Category Archives: In the news

Supreme Court Rules For Coporations In Hobby Lobby

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Ampersand

You can read the ruling in pdf form here, and Ginsburg’s mammoth, strongly-worded dissent here. Sarah Kliff sums up the ruling in three sentences: 1. A federal law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was written to protect individuals’ religious … Continue reading →

Posted in Abortion & reproductive rights, In the news, Supreme Court Issues | 91 Comments

Rik Mayall 1958-2014

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Ampersand

Well, that’s a big lovely anarchic piece of my generation’s childhood gone.

Posted in In the news | 6 Comments

The Effects of Bullying Are Lifelong

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Ampersand

From PolicyMic: For decades, a research team at King’s College London has been tracking a group of 7,771 people from England, Scotland and Wales who were all born in the same week in 1958. At age 7 and 11, their … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news | 5 Comments

School Won’t Let Bullied Boy Bring ‘My Little Pony’ Bag to Class

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Ampersand

School Won’t Let Bullied Boy Bring ‘My Little Pony’ Bag to Class. Thank goodness they weren’t bullying him over having red hair, or the school would presumably have told him to shave his head. Because giving the bullies what they … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, In the news, Sexism hurts men | 33 Comments

The Sleepwalker Statue and Freedom of Speech

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Ampersand

On the Wellesley campus, the Davis Museum is showing an exhibit of sculptor Tony Matelli’s work, including the above statue set up outside the museum. A student objected to this, on the grounds that the statue could potentially be “triggering,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Free speech, censorship, copyright law, etc., In the news, Mind-blowing Miscellania and other Neat Stuff | 35 Comments

Coke’s controversial “America The Beautiful” Commercial

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Ampersand

Some comments about Coke’s Super Bowl Ad from Coke-Cola’s Facebook page: You should be ashamed of that commercial. Ill never buy another coke product again. Offensive and a diss to America the Beautiful! Ashamed, disappointed. Bad choice, Coke! I’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, Migrant Rights, etc, In the news | 63 Comments

Richard Sherman’s Play And The Vast Overreaction

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Ampersand

(Cartoon by Darrin Bell.) I found the Richard Sherman bruhaha surprisingly interesting, so even though it’s a bit past the due date, I thought I’d post some links. For those of you who don’t know, Richard Sherman is a football … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news, Race, racism and related issues | 32 Comments

Seven Points Regarding The Phil Robertson Kerfuffle

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Ampersand

If you’re not already familiar with the Phil Robertson controversy, well, let me try to sum it up in one sentence: Phil Robertson, a long-bearded dude from a hugely successful A&E reality show makes racist and homophobic comments during a … Continue reading →

Posted in Free speech, censorship, copyright law, etc., Homophobic zaniness/more LGBTQ issues, In the news, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues, Race, racism and related issues | 79 Comments

Filibuster Goes Partial Boom

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Ampersand

Corey Robin sums it up: Today, the United States Senate voted to eliminate the filibuster for most presidential nominees. That decision does not apply to legislation or Supreme Court nominees. […] But what does the vote actually mean? As Phil … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections and politics, In the news | 10 Comments

The Filibuster Is Going Down! Er, partly.

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Ampersand

From the New York Times: Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, is prepared to move forward with a vote that could severely limit the minority party’s ability to filibuster presidential nominees, possibly as early as this week, Democrats said Tuesday. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections and politics, In the news | 8 Comments