The US Supreme Court on October 6 effectively legalized same-sex marriage in 11 states by deciding not to hear appeals for court rulings that affirmed gay and lesbian couples' right to marry.
The Mysteries of Inequality Are Only Mysterious to Elites →
Several good data points/articles linked in this one, including:
First, we got new data from the Federal Reserve Board and the Census Bureau, both of which showed that typical families are still seeing very little benefit from the recovery to date. The Fed released the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finance which showed median family wealth was still below the 2010 level in spite of the run-up in the stock market.
The Census Bureau released its annual data on income, poverty, and health insurancecoverage. While there was some good news on the latter two, median income remained flat. The story in both the Fed and Census analysis remains the same: Those at the top continue to get the bulk of the benefits from economic growth.
Colorado: County School Board Passes Proposal to Censor History Courses →
And why we should leave history to the professionals (in general):
State Board of Ed member: ‘U.S. ended slavery voluntarily’
Pam Mazanec, a Larkspur businesswoman who sits on Colorado’s Board of Education, posted on a Facebook discussion thread her concerns that questions asked on the Advanced Placement U.S. history test “portray the negative viewpoint as the correct answer.”
“As an example, I note our slavery history,” she wrote to a woman who teaches AP U.S history. “Yes, we practiced slavery. But we also ended it voluntarily, at great sacrifice, while the practice continues in many countries still today!
“Shouldn’t our students be provided that viewpoint? This is part of the argument that America is exceptional. Does our APUSH (AP U.S. History) framework support or denigrate that position?”
Texas: All But 8 Abortion Clinics Close After Court Guts Access Overnight →
Nearly a million Texas women will now have to travel a minimum of 300 miles round-trip to access abortion. The provision, which went into effect following Thursday’s court ruling, requires all abortion clinics to meet hospital-style building requirements, reversing the order of a lower-court judge who found the restrictions posed an undue burden to women.
Can the Hong Kong protesters and China compromise? →
Many think that compromise between China and Hong Kong protesters is impossible. Protests continue to swell and China is holding firm on its position that the designation of the 2017 electoral ballot is ultimately under Beijing’s control. But in the past there have been multiple instances of compromise between China and Hong Kong protesters after public stand-offs over similarly sensitive issues. And compromise is again a feasible option, well worth considering now.
Thoughts on the Power of Civil Resistance →
Once nonviolent action begins, however, state repression becomes a blunt instrument, too. The varied and often discreet routines states use to prevent challenges from emerging become mostly irrelevant. Instead, states must switch to a repertoire of clumsier and less familiar actions with larger and more immediate consequences.
The awkwardness of this response turns out to be the mechanism thatconverts people power into change, or at least the possibility for it. States thrive on routines around which they can build bureaucracies and normalize public expectations. Activists who succeed at mobilizing and sustaining mass challenges force the state onto less familiar footing, where those bureaucracies’ routines don’t apply and public expectations are weakly formed. In so doing, activists instill uncertainty in the minds of officials who must respond and of the observers of these interactions.
Brazil's Election Culminates A Season Filled With Shocks →
Brazilians head to the polls Sunday in one of the most exciting elections in recent history there. The presidential race pits two women against each other — a first for the South American country.
Candidate Marina Silva, if elected, would make history by being the first Afro-Brazilian president. But first she must beat incumbent Dilma Rousseff, a former Marxist guerrilla who was tortured under the dictatorship in Brazil.
Starting the Writing Challenge →
It's easy to get frustrated with victims of abuse who don't walk away or can't, and eventually write them off as a lost cause. That attitude, however, serves to further isolate them and gives credence to their abuser's narrative that the victim is worthless or unlovable.
It's not up to me to save my friend. I couldn't do that even if I tried (I have tried), but I can be a consistent source of caring, concern, and guidance. Maybe it will help him find the confidence and strength he needs to leave one day, maybe at 70 he will wonder how he is still with her.
Either way, each of us needs people in our lives who love us without condition, who reflect back to us our true, beautiful selves.