The Great Baby Bust of 2017 – In a State of Migration – Medium

The Great Baby Bust of 2017 – In a State of Migration – Medium: "I am worried about fertility in 2017. I am very concerned about fertility in 2018. I am scared of what fertility numbers will be in 2019, especially if a recession hits somewhere in that period. Our fertility decline is on par with serious, durable fertility declines in other big, developed countries, and may be extremely difficult to reverse. I have no happy ending to this blog post.
"



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No Family Is Safe From This Epidemic - The Atlantic

No Family Is Safe From This Epidemic - The Atlantic: "Many people have a simple understanding of addiction. They think it happens only to dysfunctional people from dysfunctional families, or to hopeless people living on the street. But our addicted population is spread across every segment of society: rich and poor, white and black, male and female, old and young.

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Whats a big industry secret that isn't supposed to be known by the general public? : AskReddit

Whats a big industry secret that isn't supposed to be known by the general public? : AskReddit:

Tennis: whatever racquet your hero is using, you won't be able to buy it. Babolat was actually sued because of this. They are mostly old models or prototypes, with a paint job to make them look like whatever the company is currently peddling. EDIT: because of the interest shown, here is a nice article about this practice. EDIT 2: Wilson Pro model, H22 I guess, painted as a Burn 100

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[–]jaggington 4333 points 3 hours agox2 

If people complained vociferously about this deceptive practice, it would be a racquet racket racket.

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Benchmarking U.S. Government Websites | ITIF

Benchmarking U.S. Government Websites | ITIF: "A year after ITIF first collected data on the most popular federal websites, more than nine out of 10 continue to fall short of government and industry standards for design and development.
"



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A Reminder That You Have It Better Than Most - TheResurgent.com

A Reminder That You Have It Better Than Most - TheResurgent.com:

I don't know the man, but he is a friend of a friend. The man lives in Kenya and spent most of his life in poverty. But through hard work and some providence, he was able to get off the floor of society. He bought a house and moved his mother into the house. She is dead today, murdered by the police in Kenya. The man's political views are different from those of the Kenyan President. An election is on in Kenya and Parliament there just changed election rules nationwide that all but ensure the ruling party stays in power. This man has been outspoken against these changes and the current Kenyan President.

So police showed up at his home today and killed his mother as payback. And this is a growing normal part of life in a country that had once been known for its stability.

The United States is not perfect. There have been instances of police brutality. There has been injustice. But the police are not coming to your home and killing your family because you speak out against President Trump or because you spoke out against President Obama. We are far more stable than most other countries and have many more freedoms than even people next door in Canada have, particularly on the first amendment front.

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Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis - The Washington Post

A woman approached The Post with dramatic — and false — tale about Roy Moore. She appears to be part of undercover sting operation.
:



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IamA guy who went to prison for trolling/SWATing AMA! : IAmA

IamA guy who went to prison for trolling/SWATing AMA! : IAmA: "It was a different kind of euphoria having the power to make people freak out think something bad is going to happen when it really isn't."



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BigAngryDinosaur comments on Being a "reformed creep" and letting go

BigAngryDinosaur comments on Being a "reformed creep" and letting go: "So how do you avoid becoming a part of this very human, very common and very real cycle of subtle abuse? You must have particular standards for your relationships with others. Do not cling to an unhealthy relationship because you think you'll never make any new friends or romantic partners. You must be able to talk about what you want from a relationship and decide with your partner or potential partner if those standards are compatible with them, and you have to be able to decide if someone is good for you as well as being attractive to you. And someone who is good for you, may not always make you comfortable. A good partner tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear, and allows you the discomfort of figuring out how to grow from there.
"



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When Sexual Assault Victims Are Charged With Lying - The New York Times

When Sexual Assault Victims Are Charged With Lying - The New York Times: "In 2015 we wrote an article for ProPublica and the Marshall Project about Marie, an 18-year-old who reported being raped in Lynnwood, Wash., by a man who broke into her apartment. (Marie is her middle name.) Police detectives treated small inconsistencies in her account — common among trauma victims — as major discrepancies. Instead of interviewing her as a victim, they interrogated her as a suspect. Under pressure, Marie eventually recanted — and was charged with false reporting, punishable by up to a year in jail. The court ordered her to pay $500 in court costs, get mental health counseling for her lying and go on supervised probation for one year. More than two years later, the police in Colorado arrested a serial rapist — and discovered a photograph proving he had raped Marie.

