Why so many transgender Americans find refuge in military service - The Washington Post

Why so many transgender Americans find refuge in military service - The Washington Post: "I write this today from a dorm room, having just completed my first year of college. Without the military, I know my life would look very different. I cannot stand quietly by while a man who dodged the draft attempts to take options away from people who want to serve their country and improve their lives. The transgender troops I know are some of the best people I have had the pleasure of meeting. They live authentically and support their teammates, putting the mission and team integrity before themselves. They excel, they work hard, and they serve with honor. We deserve the same opportunities as our cisgender peers and the same respect. Denying transgender people the same opportunities as our cisgender peers is not only dehumanizing and disrespectful, it is fundamentally un-American.

"



'via Blog this'

An old McCain profile

Carl Bernstein: "Today, McCain often speaks of the duty to follow his conscience in politics, rather than polls or party discipline. This, he says, comes from having escaped death and becoming "more aware of the transience of everything we do." Friends, family, and fellow senators sense that McCain lives every day as if it were extra time granted by grace.

"



'via Blog this'

No Dunkirk Spirit Can Save Britain From Brexit Defeat - The New York Times

No Dunkirk Spirit Can Save Britain From Brexit Defeat - The New York Times: "There aren’t enough British workers, with the right attitudes and the right skills, to fill the country’s jobs. The consequence is that we import huge numbers of migrants to do what Britons can’t or won’t. The manufacturing, nursing, care and catering industries all depend on foreigners. Nearly one-fifth of Britain’s university staff members are from other European Union countries. Almost 100,000 seasonal agricultural workers are needed every year to pick vegetables and kill chickens — jobs that farmers’ groups say it’s impossible to get Britons to do.

"



'via Blog this'

After Free Willy, people rushed to see Orcas at SeaWorld. What other movie messages completely backfired? : AskReddit

After Free Willy, people rushed to see Orcas at SeaWorld. What other movie messages completely backfired? : AskReddit:

My Dad has a farm in central Canada, about 40 km away from the nearest mid-sized city.

Without fail... every.single.time... Disney would release a film, and BAM, shit tons of new animals would appear in our area within a few months.

101 Dalmations? 3 of the 10 farms on our country road had dogs dropped off that year... and that is just in a 5km radius and on 1 road.

'via Blog this'

80s Remix: Ed Sheeran - Shape of You - YouTube

80s Remix: Ed Sheeran - Shape of You - YouTube: "80s Remix: Ed Sheeran - Shape of You
"



'via Blog this'

John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account | National News | US News

John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account | National News | US News:

Now that all acknowledged prisoners are back and a self-imposed seal of silence is off, Commander McCain is free to answer the questions many Americans have asked:

What was it really like? How prolonged were the tortures and brutality? How did the captured U.S. airmen bear up under the mistreatment—and years spent in solitary? How did they preserve their sanity? Did visiting "peace groups" really add to their troubles? How can this country's military men be conditioned to face such treatment in the future without crumbling?

Here, in his own words, based on almost total recall, is Commander McCain's narrative of 5½ years in the hands of the North Vietnamese.

'via Blog this'

Pardonme23 comments on A teacher says his middle school students believe the Earth is flat because basketball star Kyrie Irving said so. He says he can't convince them otherwise.

Pardonme23 comments on A teacher says his middle school students believe the Earth is flat because basketball star Kyrie Irving said so. He says he can't convince them otherwise.: "bro the worst thing you can say is "vaccines don't cause autism". I'll tell you why. People are pretty dumb. They respond best to emotionally charged words, which are often words that they can imagine in their head. As long as two images are in their head, no matter if they're not related or caused by each other, people will naturally relate the two as connected. In the sentence I put in quotes, the only two words that can be imagined are vaccines and autism. Therefore you're letting people form a connection between the two because you just implanted those two images in their head. Instead, I say we should say stuff like "SHOTS ARE SAFE. SHOTS ARE SAFE. SHOTS ARE SAFE."
"



'via Blog this'

Skinny Repeal Does Not Repeal and Is Not Responsible | The Resurgent

Skinny Repeal Does Not Repeal and Is Not Responsible | The Resurgent:

The Senate Republicans are now pushing a so called “skinny repeal” of Obamacare that gets rid of the individual mandate and also gets rid of the employer mandate.

This is not repeal and it is not responsible.

Skinny repeal will allow people to abandon health care insurance if they do not want it, but with the pre-existing coverage requirement in place, people can then hold off on getting insurance until they need it, which undermines the whole system of insurance.

That will cause premiums to rise, which will have a cyclical effect pushing more people to hold off on insurance until they need it.

'via Blog this'

Steve Earle says modern country stars make 'hip hop for people who are afraid of black people' | The Independent

Steve Earle says modern country stars make 'hip hop for people who are afraid of black people' | The Independent: ""The best stuff coming out of Nashville is all by women except for Chris Stapleton," he said. "The guys just wanna sing about getting f***ed up. They're just doing hip hop for people who are afraid of black people.

"



'via Blog this'

Norm Macdonald Sounds Off on SNL: ‘I Think They’re Playing Into Trump’s Hands’

Norm Macdonald Sounds Off on SNL: ‘I Think They’re Playing Into Trump’s Hands’:

So if you were still doing “Weekend Update” on that show now, what would your approach be?

I don’t know. I always wrote non-political jokes, because I just hate politics so much. Jim Downey wrote the political jokes. And I was kind of shocked, because someone sent me a thing of all the Hillary [Clinton] jokes I did. It was like 20 minutes of them. And they were all, everyone of them, the premise was that she was a huge liar. And that was like 20 years ago. I didn’t know that. I guess she was. My theory is this: People hated Hillary Clinton so much that they voted for someone they hated more than Hillary Clinton in order to rub it in. And if you think about it, this is also the only presidential election we’ve had where only one guy ran.

