Tuesday, June 30, 2015

ISIL 'beheads women for the first time in Syria' - Al Jazeera English

ISIL 'beheads women for the first time in Syria' - Al Jazeera English: "The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has beheaded two women and their husbands in eastern Syria's Deir Ezzor province, a monitoring group said.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday that ISIL beheaded the couples after accusing them of using "magic for medicine"."



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More than 110 killed in Indonesian military plane crash - Al Jazeera English

More than 110 killed in Indonesian military plane crash - Al Jazeera English: "At least 113 people have been killed after an Indonesian air force C-130 plane crashed in a residential neighbourhood in the city of Medan on the northern island of Sumatra, according to military officials.
The plane came down on Tuesday hitting empty residential buildings after bursting into flames shortly after take off.
There were 12 crew members and 101 passengers on board the plane, the AFP news agency reported, citing officials who spoke to local television."



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Monday, June 29, 2015

Confederate flag at South Carolina State House pulled down - BBC News

Confederate flag at South Carolina State House pulled down - BBC News: "A black woman has climbed the flagpole in the grounds of the South Carolina State House and removed its controversial Confederate flag.
Bree Newsome climbed the 30ft (9m) steel pole just after dawn on Saturday despite police telling her to come down, Associated Press reported.
Ms Newsome and a man were later arrested and the flag returned.
There have been calls for it to be removed since nine people were killed in a racist attack in Charleston."



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US Supreme Court rules gay marriage is legal nationwide - BBC News

US Supreme Court rules gay marriage is legal nationwide - BBC News: "The US Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriage is a legal right across the United States.
It means the 14 states with bans on same-sex marriage will no longer be able to enforce them.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the plaintiffs asked "for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."
The ruling brings to an end more than a decade of bitter legal battles."



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Now woman in knee-length skirt barred from Penang court | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online

Now woman in knee-length skirt barred from Penang court | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online: "KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — The ongoing controversy over dress codes has now spread to Penang, where a woman was allegedly prevented from entering a courthouse there after her skirt that reached her knees was adjudged to be too short by security personnel."



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CNN's most embarrassing flub ever? The ISIS dildo gay pride flag, explained. - Vox

CNN's most embarrassing flub ever? The ISIS dildo gay pride flag, explained. - Vox: "In many ways, the CNN team responsible for this bit was just following normal protocol: over-hyping threats is, for the network, part of the daily routine. It just so happened that they went a little more overboard than usual here and got caught doing it. Usually, the act is not quite so obvious, and it's not at all funny."



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Friday, June 26, 2015

The Flight of Refugees Around the Globe

The Flight of Refugees Around the Globe 

California lawmakers approve strict vaccination requirement - LA Times

California lawmakers approve strict vaccination requirement - LA Times: "California lawmakers on Thursday approved one of the toughest mandatory vaccination requirements in the nation, moving to end exemptions from state immunization laws based on religious or other personal beliefs."



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21 Times Tumblr Perfectly Understood Your Relationship With The Oxford Comma

21 Times Tumblr Perfectly Understood Your Relationship With The Oxford Comma: "11. When you got a little political just to prove your point.
"



11. When you got a little political just to prove your point.



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Thursday, June 25, 2015

An Oklahoma sports anchor passed away, and a rival station responded in the classiest way possible. | News | Someecards

An Oklahoma sports anchor passed away, and a rival station responded in the classiest way possible. | News | Someecards: "He died this past Saturday after a man (since charged with manslaughter and drug possession) made an illegal u-turn and struck his motor scooter.
Nevertheless, as his own station acknowledged, the show must go on, "and Bobby would have wanted it that way." But thanks to a rival station's generosity, Bob Barry's coworkers at KFOR-TV (an NBC affiliate) may be able to attend his funeral this Friday at 11 a.m., when they otherwise would have had to work:"



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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Rwandan general arrested in the UK on Spain's behalf - Yahoo News

Rwandan general arrested in the UK on Spain's behalf - Yahoo News: "LONDON (AP) — A Rwandan military general was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport and will appear in court later this week, British police said Tuesday, prompting an angry response from Rwandan leaders.



Police said the warrant for Emmanuel Karenzi Karake, head of Rwanda's intelligence and security service, was made on behalf of authorities in Spain.