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(1) How gearbox works - Spinning Levers (Remastered FullHD) 1936 - YouTube

(1) How gearbox works - Spinning Levers (Remastered FullHD) 1936 - YouTube: "A vintage American educational film that explains transmission systems in motor vehicles.
"



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Auburn Upsets No. 1 Alabama: ‘We Did That for the Nation’ - The New York Times

Auburn Upsets No. 1 Alabama: ‘We Did That for the Nation’ - The New York Times: "“The whole nation was watching tonight,” Cox added. “Everyone wants to see Bama lose. And we did that for the nation.”

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LucyBowels comments on America's Opioid Epidemic.

LucyBowels comments on America's Opioid Epidemic.:

Not many people just start shooting heroin. It's an incremental but eventual process. The worst fear is that needle before you try it. But one day, pills don't get you high anymore, snorting heroin doesn't get you high anymore, and someone you know promises they can get the high back for a quarter of what you've been paying.

So you agree, and they tie off your arm, you look away squeamishly, and feel a wave of disappointment in yourself: this is the one thing you promised you'd never do, no matter what. And as that thought washes over you, it's gone, replaced by a better type of high than you've had in years. And 6 hours later, you put the needle in your arm yourself and sign your life away.

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Who Are Sufi Muslims and Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them? - The New York Times

Who Are Sufi Muslims and Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them? - The New York Times:

Sufism is a mystical form of Islam, a school of practice that emphasizes the inward search for God and shuns materialism. It has produced some of the world’s most beloved literature, like the love poems of the 13th century Iranian jurist Rumi. Its modern-day adherents cherish tolerance and pluralism, qualities that in many religions unsettle extremists.

But Sufism, often known as Islamic mysticism, has come under violent attack in recent years. On Friday, militants stormed a Sufi mosque on the Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 235 people in what officials are calling the worst terrorist attack in Egypt’s modern history. The attack followed several assaults on Sufi shrines in Pakistan over the past year carried out by Sunni extremists. (The vast majority of Sufis are Sunni, though some are Shiite.)

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Militants Kill 235 at Sufi Mosque in Egypt’s Deadliest Terrorist Attack - The New York Times

Militants Kill 235 at Sufi Mosque in Egypt’s Deadliest Terrorist Attack - The New York Times: "CAIRO — Militants detonated a bomb inside a crowded mosque in the Sinai Peninsula on Friday and then sprayed gunfire on panicked worshipers as they fled, killing at least 235 people and wounding at least 109 others. Officials called it the deadliest terrorist attack in Egypt’s modern history.

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For North Korean soldier’s recovery, South Koreans are pinning their hopes on this doctor - The Washington Post

For North Korean soldier’s recovery, South Koreans are pinning their hopes on this doctor - The Washington Post:

TOKYO — No medical drama is complete without a bold-yet-sensitive heartthrob doctor in a leading role. The incredible tale of a North Korean soldier’s escape across the demilitarized zone last week is no exception.

The McDreamy in this case is Lee Cook-jong, the trauma surgeon who has operated on the soldier several times and provided updates along the way — including a video showing Lee picking 10-inch-long parasitic worms out of the man’s intestines and his declaration Wednesday that the defector will survive.

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Thanksgiving Ten Years Ago: David French Remembers Iraq Deployment & Daughter’s Birth | National Review

Thanksgiving Ten Years Ago: David French Remembers Iraq Deployment & Daughter’s Birth | National Review: "My friend was right. The almost-year I spent in Iraq was the most important time of my life. I gained brothers. I lost brothers. I saw things I’d never imagined and pray that I’ll never see again. I experienced stress and fear at levels I didn’t know I could take, and I served with heroes who did things that ordinary Americans can’t comprehend.



That year changed me. The man who came home was substantially different from the man who left. I was better in some ways, worse in others, and I was on the beginning of a road that so many veterans walk. How do you become the best version of your new self? How do you live with grief without letting it consume you? How do you deal with the loneliness — yes, loneliness — of separation from your brothers, the men who served beside you?"



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More than a Million Pro-Repeal Net Neutrality Comments were Likely Faked

More than a Million Pro-Repeal Net Neutrality Comments were Likely Faked: "One pro-repeal spam campaign used mail-merge to disguise 1.3 million comments as unique grassroots submissions.
"



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(1) Mega Medley that was supposed to be 5 minutes but wasn't - YouTube

(1) Mega Medley that was supposed to be 5 minutes but wasn't - YouTube:

Song list




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To Hell With the Witch-Hunt Debate - The Atlantic

To Hell With the Witch-Hunt Debate - The Atlantic: "You learn early on, if you’re female, that your body mostly belongs to you. But if you are going to make a big fuss every time a hand grabs you on a crowded bus or train, every time a man forces a wet, unwanted kiss on you, you’re going to become something men really don’t like: bitter. And so you come to accept that for the most part your body belongs to you. But in a small way a little bit of it belongs to the men of the world. And I am reminded of the ancient words that washed over me in the churches of my childhood and the college chapels of my late adolescence, in the cathedrals and outdoor masses of my early life on my own: This is my body, which is given up for you.