'via Blog this'

Speed bag Memory Lane-Netsky Punch Drum - YouTube

Speed bag Memory Lane-Netsky Punch Drum - YouTube: "Punch Drumming to Memory Lane by Netsky"





'via Blog this'

Ask Andrew W.K.: My Dad Is a Right-Wing Asshole | Village Voice

Ask Andrew W.K.: My Dad Is a Right-Wing Asshole | Village Voice:

Human beings crave order and simplicity. We cling to the hope that some day, if we really refine our world view and beliefs, we can actually find the fully correct way to think — the absolute truth and final side to stand on. People and systems craving power take advantage of this desire and pit us against each other using a “this or that” mentality. The point is to create unrest, disagreement, resentment, and anger — a population constantly at war with itself, each side deeply believing that the other is not just wrong, but also a sincere threat to their very way of life and survival. This creates constant anxiety and distraction — the perfect conditions for oppression.



'via Blog this'

My grandfather who raised me passed away. Being black and poor and born in the 20s, he couldn't become an engineer like he dreamed of. I just got accepted into engineering school. : TwoXChromosomes

My grandfather who raised me passed away. Being black and poor and born in the 20s, he couldn't become an engineer like he dreamed of. I just got accepted into engineering school. : TwoXChromosomes: "He may have lived through a lot of terrible things (and trust me he had the stories to prove it) but he had one core teaching he imparted on us and it goes as follows: "I've got my mind to myself. I'm free in that, and no one can make me a prisoner because I, and I alone, have my mind."
"



'via Blog this'

He's My F*cking Pastor! — One Direction Community

He's My F*cking Pastor! — One Direction Community: "The short summary of it was that he used to go to church a long time ago and was kind of close to God.  Then he was drafted to Vietnam to fight in the war.  He said he did some things there he was not proud of, things God could not forgive him for.  He said in attacks on villages he shot and killed enemy soldiers who were just kids, also women, and elderly.  He saw children killed and witnessed and participated in other atrocities of war.    He stopped praying after the war and has never gone back to church since he came back to the states.  When I asked to pray with him there he said no, he had to leave, but for me to pray as you feel God will listen."



'via Blog this'

Thor: Ragnarok's 'Friend From Work Line' Has A Touching Origin Story

Thor: Ragnarok's 'Friend From Work Line' Has A Touching Origin Story:

Director Taika Waititi has already revealed that much of Thor: Ragnarok was improvised, but the moment in which Thor first sees the Hulk in a gladiatorial arena and describes his as a “friend from work” came from an unexpected source.

“We had a young kid, a Make-A-Wish kid on set that day,” Thor star Chris Hemsworth tells Entertainment Weekly. “He goes, ‘You know, you should say, ‘He’s a friend from work!’”

'via Blog this'

Caroline O. on Twitter: "A wise friend reminded me of this RAND article on the "firehose of falsehood" propaganda model. Look familiar? https://t.co/1P0jIENXbH https://t.co/nW2sqSHUIr"

Caroline O. on Twitter: "A wise friend reminded me of this RAND article on the "firehose of falsehood" propaganda model. Look familiar? https://t.co/1P0jIENXbH https://t.co/nW2sqSHUIr":



'via Blog this'

Árstíðir - Heyr himna smiður (Icelandic hymn) in train station - YouTube

Árstíðir - Heyr himna smiður (Icelandic hymn) in train station - YouTube:





'via Blog this'

97 year-old Canadian Veteran and his thoughts after watching the movie "Dunkirk" : videos

97 year-old Canadian Veteran and his thoughts after watching the movie "Dunkirk" : videos: "“Tonight I cried because it’s never the end. It won’t happen. We the human species are so intelligent and we do such astonishing things. We can fly to the moon but we still do stupid things,” Sturdy said. “So when I see the film tonight, I see it with a certain kind of sadness. Because what happened back then in 1940, it’s not the end.”
"



'via Blog this'

Iduna - "Strike The Set" [Official Lyric Video] - YouTube

Iduna - "Strike The Set" [Official Lyric Video] - YouTube: ""





'via Blog this'

A hacker stole $31M of Ether—how it happened and what it means for Ethereum

A hacker stole $31M of Ether—how it happened and what it means for Ethereum:

The problem is, blockchain programming is fundamentally different from web development.

Let me explain.

Before the age of the client-server web model, most programming was done for packaged consumer software or on embedded systems. This was before the day of automatic software updates. In these programs, a shipped product was final—you released one form of your software every 6 months, and if there was a bug, that bug would have to stand until the next release. Because of this longer development cycle, all software releases were rigorously tested under all conceivable circumstances.

Web development is far more forgiving. When you push bad code to a web server, it's not a big deal if there's a critical mistake—you can just roll back the code, or roll forward with a fix, and all is well because you control the server. Or if the worst happens and there's an active breach or a data leak, you can always stop the bleeding by shutting off your servers and disconnecting yourself from the network.

These two development models are fundamentally different. It's only out of something like web development that you can get the motto "move fast and break things."

Most programmers today are trained on the web development model. Unfortunately, the blockchain security model is more akin to the older model.

'via Blog this'

Senate candidate Deedra Abboud is under attack for being Muslim

Senate candidate Deedra Abboud is under attack for being Muslim: "She won’t win.

The last Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat from Arizona was Dennis DeConcini in 1988.

Still, I’d encourage you to take a look at Abboud’s Facebook page. 

You won't learn much about her. The stuff she’s posted is your typical campaign feed.

But the responses – many of them from people who live outside Arizona – say quite a bit about us."



'via Blog this'

The call to service, citizenship and the future of tech -- reflections from my tour at the United States Digital Service | Cathryn Posey | Pulse | LinkedIn

The call to service, citizenship and the future of tech -- reflections from my tour at the United States Digital Service | Cathryn Posey | Pulse | LinkedIn: "And during my two years of service I have learned something profound -- this opportunity to serve for the tech community is not merely helping to transform government, it has the potential to transform the tech industry."



