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n2doc's JournalCalifornia governor signs law outlawing ‘gay panic’ legal defense
The Governor of California has signed a law outlawing the use of the so-called ‘gay panic’ defense.
The defense – which is often used to get more lenient sentences for criminals after assaults and murders – is based around the claim that a perpetrator was “panicked” into committing a violent crime due to an unwanted advance from a gay person.
More recently, the panic defense has also been used to justify crimes against transgender people after discovering their gender identity.
Rights campaigners have long argued that it is deeply homophobic, and last month a bill axing it was passed by the state assembly by a vote of 50-10.
more
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/09/28/california-governor-signs-law-outlawing-gay-panic-legal-defense/
Judging America
They say not judge a book by its cover, for photographer Joel Parés‘ series “Judging America,” that’s exactly what he wants you to do… at first. Presented as simple portrait GIFs, Parés wants you to start by judging the book — or in this case person — by his or her ethnicity, profession, or sexual orientation, and then, just as you’ve decided what it is you want to believe about the person you’re looking at, he reveals the reality.
The portraits are quite literally expected to share their powerful message unaided. If you visit Parés’ site, you won’t find so much as a sentence about the series or what it’s supposed to convey.
No, the message is clear: successful, talented and good people come in all professions, nationalities, and colors.
http://petapixel.com/2014/09/25/judging-america-series-jarring-portrait-gifs-alternate-stereotype-reality/
http://www.joelpares.com/judging-america/
Gravity Shift Reveals West Antarctic Ice Loss
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is headed toward “unstoppable” collapse according to recent studies. A new visual released by the European Space Agency show what the start of that collapse looks like both for the mass of the ice sheet and its signature on the planet’s gravitational field.
We think of gravity as a constant, holding us in place on the planet. But the reality is there are small changes in gravity all over the globe. Not enough that you’ll feel lighter on your feet in one place compared to another, but enough that scientists can use satellites to measure the differences. Those measurements can, in turn, help us better understand the world around us, from how earthquakes shift land to how fast ice sheets are receding and what that means for sea level rise.
The measurements released by the European Space Agency on Friday fall into the latter category. They show gravity in the region is decreasing as the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has melted faster and faster over a 3-year period from 2009-12, sending more water into the sea.
This region of the ice sheet has been intensely studied by scientists and recent research indicate melt could be “unstoppable.” The melt of that section of the ice sheet would raise sea levels 10-13 feet, though the timetable for that happening is centuries, not single years or decades.
more
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/gravity-west-antarctic-ice-loss-18100
Mysterious New Poison Dart Frog Found; Is Size of Fingernail
A new species of poison dart frog so teeny it can fit on a fingernail has been discovered in a rain forest in Panama, a new study says.
Scientists found the toxic, electric-orange amphibian in a single hilly area near the Caribbean coast, according to a study published this week in the journal Zootaxa.
Measuring just 12.7 millimeters in length, the newly described Andinobates geminisae remains something of a mystery, according to the study team.
For one, the mini-amphibian “looks nothing like” its closest genetic relatives in the region, mainly because of its orange color, study co-author Andrew Crawford, a professor of evolutionary genetics and biostatistics at the University of the Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, said by email.
more
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/09/25/animals-new-species-science-poison-dart-frog-panama-world/
Egypt sentences six men convicted of homosexuality to 2 years in jail
An Egyptian court on Thursday sentenced six allegedly homosexual men to two years in jail with labour on charges of "committing debauchery," a judicial source told Ahram Online.
The men, also fined LE200 each (approximately $30), were arrested during a raid on an apartment. According to authorities, the two of them were caught "red-handed."
The court said the men, including a Moroccan national, were promoting their apartment as a location for homosexual activity through Facebook, charging $200 a night.
Same-sex consensual homosexual conduct is not explicitly criminalised by Egyptian law, but same-sex marriage is not legal. Nonetheless, homosexuals have been arrested and punished in the past on morality charges under several laws, including debauchery, immorality or contempt of religion.
more
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/111702.aspx
British chef creates burgers that taste like human flesh
http://static1.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1950831.1411564313!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/flesh25n-2-web.jpgIt's enough to make Hannibal Lecter drool.
A British chef has created a burger that tastes almost exactly like human flesh.
James Thomlinson used first-hand accounts of cannibalism to come up with the macabre meal.
He reportedly read 1920s journalist William Seabrook's book "Jungle Ways" as part of his research.
Seabrook, who persuaded a medical student to give him a chunk of flesh to devour, wrote: "It was like good, fully developed veal, not young, but not yet beef."
more
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/british-chef-creates-burgers-tastes-human-flesh-article-1.1950832
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