Karake, a close ally of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, was one of 40 members of the Rwandan military indicted in 2008 on charges of terrorism and genocide by Spanish national Court Judge Fernando Andreu."



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Kurd Fighters Seize Syrian Town from IS

Kurd Fighters Seize Syrian Town from IS: "Kurdish-led forces in Syria have captured a town once held by the Islamic State group, as they continued to gain ground in their march to the main extremist stronghold in the country.

Backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and some rebel factions, the Kurdish YPG fighters said they seized the town of Ain Issa Tuesday, hours after the Kurds captured a key military base in northern Syria from Islamic State militants."



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In Breakthrough for Peace, Malian Rebels Sign Accord | UN Dispatch

In Breakthrough for Peace, Malian Rebels Sign Accord | UN Dispatch: "June 20, 2015, will go down as a milestone in Mali’s history. Following months of negotiations in Algeria, a first – failed – attempt at signing the peace agreement between the Malian government and the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), and long weeks of back-and-forth between the government, the rebels and negotiators – including some set-backs which almost made the agreement impossible – the historic peace agreement was signed in Bamako on Saturday June 20. The peace agreement marks the beginning of a period of political and social reconstruction in Mali – many questions and issues remain, but the stage has been set for a more pacified Mali to flourish."



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allAfrica.com: Africa: Explainer - How Indicators Have the Power to Shape Our World

allAfrica.com: Africa: Explainer - How Indicators Have the Power to Shape Our World: "The use of indicators in governance has expanded from economic and sector-specific quantitative data to the measurement of almost every phenomenon. Our recent book focuses on indicators of governance itself, specifically governance through law. These are indicators purporting to measure practices or perceptions of good governance, the rule of law, corruption, regulatory quality, and related matters.

The underlying theoretical framework of this book is the linkage between knowledge and power. Indicators are both a form of knowledge and a technology for governance.

Like other forms of knowledge, indicators influence governance. They do this when they form the basis for political decision-making, public awareness, and the terms in which problems are conceptualised and solutions imagined."



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How Strategic Thinkers Expand Their Options | Deepak Sharma | LinkedIn

How Strategic Thinkers Expand Their Options | Deepak Sharma | LinkedIn: "Nutt found that managers used multiple options in only 20 percent of their decisions. This is in spite of the fact that when multiple options were used, success rates jumped from 56 percent to 70 percent.

Strategic thinkers understand this advantage and are the masters of creating and multiplying their options. "



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FAO - News Article: Rabobank Foundation and FAO to expand partnership

FAO - News Article: Rabobank Foundation and FAO to expand partnership: "In 2013, FAO and Rabobank Foundation began a partnership by collaborating on three projects in Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya, all oriented to improving smallholder farmers' incomes, access to financial tools and ability to invest in more efficient production of food crops.

Building on the progress achieved so far, the two institutions now intend to ramp up their pilot projects and establish similar collaborations in other countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

"We believe that working together with an organization like FAO can accelerate the realization of our mutual goals," said Pierre van Hedel, managing director of Rabobank Foundation. "We highly appreciate FAO's long-term commitment and vision with regard to the topic of food security, which is needed for smallholder development.""



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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

EU warns of sanctions over violence in Burundi crisis - Yahoo News

EU warns of sanctions over violence in Burundi crisis - Yahoo News: "A grenade attack killed four people on Sunday. President Pierre Nkurunziza's opponents say his bid for another five years in office is unconstitutional, while he cites a court ruling that found he could run.



 It is the worst political crisis since Burundi emerged from ethnically fueled civil war in 2005. The unrest has worried a region with a history of ethnic conflict, particularly next door Rwanda, where there was a genocide in 1994.



"The EU is determined to adopt, if necessary, targeted restrictive measures against those whose actions might have led or might lead to acts of violence and repression and serious human rights violations," EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg said in a statement.



 The European Union funds about half the annual budget of Burundi, one of the world's poorest nations, and diplomats have said in the past donors would seek targeted sanctions rather than broad steps that could harm the population.



 But EU ministers warned that the situation could push them to consider reviewing broader relations between Burundi and the EU, comments suggesting some aid could be suspended."



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The failure of the TPP matters, but not for economic reasons

The failure of the TPP matters, but not for economic reasons: "It seems likely that President Obama's flagship Asian free-trade deal, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), will sink in the US Congress. Those who worry about its implications in specific sectors like pharmaceuticals might think this is a good thing. But what would be the broader implications? That depends on what difference TPP would make if it floats. The answer comes in two parts."