'via Blog this'

Africans in America/Part 4/Frederick Douglass speech

Africans in America/Part 4/Frederick Douglass speech: "Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for Republicans? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to be understood? How should I look to-day, in the presence of Amercans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? speaking of it relatively and positively, negatively and affirmatively. To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding. There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him.
"



'via Blog this'

I was a trauma nurse in Afghanistan. This is what I think about on Memorial Day. : MilitaryStories

I was a trauma nurse in Afghanistan. This is what I think about on Memorial Day. : MilitaryStories: "As we covered his body, I thought about his family at home and wondered what they were doing at this time. The family was not aware of the events taking place and would soon be greeted by soldiers in the Army’s Dress Blue Uniform informing them the status of their child and fiancé. I was lightheaded, my arms shook from the adrenaline flowing through my veins. When we finished, I left the operating room to get a breath of the cold mountain air. I walked out of the building through a mass of soldiers wondering why we were leaving the operating room so soon. I stepped out behind the building and behind some connexes where days before I'd incinerated a leg, fell to my knees, and wept.
"



'via Blog this'

The Comeback Kid - News Hub

The Comeback Kid - News Hub: "As part of her rehab exercises during her recovery, Riley had been trying on her bridesmaid dress and practicing for York’s big day.

“She was preparing to regain her independence,” York says, “but with the specific goal of being at my wedding.”

On June 15, 2012 — just 35 days after the accident — Angela Riley walked down the aisle as her friend’s bridesmaid.
"



'via Blog this'

'Race never entered our minds': The heartbroken couple told they can't adopt a white baby

'Race never entered our minds': The heartbroken couple told they can't adopt a white baby:

The Manders, both of whose parents came to this country from Punjab as children, have launched legal action against the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and its adoption service Adopt Berkshire after being refused permission to adopt a white child because of their “cultural heritage”. 



'via Blog this'

Selling Our Building: Our Story – Ginter Park Baptist Church

Selling Our Building: Our Story – Ginter Park Baptist Church: "Our building has served Ginter Park Baptist Church for most of its century-long history. We have two well-equipped worship spaces, large and small classrooms, a commercial-level kitchen, flexible event space, and so on. We have shared this space with individuals and with other church and community groups, and this sharing has enriched our relationship with our neighbors and contributed operating funds for the property. However, the growing maintenance costs of the building finally have outstripped our ability to keep up by means of a combination of congregational gifts and rental income.

"



'via Blog this'

Darlingside - Go Back (Glastonbury Session) - YouTube

Darlingside - Go Back (Glastonbury Session) - YouTube:




'via Blog this'

Why CG Sucks (Except It Doesn't) - YouTube

Why CG Sucks (Except It Doesn't) - YouTube: "We believe that the reason we think all CG looks bad, is because we only see "bad” CG. Fantastic, beautiful, and wonderfully executed CG is everywhere - you just don't know it. Truly great visual effects serve story and character – and in doing so are, by their very definition, invisible.
"



'via Blog this'

China rocket launch fails after liftoff - CNN.com

China rocket launch fails after liftoff - CNN.com:

Carrying an experimental communications satellite, China's largest rocket lifted off at 7:23 p.m. local time (7:23 a.m. ET) toward clear skies from the seaside Wenchang space launch center on the southern Chinese island of Hainan.

But 40 minutes later, the state-run Xinhua news agency flashed a headline declaring the launch a failure -- without providing any details.

Dubbed "Chubby 5" for its huge size -- 5 meters in diameter and 57 meters tall -- the LM-5 rocket is designed to carry up to 25 tons of payload into low orbit, more than doubling the country's previous lift capability.

Xinhua initially tweeted: "#BREAKING: China's launch of Long March-5 Y2 carrier rocket fails."

It then tweeted: "Anomaly was detected during its flight and further investigation will be carried out."

'via Blog this'

‘Love Thy Neighbor?’ - The Washington Post

‘Love Thy Neighbor?’ - The Washington Post:

“Um, I guess where I’d want to go is simply — ” he began, then started over again. “Part of what I want to share with you is this.” He paused for a moment. “I hear a lot of pain from you this evening.”

Ayaz was looking at him. He was listening.

“Um, I’m sorry,” the man said.

'via Blog this'

NPR Continues To Find Hundreds Of Cases Of Advanced Black Lung : The Two-Way : NPR

NPR Continues To Find Hundreds Of Cases Of Advanced Black Lung : The Two-Way : NPR:


NPR's ongoing investigation of the advanced stage of the fatal lung disease that afflicts coal miners has identified an additional 1,000 cases in Appalachia.

That brings the NPR count of progressive massive fibrosis, the most serious stage of the disease known as black lung, to nearly 2,000 cases in the region, all of which were diagnosed since 2010.

In the same period, researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported just 99 cases nationwide. NPR's count is now 20 times what had been considered the official tally of the advanced stage of disease.

'via Blog this'

What Happens Just Before Show Time At the Met Opera | The New York Times - YouTube

What Happens Just Before Show Time At the Met Opera | The New York Times - YouTube: "We walked through the Met with a steadicam on the busiest week of the year. Featuring: Misty Copeland, Toscanini’s head, wigs, harps and a snow yak.
"



'via Blog this'

US quietly publishes once-expunged papers on 1953 Iran coup - ABC News

US quietly publishes once-expunged papers on 1953 Iran coup - ABC News:

Once expunged from official State Department history, the U.S.-backed 1953 coup in Iran and what led up to it can be glimpsed in documents that the department has quietly published. The operation ultimately pushed the country toward its Islamic Revolution and hostility with the West.