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290 coaches, officials tied to U.S. Olympic groups have been accused of sexual misconduct since 1982 - Orlando Sentinel

290 coaches, officials tied to U.S. Olympic groups have been accused of sexual misconduct since 1982 - Orlando Sentinel: "More than 290 coaches and officials associated with America's Olympic sports organizations have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct since 1982, according to a Washington Post review of sport governing body banned lists, news clips, and court records in several states. The figure spans parts of 15 sports and amounts to an average of eight adults connected to an Olympic organization accused of sexual misconduct every year - or about one every six weeks - for more than 36 years.

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Sexual Harassment Allegations -- It Will Get Uglier | National Review

Sexual Harassment Allegations -- It Will Get Uglier | National Review:

As much as I dislike Franken, making a gross pass at an adult woman is different than molesting a 14-year-old girl. Groping a woman’s backside is not the same thing as raping a woman. And yet Franken’s name is routinely listed alongside Moore’s and Weinstein’s. Some of this leveling is simply journalistic laziness. But a lot of it is partisan demagoguery and opportunism. Partisanship also leads to what you might call anti-leveling: people who ignore wrongdoing on “their side” even as they attack their enemies.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/453974/sexual-harassment-allegations-will-get-uglier



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Nobody Would Have Been Surprised If I Had Died. – Katherine Fugate – Medium

Nobody Would Have Been Surprised If I Had Died. – Katherine Fugate – Medium: "It starts somewhere. It starts in the home. I know what a mass shooter can look like.
"



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Nobody Would Have Been Surprised If I Had Died. – Katherine Fugate – Medium

Nobody Would Have Been Surprised If I Had Died. – Katherine Fugate – Medium: "It starts somewhere. It starts in the home. I know what a mass shooter can look like.
"



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The Truth About Sex Differences | Psychology Today

The Truth About Sex Differences | Psychology Today: "If you were to line up 100 women and 100 men and peruse the heights of the two groups, you would easily notice differences in their group distributions of heights. In the United States, the average adult woman is only about as tall as the average 14-year-old boy. Too often, when scientists claim that there exists a sex difference in height, it gets translated by others as meaning that the feature of height is biologically essential to being a man (taller) or a woman (shorter). The tendency to misconstrue as a necessary difference what shows up only as a group difference is a huge barrier to respectful and productive conversations about sex differences. 

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Roy Moore allegations place uneasy spotlight on Gadsden | AL.com

Roy Moore allegations place uneasy spotlight on Gadsden | AL.com:

In 1960, Gadsden had almost 60,000 residents. In those days, it was an industrial town bookended by the Goodyear tire plant and a steel plant. Now, it has about 36,000 residents, but maintains a vibrant downtown life and local business culture.

Curlie DeRamus, a 70-year-old who said he has lived in Gadsden his whole life, didn't approach the mike but grew animated when he talked about his hometown. He said Gadsden is full of people who are in low wage jobs, trying to make a better life for themselves.

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JoshRushing comments on [AMA Request] Anyone that has witnessed a death sentenced carried out

JoshRushing comments on [AMA Request] Anyone that has witnessed a death sentenced carried out: "I wrote the following description of having just witnessed an execution while in the passenger seat of a car driving away from the prison. I wanted it to be as accurate and detailed as possible...
"



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Kim Jong Un’s North Korea: Life inside the totalitarian state - Washington Post

Kim Jong Un’s North Korea: Life inside the totalitarian state - Washington Post: "Escapees from North Korea’s gruesome political prisons have recounted brutal treatment over the years, including medieval torture with shackles and fire and being forced to undergo abortions by the crudest methods. Human rights activists say that this appears to have lessened slightly under Kim. But severe beatings and certain kinds of torture — including being forced to remain in stress positions for crippling lengths of time — are commonplace throughout North Korea’s detention systems, as are public executions.

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The First Victory Over ISIS | commentary

The First Victory Over ISIS | commentary: "While the U.S. has had military success against some terrorist groups—we tend to focus on one group at a time, first al-Qaeda, then ISIS—they have shown a worrisome tendency to either make good their losses or else be superseded by other groups that may turn out to be even more vicious. Put another way, the pathologies of the Muslim world have proven stronger than our ability or will to overcome them. What, then, should we do in the future in what has been variously known as the “Global War on Terror,” the “Struggle Against Violent Extremism,” and now the war on “radical Islamic terrorism”? The answer to that question begins with an honest assessment of what has gone right—and wrong—to date."