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If we want to end poverty, we need to be able to measure it properly | Global development | The Guardian

If we want to end poverty, we need to be able to measure it properly | Global development | The Guardian: "In three months, the UN looks set to adopt 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that will guide the international community’s efforts to tackle global poverty, inequality and climate change over the next 15 years.

After years of negotiations among policymakers, NGOs and academics , a zero draft of the SDGs is now under discussion. But how will we know if we advance towards achieving these targets? What should be the indicators of progress?

The draft goals call for an end to poverty “in all its forms everywhere” and set the target of reducing “at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions”. But how do countries measure the multidimensional nature of poverty and track progress towards reducing it?

Multidimensional poverty measurement has been rapidly evolving over the past five years, both at the national and international level."



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Malaysia steps up health screening for MERS at entry points - Yahoo News

Malaysia steps up health screening for MERS at entry points - Yahoo News: "KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia has stepped up health screenings at all entry points into the country, after the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was reported in neighboring Thailand last week.

The Southeast Asian nation, which shares a 650 km (400 mile) land border with Thailand, has already begun monitoring body temperatures at the airports, Deputy Health Minister Hilmi Yahaya said in a statement to state news agency Bernama."



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Rights group slams Malaysia for prosecuting transgenders - Yahoo News

Rights group slams Malaysia for prosecuting transgenders - Yahoo News: "Human Rights Watch on Monday criticized a Malaysian Islamic court for fining nine Muslim transgender women for cross-dressing and jailing two of them for a month."



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Friday, June 19, 2015

Obama On Charleston Shooting: 'This Type Of Mass Violence Does Not Happen In Other Advanced Countries'

Obama On Charleston Shooting: 'This Type Of Mass Violence Does Not Happen In Other Advanced Countries': ""I've had to make statements like this too many times. Communities have had to endure tragedies like this too many times," he continued. "Once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. ... We as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries.""



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Accidental pregnancies 'dramatically reduced' by IUD and implant counseling - Medical News Today

Accidental pregnancies 'dramatically reduced' by IUD and implant counseling - Medical News Today: "A new study conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, in association with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, found that, over the course of a year, the number of unintended pregnancies was reduced "dramatically" by training health care workers to counsel young women on the benefits of intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants."



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Thursday, June 18, 2015

Syrians recount horror of chemical attacks on civilians - Al Jazeera English

Syrians recount horror of chemical attacks on civilians - Al Jazeera English: "Aid workers and medical personnel have called on the US to take action against use of weaponised chlorine gas on civilians in Syria and impose a no-fly zone in the wake of series of gas attacks since March.
Testifying before the US Congress on Wednesday, the doctors who have worked in Syria called on the administration of US President Barack Obama to make good on its word to punish the use of chemical weapons and put in place a no-fly zone to protect civilians.
"I live in Syria and I never see these helicopters and airplanes against extremists or training camps and so on. All we see is these planes and helicopters being used against hospitals, against schools," Dr Mohamed Tennari from Syrian-American Medical Society said."



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Chad bans Islamic face veil after suicide bombings - BBC News

Chad bans Islamic face veil after suicide bombings - BBC News: "Chad has banned people from wearing the full-face veil, following two suicide bomb attacks on Monday.
Chad's government accused Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram of the bombings which killed more than 20 people."



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California ruling challenges Uber business model

California ruling challenges Uber business model: "NEW YORK — In a ruling that raises questions about sky-rocketing valuations for Uber and Lyft, California's Labor Commission has ruled that a driver who filed a complaint against Uber Technologies was an employee, not an independent contractor.

The ruling could significantly increase costs for the $40 billion ride-hailing startup if it is copied by other states and in other cases."



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New firm set to run Yosemite park sites in $2 billion deal - The Washington Post

New firm set to run Yosemite park sites in $2 billion deal - The Washington Post: "Park officials say they have selected a new company to take over hotels, restaurants and outdoor activities under the national park system’s largest single contract for services. Ranger Scott Gediman said Wednesday, June 17, 2015, that Aramark is being offered the 15-year contract valued at $2 billion. If the deal is approved, Aramark would replace Delaware North of New York early next year. (Ben Margot, File/Associated Press)"



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Saturday, June 6, 2015

Sabah quake: Death toll 19, say SAR officials - Nation | The Star Online

Sabah quake: Death toll 19, say SAR officials - Nation | The Star Online: " Search and rescue officials believed the death toll from Friday's earthquake at Mount Kinabalu is 19 with the recovery of 17 bodies on top of the mountain on Saturday.