The CIA's role in the coup, which toppled Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddegh and cemented the control of the shah, was well known when the State Department offered its first compendium on the era in 1989. But any trace of American involvement in the putsch had been wiped from the report, causing historians to call it a fraud.

The papers released this month show U.S. fears over the spread of communism, as well as the British desire to regain access to Iran's oil industry, which had been nationalized by Mosaddegh. It offers a cautionary tale about the limits of American power as a new U.S. president long suspicious of Iran weighs the landmark nuclear deal with Tehran reached under his predecessor.

'via Blog this'

Commencement Speech, Bolelli-Style -

Commencement Speech, Bolelli-Style -:

Without luck, doors will remain closed no matter how much you “think positively” about them opening. The notion that good outcomes await if only you put in enough effort and desire–the notion that the good guys will always triumph in the end after overcoming seemingly impossible odds–belong on the same shelf with delusional maxims such as “everything happens for a reason.”

You are in the wrong universe for that. It’s simply not the way things work here.

'via Blog this'

Time's Game of Thrones Cover Art Interpretation (We need your art history powers!) What secrets are hidden there? : ArtHistory

Time's Game of Thrones Cover Art Interpretation (We need your art history powers!) What secrets are hidden there? : ArtHistory:



'via Blog this'

Covering Your Tracks in the Age of Technology

Covering Your Tracks in the Age of Technology:

Parties interested in halting the political conversation on Twitter therefore faced a challenge that will become familiar as we explore obfuscation’s uses: Time was tight, and traditional mechanisms for action weren’t available. A direct technical approach—either blocking Twitter within a country or launching a worldwide denial-of-service attack—wasn’t possible, and political and legal angles of attack couldn’t be used. Rather than stop a Twitter conversation, then, attackers can overload it with noise.



'via Blog this'

Crain's Chicago Business - Mapping Chicago's wealth inequality

Crain's Chicago Business - Mapping Chicago's wealth inequality:

Here in Chicago, as well as across the country, wealthy communities have recovered from the economic downturn faster than underprivileged neighborhoods have. On a map, these economically disparate communities are often closer to one another than we might think. This story map—created by Redlands, Calif.-based geographic software maker Esri and Crain’s—sheds some light on old, unresolved tensions and may indicate new ones, where gentrification has moved wealth around.

'via Blog this'

NASA Denies That It’s Running a Child Slave Colony on Mars

NASA Denies That It’s Running a Child Slave Colony on Mars: "A report on Alex Jones’ InfoWars claiming child sex slaves have been kidnapped and shipped to Mars is untrue, NASA told The Daily Beast on Thursday.
"



'via Blog this'

Charlie Gard Court-Ordered Killing Defies Parents’ Wishes | National Review

Charlie Gard Court-Ordered Killing Defies Parents’ Wishes | National Review: "So it was that successive courts in the United Kingdom and in Europe simultaneously found that Connie Yates and Chris Gard had devoted themselves unhesitatingly to their son’s welfare for ten months, and also that Yates and Gard could not be trusted to act in their son’s best interests.

"



'via Blog this'

Half Of Congregation Dies Of Starvation As Sermon Goes 15 Minutes Over Time

Half Of Congregation Dies Of Starvation As Sermon Goes 15 Minutes Over Time: "RUSSELLVILLE, AR—Roughly half of the churchgoers at First Baptist Church Russellville died of starvation Sunday after the pastor tragically went 15 minutes over his standard sermon time, local sources confirmed.

"



'via Blog this'

17 cultural clashes this European had in America - Business Insider

17 cultural clashes this European had in America - Business Insider: "Every American you meet is not actually American. They are a fourth Polish, 3/17 Italian, ten other random countries, and then of course half Irish. Since Ireland is more homogenous, it's hard for me to appreciate this, so honestly I don't really care if your great grandfather's dog walker's best friend's roommate was Irish. I really don't.

"



'via Blog this'

I am the only living person who has arranged a confidence and supply agreement with a minority government – this is what they’re really like | The Independent

I am the only living person who has arranged a confidence and supply agreement with a minority government – this is what they’re really like | The Independent:

I am the only person living who has arranged a confidence and supply arrangement in the House of Commons, which is why I look on the present one with considerable misgiving. In 1977, I led 14 Liberal MPs into an agreement with James Callaghan’s Labour Party, when he fell short of an overall majority after the general election.

The first thing to note is that such an arrangement is far from being a coalition, and the tail should not expect to wag the dog.

'via Blog this'

Marvel's Kevin Feige is grateful to 'Wonder Woman' for destroying female superhero fallacy

Marvel's Kevin Feige is grateful to 'Wonder Woman' for destroying female superhero fallacy:

Because what the question would have been on this junket before that is, 'Do you think people want to see a female superhero movie? Do you think audiences are ready to go see a big ... Are you nervous about Captain Marvel being a big, the first female hero?' 

And I would always say no, because there hasn't been a good one in a long time. There were, you know, 15 years ago, a bunch of bad ones. Did they fail because they were female lead movies? No. They failed because they were not good movies. 

I don't have to say that anymore. Thanks to Wonder Woman. Because it just blows that fallacy out of the water. 

'via Blog this'

The big fight over Coexist - Vox

The big fight over Coexist - Vox: "But the Coexist logo wasn't always just a trip to the semiotic bargain bin. At one time, it was vested with powerful design and real meaning. It's also the center of a long battle over who owns it and what it really means.

"



'via Blog this'

Providence Canyon - Nick Karstedt

Providence Canyon - Nick Karstedt: "Providence Canyon, known as the Grand Canyon of Georgia, is an absolutely gorgeous moderate hike a ways south of Columbus. It’s about 150 feet deep, which makes for lots of altitude changes along the way. I think these pictures speak for themselves. This is probably a trip you’ll want to make. Not pictured: gnats galore. Bring your bug spray!"



