At Least 5 Times In Your Life: "Time to leave now, get out of this room, go somewhere, anywhere, sharpen this feeling of happiness and freedom, stretch your limbs, fill your eyes, be awake, wider awake, vividly awake in every sense and every pore.  – Stefan Zweig

Turn around, look at your life and decide right now if this moment, this place makes your pulse race and your heart bend. If there’s not a fluttering feeling in the deepest part of your soul, questioning and absorbing everything around you, get out right now.

If you feel comfortable, content and unchallenged… stand up and walk away. Make plans or don’t make plans, but whatever you do, leave this place and find somewhere new."



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Monday, November 3, 2014

Malaysia’s road to perdition - The Malaysian Insider

Malaysia’s road to perdition - The Malaysian Insider: "That is not Malaysia. The tapestry of many races, religions, cultures, beliefs and opinions is what makes Malaysia greater than the sum of its parts. Anything less makes us a poorer nation and take us down the road to perdition. – November 3, 2014."



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Lyft driver in California slams into tree, kills passenger - GeekWire

Lyft driver in California slams into tree, kills passenger - GeekWire: "This is the first fatality in Lyft’s history and will test how its insurance policies operate. The company offers liability coverage of up to $1 million that is primary to a driver’s personal insurance. Here’s how Lyft describes the policy:

Our $1M liability and uninsured/underinsured policies will apply as primary to a driver’s personal automobile insurance policy when matched with a passenger. This means that from the moment you accept a ride request and are on your way to pick up a passenger to the moment you end the ride in the app, Lyft has an insurance policy for liability up to $1 million per incident. If you already carry commercial insurance, Lyft’s policy will continue to be excess to your commercial insurance coverage."



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5 common tactics used to try to keep voter turnout low | Nation & World | The Seattle Times

5 common tactics used to try to keep voter turnout low | Nation & World | The Seattle Times: "WASHINGTON — Voter turnout is key in many races around the country, and so voter-suppression tactics from people who think their candidate might benefit from lower turnout tend to crop up right before an election. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which is gathering reports on its website, has already fielded complaints during early voting of poll workers questioning voters’ citizenship in Texas, police officers hanging around polls in Florida and robocalls in Georgia and Florida urging voters to “Do what you did in 2010, stay at home,” said Barbara Arnwine, the group’s president. Five common voter-suppression tactics that experts look for:"



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Modest Bay Area homes hit mind-boggling prices - Inside Bay Area

Modest Bay Area homes hit mind-boggling prices - Inside Bay Area: ""We had one just last week that went $500,000 over asking," said Philip Weingrow of Alain Pinel in Oakland. The house is in coveted Rockridge.

"It's a nice house, but the underlying cause is very, very tight inventory and an awful lot of people coming into our area from San Francisco, where they are priced out because they have a mere $2 million to spend. That can buy you an awful lot more home in Oakland and Berkeley."

A house in the Oakland hills sold this summer for $839,000, or $280,000 over the asking price, according to data gathered by real estate firm Pacific Union. That was $730 a square foot in a ZIP code where the median price per square foot was only $457 in the second quarter. And a 940-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath home built in 1925 in Oakland's Fruitvale district sold in October for $700,000 -- $141,000 over the asking price and $744 per square foot.

Just off popular Solano Avenue in Berkeley, a small house on a cul-de-sac sold for $1.1 million in September, or $331,000 over asking price. On the flatlands of West Berkeley, a 1,300-square-foot home on a tiny lot fetched $905,000 this summer, almost $700 a square foot."



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Official: All Malaysian remains from Flight MH17 ID'd - CNN.com

Official: All Malaysian remains from Flight MH17 ID'd - CNN.com: "(CNN) -- The remains of all 44 Malaysian passengers of Flight MH17 have been identified, a government statement says.
MH17 was en route from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 17 when it was apparently shot down by a missile as it flew over Ukraine. All 298 people on board were killed, including 15 Malaysian crew members.
The last Malaysian identified was Allahyarhamah Puan Sri Siti Amirah Prawira Kusuma, who will be buried in the Netherlands at the request of her family, according to a statement from Malaysian Transport Minister Dato' Sri Liow Tiong Lai."