The officials said they did not expect any more bodies to be found as all the missing climbers have been accounted for."



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Syrian refugees near four million amid intense fighting - Al Jazeera English

Syrian refugees near four million amid intense fighting - Al Jazeera English: "With the conflict in Syria now in its fifth year, 7.6 million people have been internally displaced, 3.98 million people have fled the country and thousands more are waiting to be registered as refugees, the UN says.
More than half of all Syrian refugees are under the age of 18.
Activists say the number of refugees fleeing into neighbouring countries has increased as the fighting in Syria intensified over the past few months, particularly after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) captured Syria's historic city of Palmyra last month and advanced on the northeastern province of Hasakah.
The UN predicts that by the end of 2015, up to 4.27 millions refugees could be registered - making it the largest exodus of a country's citizens since the Rwandan genocide 20 years ago."



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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

10 Questions With BT - Electronic Opus

10 Questions With BT - Electronic Opus: "BT searches for complex mathematical and musical patterns in everyday life to create music that connects to his audience on a deep, emotional level, creating a lasting impression. With almost 20 years in the business and a new TanZ Group-produced tour, Electronic Opus, kicking off in Miami in March, featuring top symphony orchestras around the world and a hyper-synchronized lighting and video show for an unparalleled immersive concert experience, it’s safe to say BT’s legacy is both here to stay and still expanding.

Recently, the multitalented artist took time to connect with BMI via email about his latest projects, musical journey and advice to aspiring composers."



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Australian student confirms that giant plasma tubes are floating above Earth - ScienceAlert

Australian student confirms that giant plasma tubes are floating above Earth - ScienceAlert: "Loi is the lead author on this research, done as part of her award-winning undergraduate thesis and published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

“The discovery of the structures is important because they cause unwanted signal distortions that could, as one example, affect our civilian and military satellite-based navigation systems. So we need to understand them,” she said.

The plasma structures are explained in this clip:

"



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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Actor Matt Dillon puts rare celebrity spotlight on Rohingya Muslims

Actor Matt Dillon puts rare celebrity spotlight on Rohingya Muslims: ""No one should have to live like this, people are really suffering," said Dillon, one of the first celebrities to get a look at what life is like for Rohingya in the western state of Rakhine. "They are being strangled slowly, they have no hope for the future and nowhere to go."

Though Rohingya have been victims of state-sponsored discrimination for decades, conditions started deteriorating three years ago after the predominantly Buddhist country of 50 million began its bumpy transition from a half-century of dictatorship to democracy.

Taking advantage of newfound freedoms of expression, radical monks started fanning deep-seated societal hatred for the religious minority. Hundreds have been killed by machete-wielding mobs and a quarter million others now live under apartheid-like conditions in camps or have fled by boat - hundreds of dehydrated, hungry Rohingya washing onto Southeast Asian shores in recent weeks."



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How Turkey tomb-raided its way out of confronting ISIL - Al Jazeera English

How Turkey tomb-raided its way out of confronting ISIL - Al Jazeera English: "Erdogan knows that if he confronts ISIL and fails, there could be electoral consequences. If ISIL would have attacked and occupied the tomb, Erdogan would have had no other choice but to respond militarily. By removing the tomb of Suleyman Shah, Erdogan removed the main catalyst that could force Turkey into a military confrontation with ISIL"



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Chinese tourist ship carrying hundreds sinks on river - Al Jazeera English

Chinese tourist ship carrying hundreds sinks on river - Al Jazeera English: "A tourist ship carrying more than 400 people has sunk on the Yangtze River in southern China, state media reported.
More than 30 people have been rescued, including the captain, according to media reports."



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How to talk about Caitlyn Jenner: a guide to speaking and writing about transgender people - Boing Boing

How to talk about Caitlyn Jenner: a guide to speaking and writing about transgender people - Boing Boing: "Caitlyn Jenner, the woman formerly known as Bruce Jenner, just revealed herself on the cover of Vanity Fair. This transgender woman's coming-out is a major moment in pop culture history. Everyone's gonna be talking about her today. Here's a guide from GLAAD on how not to be an asshole about it."