'via Blog this'

The Conversion of a Climate-Change Skeptic - The New York Times

The Conversion of a Climate-Change Skeptic - The New York Times: "CALL me a converted skeptic. Three years ago I identified problems in previous climate studies that, in my mind, threw doubt on the very existence of global warming. Last year, following an intensive research effort involving a dozen scientists, I concluded that global warming was real and that the prior estimates of the rate of warming were correct. I’m now going a step further: Humans are almost entirely the cause.

"



'via Blog this'

GEORGE MASON'S VIEWS ON SLAVERY

GEORGE MASON'S VIEWS ON SLAVERY: "[Slavery is] that slow Poison, which is daily contaminating the Minds & Morals of our People. Every Gentlemen [sic] here is born a petty Tyrant. Practiced in Acts of Despotism & Cruelty, we become callous to the Dictates of Humanity, & all the finer feelings of the Soul. Taught to regard a part of our own Species in the most abject & contemptible Degree below us, we lose that Idea of the Dignity of Man, which the Hand of Nature had implanted in us, for great & useful purposes."



'via Blog this'

How the Soviets invented the internet and why it didn't work | Aeon Essays

How the Soviets invented the internet and why it didn't work | Aeon Essays: "In other words, we should not take too much comfort from the fact that the global internet first evolved thanks to cooperative capitalists, not competitive socialists: the story of the Soviet internet is a reminder that we internet users enjoy no guarantees that the private interests propping up the internet will behave any better than those greater forces whose unwillingness to cooperate not only spelled the end of Soviet electronic socialism but threatens to end the current chapter in our network age.

"



'via Blog this'

Atlanta 1996 - Opening Ceremony | Olympic Channel

Atlanta 1996 - Opening Ceremony | Olympic Channel:

ATLANTA 1996 - OPENING CEREMONY
The ceremony took place on 19 July in the Centennial Olympic Stadium. The ceremony featured John Williams, Celine Dion and Gladys Knight.


'via Blog this'

Political Divisions in 2016 and… | Democracy Fund Voter Study Group

Political Divisions in 2016 and… | Democracy Fund Voter Study Group: "Most Clinton supporters cluster in the lower-left corner: liberal on both economic and identity issues. Trump supporters cluster in the upper-middle: conservative on identity issues, and somewhat conservative on economic issues.4 Trump general election voters, however, are more widely dispersed on economic issues, ranging more broadly from liberal to conservative.

"



'via Blog this'

Penguin Cafe: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert - YouTube

Penguin Cafe: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert - YouTube: "While Simon Jeffes died in 1997, his son Arthur has been creating new music infused with his father's original inspiration. He calls his group, simply, Penguin Cafe. You can hear Brazilian sounds in the rhythms, classical and minimalism in the strings, Asia in its harmonium, African sounds in the kalimbas. But honestly, it's none of these; it's a universal dream state.
"



'via Blog this'

To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This (Updated With Podcast) - NYTimes.com

To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This (Updated With Podcast) - NYTimes.com: "I explained the study to my university acquaintance. A heterosexual man and woman enter the lab through separate doors. They sit face to face and answer a series of increasingly personal questions. Then they stare silently into each other’s eyes for four minutes. The most tantalizing detail: Six months later, two participants were married. They invited the entire lab to the ceremony.

"



'via Blog this'

Teenage boys wear skirts to school to protest against 'no shorts' policy | Education | The Guardian

Teenage boys wear skirts to school to protest against 'no shorts' policy | Education | The Guardian: "A third mother said: “Children also don’t like injustice. The boys see the female teachers in sandals and nice cool skirts and tops while they are wearing long trousers and shoes and the older boys have to wear blazers. They just think it’s unfair that they can’t wear shorts in this heat.”

"



'via Blog this'

Fact Check: Are 1 in 4 College Women are sexually assaulted? : neoliberal

Fact Check: Are 1 in 4 College Women are sexually assaulted? : neoliberal: "You all probably heard of this already. That 1 in 4 women in college are sexually assaulted but are they? The number seems quite big yet it is consistent across the board for sexual assault PSA we get in college. To check and understand the validity you have to understand where and the history of the statistic. More importantly the history of the modern survey on sexual assault.
"



'via Blog this'

Brene Brown on How to Avoid a Perfect Shame Spiral at Work | Inc.com

Brene Brown on How to Avoid a Perfect Shame Spiral at Work | Inc.com:

The real reason--Steve eventually explained it--was that Steve was trying to fend off the worst panic attack of his life, about the safety of their five children. He was diligently counting his strokes so he could stop his mind from thinking about a nightmare he'd had the night before in which he failed to keep his kids safe in the water. He hadn't responded to Brown's vulnerable statements because he actually hadn't heard them--he was lost in thought, lost in counting strokes to escape those thoughts of failing his family when they needed him to be a superhero. 

In short, he and Brown had entered what Brown calls "a perfect shame storm." Brown filled their void of non-communication with shame triggers relating to body image. Steve filled the void with shame triggers relating to the appearance of weakness--a man who can't be "the almighty fixer of all things," Brown said.

'via Blog this'

GLASYS Jams on T-Pain's "Up Down" (Tiny Desk) - YouTube

GLASYS Jams on T-Pain's "Up Down" (Tiny Desk) - YouTube: ""



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Elon Musk says he will perform same tasks as Tesla workers getting injured in the factory | Electrek

Elon Musk says he will perform same tasks as Tesla workers getting injured in the factory | Electrek: "“Everyone will have equal access to parking, eating the same tables, and there will be no management offices. I am convinced that managers should work at the forefront, in the same work environment as the entire team. Even though I run the company myself, I still do not have my own office and often moved my workplace to the most challenging area in the factory and slept on the factory floor when there was a real crisis. Managers should always take care of their team before they take care of themselves – the supervisor is there to serve his team – not the other way round.”

