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via Somini Sengupta, The New York Times The unlikely coalition of companies and consumer groups that last week helped quash antipiracy legislation on Capitol Hill is now weighing the future of what might be called lobbying 2.0. Can the Internet industry, along with legions of newly politicized Web users, be a new force in Washington? … Continue reading
via David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement In what is certain to be a staggering blow for the religious right and conservative organizations, as well as the 2012 Republican Party’s attempts to regain the White House, a new poll by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) finds that 71.3% of college freshmen support same-sex marriage … Continue reading
via Luke Johnson, The Huffington Post Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) intends to marry his longtime partner, Jim Ready, according to his office. “Barney is planning to get married to his partner Jim Ready. The ceremony will take place in Massachusetts,” Harry Gural, Frank’s spokesman, told HuffPost. A date has not been set. Frank announced last … Continue reading
via AP, Indianapolis Business Journal An Indiana Senate panel has approved a bill that would allow creationism to be taught in Indiana’s public schools. The Times of Munster reported that the Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee voted 8-2 Wednesday to send the legislation to the full Senate despite pleas from scientists and religious leaders to keep … Continue reading
via The Huffington Post The number of abortions performed in Illinois fell to a 37 year low in 2010, according to new data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. While both abortion opponents and pro-choice advocates believe the decrease in abortions is a good thing, the groups disagree on why the state saw such … Continue reading
via Dave Crary, The Huffington Post With a flurry of coast-to-coast developments this week, same-sex marriage is back in the political spotlight and likely to remain there through Election Day as a half-dozen states face potentially wrenching votes on the issue. In Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, bills to legalize same-sex marriage have high-powered support … Continue reading
via Rachel La Corte and MIke Baker, The Huffington Post Gay marriage proponents urged their supporters not to become complacent following news the Legislature has enough votes to make Washington the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. Democratic Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen says she’ll support the measure, becoming the 25th vote needed to pass the … Continue reading
via Associated Press, The Washington Post The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that police must get a search warrant before using GPS technology to track criminal suspects. The GPS device helped authorities link Washington, D.C., nightclub owner Antoine Jones to a suburban house used to stash money and drugs. He was sentenced to life in … Continue reading
via Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune Show of hands: How many of you tried to go to Wikipedia on Wednesday and, instead of reading “List of Gilmore Girls Episodes,” were puzzled by the black and white screen that said “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge”? Every English-language article was blocked, the frivolous ones and the serious … Continue reading
via Luke Johnson, The Huffington Post The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), have ignited widespread online protests–yet there is considerable confusion surrounding the legislation. Here’s a rundown of how the bills would work: The legislation would allow copyright holders and the Justice Department to seek court … Continue reading
via Jessica Arons, ThinkProgress Yesterday, in a huge victory for women’s health, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that most employers will be required to cover contraception in their health plans, along with other preventive services, with no cost-sharing such as co-pays or deductibles. This means that after years of trying to get … Continue reading
via Jasmin Melvin, Reuters Lawmakers stopped anti-piracy legislation in its tracks on Friday, delivering a stunning win for Internet companies that staged an unprecedented online protest this week to kill the previously fast-moving bills. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would postpone a critical vote that had been scheduled for January 24 “in light … Continue reading
via Laura Meckler, Washington Wire The mayors of several big cities, including Chicago, New York, Boston and Los Angeles, are joining together to support same-sex marriage rights, a move that could put additional pressure on President Barack Obama to do the same. The effort is being organized by Freedom to Marry, an advocacy group that … Continue reading
via Mike Masnick, Techdirt Well, well. It appears that Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) really wants to tempt fate and stick his tongue out at the internet. Beyond announcing that he’s moving forward with SOPA, he’s also continuing to mock the critics, calling the Wikipedia blackout a “publicity stunt”: “It is ironic that a website dedicated … Continue reading
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via Zach Carter, The Huffington Post Google will join thousands of tech activists, entrepreneurs and corporations on Wednesday in protesting the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, a controversial bill that has generated national outrage among Internet experts. On Wednesday, more than 7,000 websites are expected to voluntarily “go dark,” by blocking access to their content … Continue reading
via Sarah Skidmore, Christian Science Monitor Wikipedia will black out the English language version of its website Wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress, the foundation behind the popular community-based online encyclopedia said in a statement Monday night. The website will go dark for 24 hours in an unprecedented move that brings added muscle … Continue reading
via Liz Gannes, AllThingsD Counting Twitter mentions would have you believe that Ron Paul is the most popular Republican candidate in the ongoing U.S. primaries. Umm, right. But some social media analysis of politics is going beyond that. A partnership between Facebook and Politico announced today is one of the more far-reaching efforts. It will … Continue reading
via Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune In a case involving a teacher fired by an Evangelical Lutheran school in Michigan, President Obama’s Justice Department climbed way out on a limb in arguing that the teacher could sue for the loss of her job. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court took a sharp saw to that branch. It’s … Continue reading
via Josh Wretlind, Examiner In a surprise move today, Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced that he will stop all action on SOPA, effectively killing the bill. This move was most likely due to several things. One of those things is that SOPA and PIPA met huge online protest against the bills. Another reason would be … Continue reading
via Jonathan Turley, The Washington Post Every year, the State Department issues reports on individual rights in other countries, monitoring the passage of restrictive laws and regulations around the world. Iran, for example, has been criticized for denying fair public trials and limiting privacy, while Russia has been taken to task for undermining due process. Other countries … Continue reading
via Paul Krugman, The New York Times “And greed — you mark my words — will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.” That’s how the fictional Gordon Gekko finished his famous “Greed is good” speech in the 1987 film “Wall Street.” In the movie, Gekko got his comeuppance. … Continue reading
via Chicago Tribune Today the Tribune editorial page endorses swearing. Loudly. (We endorse swearing loudly, that is; our endorsement itself is sotto voce.) Oops. Sorry, we forgot to mention one condition: Go ahead and scream that curse … to relieve physical pain. British researchers report in the Journal of Pain (no, we didn’t make that … Continue reading
via Erin Sherbert, The Snitch What some healthy and spry Occupy Movements across the nation couldn’t quite accomplish, San Francisco geriatrics have! KCBS reports that a small group of senior citizens between the ages of 69 and 82 successfully shut down a Bank of America in Bernal Heights on Thursday with nothing more than walkers … Continue reading
via Christopher Helman, Forbes Showing that it isn’t worried about the upswell of angst over hydraulic fracking technology, the Chinese government, through state-controlled Sinopec, today struck a deal with Devon Energy to buy into five prospective new exploration areas in the U.S. The deal, which includes $900 million in cash upfront and a promise of … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 