In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Airline disaster] Another day, another theory of what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: "Military radar data suggests a Malaysia Airlines jetliner missing for nearly a week was deliberately flown hundreds of miles off course, heightening suspicions of foul play among investigators, sources told Reuters on Friday. Analysis of the Malaysia data suggests the plane, with 239 people on board, diverted from its intended northeast route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and flew west instead, using airline flight corridors normally employed for routes to the Middle East and Europe, said sources familiar with investigations into the Boeing 777's disappearance. Two sources said an unidentified aircraft that investigators believe was Flight MH370 was following a route between navigational waypoints when it was last plotted on military radar off the country's northwest coast. This indicates that it was either being flown by the pilots or someone with knowledge of those waypoints, the sources said. ...A third source familiar with the investigation said inquiries were focusing increasingly on the theory that someone who knew how to fly a plane deliberately diverted the flight. 'What we can say is we are looking at sabotage, with hijack still on the cards,' said that source, a senior Malaysian police official."

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has found "that a majority of Americans agree with the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) contraception mandate... 53& of the 1,000 adults surveyed by telephone said that they believe employers should be required to include contraception coverage in workers' health plans even if the employers oppose its use." So can we put this issue to bed now? No? We've still got to have more bullshit "debate" about it? Terrific.

[CN: Homophobia; religious supremacy. Video may autoplay at link.] A bakery in Indianapolis has refused to make a cake for a gay couple's commitment ceremony, because: "As artists, we have to find inspiration to create something special for our clients. When asked to do a cake for an occasion or with a theme that's in opposition with our faith? It's just hard for us. We struggle with that... There is zero hate here. This causes us to do a lot of soul searching. Why are we doing what we do? We want to show the love of Christ. We want to be right with our God, but we also want to show kindness and respect to other people." Faily fail fail la la la faaaaaaailllllll.

[CN: Rape culture; sexual assault] I don't even have words: "Tens of thousands of Americans are pressuring Dartmouth College to strengthen its sexual assault policies, citing the fact that a student was sexually assaulted on campus after her name appeared in a 'rape guide' published on a student-run website. Nearly 50,000 people have signed onto a petition spearheaded by the women's advocacy group UltraViolet asking the prestigious school to 'take action immediately to curb the sexual assault crisis' on campus."

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Jillian York has your "Short Guide to the Internet's Biggest Enemies," on which the US appears for the first time as a result of "the National Security Agency's unapologetic dragnet surveillance and the government's treatment of whistleblowers."

[CN: Rape culture; sexual assault] I'm really glad that photographer Terry Richardson's predation on his models is finally getting some real attention, after years of little-noticed reports and rumors. This guy is a fucking serial rapist, and no reputable magazine should ever hire him again. Nor should anyone who gives a fuck about sexual violence agree to sit for him.

Congratulations to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on winning the National Book Critics Circle award for her novel Americanah. I haven't read it yet, but it's on my list.

Do you want to see some ridiculously adorable pictures of a baby polar bear? Well, here you go!