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Cardigan Mountain School - News And Events

Cardigan Mountain School - News And Events: "“From time to time, in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice,” he said. “I hope you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time, so that you don’t take friends for granted. I wish you bad luck again, from time to time, so that you will be conscious of the roll of chance in life, and understand that your success is not completely deserved, and the failure of others is not completely deserved either. And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you will be ignored, so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion.”"



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Why I can’t stop thinking about Otto Warmbier - The Washington Post

Why I can’t stop thinking about Otto Warmbier - The Washington Post: "It turns out that plenty of people find the regime repugnant but convenient. China’s Communist rulers are first in that line: Kim Jong Un annoys them, but they do not want a unified, pro-Western Korea on their border. South Korea has a Ministry of Unification but also many citizens who do not want the responsibility or expense of bringing 25 million impoverished North Koreans up to their living standard (South Korea’s population is about 50 million).

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Lawmaker pushing for less regulation has child die in van at his facility | KATV

Lawmaker pushing for less regulation has child die in van at his facility | KATV:

Four employees of a child care facility that cares for special needs children have been fired two days after the death of a child left in a hot day care van.

The CEO of Ascent Children’s Health Services is a state lawmaker.

Dan Sullivan is a state representative from Jonesboro who aggressively advocates for less regulation of the child care industry in Arkansas.

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How the Left Can Advance Its Cause - The Atlantic

How the Left Can Advance Its Cause - The Atlantic:

Seeking the advancement of human rights in a democracy is like seeking a better marriage with your spouse. You should always seek a better marriage.

Sometimes, that results in a fight. The purpose of the fight should never be to destroy your spouse. The purpose of the fight is to keep living with your spouse. To do that, choose your disputes carefully and over only the most vital of matters. Accept that your spouse is seeking certainty and security, just as you are. If you believe in individual dignity, accept that their thoughts and actions may not reconcile with yours and that trying to shame them will make the relationship intolerable. Most importantly, once the fight is over, seek reconciliation. After all, you have to live with one another.

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Emmanuel Macron's conquest is complete - what now? - BBC News

Emmanuel Macron's conquest is complete - what now? - BBC News:

When he was 22, and already a precocious high-flier, the president spent several months as the amanuensis of one of France's then most respected philosophers, Paul Ricoeur.

The name will mean little to most people, but according to the experts, one of the key elements of Ricoeurian philosophy is the "ability to think at the same time two ideas that are apparently opposed".

For example - in a political context - that could mean supporting the freeing up of the labour market and protecting the most vulnerable. Or slimming down the state and ensuring that France's social contract remains intact.

The heart of the philosophy is a generous one: the recognition that neither side in an argument holds a monopoly of the truth, and that the best policies are ones that combine some elements of both.

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World’s Top Religious Leaders Issue Rare Joint Appeal | HuffPost

World’s Top Religious Leaders Issue Rare Joint Appeal | HuffPost: "Religion is often viewed as a force that sows divisions between people. But the world’s most prominent religious leaders have come together to present a different vision of how faith can work in the world.



In a rare move, major religious leaders ― from Pope Francis to the Dalai Lama ― issued a joint appeal Wednesday asking people to follow a simple bit of advice: Make friends with people of other faiths.

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Obama / Trump / Caesar – Rob Melrose – Medium

Obama / Trump / Caesar – Rob Melrose – Medium: "Even though Oskar Eustis’s wonderful Trump / Caesar production was in many ways an inverse version of the production I directed, the president-as-Caesar conceit worked beautifully and both productions come to the same conclusion — one that that should give comfort to Republicans, Democrats, and indeed all Americans: that no matter how righteous you think your cause is assassination as a way of changing a political regime has dire consequences and controlling history through violence is impossible.
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A shock to the system: how Corbyn changed the rules | Gary Younge | Politics | The Guardian

A shock to the system: how Corbyn changed the rules | Gary Younge | Politics | The Guardian: "When Big Ben called time on Thursday night, we saw clear evidence of a political realignment that the media and the political establishment had dismissed with hostility, and now regarded with confusion. We saw a polity that has lost touch with its people; a political culture unmoored from the electorate, and a mainstream media that drifted along with it. The election did not create that dislocation; it was merely the clearest and least deniable manifestation of it so far. We are in new territory. And we don’t know where we’re going."



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We Got Kate from eBaby – Brianna W – Medium

We Got Kate from eBaby – Brianna W – Medium: "Now I am 26 and Kate is 13 and I wish I could have found a better way for Kate to carry us with her as she grew up. And I wish we could have been more sensitive to the fact that she was so young and vulnerable. And I wish we could have been more delicate about the burden she carried being the only one connecting our family by blood. But I wasn’t. None of us were. And I know this a little cruel, and even though it was at Kate’s expense, I’m happy our little sister has pieces of all of us inside her that aren't just genes. And I’m happy a world exists that only the five of us can be a part of. Because even though it’s based on lies, that world is sacred to me.
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Kansas’s conservative experiment may have gone worse than people thought - The Washington Post

Kansas’s conservative experiment may have gone worse than people thought - The Washington Post: "“Maybe the larger lesson is: Let’s not cut taxes all the way to zero,” Mathur said. “Let’s not cut taxes to zero without having a great plan to make up the taxes in the short run.”

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Lessons learned from the government’s biggest attempt to fix tech procurement

Lessons learned from the government’s biggest attempt to fix tech procurement: "This is the story of how a former Google engineer dove head-first into the strange world of government contracting, and of what happens when you try to bring modern tech approaches into a system that’s designed around buying fighter jets rather than mobile apps.
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How the 'tricky people' concept saved my boys

How the 'tricky people' concept saved my boys:

My anger and shock turned to immense gratitude, however, when I heard CJ spout off a family "stay safe" rule we went over way too long ago that helped him know these creeps were up to no good. Most specifically, a tip for identifying a "tricky person."