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Ric_Adbur comments on The FCC just repealed a 42-year-old rule blocking broadcast media mergers

Ric_Adbur comments on The FCC just repealed a 42-year-old rule blocking broadcast media mergers: "Everyone feels powerless to stop it. Every week there's a new story or several about how corruption is spreading further and further and becoming more and more blatant with little to no opposition. Couple that with the constant barrage of news about terrorism, hostile foreign powers, and the never-ending partisan blame-game, and nobody knows what direction to move in much less what they'd even do if they got there.

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US Navy: Penis in sky drawn by jet trail was 'unacceptable' : news

US Navy: Penis in sky drawn by jet trail was 'unacceptable' : news:

If he was in my command I would have simply called it a asymmetrical combat orbit pattern practice run that occurred during a unique atmospheric condition that allowed a jet trail to develop. Unfortunately certain more basers members of the general public interpreted these jet trails as a penis. Since the Navy is not in the business of enforcing morality among the general public there is nothing the Navy can do about it.

Then once the press dies away I would give the pilot a toothbrush and tell clean the runway with it.

First rule of command is you have protect your men no matter what dumbass thing they do.

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83-year-old retired Marine keeps promise made in bunker in Vietnam | WFAA.com

83-year-old retired Marine keeps promise made in bunker in Vietnam | WFAA.com: "For nearly five decades, Cox, who lives in Piedmont, and Hollingsworth, whose nickname was Hollie, kept their promise to each other.

And earlier this year, Cox kept another promise: He stood guard at Hollingsworth’s casket and then delivered the eulogy at his funeral.

Standing guard, without the cane that the 83-year-old normally uses, Cox was paying tribute, one Marine to another."



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benzosareawful comments on This pill popping culture needs to end now. We don’t need to Loose anybody else.

benzosareawful comments on This pill popping culture needs to end now. We don’t need to Loose anybody else.:

Benzos and alcohol are the only two classes of drugs that can kill you when withdrawing from them.

I'll try to keep it simple. Benzos (and alcohol) work by making a neurotransmitter, GABA, more effective when it binds to the brain. GABA basically reduces how strong/powerful nerve impulses are, so when you're anxious and on edge, these drugs will sedate and chill you out by reducing the excitability of the brain cells associated with anxiety, muscle stiffness, etc.

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The Terminal Rot At The GOP’s Core – Rantt

The Terminal Rot At The GOP’s Core – Rantt: "A while ago, I warned that the GOP was rapidly becoming unmoored from conservatism and embracing angry, tribal populism at epidemic levels. At one point, I implied it was trying to change the country from a shining city on a hill into an old hoarder’s decrepit mansion filled with nostalgic symbols of greatness long passed. I’ll still stand by this metaphor but say that it’s incomplete. That mansion also has a nasty termite infestation, dry rot behind the walls, and sewage pipes in the living room and master bedroom have sprung leaks the occupant refuses to fix despite the stench and squishy floors. It’s no longer just a fixer-upper. It’s a total teardown with few salvageable parts.
"



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People who used to work in Gadsden Mall share stories, concerns about Roy Moore | WBMA

People who used to work in Gadsden Mall share stories, concerns about Roy Moore | WBMA: "“We knew, that Roy was, we considered him as teenagers the creepy old man that roamed the mall, trying to talk to the young girls,” Reeves remembered. “He kind of stood out from everyone else because we was always wearing dress clothes, dress slacks, a button down shirt, nice shoes.”
"



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Was the Democratic primary rigged? - Vox

Was the Democratic primary rigged? - Vox: "The irony is that Sanders was a prime beneficiary of this bias, not a victim of it. The losers were potential candidates like Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Warren, or Gov. John Hickenlooper — and, thus, Democratic primary voters, who ended up with few choices in 2016. To the extent Democratic primary voters feel like they were denied a broad range of candidates in 2016, and that party officials tried to clear the field to coronate Clinton, well, they’re right.

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Moroccan–American Treaty of Friendship - Wikipedia

Moroccan–American Treaty of Friendship - Wikipedia: "It has withstood transatlantic stresses and strains for more than 239 years, making it the longest unbroken treaty relationship in United States history.[6]"



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Russian Defense Ministry’s ‘Evidence’ of U.S. Aid to ISIS Shows Video-Game Footage - The Daily Beast

Russian Defense Ministry’s ‘Evidence’ of U.S. Aid to ISIS Shows Video-Game Footage - The Daily Beast:

In a sign of how lazy some propagandists can be, on Tuesday the official Russian-language Twitter account for the country’s defense ministry tweeted a selection of photos, claiming the images were irrefutable evidence that the U.S. was helping ISIS terrorists. However, one of the photos the Ministry of Defense tweeted (and later deleted) appears to be from the video game AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron, a clip of which is available on YouTube.



