In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Terrorism; abduction; violence; misogyny; exploitation] Last week, I wrote about the 234 Nigerian girls who had been abducted from their school by members of the jihadist organization Boko Haram. At the time, there was no information about where the girls had been taken. Now, there is a deeply upsetting report that most of the girls "have been ferried abroad to Chad and Cameroon after they were married off to sect members on N2,000 bride price each. ...Dr. Pogu Chibok, who is the leader of the Chibok Elders Forum, told Daily Trust yesterday that latest information available to them indicates that most of the girls have been taken to the neighboring Cameroon and Chad by their captors. He said before they were ferried in canoes across the Lake Chad, a wedding ceremony was conducted at a town on the border with Cameroon where they were married off to Boko Haram militants." And still very little action has been taken to rescue them. My heart is breaking into a million pieces.

[CN: War on agency] The Florida state senate has voted to approve a "fetal homicide bill" which now goes to the Republican governor for signature: "The Florida Senate voted 25-14 last week to pass a bill making it a separate crime to kill or harm a fetus while committing a crime against a pregnant woman. Under current Florida law, a person can already be charged with manslaughter or murder if he or she kills a viable fetus. But this new bill, HB 59, expands the penalties to include causing injury or death to a fetus at any stage of development, starting with conception."

[CN: Misogynoir; domestic violence; sexual assault] Speaking of Florida: "Standing Our Ground: Reproductive Justice for Marissa Alexander."

Well, this is good news: "Google is removing Web search ads for some 'crisis pregnancy centers,' after an investigation by NARAL Pro-Choice America found evidence that the ads violate Google's policy against deceptive advertising."

[CN: Racism] The fallout continues for LA Clippers' owner Donald Sterling, who was caught on tape making racist comments: "Two sponsors have suspended ties with the Los Angeles Clippers, amid mounting pressure on the team and basketball authorities to banish owner Donald Sterling from the sport over alleged racist comments. ...The National Basketball Association was expected on Tuesday to announce sanctions against Sterling, including a possible fine and a ban from playoff games for the rest of this season. ...An outcry led by President Barack Obama, athletes and other public figures has piled pressure on the NBA to oust Sterling from the sport. That would be a fraught and unprecedented step, since the 80-year-old tycoon cannot be fired or compelled to sell the team. ...The National Basketball Players Association has asked the NBA to ban Sterling from attending playoff games and to impose the league's maximum penalties if the comments are verified to be his."

[CN: Disaster; death] The active search through the debris following the Washington landslide has been suspended. Two people remain missing. An active search may be resumed "if conditions change, allowing crews into areas that were previously inaccessible due to large amounts of debris." So sad.

And finally: Here is just a terrific story about a rescued baby squirrel and the gentle dogs who accepted him into their pack.