CJ: "Mom, I knew they were tricky people because they were asking us for help. Adults don't ask kids for help."

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After Addiction and Tragedy, The Iron Sheik Gets Back Up off the Mat | Bleacher Report

After Addiction and Tragedy, The Iron Sheik Gets Back Up off the Mat | Bleacher Report:

So the entire clan surrounded the former bodyguard for the Shah of Iran, boxing him in near the wall, and refused to allow him to carry out his plan.

“You can’t kill him ‘cause they’ll put you in prison,” Tanya whispered. “I lost my sister and I don’t want to lose my father.”

Apparently touched by the words, The Sheik maintained his composure. And, as a tribute to Marissa, he made a pledge that he hoped would strengthen the family. He was going to quit drugs, particularly crack, a vice that gripped him as his professional wrestling career—and his funds—waned.

“The drug thing was so embarrassing,” says Tanya, “especially to someone who was an extreme athlete most of his life.”

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James Comey’s Donald Trump Testimony & Pro-Trump Derangement Syndrome | National Review

James Comey’s Donald Trump Testimony & Pro-Trump Derangement Syndrome | National Review: "But, again, I don’t want to make this about Dennis. For the last 24 hours, I have been besieged by people insisting that Comey is a deceitful man of low honor. I don’t think Comey is that, but if he is, he is only by the rarefied standards of a career public servant who operates within conventional boundaries of morality and decency. But whatever. My point is: If you excuse all the things Donald Trump has done and said — and bragged about! — you have surrendered the ability to use notions of honor, decency, and honesty as weapons against his critics.

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Marvel movies are commercial bonanzas, but DC has a bigger and better idea - The Washington Post

Marvel movies are commercial bonanzas, but DC has a bigger and better idea - The Washington Post: "But it serves a thematic purpose as well: Diana simply does not understand this world or the people in it. She’s hopelessly naive, committed to a children’s fable about the nature of man. Steve Trevor helps her understand her folly, helps her see that maybe humans, writ large, are not prone to violence or evil because of outside forces but because of the choices they make. “Wonder Woman,” then, is an examination of the idea that gods may be able to save men — from bullets, from bombs — but are wholly unable to save or redeem man.

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I Bake New Neighbors Bread, And They Never Say Hello to Me Again

I Bake New Neighbors Bread, And They Never Say Hello to Me Again: "I hosted a coffee klatch and made up fliers and put them on the 12 nearest homes. I got donuts, cut up fruit, and made coffee and tea. Six people came, drank the tea, and no one touched the donuts or fruit. They chatted about who all used to live here in this neighborhood over the years, said thank you and left. No one asked a single question of me. I have never been to their homes or had a conversation with any of them since.

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Trump National Security Team Blindsided by NATO Speech - POLITICO Magazine

Trump National Security Team Blindsided by NATO Speech - POLITICO Magazine: "Compared with his volatile management style and struggles on domestic policy, some have argued in recent months that Trump’s foreign policy is a relative outpost of competence, with strong hands like McMaster and Mattis on board to avoid major failures. But Talbott and others with whom I’ve spoken since Trump’s trip believe the NATO incident really overturns that assumption. It’s destroyed the credibility of Trump’s advisers when they offer reassurances for allies to discount the president’s inflammatory rhetoric—and cast into doubt the kind of certainties necessary for an uncertain world to function.

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CommodoreCoCo comments on James Lowen in "Lies My Teacher Told Me" claims that historians view all the high history books with disdain because of how much is omitted and warped, my question is how do you historians view his book "Lies My Teacher Told Me"?

CommodoreCoCo comments on James Lowen in "Lies My Teacher Told Me" claims that historians view all the high history books with disdain because of how much is omitted and warped, my question is how do you historians view his book "Lies My Teacher Told Me"?: "I cannot understate the importance of a diversity of sources. We can never really "know the truth," and even then "the truth" is so multi-faceted that it is hardly "a" truth. The best we can do is examine all of the resources at our disposal, contextually evaluate them, and craft some kind of narrative with a conscious perspective. In my own studies I must frequently fight for the incorporation of voices that don't fit the "dastardly Spanish colonialist" or "Quechua-speaking indio with a peaceful spirituality" archetypes. So many voices have been silenced, particularly in the history of the Americas, that it's a prerogative to actively consider historically overlooked perspectives. This does not mean that they are automatically equivalent sources worthy of scholarly consideration.
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Ballet Dancer Leaps Onto Subway Tracks and Lifts Man to Safety - The New York Times

Ballet Dancer Leaps Onto Subway Tracks and Lifts Man to Safety - The New York Times: "After a 58-year-old man fell onto subway tracks Saturday night in Manhattan, a ballet dancer, who had just watched his wife perform with American Ballet Theater at the Metropolitan Opera House, leapt down after him. With a lift that they do not teach in dance school, he moved him to safety.

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In Seattle, is it now taboo to be friends with a Republican? | The Seattle Times

In Seattle, is it now taboo to be friends with a Republican? | The Seattle Times: "Kshama Sawant wasn’t having any of that. She stood up and said Burgess wasn’t speaking for her with this “our Republican friends” stuff. Because, she assured the crowd, she doesn’t have any Republican friends.



 Yay, cheered the crowd."



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First Interview With Alex Honnold, Climber Who Scaled El Capitan Without a Rope

First Interview With Alex Honnold, Climber Who Scaled El Capitan Without a Rope:

A normal person would probably take the afternoon off after they free-soloed El Cap.

But I’ve been trying to hang board every other day, and it’s the other day.