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(2) Our Biggest Economic, Social, and Political Issue | LinkedIn

(2) Our Biggest Economic, Social, and Political Issue | LinkedIn: "There has been no growth in earned income, and income and wealth gaps have grown and are enormous. Since 1980, median household real incomes have been about flat, and the average household in the top 40% earns four times more than the average household in the bottom 60%. While they’ve experienced some growth recently, real incomes have been flat to down slightly for the average household in the bottom 60% since 1980 (while they have been up for the top 40%). Those in the top 40% now have on average 10 times as much wealth as those in the bottom 60%. That is up from six times as much in 1980."



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Fake News and Fake Innocence

Fake News and Fake Innocence: "I was a journalist at CBS News for 28 years and during that time I witnessed liberal bias; I witnessed liberal elitism; and I witnessed a few mistakes. But I never saw anything resembling the fake news the president is constantly wailing about. I never saw any journalist just make something up out of nothing.

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On Veterans Day, a lost battalion. A war hero. And a heartbreaking suicide. - The Washington Post

On Veterans Day, a lost battalion. A war hero. And a heartbreaking suicide. - The Washington Post:

Three thousand people crowded into the State Armory in Pittsfield, Mass., on Dec. 11, 1921, to mourn Lt. Col. Charles W. Whittlesey, famed leader of World War I‘s “lost battalion.”

Now he too was lost.

A century ago, every newspaper reader in America knew the story. Whittlesey, a tall, bookish soldier, had led 554 men of the 308th Infantry up a thickly wooded French ravine early on Oct. 2, 1918, then became trapped and isolated.

When relief finally came, just 194 soldiers could get to their feet; 107 were dead, 63 missing. And of those able to walk, only a half dozen were deemed fit to continue the advance.

The war would be over in a month. But not for Whittlesey.

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In Alabama, Republican Voters Stand by Roy Moore - NBC News

In Alabama, Republican Voters Stand by Roy Moore - NBC News:

Cox, of the Greenwood Baptist Church, said as long as Moore is on the ballot, the GOP candidate would have his support.

"Everything else," Cox said, "is for the Lord to sort out."

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Why Won’t TV Show People Who Aren’t Rich? - POLITICO Magazine

Why Won’t TV Show People Who Aren’t Rich? - POLITICO Magazine: "And why doesn’t television better reflect our reality? It could be that TV producers and executives live in an affluent Hollywood bubble of their own, with the same narrow pool of kitchen contractors and narrow expectations for how the world actually looks. Or it could be that they imagine that economic stress would add an undue layer of complexity to high-concept stories about Other Things. Maybe they think no viewers want to wallow in a subject so prosaic and depressing. “The Middle,” beloved by some critics, never broke through to be an unqualified hit.

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(1) Mapping the Las Vegas Massacre - YouTube

(1) Mapping the Las Vegas Massacre - YouTube: "The shots began at 10:05pm. Twelve bursts of gunfire later, the police broke down Stephen Paddock’s door at the Mandalay Bay. The Times mapped 30 videos to draw perhaps the most complete picture to date of what happened.
"



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The Noise | By Stephen Curry

The Noise | By Stephen Curry:

But when someone tells me that my stances, or athlete stances in general, are “disrespecting the military” — which has become a popular thing to accuse peaceful protestors of — it’s something that I’m going to take very, very seriously. One of the beliefs that I hold most dear is how proud I am to be an American — and how incredibly thankful I am for our troops. I know how fortunate I am to live in this country, and to do what I do for a living, and to raise my daughters in peace and prosperity. But I also hear from plenty of people who don’t have it nearly as good as I do. Plenty of people who are genuinely struggling in this country. Especially our veterans.

And every single veteran I’ve spoken to, they’ve all said pretty much the exact same thing: That this conversation we’ve started to have in the world of sports … whether it’s been Colin kneeling, or entire NFL teams finding their own ways to show unity, or me saying that I didn’t want to go to the White House — it’s the opposite of disrespectful to them.