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In pictures: Drones take whale science to new heights - BBC News

In pictures: Drones take whale science to new heights - BBC News: "Instead of standing on the shore with binoculars, scientists are turning to drones to monitor wild populations of whales off the US coast.
A hexacopter hovers 40m or more above the ocean, kitted out with a high-resolution camera to record valuable images of these huge beasts.
Researchers can use these pictures to count the whales, but also to study their health and their behaviour.
This will allow a thorough survey of the gray whales living off California.
"We can't put a gray whale on a scale, but we can use aerial images to analyze their body condition - basically, how fat or skinny they are," said John Durban, a marine mammal biologist at Noaa Fisheries."



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Monday, June 1, 2015

Everyone is totally just winging it, all the time | Science | The Guardian

Everyone is totally just winging it, all the time | Science | The Guardian: "Because all these stories illustrate one of the most fundamental yet still under-appreciated truths of human existence, which is this: everyone is totally just winging it, all the time.

Institutions – from national newspapers to governments and politicial parties – invest an enormous amount of money and effort in denying this truth. The facades they maintain are crucial to their authority, and thus to their legitimacy and continued survival. We need them to appear ultra-competent, too, because we derive much psychological security from the belief that somewhere, in the highest echelons of society, there are some near-infallible adults in charge.

In fact, though, everyone is totally just winging it."



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China’s changing tastes creating import, branding opportunities - SeafoodSource.com

China’s changing tastes creating import, branding opportunities - SeafoodSource.com: "It’s an indication of the profit margins in quality food that Suning, China’s largest electronics retailer, has lately ventured into online sales of fresh food, going to the huge expense of putting overseas procurement and cold chain operations in place across the country. Suning has watched jealously while online retailer Tmall.com last year reported triple-digit growth in food sales, with seafood the fastest-growing category.  "



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Police kill man near Asia security summit

Police kill man near Asia security summit: "An international security summit was put on lockdown in Singapore after police shot dead a man who crashed his car through the barriers at a checkpoint.

The 34-year-old, who had two passengers in the vehicle, was stopped at the police checkpoint near the Shangri-La Hotel, which was hosting the top-level conference, just after 4am (local time).

But when officers asked him to open the boot of his car, he sped off."



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College Student Killed Trying to Stop ISIS Attack Called a Hero | TIME

College Student Killed Trying to Stop ISIS Attack Called a Hero | TIME: "Abduljaleel Alarbash, an undergraduate who was studying electrical engineering at Wichita State University, and his cousin were working security at the mosque in the port city of Dammam, roles for which they volunteered after a recent mosque attack, The Wichita Eagle reports. Alarbash became alarmed when someone dressed in all black attempted to go inside—women had been told to remain at home due to safety. The bomber was reported to have blown himself up, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), after Alarbash tried to turn him in."



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This New Feminist "Mad Max" Meme Is Absolute Perfection

This New Feminist "Mad Max" Meme Is Absolute Perfection: "Now, there’s a new tumblr called Feminist Mad Max that outlines all the moments in the film that challenge common sexist tropes in Hollywood blockbusters."



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I Was a Proud Non-Breeder. I Changed My Mind. -- The Cut

I Was a Proud Non-Breeder. I Changed My Mind. -- The Cut: "I read about a famous Ann Landers reader survey from the 1970s, undertaken in response to a letter from a young couple who feared, as I did, that parenthood would ruin their marriage.“Will you please ask your readers the question: If you had it to do over again, would you have children?” they asked. She did, and received 10,000 responses. To her dismay, 70 percent answered no. A 40-year-old mother of twins wrote, “I was an attractive, fulfilled career woman before I had these kids. Now I’m an exhausted, nervous wreck who misses her job and sees very little of her husband. He’s got a ‘friend,’ I’m sure, and I don’t blame him.” This helped shore up my faith in our decision.

Looking back, the fact that my faith needed shoring up was a sign that something was changing. As I got older, the constant travel that once thrilled me became wearying. My work still meant a lot to me, but while I once thought that publishing a book would make me feel that I’d arrived, publishing two taught me that arrival is elusive. "



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