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The ISIS Killers: The Men Leading the Battle For Mosul Might Be Wiped Out Along the Way

The ISIS Killers: The Men Leading the Battle For Mosul Might Be Wiped Out Along the Way: "Ahmed is a gunner who spends the long days during Maj. Salam’s assaults perched in the turret of his Humvee, laying down suppressive fire. Like many of his colleagues, he spent years during the Iraq War fighting alongside the US troops who trained him. In retaliation, members of a Shiite militia kidnapped him and, using a knife, tried to peel off his face, then shot him and left him for dead on a roadside. A scar from that attack runs along his scalp line. Others wounds are harder to see. Still holding his phone, he lets out a scattershot burst of more recent war stories, like the photos violent and strange. In one, he chases a jihadi down a war-torn street as the man’s severed arm flaps at his side. In another, a sniper’s bullet smacks the reinforced glass of his turret a few inches from his face, and he unravels for a moment, firing at the home where the shot seemed to originate. “I went crazy on the house and destroyed it,” he says. “I didn’t even care if there was a family inside.”

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What Xi Jinping Wants - The Atlantic

What Xi Jinping Wants - The Atlantic: "At the core of these national goals is a civilizational creed that sees China as the center of the universe. In the Chinese language, the word for China, zhong guo (中国), means “Middle Kingdom.” “Middle” refers not to the space between other, rival kingdoms, but to all that lies between heaven and earth. As Lee summarized the worldview shared by hundreds of Chinese officials who sought his advice, they “recall a world in which China was dominant and other states related to them as supplicants to a superior, as vassals that came to Beijing bearing tribute.” In this narrative, the rise of the West in recent centuries is a historical anomaly, reflecting China’s technological and military weakness when it faced dominant imperial powers during a “century of humiliation” from roughly 1839 to 1949. Xi Jinping has promised his fellow citizens: no more.

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London attack: Single police officer took on all three terrorists alone armed only with baton | The Independent

London attack: Single police officer took on all three terrorists alone armed only with baton | The Independent:

A British Transport Police officer took on all three London Bridge attackers armed only with a baton, it has been revealed.

The officer was one of the first responders to the scene and received stab wounds to his face, head and leg, while attempting to stop the van and stabbing rampage in a busy area of the city.

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Ariana Grande Brings Message of Defiance to Concert for Manchester Victims - The New York Times

Ariana Grande Brings Message of Defiance to Concert for Manchester Victims - The New York Times: "GREATER MANCHESTER, England — The message onstage and in the crowd at “One Love Manchester,” a benefit concert for victims of the Manchester attack that was hosted by the pop star Ariana Grande, was one of defiance.

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Wonder Woman: My Grandmother Inspired the DC Superhero | Hollywood Reporter

Wonder Woman: My Grandmother Inspired the DC Superhero | Hollywood Reporter: "My grandmother was the role model for Wonder Woman. She was born in 1893, and instead of doing the more common things associated with women in that day and age, she went on to get three degrees and happily marched her way through her hundred years proving that gender roles were ... just plain silly! Always positive, always moving forward, never letting obstacles decide her life for her. Gram and Wonder Woman have always been one in the same to me. And Gram would approve wholeheartedly with Wonder Woman getting out there and inspiring new generations.

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The terp who saved my life multiple times was murdered by the Taliban and I just wanted someone else to know who he was : Military

The terp who saved my life multiple times was murdered by the Taliban and I just wanted someone else to know who he was : Military:

I am told that earlier this year Atal was found shot dead in a ditch. He had, against orders I'm sure, left to go to his family or something, when the taliban finally caught up to him. I think he must have put up a hell of a fight because I can't imagine they would be so gracious as to kill him that quickly- one gunshot to the chest. Knowing him, i bet he did some damage. he was a tough son of a bitch.

I dunno, I'm sorry if this doesn't make much sense but there's so much to describe and it's hard to put in words. I feel like we don't do nearly enough to help out the Iraqis and Afghans who supported us while we were over there, if anyone deserved citizenship and a good home and education, it was him. Atal was a good man and a good human being. He was one of the only afghans that I believe was immune to corruption and truly wanted what was best for his people, not just himself. He was the sort of person that Afghanistan needed to prosper instead of fester. I will remember him for the rest of my life.

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When the Left Turns on Its Own - The New York Times

When the Left Turns on Its Own - The New York Times:

 In March, a planned speech by Charles Murray at Middlebury ended with the political scientists escorted off campus by police and his interviewer, Professor Allison Stanger, in a neck brace. In April, a speech at Claremont McKenna by the conservative writer Heather Mac Donald had to be livestreamed when protestors blocked access to the auditorium.

Shutting down conservatives has become de rigueur. But now anti-free-speech activists are increasingly turning their ire on free-thinking progressives. Liberals shouldn’t cede the responsibility to defend free speech on college campuses to conservatives. After all, without free speech, what’s liberalism about?

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Trump’s Stupid and Reckless Climate Decision - The New York Times

Trump’s Stupid and Reckless Climate Decision - The New York Times: "But now President Trump (and 22 Republican senators who wrote a letter asking him to take the step) is betting that all of that is wrong. Mr. Trump famously called global warming a hoax during the campaign, and with this decision he’s wagering that he was actually right — he’s calling his own bluff. No line of argument in the physical world supports his claim, and no credible authority backs him, not here and not abroad. It’s telling that he simultaneously wants to cut the funding for the satellites and ocean buoys that monitor our degrading climate. Every piece of data they collect makes clear his foolishness. He’s simply insisting that physics isn’t real.

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The U.S. Has Forgotten How to Do Infrastructure - Bloomberg

The U.S. Has Forgotten How to Do Infrastructure - Bloomberg: "That suggests that U.S. costs are high due to general inefficiency -- inefficient project management, an inefficient government contracting process, and inefficient regulation. It suggests that construction, like health care or asset management or education, is an area where Americans have simply ponied up more and more cash over the years while ignoring the fact that they were getting less and less for their money. To fix the problems choking U.S. construction, reformers are going to have to go through the system and rip out the inefficiencies root and branch.

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