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(1) Chris Fowler talks about 2007 GameDay Experience at Williams College - YouTube

(1) Chris Fowler talks about 2007 GameDay Experience at Williams College - YouTube: "Longtime ESPN College Football GameDay host Chris Fowler talks about his trip to Williams College for GameDay in 2007. ESPN's first and still only DIII site for GameDay.
"



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thisonewasnotaken comments on ELI5: what is it about electricity that makes it so dangerous to the human body?

thisonewasnotaken comments on ELI5: what is it about electricity that makes it so dangerous to the human body?: "You remember that scene in Kindergarten Cop when all those kids are running around, screaming, throwing glue and shit on each other, one fat kid is eating everyone’s lunch while another looks up the girls’ skirts? They’re all doing their own thing, not what they’re supposed to be doing; that’s fibrillation. Then Arnold Schwarzenegger comes in and yells “SHUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUPPP” at the top of his lungs and all the kids stop being rowdy, that’s defibrillation. Then they all start crying in unison. That’s sinus rhythm.
"



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Where the Small-Town American Dream Lives On | The New Yorker

Where the Small-Town American Dream Lives On | The New Yorker:

In his 1970 book, “Exit, Voice, and Loyalty,” the economist Albert O. Hirschman described different ways of expressing discontent. You can exit—stop buying a product, leave town. Or you can use voice—complain to the manufacturer, stay and try to change the place you live in. The easier it is to exit, the less likely it is that a problem will be fixed. That’s why the centripetal pull of Orange City was not just a conservative force; it could be a powerfully dynamic one as well. After all, it wasn’t those who fled the town who would push it onward, politically or economically—it was the ones who loved it enough to stay, or to come back.

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Where the Small-Town American Dream Lives On | The New Yorker

Where the Small-Town American Dream Lives On | The New Yorker: "The town was founded, in 1870, by immigrants from Holland looking for farmland, and until recently almost everyone who lived there was Dutch. Many of the stores on Central Avenue still bear Dutch names: Bomgaars farm-supply store, Van Maanen’s Radio Shack, Van Rooyen Financial Group, DeJong Chiropractic and Acupuncture, Woudstra Meat Market. The town’s police force consists of Jim Pottebaum, Duane Hulstein, Audley DeJong, Bruce Jacobsma, Chad Van Ravenswaay, Wes Van Voorst, and Bob Van Zee. When an Orange City teacher wants to divide her class in half, she will say, “A”s through “U”s to one side, “V”s through “Z”s to the other. Once, many years ago, an actual Dutch woman, from Rotterdam, moved to town with her American husband. She found the Dutchness of Orange City peculiar—the way that most people didn’t speak Dutch anymore but sprinkled their English with phrases that nobody had used in the Netherlands for a hundred years.
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Diana Nyad: My Life After Sexual Assault - NYTimes.com

Diana Nyad: My Life After Sexual Assault - NYTimes.com: "My particular case mirrors countless others. I was 14. A naïve 14, in 1964. I don’t think I could have given you a definition of intercourse.



 My swimming coach was in many ways the father I had always yearned for. I met him when I was 10, and those first four years were marked by a strong mentor-student bond. He repeatedly told me I had all the talents to one day rock the world. I worshiped my coach. His word was The Word. I built a pedestal for him and gazed up at the center of my universe.

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On Rumors

On Rumors: "The revelation in Thursday’s New York Times that comedian Louis CK acted sexually inappropriate with women comedians was not a revelation to us here at Jezebel. In 2012, Jezebel’s sibling site, Gawker, ran a blind item about a “critically cherished sitcom auteur” who masturbated in front of “a female comedy duo” at the Aspen Comedy Festival. In May 2015, Gawker’s Jordan Sargent talked to a guy who’d had a baffling conversation with CK about the persistent rumor that CK masturbated in front of non-consenting women comedians. At the time, these were rumors, but rumors of great importance to Jezebel and Gawker. We did not view these rumors as smut, and we investigated them with the rigor we felt they demanded. Here’s the story of how that went for us.

"



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Fearlessleader85 comments on Louis C.K. statement released

Fearlessleader85 comments on Louis C.K. statement released: "And part of it comes down to the fact that when you're in a position of soft power, there's often an urge to disregard it, and just talk to people as peers. This is actually one of the issues with humility. Often, humble people in positions of soft power try to dispel the power structure to put others at ease, but really it only puts themselves a ease. They then try to have a conversation with someone as equals, and they will say things that equals say, ask things that equals ask, and do things that equals do, but on the other side of the conversation, the power structure still exists. The person without soft power feels an obligation to defer, acquiesce, or accommodate when they would not do so with a true peer.
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Roy Benavidez - Wikipedia

