In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Police brutality; racism] Welp: "Investigators with the Baltimore police have finished their investigation into the death of Freddie Gray. The results - which have not been made public—were handed over to the state's attorney's office, which is conducting its own investigation. The city's top prosecutor, Marilyn Mosby, will decide whether to take the case to a grand jury to seek an indictment of any of the officers." So far, what we know for certain is that the police have been lying.

[CN: Torture] Swell: "The American Psychological Association secretly collaborated with the administration of President George W. Bush to bolster a legal and ethical justification for the torture of prisoners swept up in the post-Sept. 11 war on terror, according to a new report by a group of dissident health professionals and human rights activists. ...'The A.P.A. secretly coordinated with officials from the C.I.A., White House and the Department of Defense to create an A.P.A. ethics policy on national security interrogations which comported with then-classified legal guidance authorizing the C.I.A. torture program,' the report's authors conclude." Ethics schmethics.

Diverging from President Obama's view and aligning with Senator Elizabeth Warren's view, Hillary Clinton opposes a key provision of the Trans-Pacific Partnership: "Currently the United States is negotiating comprehensive agreements with eleven countries in Asia and in North and South America, and with the European Union. We should be focused on ending currency manipulation, environmental destruction, and miserable working conditions in developing countries, as well as harmonizing regulations with the EU. And we should avoid some of the provisions sought by business interests, including our own, like giving them or their investors the power to sue foreign governments to weaken their environmental and public health rules, as Philip Morris is already trying to do in Australia. The United States should be advocating a level and fair playing field, not special favors." John Oliver addressed this dynamic in a recent episode.

This is a good idea: "President Barack Obama will go to a public library in one of Washington's poorest neighborhoods on Thursday to talk about a plan to give low-income children access to 10,000 e-books. Working with publishers and libraries, the White House sees the modest plan as part of a strategy to address inner city problems by increasing educational opportunities for kids." This could be a life-changer for kids who can't safely access a public library.

Huzzah: "Public health experts are celebrating some good news this week: Rubella [also known as "German measles"], a contagious virus that can cause serious health defects in unborn children, has been eliminated from the Americas. It's the first region of the world that the World Health Organization has officially declared to be rubella-free. ...This week's milestone is thanks to the availability of the shot that effectively protects against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)."

[CN: Transphobia] In other healthcare news, Leela Ginelle details the horrid history of cis gatekeeping around trans* healthcare, and describes the required "real life test" as "a form of hazing," which is a great description of a terrible thing.

[CN: Fat hatred] The FDA has approved a drug to get rid of double-chins without surgery, and ABC helpfully reports this news with a whole new disgusting variation on the headless fatty: Just a fat chin with the rest of the face cropped out. I came up with my own solution for my double-chin years ago: Believing that it is perfectly fine and does not need to be changed.

Indiana State Superintendent Glenda Ritz says she might run for governor and oust the shitlord who's been trying to strip her of her power ever since she was elected. If she does, I will enthusiastically support her!

[CN: Misogyny] Whoooooooooooops! "The publisher of a science journal has apologised after a peer reviewer said two female researchers could improve their research by seeking help from 'one or two male biologists.' The review sent to the University of Sussex student read: 'It would probably...be beneficial to find one or two male biologists to work with (or at least obtain internal peer review from, but better yet as active co-authors)' to prevent the manuscript from 'drifting too far away from empirical evidence into ideologically biased assumptions.'" Wow.

South LA Man Builds Homeless Female Friend a Small, Portable House. I love everything about this story, especially that he asked her before doing it.

This literally sounds like it was designed to be my perfect companion: Chinese scientists have discovered a new dinosaur species about the size of a pigeon which had bat-like wings, but couldn't fly. And, according to an artist's rendering, basically looked like a pocket-sized Skeksis.

[Video autoplays at link] And finally! A puppy gets mad at his own hiccups lol awwwwwww!