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UN urges civilian transfer in Burkina Faso - Africa - Al Jazeera English

UN urges civilian transfer in Burkina Faso - Africa - Al Jazeera English: "The United Nations has threatened to impose economic sanctions on Burkina Faso, if the army does not hand over the power to civilian rule.

The army stepped into the power vacuum left by president Blaise Compaore, who was forced to resign in the wake of violent street demonstrations over his 27-year-rule that some have likened to the Arab Spring.

UN envoy for west Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, said on Sunday he had pressed the demand in a meeting with the country's top military brass.

If the army refuses, "the consequences are pretty clear", he said. "We want to avoid having to impose sanctions on Burkina Faso." he added.

The US State Department also called on the military to immediately transfer power to civilian authorities, while the European Union urged the army to respect the people's right to peaceful protest."



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Terminally ill 'death with dignity' advocate dies

Terminally ill 'death with dignity' advocate dies: "Portland, Ore. – — A terminally ill woman who renewed a nationwide debate about physician-assisted suicide has ended her young life with the lethal drugs available under Oregon's Death With Dignity Law. Brittany Maynard was 29.

Maynard, who had brain cancer, died peacefully in her bedroom Saturday "in the arms of her loved ones," said Sean Crowley, a spokesman for the advocacy group Compassion & Choices."



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Our World Isn’t Flat: Role of Power Dynamics in Development Communication | People, Spaces, Deliberation

Our World Isn’t Flat: Role of Power Dynamics in Development Communication | People, Spaces, Deliberation: "Power dynamics set the tone at almost every level of human interaction. They influence your decision to speak up in meetings with supervisors, shape an organization’s approach to engaging its clients, and even guide the ways in which a government treats its citizens, responds to dissent, and enforces reforms.
 
We all internalize and externalize power relationships in unique ways; yet, researchers like Geert Hofstede believe that our individual differences are often perceived through shared assumptions about power passed down to us by the histories of our own societies. In his seminal work Culture Consequences, Hofstede introduces the concept of “power distance” to help quantify and measure how the powerful and the powerless interact."



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Foresight: A forgotten tool in the fight against poverty and hunger | Devex

Foresight: A forgotten tool in the fight against poverty and hunger | Devex: "There’s a lot of “if only’s” in conversations about what could have prevented the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. We’ve heard about the importance of strong health systems, trained front-line health workers and swift international response to emerging health threats. If foresight were used, governments might have been better equipped to respond to the current situation in the region.

Peter van de Pol, a policy adviser for capacity development at the United Nations Development Program, works on foresight with public institutions. Foresight means imagining different futures, reflecting that change is happening constantly and the future is not a given. Traditional planning strategies, meanwhile, predict the future based on past events."



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Foresight: A forgotten tool in the fight against poverty and hunger | Devex

Foresight: A forgotten tool in the fight against poverty and hunger | Devex: "There’s a lot of “if only’s” in conversations about what could have prevented the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. We’ve heard about the importance of strong health systems, trained front-line health workers and swift international response to emerging health threats. If foresight were used, governments might have been better equipped to respond to the current situation in the region.

Peter van de Pol, a policy adviser for capacity development at the United Nations Development Program, works on foresight with public institutions. Foresight means imagining different futures, reflecting that change is happening constantly and the future is not a given. Traditional planning strategies, meanwhile, predict the future based on past events."



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Handling of Sexual Harassment Case Poses Larger Questions at Yale - NYTimes.com

Handling of Sexual Harassment Case Poses Larger Questions at Yale - NYTimes.com: "NEW HAVEN — A sexual harassment case that has been unfolding without public notice for nearly five years within the Yale School of Medicine has roiled the institution and led to new allegations that the university is insensitive to instances of harassment against women.

The case involves a former head of cardiology who professed his love to a young Italian researcher at the school and sought to intervene in her relationship with a fellow cardiologist under his supervision.

A university committee recommended that he be permanently removed from his position, but the provost reduced that penalty to an 18-month suspension."



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These Are The States With The Most Students For Every Teacher

These Are The States With The Most Students For Every Teacher: "There are substantially more students per every teacher in California than there are in Vermont.

New data released this week from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows how student-teacher ratio varied by state in the 2012 - 2013 school year. On average, there were 16 teachers per every public school student in the country that year. However, numbers ranged from a high of almost 24 students for every teacher in California, to about 11 students per every teacher in Vermont, as seen in the map below:"



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