Roy Benavidez - Wikipedia: "On May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces patrol, which included nine Montagnard tribesmen, was surrounded by an NVA infantry battalion of about 1,000 men. Benavidez heard the radio appeal for help and boarded a helicopter to respond. Armed only with a knife, he jumped from the helicopter carrying his medical bag and ran to help the trapped patrol. Benavidez "distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions... and because of his gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men." At one point in the battle an NVA soldier accosted him and stabbed him with his bayonet. Benavidez pulled it out, yanked out his own knife, killed him and kept going, leaving his knife in the NVA soldier's body. After the battle, he was evacuated to the base camp, examined, and thought to be dead. As he was placed in a body bag among the other dead in body bags, he was suddenly recognized by a friend who called for help. A doctor came and examined him but believed Benavidez was dead. The doctor was about to zip up the body bag when Benavidez managed to spit in his face, alerting the doctor that he was alive.[3](see medal citation below)

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ftxs comments on After New York attack, is Uzbekistan a threat?

ftxs comments on After New York attack, is Uzbekistan a threat?: "So you have a festering jihadist problem created under the guise of national security and combine that with what’s happening to Uzbekistan’s economy and social state. High unemployment rates and population density are creating a distinct lack of opportunity for young Uzbek men. Many of these Uzbeks (some estimates ranging up to 2,000,000) are living abroad for work or to look for work. Keep in mind that half of Uzbekistan’s population is below the age of twenty-five. That’s a lot of unemployed young people looking at a (corrupt and authoritarian) system and feeling angry and disempowered and the only alternative to that system is jihad because there is no realistic political opposition left.
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Please, Big Media, come visit us in Trump country - The Washington Post

Please, Big Media, come visit us in Trump country - The Washington Post: "Familiarity breeds contempt, the saying goes, but I think it is truer that familiarity leads to understanding and even friendship, if not agreement. Please, Big Media, continue to explore Hillsboro and other such communities around the nation — communities that seldom were on anyone’s radar, until they decided a presidential election.

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Ellen Page on abuse in Hollywood

(1) Ellen Page - Posts: "I have been a professional actor since the age of ten. I’ve had the good fortune to work with many honorable and respectful collaborators both behind and in front of the camera. But the behavior I’m describing is ubiquitous. They (abusers), want you to feel small, to make you insecure, to make you feel like you are indebted to them, or that your actions are to blame for their unwelcome advances.
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What it’s like to watch men like Roy Moore as a conservative and as a sex abuse survivor - The Washington Post

What it’s like to watch men like Roy Moore as a conservative and as a sex abuse survivor - The Washington Post:

“I’m not an angel,” Corfman pointed out. Moore, on the other hand, repeatedly claimed to be God’s warrior. However, the scripture he really needed to read wasn’t one of the Ten Commandments he so desperately wanted to hang in the state courthouse. It was Luke 17:2, which warns, “it would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”

The great thing about 2017 is seeing these victims standing up straight, no longer stumbling. May we also see justice prevail for the predators, this side of heaven.

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Soldiers Are More Than Just Symbols | Literary Hub

Soldiers Are More Than Just Symbols | Literary Hub: "In short, my Army contained multitudes. We were the good, the bad, and the mild median. We were snowflakes in the proper sense of the word before it was corrupted by the alt-right: no two of us were alike.

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Many older Americans are living a desperate, nomadic life - MarketWatch

Many older Americans are living a desperate, nomadic life - MarketWatch: "I started doing some research and learned there was a whole spectrum of thousands of employers hiring people in similar situations — in oil fields, harvesting sugar beets and helping out at amusement parks. These are not easy jobs or the kind typically associated with people in older stages. But nobody had been looking at it in context of the retirement crisis in the wake of the Great Recession. And a lot of the recruiting materials for these jobs made them look like summer camps. Some for Amazon’s CamperForce said if you come, you’ll make friends. It felt so strange to me, so I started talking to RV’ers outside Amazon warehouses in Nevada and Kansas. Some lost their savings; some thought they would retire on the equity in their homes, but their homes dropped in value dramatically, while the cost of traditional housing kept going up. A lot of them were living hand to mouth; it was hard for them to save for tomorrow.

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GOP scrambles to respond to Moore allegations | TheHill

GOP scrambles to respond to Moore allegations | TheHill: "“My gosh, it's The Washington Post. If I’ve got a choice of putting my welfare into the hands of Putin or The Washington Post, Putin wins every time,” he said.

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The Whisper Network After Harvey Weinstein and “Shitty Media Men” | The New Yorker

The Whisper Network After Harvey Weinstein and “Shitty Media Men” | The New Yorker: "Three years ago, shortly after I moved to the city, I was introduced to the whisper network—the unofficial information channel that women use to warn each other about men whose sexual behavior falls on the spectrum from creepy to criminal—for New York media. I had encountered these networks before, in college and grad school and in the Peace Corps. Over time, in my experience, the whisper network always proves reasonably accurate: firings and settlements and investigations accrue to the names you’ve been hearing in different anecdotes for years. Gossip distorts details, but there are ways to test the information. Women ask for and examine sourcing; you know whether the story is firsthand or thirdhand."



