In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today.

[Content Note: Domestic violence; racism; guns] The Office of Florida State Attorney Angela Corey says that it is now seeking "to put Marissa Alexander in prison for 60 years, essentially a life sentence, if it succeeds in convicting her for a second time for firing a shot in the direction of her estranged husband and two of his children. ...'It's unimaginable that a woman acting in self-defense, who injured no one, can be given what amounts to a life sentence,' said Free Marissa Now spokeswoman Helen Gilbert. 'This must send chills down the spine of every woman and everyone who cares about women and every woman in an abusive relationship.' Seeking 60 years is an incredibly abusive and outrageous action by Corey, Gilbert said." Please visit Free Marissa Now to explore the different ways you can help, e.g. writing to Marissa or making a donation.

[CN: Violence; guns] On the first day of Oscar Pistorius' trial for murdering Reeva Steenkamp, Pistorius' neighbor testified that she heard a "blood-curdling" scream on the night of the shooting, followed by four shots. It has always been Pistorius' contention that he thought Steenkamp was in bed and believed he was shooting at an intruder, but the testimony of his neighbor, who lives 187 meters away and had her windows open that evening, seems to contradict the possibility that version of events could be true. "I cannot understand how I could clearly hear a woman scream but Mr. Pistorius could not hear it."

[CN: War; violence] Terrible attacks continue in northeast Nigeria, with at least 74 people having been killed in three weekend attacks. "On Saturday, two blasts in a crowded district of Maiduguri left at least 35 dead, while another 39 were killed in the nearby village of Mainok by gunmen believed to be Boko Haram fighters."

[CN: Guns] The district attorney for Walker County, Georgia, has declined to bring charges against a homeowner who shot and killed a 72-year-old man with Alzheimer's who wandered onto his lawn. Terrific. The gun laws in this country are just fucking amazing. Rage. Seethe. Boil.

[CN: Misogyny] Whooooooooooops! "Scientists continue to neglect gender in medical research, endangering women's health by focusing on males in studies that shape the treatment of disease, a report found. The lack of attention to gender differences occurs at all stages of research, from lab to doctor's office, according to the report released today by the Connors Center for Women'€™s Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health at George Washington University in Washington. Animal and human studies typically use male subjects and, even when females are included, researchers fail to analyze and report results by sex, the authors said."

A Drew University baseball player comes out to his team, and gets a warm welcome. Yay!

"Science proves elephants are even smarter than we thought." 1. I love elephants. 2. This, like research on dog intelligence, should really begin to inform what we consider acceptable treatment of these animals. 3. I move that the Republican Party find a new animal to represent their party immediately.

Via Spudsy: "The most adorable Han Solo and Chewbacca are this kid and his dog." OMG!