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Man obsessed with cranes gets guard of honour by crane hire company | Metro News

Man obsessed with cranes gets guard of honour by crane hire company | Metro News: "‘He was a lovely young man, he was very happy. He found it difficult in social situations, but if he did get to know someone, he had deep feelings for them.

‘I knew he used to go up to ABA but I wasn’t aware how strong the relationship was. I didn’t know how fond they were of Ben, it blew me away really, it’s incredible.

‘My neighbour told them Ben had passed away and they came around here and was crying in my front room.’

Anne Baggott, director of ABA, said: ‘Ben would be there day after day. He knew every crane, knew all the drivers, he knew the different engine noises. He even had his bike painted in our green colours.

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Robert Gates: Ending DACA Will Hurt Immigrant Troops - The New York Times

Robert Gates: Ending DACA Will Hurt Immigrant Troops - The New York Times: "Being an American is more than just passing an exam about United States history and the Constitution. It is more than one’s knowledge and beliefs. Being an American is also about a willingness to put oneself in harm’s way to defend the country. It is about honor and duty. As we observe Veterans Day, we remember with reverence the extraordinary debt we owe to those who have served in uniform and sacrificed, even unto death, for their fellow Americans. This includes the more than 109,000 immigrants who, since Sept. 11, 2001, have become citizens while wearing the uniform of the United States military. They have been part of a rarefied group: the 1 percent of Americans — native-born, naturalized and undocumented immigrants alike — who constitute our military.

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(1) Halladay throws perfect game - YouTube

(1) Halladay throws perfect game - YouTube: "5/29/10: Roy Halladay throws the 20th perfect game in Major League history
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I’m Elizabeth Smart, Abduction Survivor and Advocate, Ask Me Anything : IAmA

I’m Elizabeth Smart, Abduction Survivor and Advocate, Ask Me Anything : IAmA:

1. Make sure your child knows that they are loved unconditionally, and make sure your child knows what unconditionally means.
2. Make sure that your child understands that no one has the right to hurt them or scare them in any way. It doesn’t matter what that person may be: family, friend, religious leader, community leader, it doesn’t matter.
3. Should anyone hurt your child or threaten them in anyway, they need to tell you.

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PTSD--throwaway comments on Witnesses: Several people shot at church in Sutherland Springs

PTSD--throwaway comments on Witnesses: Several people shot at church in Sutherland Springs:

After I got shot, I stalked news coverage of my shooting and read every comment. I kept hoping someone would just tell me what to do. On the very slim chance you, person who is reading this right now, was at the scene or knows someone who was:

Whoever you are, I remember what today feels like, and how alone and overwhelmed you must feel. You are not alone. There are--sadly--thousands of us shooting survivors around, and we are all rooting for you to get through this. You're going to have a tough one to six months, but I promise you, it will get better.

On to a little bit of advice.

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“Hiding the Tears in My Eyes – BOYS DON’T CRY – A Legacy” by Jack Halberstam | Bully Bloggers

“Hiding the Tears in My Eyes – BOYS DON’T CRY – A Legacy” by Jack Halberstam | Bully Bloggers: "These posters voiced a range of responses to the film including: “You don’t fucking get it!” and “Fuck Your Transphobia!” as well as “Trans Lives Do Not Equal $$” and to cap it all, the sign hung on the podium read: “Fuck this cis white bitch”!! The protestors waited until after the film had screened at Peirce’s request and then entered the auditorium while shouting “Fuck your respectability politics” and yelling over her commentary until Peirce left the room. After establishing some ground rules for a discussion, Peirce came back into the room but the conversation again got out of hand and finally a student yelled at Peirce: “Fuck you scared bitch.” At which point the protestors filed out and Peirce left campus."



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The First Woman to Translate the ‘Odyssey’ Into English - The New York Times

The First Woman to Translate the ‘Odyssey’ Into English - The New York Times:

Tell me about a complicated man.

Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost

when he had wrecked the holy town of Troy,

and where he went, and who he met, the pain

he suffered in the storms at sea, and how

he worked to save his life and bring his men

back home. He failed to keep them safe; poor fools,

they ate the Sun God’s cattle, and the god

kept them from home. Now goddess, child of Zeus,

tell the old story for our modern times.

Find the beginning.



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A Very Old Man for a Wolf | Outside Online

A Very Old Man for a Wolf | Outside Online: "He was the alpha male of the first pack to live in Oregon since 1947. For years, a state biologist tracked him, collared him, counted his pups, weighed him, photographed him, and protected him. But then the animal known as OR4 broke one too many rules.

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